Video summary
The presenter sets out to test whether a complete backpacking kit can be purchased for just £100 from the budget retailer Temu, aiming to determine if it is possible to embark on a multi-day hike without spending hundreds of pounds. He explicitly states that he has refused sponsorship from the company to ensure his review remains honest and unfiltered, even if the gear turns out to be substandard. The kit includes a wide range of items such as an 80-liter backpack, a tent, sleeping bag, air bed, cooking stove, rain jacket, and various clothing and accessories. Throughout the video, he provides running commentary on each item's build quality, comfort, and functionality while wearing them, noting that while some pieces feel lightweight and adequate for casual use, others immediately raise concerns about durability and safety.
The initial setup reveals several immediate flaws, particularly with the tent, which is described as extremely flimsy, cramped, and poorly ventilated. The presenter points out that the tent lacks proper guidelines for tightening, has incredibly thin material that allows light to shine through the seams, and comes with four tiny pegs that are insufficient for holding it down in uneven or leafy terrain. He also notes that the sleeping bag is rated for summer use only, leaving him cold during the night, and the air bed loses its pressure within minutes of inflation. Despite these issues, he manages to cook a meal using the stove and pot, which function adequately but are noted to be slow and stiff in their mechanisms compared to more expensive alternatives like titanium cookware.
As the weather turns and rain begins to fall, the inadequacy of the budget gear becomes starkly apparent. The tent leaks almost immediately, soaking the floor and the presenter himself, while condensation builds up rapidly inside due to poor ventilation. The rain jacket, though surprisingly decent for an emergency backup, fails to keep his legs dry, and the shoes are found to be uncomfortable and unsuitable for prolonged hiking on varied terrain. The backpack is criticized for lacking a chest strap and having tatty construction with non-standard buckles that need to be added separately. By the end of the night, the presenter is soaked, cold, and exhausted, concluding that the experience was miserable and far from the "life hack" he had hoped for.
In his final assessment, the presenter breaks down each item's value, declaring that while some low-cost components like sit pads, first aid supplies, and clothing are acceptable for beginners, critical items like the tent, air bed, and footwear are not worth the money due to their poor performance and potential safety risks. He advises against buying new budget gear for serious camping or hiking, suggesting instead that enthusiasts look into second-hand markets such as eBay, Facebook Marketplace, or vintage stores where they can find tried-and-tested equipment from reputable brands at a fraction of the cost. Ultimately, he concludes that cheaper is not always better and that investing in reliable gear is essential for safety and comfort on the trail, though he acknowledges that for casual day hikers or those just testing the hobby, some budget items might suffice with caution.
Read the full video transcript
I've just bought an entire backpacking
kit from Teeu for £100. It feels like
it's raining in here. These side bits.
Oh, it's starting to cool here. That was
a nightmare. And when I say full kit, I
mean everything. And the question I want
answering is, can you get a full
backpacking setup for £100? Or have I
just wasted £100 on a load of shite?
Look at these bad boys. We're keeping
flat cap because Yorkshire and I can't
be asked to do me hair. So, let's get
all this clobber on.
Now, I know what you're thinking. Why is
there just a floating head? Besides me
flat cap, everything I've got on, socks,
undies. You don't have to do this. Is
extra in it. You don't need to do this.
I don't need to drop them. But there's
undies. Look. Sport. Got three pairs of
uh sports socks as well. Just a black
sports t-shirt. the trail runners and
this thing. It'll keep the wind off you.
It's kind of a sun hoodie. Keep the sun
off you. It's lightweight. It's wicking.
