simon-b wrote:...But one area of equipment I would be wary of among the brands you have mentioned is rucksacks. Friends and I have used cheaper rucksacks in the past, and things on them like buckles and drawstrings can break very easily, sometimes during the first use. ...
On the other hand I got a cheap-as-chips 35 + 10 Eurohike sac about 15 years ago, and it's accompanied my on all my walks, probably over 1500 kms in total, and some of them reasonably big; and it's been absolutely superb: really strong, robustly built (zips etc.), comfortable, no ancilliaries (buckles, etc.) failures - a much loved old old friend. A couple of years ago rodents got to a pocket while it was stored in my loft because I'd left some energy bars in there. But I could fix that to a sufficient level of functionality with safety pins. In December last year the stitching went on a strap, but it was really easy to mend with a needle and linen thread, and it's now back in service.
I recently departed from my cheap-if-it-looks-OK philosophy, and bought some very expensive Haglofs mid walking shoes. They were a joy to wear, rather better than some really cheap shoes I'd previously had (and done long walks in). But after about 6 expeditions, the stitching split, and a hole developed that demonstrated how thin the leather was. I've just returned them and got my money back. Maddening and sad!
You see from this thread that experiences vary widely...