What manufacturer?

I've noticed in my websurfing that their are 7 main outdoor gear manufacturers, they include Coleman, GoLite, Kelty, Marmont, Mountain Hardwear, MSR (Cascade Designs, which incluedes Therm-a-Rest) and, The North Face. You could go on a trip with 3 of your most expensive items (tent, pack, sleeping bag and commonly clothing) supplied by one of these manufacturers. Their is one exception to this rule, MSR, but they supply more stoves than I can think of and Therm-a-Rest is massive as well. I'm just wondering what you guys think of these in comparison. (Mabey even start an argument, I know people can be that attached to their manufacturers in other sports.)

Hi Icy,
Don't forget to take a look at REI, http://www.ems.com, and MEC (mec.ca) brands as well. Most folks also shop around campmor.com and http://www.sierratradingpost.com . Frequently, you can get your 3 most expensive items (tent, bag, pack) for > marketplace>> classifieds
http://www.adventure16.com/bulletin/
http://www.backpacking.net/forums/ubbthreads.php

Since I moved back to Hong Kong late last year, I've found very good quality clothings, from obviously clearance stores, under the brands REI, Sierra Designs, Columbia, MEC, Mountain Hardware, Arc'Teryx logo, Fjallraven, and of course, the ubiquitous TNF! Thery are generally 1/4 or less than the US prices. I've no doubt they are either clones or leftovers from the manufacturers. Be aware of fakes if you're buying used clothing from the web, especially TNF brand.

Since you're going solo, go through the backpacking.net for some ideas. You can frequently equip yourself for the cost of next to nothing. If you are thinking of moving from 3-season backpacking to winter/snow camping, you will need a bigger pack, or you can use your current pack and pull a sled. And if you're interested in mountaineering, then you need to get good quality gear, i.e. name brands. But still, you can still get some off-season bargains or great quality used gear from the about site. Also, don't forget to research your gear and price at google. Good luck :-))

Frequently, you can get your 3 most expensive items (tent, bag, pack) for > marketplace>> classifieds
http://www.adventure16.com/bulletin/
http://www.backpacking.net/forums/ubbthreads.php

Hi Icy,
Don't forget to take a look at REI, ems.com, and MEC (mec.ca) brands as well. Most folks also shop around campmor.com and sierratradingpost.com .
Frequently, you can get your 3 most expensive items (tent, bag, pack) for less than $100 a piece, new, in these two places.

Don't forget to hit your local Salvation Army stores, especially those near affluent neighborhoods, for some surprises.

Here are some websites for buying and selling used gear:
www.trailspace.com/forums/classifieds/
www.outdoorgearswap.com
www.outdoorreview.com , see marketplace then go to classifieds
www.adventure16.com/bulletin/
www.backpacking.net/forums/ubbthreads.php

"..Coleman, GoLite, Kelty, Marmont, Mountain Hardwear, MSR (Cascade Designs, which incluedes Therm-a-Rest) and, The North Face."

I'm not sure what you mean by "7 main outdoor gear manufacturers." There are actually a lot more than that. But most of the ones you name are part of larger conglomerates. Johnson Worldwide, for example, owns Coleman. Kelty is part of K2. Mountain Hardwear is part of Columbia. TNF is part of VF, Inc.

As Les says, REI, EMS, and MEC have their own labels, although their gear is manufactured by other companies (they do not have manufacturing facilities of their own.

Personal opinion, based on using gear by all of these, on quality level (some of these companies were higher quality when independent small shops, some have gone through cycles of high and low quality, so I would give a different answer 5 years ago and 5 years from now) -

best of your list - Marmot, Mountain Hardwear, MSR
middle of your list - GoLite, The North Face, Kelty
lowest of your list, but still quite good - Coleman

You left off the best quality companies, though - Feathered Friends (sleeping bags, down clothing), Integral Designs (tents, shell clothing, sleeping bags), Black Diamond (leaving out their climbing gear, their Bibler and Black Diamond tents, BD gloves), Western Mountaineering (sleeping bags, Patagonia (aka "Patagucci" - fashionable, but high quality clothing, part of the original Chouinard group), Arc'teryx, Lowe (packs, clothing). These are all independent companies, and by no means a complete list. They are all pretty expensive, but the quality is high enough that the gear lasts long enough in hard use conditions to make them inexpensive in the long run.

Yeah, I know, you are a "starving student". Been there, done that, as they say, and I'm now an impecunious pensioner. So, what to do to get gear that does the job, is durable enough to get you through schooling until you can get a high-paying job, and still is cheap.

As Les says, look at used, seconds, and discontinued gear. Wilderness Exchange in Berkeley does mail order of all these. Northern Mountain Supply does mail order of lots of seconds and discontinued closeouts. Sierra Trading Post does the same (I've gotten some really good buys from them). Campmor has their own label (no manufacturing facilities, though) which is pretty good quality, plus seconds and closeouts ("last year's" tents and packs are often at pretty good discounts). I used mostly Campmor long johns on my Denali climbs and other expeditions - not fashionable, but no one cares on the mountain and no one at the ski resorts sees your underwear when you are on the slopes.

There are lots of cheap, poor quality brands out there, some selling millions of dollars of product to the unknowledgable. Stay away from the apparent bargains - they often come apart in just a couple of trips, so you end up spending much more.

Read the reviews on this site (right on the top line - "Gear Reviews"

Hope this helps

I don't understand the topic, but......
If you're asking what would I choose with any limits, I say: MH and Marmot.

But here in Italy they cost too much. :-(