It's John Wicking. It's John Wick
basically, isn't it? John Dick. It's
John Dick in it. If we can get over how
it looks, we might be all right. In
fact, I might take this off. And there
you go. That looks a bit more
respectable, doesn't it? And what I'll
do is throughout this, I have the price
of everything. I will be putting that on
screen as we go through the kit so you
can have a look at exactly how much it
is and what the item is in case you know
if it's any good and you want to buy it
yourself then fair do because I know
that to set up a full lightweight
backpacking kit can cost a lot of money
these days. So backpacking might not be
for you but you don't want to spend
hundreds of quid finding that out. So
it' be nice just to 100 quid go on a
multi-day hike see if you like it and
then you can slowly invest and slowly
upgrade your kit. Also, T-Mo did reach
out to me, asked if they could sponsor
some stuff, like sponsor a video, and I
said no, because if uh if some of this
kit is absolutely shite, I don't want to
be uh not able to tell you that it's
shite. So, we're good. Let's go.
It actually feels light and good. You
need to put in the time with the stuff
and give it a full test to see if it
starts falling to bits or not. I'll get
a good idea after today of whether you
can have a comfortable and successful
multi-day hike using this kit. The
trousers feel very comfortable and the
shoes are very
needed me back again. Shoes are very
comfortable. I don't look like too much
of a plonker, do I? Bag's a bit plonker,
but it's comfy. Carries a lot. It's 80
liter.
Okay. It's not about the gates. It's not
about the gates. It's about the kit.
It's about the kit, not about the gates.
Ignore the gate. Looks good. Don't look
at it with No. Come on. There's going to
be a few questions thrown up here, isn't
there? What do you actually get for your
money? And how much are you actually
spending on a label on the big brands?
And do you get the quality or is it just
all made in the same place,
but just under a different label,
different company? Right, let's find
somewhere to get this tent up.
[laughter] It is. I'm actually excited
about this. I'm actually excited. It's a
real novelty. So, let's have a closer
look at what's in the bag. The bag
itself is frameless, which can be a bit
of a pain with the bigger bags. So,
there's no real support in there, but
I'm sure you could just whack a little
seat pad or something in the back. Give
you a bit of stability. It does have a
hip belt. Does not have a chest strap
either, but you can tighten it with
these uh with these straps. It doesn't
come with the buckles on. That's how
cheap it is. It comes with the buckles
off and you just thread these through
yourself and add the buckles. The zips
are doing their thing so far. They're
not YKK obviously, so I don't know how
long they'll last. You have the
compression straps at either side. You
got the two side pockets mirrored on
that side. Just checking I haven't put
anything in there. You've got a bit of
cord so you can attach stuff to the
outside of the bag. You've got these
elasticated bits here, so you can put
ice axes or your walking poles on there.
It's not elasticated, but there's a big
pocket on the front. Once the bag is
fully filled, I'm not sure how much
you'll get in there cuz it isn't
elasticated, so you might struggle. In
the lid of the bag, we have a big
pocket. And in there, for a multi-day
hike, you're going to want to have a bit
of a medic kit. So, we've got some
bandages. We've got some plaster blister
patches, alcohol wipes in case we get
any cuts. What have I got in here? The
bag of dreams. We'll have a look at all
this once I've set me camp up. I've
separated the tent from the poles for
storage. Super lightweight. The rain
jacket, a sit mat, the sleep mat, I've
got a pillow, two extra pairs of socks,
and then I've got the cut kit, which I
was quite impressed with. It's not
titanium. It's uh I think it's steel,
but it's got the bail handle on it there
so you can string it above a fire. Boil
your water or cook your food. Pretty
good. Looks about 750 mil. Rather
sizable spark. I've got a gas canister
holder. The stove, but we'll have a
closer look at that when we get our tea
on. Is the stove going to work? Am I
going to be freezing tonight? Let's have
a look at this tent. Why does it feel so
light? I don't know if there's any pegs
in this thing. Feels extremely light.
That would be just my look, wouldn't it?
No pegs.
We have got pegs. Look at these pegs.
Peg Wallace.
>> Thank you very much for that. Haze
Outdoors.
>> That is the thinnest peg that I've ever
seen in a tent. And there's just four of
them. If you're going to be in the woods
and and there's a lot of leaf litter
mulch around, that is not going to hold.
So, I'd use a stick. But in this ground,
because it's been so dry, they should
nip just fine. And we've got the poles.
How many? Two. Right. There we go. Let's
Let's do this. I'll tell you this, man.
