i imagine it has a lot to do with specialized type of gear we use... alot of design goes into the truly useful items and most of the "companies" that provide the authentic goods are not huge corporations with loads of R&D money. you get what you pay for, and if i have to trust a peice of equipment with my life, i am willing to pay for that. There are much cheaper alternatives to much of the gear... but thats a decision you need to make on your own.

i am a photographer and i charge accordingly... the actual cost to take a pic is ridiculously low (pennies), but what my customers are paying for is my decades of experience, my "tougher and pricier" equipment and for all the work i have done before to produce the photo they want.. lots of intangibles. and most of the really good gear companies are the same way.

now that being said, i make most of my own backpacking gear. it is not that hard and this site has TONS of how-to's and helpful folk to make sure you dont fail. i depend on them daily to keep me from doing something stupid