It seems that manufacturing technology has improved & changed a lot in the past 30 years such that cheap stuff is of higher quality than formerly.

This is clearly true in the case of bicycles, perhaps knives, other examples?

Some of my preferences in gear selection might be dictated largely by aesthetics and/or psychology rather than practicality.

For example, it's unlikely that I'd ever use any product made by Coleman. This is NOT an issue of price or quality regarding Coleman stoves, nor a question of whether or not they are sold at Wal-Mart (I don't know if they are.)

The reason is, when I was a youngster, Sears sold Coleman equipment and the "real backpacking equipment" was sold in specialty catalogs. (Sears' product endorsement relationships of the day with Edmund Hillary and Ted Williams not withstanding).

As of today, certain contemporary Coleman stoves are perfectly good for backpacking, but my residual prejudice is simply too deep, and there is no compelling reason currently for me to try to overcome this irrationality.

On the other hand, I'm a cheap [ illegitimate child?* ] contrarian, and the nicest pack I've purchased in quite some time was bought for roughly US $50, on sale from MEC several years ago.

I like it because it fits, it's good, it's well designed, it was cheaper than dirt, AND it has an obscure (in US) brand logo that obviously isn't from Wal-Mart (or Sears). It's like a fashion statement. I fully realize this is pointless, vain and stupid, and I plead guilty. But from a practical standpoint, it doesn't matter because it's a perfectly good pack and I like it.

-------------------------------
* Middle English, from Anglo-French, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Old Frisian bost marriage, Old English bindan to bind. Date: 14th century.