It is small, isn't it? It is small. My
back's hurting, mate. I need a girdle.
And as soon as I don't have the spine of
a 97y old parnip, I'll maybe see about
testing some cheaper gear on some proper
multi-day hikes. I mean, I'll be
surprised if I'm not absolutely drenched
with condensation in the morning. I'll
be shocked. that freestanding. Look at
that. Why is it silver on door? Look.
Use that as a like if you're wanting to
signal for help for evac. It has got
mesh in the top. And then we'll put a
lid over here so no rain can get in. And
then it's little hat goes on. It's got
these clips that go around there. New
tent. Who this? There's no guidelines.
There's no way tightening it up. So if
it does get saturated or saggy or
whatever, you've [snorts] just got to
deal with it. There's no bells or
whistles in it already. I know it's
Wow. It's cramped in here. There's
no pockets in it. That vent is going to
do nothing for condensation. There is a
mesh bit, but I'll show you on my phone.
Look at them. You'll struggle to keep a
pigeon out with that, let alone the uh
the UK MIJ. Right. Let's see what this
zip's all about. Wo!
Oh my god, it's so cheap. There's no
ventilation whatsoever. Thin bit
[snorts] of material that the tent is
made out of. Look at that. That is just
that's that's your ties. You just tie
that bit to that bit to keep all the
door down here. I am boiling. Look what
else I've noticed though. You can see
here. Can you see the holes? You can see
through. Look, you see through to
daylight there. So all down there where
the stitching's in is uh it's either
excruciatingly thin or they are holes
along the seams. I can't breathe. Get me
out. Get me out of here. Oh wow. I can't
breathe in it. How am I going to spend
the night in here? Can I lie down in it?
I'm 510 and the top of my head's
touching that side and my feet are
touching this side. So once I'm on the
air bed and I've got my sleeping bag on,
I'm just going to be smashed against
both sides. This is the definition of
cheap tat in it. Makes you appreciate
like uh the best like a big Agnes for
me. A big Agnes inside is the definition
of luxury. just ethereal. And then you
get this thing. This mad thing is uh
it's leaving a lot to be desired. With
any sort of persistent rain, this
thing's going to leak. Not going to give
my final thoughts until the end, so
stick around for that. But wow. Right.
Let's get this. It's just dawning on me
how rough this is going to be. What What
part of me thought that it was going to
be good? There was a part of me that
thought this is just going to be good.
It's like a life hack. It's 100 quid for
the same sort of gear. It's just just
labeled differently. And now I'm
thinking this is going to be a rough
one. But we committed to it. I'm doing
it. So Teimu did reach out to me and
said, "Oh, can we sponsor some uh some
of your content?" And I said, "No,
because I was going to use some of their
stuff anyway just to see what it was
like." And I didn't want to I didn't
want them to come back to me. But I just
slated all our stuff what you're doing
cuz I want to be honest and this so far
So instead, we'll head over to my
good friends Beer 52. How does some free
coffee sound? This is not on purpose
that I'm matching. My very good friends
over at Beer 52 have launched a coffee
club. And to celebrate, they're offering
you two free 200 g bags of specialtity
grade coffee. Just go to www.c552,
coffee 52. That's the number five and
the number two.com/outdoors
and just cover the small postage cost of
295 and claim your freshly roasted
coffee today. And this particular free
case of coffee is from Brazil. And let
me tell you something,
it's delicious.
Oh, [sighs] you get a booklet telling
you where your coffee is from. It's
caramelly, it's chocolatey, it's earthy,
it's rich, it's delicious. And each
one's different in its own way. We've
got the Brazilian yellow barbin, which
I'm having now. And then we have this
one as well. Each month you'll get one
from a different place with a different
story and a different taste. For you
coffee lovers, it's sublime. And when
you order it, you can choose ground
coffee or you can get whole bean. And
even after all that, if you're not
satisfied, you can pause or cancel at
any time. So that's
www.coff5252.com/outdoors
to claim your free coffee now. Again,
that's coffee52.com/outdoors.
