You ever get one of those things that beeps at you for no reason? I had a similar thing happen with a smoke detector once. Kept going off in the middle of the night, thought it was a real fire. Turns out it was just a spider web inside the sensor, making it freak out. Drove me nuts for a week before I figured it out. Did you check if your finder had the sensitivity turned way up or something?

Have you noticed how this is the same pattern with a lot of outdoor gear these days? It used to be about simple function, now everything has a branded solution for a problem you might not even have. A footprint is just a ground sheet at the end of the day, and a cheap poly tarp from the hardware store does the same job for like 5 bucks. Companies just figured out they could charge 40 dollars for one that has their logo on it and people would buy it thinking it's special. The real value is in keeping your tent floor clean from mud and sharp rocks, but that's it - you don't need a fancy one for that.

My neighbor had his Ultegra crank let go at hour 50 of a 200 mile endurance race. The real problem nobody talks about is how the newer hollow crank arms flex more than the old solid ones, which can actually work the bolt loose faster over time. I stopped relying on just threadlocker and started marking the bolt head with a silver paint pen after torquing it. That way I can glance down and see instantly if it has moved even a little bit since my last ride. Been doing that for about two years now and haven't had a single issue, even after riding through some pretty nasty rain storms.

Were you able to test the camera before you handed over the cash?

Took me three tries to get past the first episode too, now I'm just mad at myself for wasting two years.