The camping essentials - I've found a bargain which you all need to know about thread...

[danmarks]

Go outdoors has an up to 70percent sale at moment. Havent trawled through it all but there's definitely some bargains if you arent too fussed on colour/ last years style etc.

[Jay Pee]

16 hours ago, Brave Sir Robin said:

I second all of this, especially trying them on, and also being very impressed with Meindls. I've also had a couple of pairs of Salomons before and I liked them and think they look a bit better (well, less awful than most!) but in my (limited) experience weren't as long lasting/hardwearing.

Proper socks make a difference too of course.

Agree. 

Randomly, I also got fitted out at Warm and Dry in Whalley for a pair of Altberg.

My go to Festival boot is Meindl Vakum which you can get for about 200 quid but don't be put off by that. My original pair are now ten years old and are on their second sole and relegated to dog walking bur have done literally thousands of miles and dozens of festivals and still lasting with daily use.

Merino Wool socks will make a big difference to foot comfort. Contrary to what you may think they help keep the feet cool. More expensive but worth it

[DownlnAlbion]

18 hours ago, northernringo said:

Sports Direct are pretty sneaky when it comes to their reductions - most of their items are nearly always 'half price' but when you search around it seems to be the standard price in other stores too.

It is actually slightly cheaper at OutdoorGB too: https://www.outdoorgb.com/p/Regatta_Blackfell_III_60_10L_Backpack/

The exact reason I resent buying from him! 

More research required next time.

[Brave Sir Robin]

1 hour ago, Jay Pee said:

Agree. 

Randomly, I also got fitted out at Warm and Dry in Whalley for a pair of Altberg.

My go to Festival boot is Meindl Vakum which you can get for about 200 quid but don't be put off by that. My original pair are now ten years old and are on their second sole and relegated to dog walking bur have done literally thousands of miles and dozens of festivals and still lasting with daily use.

Merino Wool socks will make a big difference to foot comfort. Contrary to what you may think they help keep the feet cool. More expensive but worth it

Don't be put off by the price of boots, quite right...

 

[Jay Pee]

200 quid boots that last ten years cost 20 quid a year.  I spent that on 3 pints of posh NEIPA yesterday.  Its all relative

[blutarsky]

1 hour ago, Jay Pee said:

200 quid boots that last ten years cost 20 quid a year.  I spent that on 3 pints of posh NEIPA yesterday.  Its all relative

Same theory doesn’t apply to modern football / rugby boots. I get a season out of them no matter what I spend. TBf I always get top spec so maybe it would be worse if I bought cheap? 
Mouldies last better mind. 

[tarw]

1 minute ago, blutarsky said:

Same theory doesn’t apply to modern football / rugby boots. I get a season out of them no matter what I spend. TBf I always get top spec so maybe it would be worse if I bought cheap? 
Mouldies last better mind. 

Ah but would you still make those lightning fast breaks if you were wearing cheap boots?

[tarw]

1 hour ago, Jay Pee said:

200 quid boots that last ten years cost 20 quid a year.  I spent that on 3 pints of posh NEIPA yesterday.  Its all relative

Depends on how much available income you’ve got. A £200 on a credit card paid off at £20 a year would cost a bit more. 
 

if we’ve got the available money we’re lucky that we can invest in things that will save us money in the long term. I’ll buy a new phone outright and shop around for the best SIM only deal every year and keep it until it packs in (6s currently still going). Saves a lot but most people don’t have the money to do that 

[blutarsky]

15 minutes ago, tarw said:

Ah but would you still make those lightning fast breaks if you were wearing cheap boots?

You’ve seen me play 😉 

Edited February 23, 2022 by blutarsky

[blutarsky]

9 minutes ago, tarw said:

Depends on how much available income you’ve got. A £200 on a credit card paid off at £20 a year would cost a bit more. 
 

if we’ve got the available money we’re lucky that we can invest in things that will save us money in the long term. I’ll buy a new phone outright and shop around for the best SIM only deal every year and keep it until it packs in (6s currently still going). Saves a lot but most people don’t have the money to do that 

You should never need to pay interest on a credit card. If you need it for purchases you can get interest-free and as soon as you reach the end of the interest free period, balance transfer to an interest-free balance transfer card. There is normally a small fee but it’s between two and 3% so you will pay a very minimal amount for the privilege of borrowing the money. 
In the past 10 years I’ve borrowed in the region of £30-£40,000 on credit (for various reasons) and never paid interest. Most owed at one time was around £22k.
When there’s been a fee to pay I’ve taken the view it’s worth it to have access to the funds. 

[tarw]

1 hour ago, blutarsky said:

You should never need to pay interest on a credit card. If you need it for purchases you can get interest-free and as soon as you reach the end of the interest free period, balance transfer to an interest-free balance transfer card. There is normally a small fee but it’s between two and 3% so you will pay a very minimal amount for the privilege of borrowing the money. 
In the past 10 years I’ve borrowed in the region of £30-£40,000 on credit (for various reasons) and never paid interest. Most owed at one time was around £22k.
When there’s been a fee to pay I’ve taken the view it’s worth it to have access to the funds. 

I used to think like that and at one point I owed £20k and that was 20 years ago!  All it takes is a change in circumstances and then you can’t transfer to another card and you’re fucked!

Not had a credit card for 15 years

[blutarsky]

21 minutes ago, tarw said:

I used to think like that and at one point I owed £20k and that was 20 years ago!  All it takes is a change in circumstances and then you can’t transfer to another card and you’re fucked!

Not had a credit card for 15 years

True. We’ve been fortunate to both be in steady public sector jobs. Goes without saying I’d prefer not to need to borrow. 