Cheers to you lot. Cheers to BA52 for
kindly sponsoring the video. And now,
let's get back to it. I'm going to keep
an open mind here.
I've got to the material's too stiff to
get a good uh load of air into it.
I'll bring you back in an hour. Right,
that's the main bit of it blown up. And
then it's got this I'm assuming it's
just like a pillow bit. Wind in the
pillows. [snorts] That's good.
If we get nothing else from this video,
we've got that.
It's like a dying donkey. Let's just see
if it fits, shall we? If it bursts, I'm
going home. Bat can't handle it. Oh,
we're getting midgetes in already. And I
know the mesh. They're probably coming
through this top mesh. Ah, sack it.
That's not too bad. It's better than
sleeping on the floor. The sleeping bag.
Maybe I'm just spoiled because I use
quite good camping gear. And this is
this, let's be honest, this is like it's
bottom barrel, in it. It's bottom of the
barrel. But there you go. Get that in
there. Nice one. Will I even need a
pillow? Cuz it's got like a built-in
pillow. It's got these little tiny thin
things on like you're blowing up a beach
ball.
Better than a kick in the head. Doesn't
look too bad. I mean, it does look bad
and it will be bad. That's going to be
I'm just going to open door. It's just
going to be That's going to be I feel
like I'm going to be soaking wet with
either rain or condensation, but at
least I can put my non breathable rain
jacket on. It's Gortex. It's not. It's
not really. It's just like a bin bag in
it.
It's a At this point, I'm just in a bin
bag. I kind of want it to rain. And as
mad as that sounds, I want it to rain
cuz it just shits and giggles because it
would just be horrific, wouldn't it? If
it doesn't rain by the end of this, I'm
going to set up my host piping garden,
get in it, and then just get the host
pipe onto it and then we'll just see.
Stay tuned for the ultimate rain test.
Also, shall I put this on and then rain
and then horse pipe myself with this?
wear a gray t-shirt and just see where
it's leaked. Not if it's leaked, but
where So, the idea was to get some a bit
longer so it just kept me knees dry cuz
nobody wants wet knees. I'm boiling hot.
Get it off me. Get me out of it quick.
Can you make Buzzard?
There he is.
Circling me cuz he knows I ain't got
long left. Also, I'll be boiling the
bag. I'll be nice and tender for him.
Right, let's test this cook kit. See if
it doesn't blow me up. This is the acid
test, isn't it? Whether it attaches
without leaking. So far so good. And
then Yeah, sounds good. I see till they
click into place. There you go. And I
quite like that this is separate from
this. So I don't really need to use
this. Put enough for me.
Nothing wrong with that. It's not going
to be as quick as a titanium cup because
a titanium cup conducts the heat a lot
more than this. Okay, there we go.
That's boiling. Just a couple of
minutes.
Give it a good stir so we don't get them
horrific dry crunchy bits in the corner.
Seal it up. Leave it for 10 minutes. And
there you go. The stove stays hot for a
long time. It's maybe warped a little
bit, but Oh, here we go.
Very stiff. The mechanism isn't great
over time. That is not going to be good.
But there you go. It did its job. Also,
the box that it comes in could do with
I'd sack this box off. It could do with
being a few mil wider. It fits in the
pot. Let's be honest. This is why
everyone's uh tuned in or is still here.
It's to uh see how this spark does. It's
quite long. It's getting you to the
bottom of bag.
You don't need meat in these things,
mate. It's not like it got the texture
of meat. It's got the texture of
cardboard. So, you might as well save an
animal and just get stuck into veggies.
I'm pretty cold is the thing. I've just
got a full ninja suit on. Look, you
can't see me. Quality gear. Look.
Quality. I didn't realize that once I'm
in here with bag and everything, it is
crammed.
It's absolutely Gordon Camsy. Unless
what magic or tragic happens, I shall
see thee on the tomorrow.
The night
air beds gone. Air beds.
I'm trying to use this thing here.
Airbed's popped. What a nightmare. What?
