In reply to Ridge:
> I'd be very concerned about where these are produced. After materials, packaging, transport and profit at the various stages there's not going to be much left for the workforce who make them. The Primark of outdoor equipment springs to mind.
Allegedly the way they do stuff cheap is because they do everything in house (other than manufacturing) - basically the original Alpkit model before they started manufacturing in the UK - so there are fewer profit cuts along the way.
Don't believe for a minute that if you buy from a well-known brand (other than one that has a stated ethical manufacturing policy, if any do) that these things are any better. Same with Primark - if you buy branded stuff from Selfridge's instead the people making it are paid the same pittance.
To answer the original question, I find the cheaper Decathlon stuff (ignore the brand, it's made up like the Aldi own brands are, just look at the price ranges) is generally well designed but skimps on material and manufacturing quality, so doesn't last well. So in the sense of disposability and waste it's perhaps less ethical than paying more.
Post edited at 10:06