Though I do crave quality in many aspects of life, often getting the right effect or function is more important than how the thing looks.
Then, there's also the law of diminishing returns. If I can make a "steady cam" for fifteen bucks, and it works as well as something that costs another couple of hundred dollars, well then---that's good enough.
So what is Good Enough Stuff? This refers to my personal philosophy of resource-light homemade equipment for photography, backpacking, and miscellaneous situations. What are these resources? They would include:
- Time
- Money
- Tools
- Skill
- Materials
Can you make a hammock at home? Absolutely. But if it takes 10 days, requires a $500 sewing machine, expensive high-tech fabric, or a PhD in sewing, then to me, it's not worth it. So instead, I build a hammock in an hour or two for less than $20. Will it be as good as the $800 hammock? Probably not. But, it's "good enough."