This light is bright as well. What a
nightmare, mate. Look at water coming
down off that. Soaking, mate. I'm
soaking wet. Back's foot. Air bed popped
on me, didn't it? It just popped on me.
I got up. Can you see me? It's water.
Look at this. It's what this Oh my word.
I've had some bad nights.
I've had some bad nights camping, mate.
And this is up there. I got to say it. I
got up at night, blew it up again. Got
maybe a yard and half an hour out of it,
20 minutes. And I felt cold. So, I just
put the bag and rain coat and everything
under me to try and get some insulation,
a bit of comfort. But
no, mate. Cold, wet, and uncomfortable.
That's the tr that's the report. Cold,
wet, uncomfortable, tired
on my back. Don't laugh, you cry. You
know what I mean, mate. Uh, what we on
here? It's quart to six. the road this
out, mate.
You still ate owls. I've said this
before. It's like a It's like a DJ and
the night mixing the night track with
the day track. All night you've got like
your owls and your night stuff. All day
you've got your like day birds and that,
but then there's a little bit of time
around dawn where you have your owls and
you have your blue teeth and such. Like
I'm tired and I'm going m I'm going cray
cray. Didn't rain, but it didn't need
to. It's pissing wet. Anyway, I'm going
to dry it out on the inside and then get
in it and then soak it with a host pipe
while I'm in it and let's see if it
leaks.
For the love of the game, let's ring
everything out, I guess, and uh get up
and make a move.
It's me. Good morning. It is wet. It's
soaking wet, man. Condensation in here.
What a nightmare that was. Not even this
room to do my stretches. Oh, woof, man.
Woof. [laughter]
I'm the danger of being a negative
Nelly. There's a sock. Look. I
think that saved my life. Really? I just
put that under my like my hip bit. Lower
back went down like a sack of What
the I just totally come off there. You
know what? It's just I'm It's just
laughable, isn't it? Some of it some
gear. Let's be honest. And I did. You
know, you hear stories, don't you? Memes
and that. You hear memes, don't you?
Teimu. I don't know what's an example.
You are a I would be a I Yeah, I am a
t-u foxy. You know what I mean?
Jason Fox off SAS show.
I'm a I am a T-U Foxy because it's these
little like honeycomb bits that fill
there with air and there's not enough
for it to not be flat, but there's just
enough in it to not roll up properly,
which is the perfect combination.
Absolute F job. I'm just shoving it in.
Cup was all right. We're going to go
through it, aren't we? Together as
friends. I've got my uh what you call
it? Camouflage stuff on so you don't you
know where I am. Right, let's do it.
Right, I'm all packed up and I'm off.
It's not even registering how much
[snorts] of a nightmare that was. Right,
I feel like Back hurts. We're
soaked. It was freezing. We haven't
finished this experiment though. Let's
go and have a couple of hours kip a nice
coffee and then we'll set the tent up in
the garden and we'll see. We'll see what
it's really like in a downpour. I'll see
you back in the garden.
And here we are back in the garden. I've
got the horse pipe going. So, I'm going
to get in it. Give it a good torrential
downpour and let's see what happens.
Oh, it's soaking. It's getting
absolutely
soaked. And we've got where it's
hitting. It feels like it's raining in
here.
Uh, as expected, it's coming through
these side bits. Oh, it's already
starting to pull. It's starting to pull
here. It's starting to cool here.
Oh, I'm getting wet. I'm getting. Look
at that. And that is just
that is off like 30 seconds to a minute.
Absolutely terrible. There we go. Look
at this. That is literally
30 seconds of rain and it is soaking.
Not a fit for purpose. I've put on a
gray jumper so that you will be able to
see. Here we go. The for the love of the
game. Nothing more, nothing less. Let's
see if this bin bag keeps me dry in a
downpour. Wait, cuz I've got I've got my
glamorous assistant to host pipe me. Are
you just going to blast? Don't blast me
full blast.
>> Ready?
>> Yeah. Hit me.
Oh, my trousers and shoes out.
