racks that cost over a hundred bucks imho are not worth it. Yes, if I were to do a superlong trip over rough roads and rugged terrain, yes. But in the 25 years that I have been commuting and doing trips, the 25-40 dollar ones work fine for my needs.

as someone has mentioned, the amount of weight is a big factor. I used to put probably max of 30 lbs on the rear, and never had any issues. Yes, I could see how a rack that weighed a lot more than the various racks that I have owned would be stiffer, but honestly, its not been a problem for me.

Here in the part of Canada that I live in, for $30 you can get a good sturdy, three "bar" rack (you know how some only have 2 vertical supports)

I see spending the money saved on not buying a $150 rack on other things such as a lighter tent or whatever. I guess all I believe is that one can have a great touring experience with reasonably priced stuff. I do however have no regrets on buying Ortlieb bags, as I have mentioned in other threads, my pair are about 17 years old, used year in year out, commuting mostly but tours too. More costly but they have lasted and lasted, so were cheaper in the long run and my stuff is always dry.