Namebrand

Just like anything else in life you get to choose what you buy. Some folks go for the Yeti Cooler, some folks go for the Walmart special. Sometimes Name recognition also brings with it an actual increase in quality and worth. Sometimes it doesn't. I have a lot of respect and admiration for products that are well made and sold by companies not marketing them under high end namebrands. I don't buy a lot of namebrand stuff for my stache. Its really about function. and value. One example of this, I was shopping at a local Gander Mountain, and came across a lightweight camo jacket, I really liked, it fit well, it had the features I was looking for. The problem is it was made by Under Armour so the price tag was $220. No way.... In my travels I shortly came across a seemingly very similar jacket with the features I was looking for for $40. Much better. I feel this concept of really disregarding namebrand and replacing it with a value evaluation is important. It allows for being more prepared by being able to acquire more of what you need rather than spending dollars on names.

Another example, a while back a local menards had a two pack of single A LED flashlights on sale which were compact, simple and even have a strike bezel. A two pack for $2. I bought like 20 flashlights for like $20. I now have them everywhere. There's nothing wrong with buying a surefire light, undoubtedly they will hold up better, but having a flashlight placed everywhere I think one would be useful for $20 is a far greater value than having one higher quality flashlight for $100. That being said, I also own some nicer flashlights, in some cases that higher quality is important.

One fella that really helps shed light on how well products perform is the youtube channel Project Farm . Although theres not a lot of prepper focused vids, there are a few products he looks at that should be in everyones arsenal maybe like his video on water bottles. He does a great job of "proving it" not just telling you this one is the best. He acutally lays out ways to measure performance, provides charts, good stuff to provide actual evidence and letting you make up your mind.