no idea about them.....they sell a lot of noname stuff from the way it looks. I am going to guess you would be throwing your money away.

According the links most of the gear is made by High Peak which is just a trading company in Washington. I am guessing any issues will be dealt with poorly.

Personal experience with gear companies....you truly get what you pay for.

Jet boil, excellent company support and product
Big agnes, good quality, really expensive
MSR excellent product never had to call company
Osprey excellent product excellent customer service
Marmot excellent
Kelty very good, last sleeping bag was disappointing, temp rating was less than accurate
Eureka, solid very scout friendly
Alps, Excellent gear for a scout, but the quality of the Packs and tents are not quit as good as marmot, big agnes or osprey. but it also cost half the price.

Scout sons gear list
Golite Jam
Mess kit whipped topping container and wendy's plastic wear
Thermarest z pad
lafuma 20 degree down bag steepandcheap
black diamond headlight steepandcheap
sierra design zolo 2 tent steepandcheap
we use popcan stoves

I'm skeptical of "noname" stuff. First backpack was one, and the frame broke in the middle of a week long trip. I definitely got what I paid for. Since then I have used was folks recommended.

In the past when I was a poor scout, or poor college student, I'd use GI surplus. Some of the gear I still have and is usable, some I gave away. BUT I bet with the exception of 1 item I threw away, all of it is usable today. Heck my oldest will be using the ALICE pack I got "experienced" in 1988 this weekend. One minor repair was needed, switching a plastic locking device, and one major repair, repairing the lid pocket, has been done all this time, and both were done in the last 3 months.

But once out in the world and could afford regular stuff, I started using non-GI surplus. Love my Camp Trails pack, love Eureka sleeping bag. Wife loves her Alps's sleeping bag. Love my Platypus gear.

But with oldest starting to need gear, and of course his 2 younger brothers needing stuff in the future, I'm looking at surplus gear again. It's rugged (hey if it can withstand combat, it has a chance of withstanding Scouts ), easily available, and cheap.

On thing of many things scouting gets a bad rap over is how heavy our boys pack.

Sure their young and strong. But.


GI gear is great but it is heavy. My son's golite pack weighs just a couple of pounds that alice pack probably weights 10 on its own.

Every scout has a nalgene bottle.....that think is a pound on its own and cost 6-$10. Gatoraide bottle $1 or so with flavored contents, It weighs just a couple of ounces. best of all when he loses it no biggy.

I would consider weight when buying gear.

Add

Diamond Brand - tents
Patagonia - outerwear
North Face - coats

to the list of good companies. I'm not sure the first two are still around, but their gear is still working well.

Base,

Yes the ALICE frame is a little heavy compared to today's current gear available. But at this stage it's not too bad for him and weekend trips. Now if he was going to Philmont, or another major backpacking trip, I'd encouraged him to get lighter stuff. Or figure out how to lighten his load using stuff we already have.

One reason why I got a 6000+ cubic inch internal frame pack: lighter weight and more storage area for longer trips.

Checking the selection of tents, backpacks and sleeping bags I see no major recognizable names. With that being said if price is all you are interested in then it may be ok, but if you want dependable gear I'd look elsewhere.

Concur with the military surplus commentary...though a little heavy, you'll get good value for your dollar, and it works fine for those low mileage backpacking trips.

I still have a few items (canteen cup, mess kit, canteens) that I packed with as a scout, and they held up just fine.

If it's GI proof, it's scout proof!

Thanks for everyone's feedback. I convinced the scout's parent not to go with the unknown gear. The old scouts are loaning some older gear for those who don't have all of the necessary gear. Christmas is getting close and the wish lists are getting longer.

I defense or CampingMaxx.com (CampingMax.com) I am a customer of Camping Max. When I was in the market for a new backpack I called Camping Max and talked with Jerry. I needed to know the inside height of the Adrenaline and the Everest 75+10. He put down the phone, grabbed the packs, measured them and told me my answer.

#1) If you call Camping Max, a real person answers the phone and actually helps you.
#2) If you email them, they email you back
#3) They actually inspect the gear they sell, so you are unlikey to get a lemon.

#4) It seems the comments here are based on assumption. It doesn't appear that any of the posters have actually called, emailed or otherwise done business with Camping Max. High Peak is good stuff. It's well-designed. Yeah. it's made in China. But the difference is ESPECIALLY if you buy from Camping Max, that it's inspected.

#5) I was having a hard time finding the stainless steel mess kits that have the "wing nut" handles. I emailed Jerry at Camping Maxx and he emailed me right back that he had just what I wanted ... even though they weren't on the website.

Bottom line ... CampingMaxx.com has done right by me. They know their products and they deliver service. LifeViewOutdoors.com is another one that sells good stuff and you can actually communicate with them.

Warm Regards,
Michael Crooks

Ya know if Buffalo, OGE, eagle732 or eagle92 posted that it was a great store and great no name gear......i would give it the benefit of the doubt......

Interesting turn of events....did just a tad bit of research..... The business address is a residence, not a warehouse or storefront.

Makes me more than a little concerned....