Is spending $400 on a tent worth it or am I just being upsold?

I was at a campsite last summer near Lake Tahoe, and this older guy with a beat-up old tent saw me setting up my new $400 one. He laughed and said, 'Son, I've been using that same $50 tent for 20 years, it's just fine.' But then a ranger came by and said cheap tents fail in wind and rain all the time. So now I'm stuck wondering - is the expensive gear a real upgrade or just a fancy name? Has anyone else had a similar push-pull on what to spend?

1 comments

1 Comment

alicecooper1mo ago

I'll push back a little, cheap tents can be fine for fair weather camping.