[waynewdk]

Just added these to my shopping list on Amazon 

[Lycra]

8 hours ago, blutarsky said:

You should never need to pay interest on a credit card. If you need it for purchases you can get interest-free and as soon as you reach the end of the interest free period, balance transfer to an interest-free balance transfer card. There is normally a small fee but it’s between two and 3% so you will pay a very minimal amount for the privilege of borrowing the money. 
In the past 10 years I’ve borrowed in the region of £30-£40,000 on credit (for various reasons) and never paid interest. Most owed at one time was around £22k.
When there’s been a fee to pay I’ve taken the view it’s worth it to have access to the funds. 

Most interest free credit is just a sales gimmick with the interest amalgamated into the price. Last year I got £400 knocked off a sofa when the store found out I didn't want interest free credit. Done it many times by haggling.

[Smeble]

On 2/22/2022 at 12:40 PM, nikkic said:

The time has come for me to invest in some walking boots.

So good people, talk to me, brands to avoid, brands you like, what should one be looking for?

Something that is comfortable, waterproof and doesn’t bend in the middle. Unless you are trekking to Everest, expensive boots are pointless, expensive ones will still give you blisters if you don’t do them up properly.

 

[Let Me Entertain You]

50 minutes ago, Lycra said:

Most interest free credit is just a sales gimmick with the interest amalgamated into the price. Last year I got £400 knocked off a sofa when the store found out I didn't want interest free credit. Done it many times by haggling.

If you know the manufacturer of said sofa, always approach them first. There'll usually be someone there who can get you a far better deal, talking half price or better.

 

One example is Westbridge who make sofas for M&S, Next & Sofology.

[Smeble]

1 hour ago, waynewdk said:

Just added these to my shopping list on Amazon 

These are great, used them for the last 10 years at gigs and festivals. Biggest plus is they don’t fall apart when they get wet.

[blutarsky]

1 hour ago, Lycra said:

Most interest free credit is just a sales gimmick with the interest amalgamated into the price.

Not if it’s a credit card 

[Lycra]

1 minute ago, blutarsky said:

Not if it’s a credit card 

A credit card is not interest free. It's interest charged unless you pay outstanding invoice within x days

[blutarsky]

1 hour ago, Lycra said:

A credit card is not interest free. It's interest charged unless you pay outstanding invoice within x days

I know that. But you can get a card where you are charged 0% on purchases. And one that’s 0% on balance transfers. And one etc… 

For example - when I retrained I took out a £10k CPD loan from the Co-Op to cover some of the costs of a year unpaid. There were no payments or interest due on that while I was training. Interest was applied and payments due when I qualified. If I had used a money transfer credit card or a regular loan I’d have had to make repayments during my training year. 
When I reached the point I had qualified I got a 0% money transfer credit card for £10k and paid off the loan, then repaid the credit card bit by bit without any interest being applied. Sure, I paid a small processing fee when I took put the cash fro the credit card but this was far lower than the interest on £10k debt would have been. 

[Stretlow]

9 hours ago, Lycra said:

A credit card is not interest free. It's interest charged unless you pay outstanding invoice within x days

You can be smart with them though. You can get 20 months + interest free, fee free on cards at the moment.

 

[Lycra]

28 minutes ago, Stretlow said:

You can be smart with them though. You can get 20 months + interest free, fee free on cards at the moment.

 

Yes you can get lengthy interest free periods but one way or another you pay for the privilege. Even if you diligently pay off the outstanding balance so not to occur interest, you still pay because the purchase on which the credit card is used includes a credit card transaction fee. This is often hidden from the purchaser. This often comes to light when a retailer refuses to accept payment by card for purchases below a certain amount, commonly £5 or £10.

Handling money is a cost for every business and this is ultimately passed to the purchaser in prices. 

Edited February 24, 2022 by Lycra

[Stretlow]

1 hour ago, Lycra said:

Yes you can get lengthy interest free periods but one way or another you pay for the privilege. Even if you diligently pay off the outstanding balance so not to occur interest, you still pay because the purchase on which the credit card is used includes a credit card transaction fee. This is often hidden from the purchaser. This often comes to light when a retailer refuses to accept payment by card for purchases below a certain amount, commonly £5 or £10.

Handling money is a cost for every business and this is ultimately passed to the purchaser in prices. 

This makes no sense. I work and have worked in the card industry for a long time. What you're referring to is an interchange fee and is paid by card schemes to the issuers for use of the network, not the cardholders.

If i buy £1000 worth of purchases on my card and transfer it to a 20 month interest free, fee free card and pay £50 a month off it for the duration of the interest free period I pay £1000 back

So where exactly am I "paying for the privilege" ?

Edited February 24, 2022 by Stretlow

[Jay Pee]

13 hours ago, Smeble said:

Something that is comfortable, waterproof and doesn’t bend in the middle. Unless you are trekking to Everest, expensive boots are pointless, expensive ones will still give you blisters if you don’t do them up properly.

 

Yeah mate.  Its far better to spend 60 quid every couple of years than 200 quid every ten years.

[balti-pie]

yeah, hard disagree on that - i do a lot of hiking, and if i spend a bit more on boots - £150 instead of £80 - i get better support, longer lasting, more comfortable, less blistery, all round better boots in every aspect. Expensive boots are absolutely not pointless at all. 

Scarpa and Keen are my preferred makes thus far, but ive got my eye on a pair of Meindl - they're next. i'm retiring my current boots after walking the Speyside way next month - then my proper hiking boots become festival boots, the circle of (hiking) life