Aldi adventure gear - 4th July

[Travis22]

Theres lots of different ways to look at it MD.

The way i look at it is how much monies worth of gear does the average bushwalking enthusiast use hiking. My guess is $1000-2000 worth. (Hell you can easily spend $2000 on the big 3 items alone ; tent, pack and sleeping bag. Add sleeping mat, cooking equip, camera, gps, headlamp, PLB, clothing, wet weather gear etc and it really adds up).

Whats a $124 chair as well if it floats your boat.

My point is using the view above, if the $124 chair is well made and known for its quality then spending $30 for the Aldi knockoff is a false economy if it brakes easily or after a less then acceptable number of uses. So whats $124 in the scheme of things considering money already spent as above. I didnt say the $124 chair isnt an expensive chair, i said it isnt so expensive that id risk buying the knockoff version off if you want that chair. As that saying go's, Poor man pays twice.

If one cannot afford the more expensive chair thats fair enough too. All i was doing was commenting to Cams who obviously can afford the real deal because he said he just bought 2 of them, that i doubt he'll regret it.

I dont have a hiking chair myself.

Travis.

[perfectlydark]

Poor man can pay 4 times here before hes out of pocket!

[Travis22]

Wouldnt be paying a 2nd time after the 1st cheapie brakes in the middle of nowhere

Travis.

[perfectlydark]

Well depends how long its lasted i guess. Seen plenty of threads in here with expensive gear failing too.
I wouldnt write something off purely on the basis of being 'cheap', ive bought many aldi stuff and while its not the best stuff in the world, for what you pay its hard to fault. Anyway $30 is doable for the poor man to experiment with a chair, id personally never lay that amount out for one so im not really behind

[Moondog55]

While the premise is that you get what you pay for; in many instances what you are really paying for is advertising and sponsorship of elite athletes. I find the general quality of ALDI gear very good and the warranty is impeccable.
I suppose it's all a matter of choosing where to spend your disposable income, as it is a purely luxury item for short term walks and not really necessary then $30- sounds like a reasonable amount of money to me $140- doesn't. Spending $140- to get my base weight down on any of the big 4 tho I would consider worthwhile.
I went and had a look at the chair in question, considering the relatively light weight it looks robust enough for gentle bushwalking use and looks no more or less fragile than the item it is cloned from
The alloy in the ALDI may or may not be the same as the Helinox; after all DAC make for anybody who wants the tubing, I saw no information about the alloy used in the ALDI chair but it is heavier so I assume not.
Poor mans experiment? Yes and save for the lighter and possible stronger chair if it was worthwhile

[walkon]

+1 MD I've not had anything go wrong with my aldi purchases. Though like the rest of my gear I give it a good look over and if it doesn't look up to it I won't buy it.

[Strider]

The Aldi chair is about the same weight as the Helinox chair. Within a few grams. Probably from the same factory!

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[vicrev]

Off track,I know.......their wine is great value too.........

[Travis22]

Stop it Strider your going to make me want to go and buy one

Im as much a sucker for a great deal as the next bloke, but i curse myself no end when i buy something cheap and it doesnt last like it should!

MD - how were you able to see the Aldi chair already if they dont go on sale until the 4th July? Are these chairs already in the stores for sale?

Travis.

[Moondog55]

I saw them being unpacked at the back of the store

[perfectlydark]

Only aldi 'outdoors' item ive been dissapointed in was their 75l packs they had a few years back for $40. That was rubbish and while it may have lasted, it was incredibly uncomfortable with any weight in it.
Aside from that all purchases have fared well with good use

[keithy]

Regarding the camp chair, I got an email from a mob I've bought some rechargeable batteries and gadgets from just yesterday. They had a similar chair at a discounted price, but it is still $50, so the Aldi version is still cheaper. I'll have to wander in to the local Aldi and see if they have them in stock.

Have they sold the dry duffle bags before? They seem cheap particularly for the larger sized ones - https://www.aldi.com.au/en/special-buys ... uffle-bag/

[perfectlydark]

Yeah they have had the duffle bags before im interested in grabbing one

[walkon]

Im as much a sucker for a great deal as the next bloke, but i curse myself no end when i buy something cheap and it doesnt last like it should!

Travis.