Okay, we're done. We're done. I tell you
what I should have done is uh took me
shoes and stuff off there. They're
soaking wet. But that's not about that,
is it? Right, let's have a look. Let's
assess the damage.
Drum roll, please. Front's dry, ain't
it? up the back. My back and my neck
felt like it was getting wet, but
it's good. We're dry. Look. All right,
that's good. Legs are soaked, but
[laughter]
I'll quickly run through everything I
got and say whether it was worth it or
not. Three sit pads for £3.71.
Worth it. It's perfect size for a sit
pad. You get three of them. Worth it. 12
quid for the stove. That is too tight.
These side mechanisms are very stiff.
They're catching and I think over time
it's going to be quite annoying. The
whole unit does get very hot and takes a
long time to cool down. So for 12 quid,
I would pay a little bit more and I'd
get like a BRS or a Pocket Rocket or a
Wind Master, something like that. Not
worth it. The gas stand, I've tried it.
It works. It's £160.
Worth it. The air bed was £720.
Not worth it. The sleeping bag was a
staggering £65.
The material is awful. I was cold. As a
summer sleeping bag, if you're just
starting out,
you can't go wrong at them prices. So
worth it. the pillow. £157
for two of them. Very cheap. Falls down
light. The nozzle is a bit annoying to
let the air out and put it in, but if
you're just starting out in wild
camping, you just want something cheap
and cheerful, worth it. The stainless
steel pot with the bail handle and lid
was £555
and probably the best bit of kit. Worth
it. Spork £144. Worth it. 87p for roller
plasters. Worth it. Blister patches 98p.
Worth it. Alcohol wipes 91 p. Worth it.
Bandages £120. Worth it. The backpack
was £88.
It is very cheap. It doesn't have a
chest strap and you have to add the
buckles yourself. I'm going to say not
worth it because it's it is just tatty.
It is just crap. And for for I what I
would do is just get some secondhand. Uh
exmilitary. You won't pay the earth and
you could get some a lot better than
that. Not worth it. The hoodie £763.
Worth it. The pack of three sports socks
for £160.
Worth it. This sports t-shirt for £281.
Worth it. The trousers for £9.54.
For a lightweight hiking pant, worth it.
The trainers £1412.
I did a bit of walking with them. I've
been on dog walk this morning over some
different terrain. You can definitely
feel the ground more through the bottom
of these. So, I'm not sure they would be
good for multiple days. Yeah. No, for
hiking and camping, not worth it because
your feet are the most important thing
for me. You've got to keep your feet
[snorts] good or you'll end up failing.
at whatever hike it is you want to do.
So, maybe good for day hikes and uh dog
walking and stuff, but not worth it. I'd
pick that back up and put it on
actually. Not worth it, though. The rain
jacket surprised me for £210
just to chuck that in your bag as an
emergency waterproof. Worth it. That
leaves us with the tent. £109.
Definitely 100% the worst tent that I
have ever pitched, slept in, looked at.
Absolute dog I don't know how they
can get away with it. The uh the the
holes will let bugs through. It's not
waterproof. It's tiny. There's no
guidelines.
It's it's the definition of cheap tat.
Not worth it. There we go. What have we
learned? We've learned that cheaper
isn't better. And what I would suggest
if you're just getting into wild
camping, don't bother with the ultimate
budget gear. It's for me not worth it.
You might get something and it fails on
you when you need it. My advice to you
instead is I would research the gear
that is good and then get yourself on
eBay or vintage or Facebook marketplace
exmilitary and get secondhand stuff that
you know is tried and tested. I think
what I'll do is I'll put together a
cheap kit that is good that I recommend
and that I would be happy camping up a
mountain in or going on a multi-day hike
that's not going to break your bank cuz
this stuff, especially the tent, is CAC.
It was fun. I enjoyed it. Type two fun,
I'd call it. Thanks very much for
watching. Take care of yourselves and
I'll see you soon. Bye for now.
So, thank you very much for that Haze
Outdoors.
[music]
>> [music]