Is it just me?

For a while now I have been seeing this more and more and I find it very strange. I will be out grocery shopping, browsing through my local hiking store, or just in the mall and I see these people. They are decked out in like they are on a hike, minus a pack of course. All leather hiking boots, zip off pants synthetic pants, cool max shirts, of course their high priced shells. They all seem to have this wise old sage from the back country look starring off across the produce department or trekking their way across the parking lot. Granted they may be stopping off to do some errands, but with a full shopping cart? Is that just a little wacky or is it just me?

Makes me want to grab that nice shell while they're looking over the produce and give it a bit of a work out.

Sounds like me, except my hiking boots are too valuable to use for anything else but their intended purpose -- so I go through a few pairs of "approach shoes" per year as my day to day wear. As soon as the weather starts getting cold, I'm wearing the same stuff I use for climbing/hiking/skiing, except it's usually just my wind proof fleece or my shell in bad weather and normal everyday pants, and a fleece hat or my Mountain Hardwear baseball cap. As for "the look', I guess I'm guilty of that also, because as I walk through life, I'm thinking of just getting by and on to the next trail/route/run, etc.

Mark

That mist sprayed over the vegetables can soak right through cotton and make for a miserable shopping expedition. Hence a new product line for extreme shopping:

The North Face - "Never Stop Exploring The Produce Aisle"

When you start bringing your snowshoes, crampons, and axe you know you've gone too far!!!!

Next time look closer - If the expensive jacket is patched with duct tape, the pants have rips from the puckerbrush, and the boots have 2mm old rope for laces, say hi. it might be one of us just salivating at new gear
BTW, I can't always afford to buy regular street clothes in addition to suits, work clothes and hiking clothes, so I have to "crossdress" DON'T ANYBODY EVEN GO THERE!!!!!!

YES!
I love my gear.
I often wear my Limmer boots to do lots of errands because my bad feet feel great in them. Same with the Merrell's at work.
I wore my brand new "sled dog" hat to sleep the other night. Just trying it out. The house can get a little chilly because I am not going to turn the heat on until the pipes are in danger of freezing. Great training for winter camping.
My co-workers laugh at me every night when I am gearing up to leave work. I do however get the last laugh when we all walk out the door and they are shivering and complaining bitterly about how much they hate winter. No hats, light jackets, reebok shoes, clogs, and gloves that could be used as "evening attire".
Some of these people live in rural areas and cell phone service is not reliable. I carry my minus 30 bag in the truck all winter and extra clothes.
I carry my crampons to work all winter and I have an extra pair in my truck. They are very handy when the hospital maintenance crew has not properly cleared our walkways of snow and ice. I have taken my very last fall in that hospital parking lot. Several staff have fractured an extremity slip/sliding away trying to get to their vehicles. I now own the nice velcro studs. Easy on, easy off.
My purse is a Mountain Smith fanny pack that I wear with the shoulder strap and my work bag is a North Face day pack.
YES INDEED! Love that gear and highly recommend it.
I can get quite chilly in the frozen section of the Big Y if not properly attired.

No just you

since getting into hiking & buying all the gear, etc. i do notice when i see someone wearing clothing that is linked to the sport. i often wonder: are they a hiker, rock climber; etc? or are they just wearing it cuz it's cool, functional, comphy or like to have the best stuff? sometimes, if i'm standing in a grocery line i've been know to ask "do you hike"?. a lot of times the answer is no but sometimes i meet a fellow hiker. my hiking clothes, especially the tops are so comfortable i wear them all the time even around the house - i'm sitting here right now with one of my zip tops on; so if i have to run an errand out the door i go. the clothing fabrics are just so darn comfortable you can't blame folks for not buying the stuff even if they never saw a trail in their life! unfortunately i can't wear the stuff to work, although on casual fridays i've slipped in a few prs of hiking pants i have that don't have knee zips!

I can think of no better way to start breaking in a new set of leather boots than wearing them off the trail in between hikes. Isn't the rule 50 miles of break-in before multi-day hikes?

I think its mostly fashion when I see folks sporting back country garb around metopolitain Montreal. But hey, why not? If it keeps you warm and dry on Mt. Santanoni in february it's sure to be efficient waiting for the bus on any windy corner in the NE. I like wearing my winter camping clothes when I'm in town cuz it brings what I love doing best into my day to day life.