Not long finished several warranty claims that took a while to sort out and they weren't cheap either. Still have one on the go but I'm patient. That said quality breaks less easily.

Keep your receipt Aldi are good with refunds

[David M]

Regarding the discussion of price vs quality, there is a Yiddish saying that in English says "only a rich man can afford a cheap job".

Also, from other sources, "good, fast, cheap - pick two".

That being said, high quality items can often be bought inexpensively through appropriate outlets that keep mark-ups to a minimum such as Aldi, eBay and online sources. Something might be of high quality and yet inexpensive just because it doesn't have huge mark-ups.

[Strider]

Costco is a good example of this. Company policy is no greater than 15% markup.

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[andrewa]

I've got 2 helinox chairs, which are fantastic at the end of the day, especially as I have a stiffish back at best. I also recently bought some of the ebay copies, which were about $45. Look pretty well identical. It's a great design, and in my mind, worth the 800g , just to have somewhere comfy to sit.

A

[David M]

Don't forget the ALDI the gear specials are on TODAY, 4th July.

[perfectlydark]

And theres a lineup already..fortunatly im no.3

[Moondog55]

Don't everybody forget the email campaign for the Titanium gear

[kymboy]

Warning. The Aldi chair is rubbish. Impossible to put together without ripping, bending, busting the frame or the seat.
Looks like it'll be Money back Monday!

[Moondog55]

Warning. The Aldi chair is rubbish. Impossible to put together without ripping, bending, busting the frame or the seat.
Looks like it'll be Money back Monday!

Any chance of pictures?

[perfectlydark]

I didnt really have any issues with it? Was about to sa im impressed. Maybe yours faulty?

[keithy]

Warning. The Aldi chair is rubbish. Impossible to put together without ripping, bending, busting the frame or the seat.
Looks like it'll be Money back Monday!

I didn't find that on mine, but the QC is average.

No bending or ripping to assemble mine:

AldiCampChair.jpg (302.07 KiB) Viewed 52074 times

Sorry for the crappy phone pix. The central strut (under the seat) pivots, so make sure it is on flat ground when you put the seat on the poles. Three poles are easy, that last one will require stretching about an inch, but once it's in its ok.

The edge trim on the finishing side is badly sewn on one side, but nothing I can't clean up.

AldiCampChairFinish.jpg (289.38 KiB) Viewed 52074 times

On my scales, without the bag, its 715grams, with the bag about 790 grams. Reasonably comfortable to sit in for me, but I wonder what it will be like for the bigger and taller blokes.

Still for $30 and the warranty, its an ok from me. Just got to test it out my next trip now.

Edit: forgot to say Thanks to the OP for the heads up on the chair.

[Strider]

Don't stretch the fabric to fit the last pole. Gently bend the frame instead.

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[Franco]

Just back from the Aldi buying expedition.
Bought a down vest ($30).
Size L (I usually take M ) 195g.
Not a lot of loft but similar to the Macpac and Kathmandu UL versions (in loft...) packs pretty small (1/2 liter)



Bought another Merino T ($25) and a pair of shoes ($35)
My wife bought a couple of Merino tops and some more socks ($10 for 2 pairs)

[keithy]

Don't stretch the fabric to fit the last pole. Gently bend the frame instead.

That's what I probably should have said - it's a combination of stretching the last corner and the frame about an inch.

I've had another go, to the amusement of others, but I'm still happy with it.

[kyliem]

I can't get the cover on even three of the legs no matter what technique I use to stretch it. It seems way too small to fit comfortably.

[Strider]

How is the vest quality Franco?

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[markg]

I bought my daughter one of their sleeping bags, and also 2 down jkts. The jackets seem to be ok for the price they were. The fit is pretty good, one I bought for my partner fits a lot better than a slightly cheaper version we got from Rivers. The sleeping bag looks to be ok too. I bought it with the intention of putting it inside one planet bag I purchased earlier in the year for her for when it gets cold. I won't be losing any sleep if it's not the greatest thing in the world. It was cheap. The Western Mountaineering bag I got early last year has risen in price by $300 locally so I did manage a win there. I bought a down jkt for myself, sizing is kinda weird, I normally fit a mens to large, this one fits good and it's an XXL??????