I have 2 sets of cloths, work (kakis, dress shirt, etc) and hiking cloths. When I am not at work I don't wear the shirt and tie. So I have two choices wearing my hiking cloths or walking around in the buff. Since I am not allowed to embarass my family I keep the hiking cloths on.

So maybe I'm the odd one (won't be the first time) but my hiking stuff is for hiking. After searching out what works for me and spending my money I want it to last as long as possible. I have enough clothes to wear elsewhere.

(oh, and those who are wearing the hiking fashion around town - they're saving the jeans and sneakers for hiking )

Carole
I thought we wore sneakers on the Bradley Pond Trail so all the water wouldn't ruin the hiking boots. I see the same things in stores quite often many times I sense it is to impress others. It is sort of like some of the conversations overheard at places like the AMC Huts.
One time I will never forget at Zealand hut a group was talking on the porch. You know how some will speak with a volume intended to be overheard but still muted enough not to be obvious. The comment was "the mountains here are nice but smaller than the Alps, I was so impressed looking those mountains I left my cashmire sweater on a rock."

My wife will no longer shop with me if I wear my gaiters to the supermarket.

I am constantly shopping in bike gear (helmet, gloves, cycling attire) because I bike there, but there are a lot of times I'm coming home from hiking or paddling, that I still have my gear on. Though, I admit I would remove the gaitors or my spray skirt/PFD.

Jay

I agree with you all. Breaking in boots, stopping off to pick some stuff up after a hike, and the fear of hypothermia in the frozen food aisle . Part of my thing is that I am jealous of the gear (I know I am sad and pathetic) that they have on - I am a low budget hiker/climber. I am glad it is not just me. Thanks for the humor as well!

Semi releated to the topic.

I find it hilarious when I see people over dressed. I was looking for moose while visiting Sandy Stream Pond in BSP a few years ago. We ran across a woman that was obviously in no shape to hike (really, just take my word for it) decked out in full gore-tex super gaitors with hood on taking pics. I think it was like 55° and sun-a-risen. Now mind you I bit my lip almost till it bleed trying not to laugh. Hey, she was enjoying the moment, so was I and thats all that counts I guess.

I think the phenomenon of "dressed for a winter assault on Market Basket" is partly due to the push that manufacturers like NF and Columbia,and now HH,are making ,to sell to average retail customers. I guess you can't blame them,'cause that's where the money is. REI and EMS are going the same route also. Look at the folks you see in those stores next time. It's a diferent breed than you would see a few years ago. Every other college kid on Comm. Ave is spoting a NF jacket these days.

On the other hand,I'm worried about myself...
I've become "fleece dependent"
I'm afraid to wear a cotton tee shirt outside!

"This supermarket practices LNT principles-please put your grocery cart in the proper place when finished"
"Crampons are not permitted in the store"

Don't forget about Outside Magazine: "The magazine for people who don't actually go outside."

I work at a small university in CT and can attest to the fact that ever, and I mean ever, student wears North Face. The funny part is that they wear low riding jeans with short cropped shirts and a TNF vest or jacket. And don’t get me started on the above the butt tattoos.

As I started reading this thread, I was wondering if BeninVA was guilty of Gear Envy. Then I read his reply where he admitted the possibility of suffering from this malady. It is a debilitating condition noted by symptoms of staring, scoffing and tsking.

All kidding aside, don't always judge a book by its cover. I have hiked with people who, in street clothes, don't look like they could walk up a flight of stairs but six hours and 5000 feet of vertical later they are still smiling and looking for more. Sure there are always going to be those who like the outdoor look (or the sporty look or the preppy look, etc) who are not necessarily what they are dressed like. And remember, there are people at all ends of the economic spectrum who enjoy hiking. I've hiked with everything from car mechanics to millionaires who ran their own companies. Some could afford the high priced gear and others couldn't. Each to their own.

I would say that NF, REI, EMS and other outdoor outfitters purposely market non-hiking outdoor clothes. A work colleague has two young teenage daughters who won't wear any jacket if it's not NF. It's gotten trendy. I'm sure some of the profits from those pseudo-outdoorsy types helps to fund research into 'real' backcountry clothes that this community wears on the trail. One can only imagine what the price of the Arc Teryx goretex parkas would cost without the urban/suburban market to help the bottom line.

JohnL