Looking for clothing opinions:

[mtneqgurl]

A recent post about the quality of a TNF jacket got a lot responses and varying opinions about brands, quality, and price. My husband and I have engaged in a number of outdoor activities over the last 30 years, backpacking, rockclimbing, xc-skiing, horse back riding, canoeing, etc. In the course of these years we have acquired a lot of clothing, (more than we need!)-Some off brand bargain bin stuff and pricey name brand articles.
There just doesn’t seem to be that much of a difference between them. My 20+year old 29.95 fleece pullover seems to be as warm, wicks moisture, dries as fast, weighs and packs as small as my newer $100 plus piece. (I do think my newer one glides under layers better.) I do have some favorites but it’s the way they look, not any performance edge.
There was a lot of comment about certain product lines going down hill, has that been peoples experience or is that a perception? Could it be that when we see that label we wore so proudly, on the jackets of the mall crowd we become just another face in the crowd? It just seems that we get such a barrage of advertising telling us that if we use a product we are this or that. (Couldn’t I just lay out the money and buy a certain motorcycle and write my own rules and be seen as rugged - or am I confusing that with a beer commercial?)
There are obvious differences in going cheap – if 100 weight fleece is not 9.5 oz per yard, it is substandard, and as such misrepresented. If that is not the case, I would like to know what other seasoned outdoor people have experienced -- have you had any life-threatening wardrobe malfunctions? Is the high-end stuff all catalogs claim it to be? I do have to admit that the new soft shells are so cool looking I sometimes wish my old ski jacket would just die.

Thanks!

 

[spider solo]

Last year I started working in a small outdoor retail store and found myself getting all tongue tied trying to explain the differences between the different companies. There was much more of a learning curve than I had ever thought possible.
On the high end stuff I don't see a huge differences between the companies.
Nowadays down jackets and sleeping bags and things along those lines offer water resistent outer membranes which is certainly a nice feature though, I would be hard pressed to know which company is the most water resistent.
Much is made of some products having "welded seams" as opposed to stitched seams for example.
Waterproof zippers were certainly a new invention to me but may have been around for awhile. I would expect to find them on a "hardshell" jacket.
I would not expect them to be on a "softshell" jacket.
Windproof garmets are much warmer, as you would expect, so a thinner item could match a more bulky item ...so you can travell lighter in that sense.
On the other hand they don't "breathe" as much...one example might be, I like a wind proof jacket, but not neccasarily a wind proof baclava or hat in which I might tend to overheat.
Almost every one under the sun from Wal Mart on up will mention how breathable their product is...probably because it always has been, but now that's a big selling point to consumers...kinda like all those breakfast cereals we grew up on that suddenly became healthy food that's good for you ...builds strong bodies etc etc.
Rain gear ....K-Mart might have an el-cheapo price, but I would expect the seams or zippers to leak like a sieve or get brittle in the cold and crack things along those lines... thats where you start to pay the big bucks for quality.
Gortex..comes in different levels of waterproofness...you have to read the tags closely to see which level of keeping you dry you are paying for.
Stretchable Gortex cost more...a garmet with 4 way stretchable Gortex is going to cost big money.

Now what if you spend the big bucks.. buy a sharp looking ,waterproof, breathable, jacket and on a beautiful winters day you go bounding off on your snowshoes ...smack into thicket of brambles and thorns?? Yes you'll want to know all about....
........Abrasion resistence...don't you just love it... another concept to throw in the mix. Now those products will cost you extra extra big bucks !!
That is why you don't see folks working construction or mucking out horse stalls wearing a $300 North Face jacket.
What do you see them wearing in the winter ?? ... Duck Cloth...and what is that made out of? Cotton !! Tightly woven cotten.. lined in Thinsulate.
Cotton Kills !! Killer Cotton..oh my gawd! Why don't we wear our Caharts suits hiking ? To Hot and Heavy.
If you want highly abrasion resistent Gortex propriety fabrics then dig deep in your pockets for your in the $500 range.

Makes those $250-$300 suddenly look like a bargin.

Who might want a beautiful 3 extreem dry... Cloudviel dry shell that you could run against a beltsander? Well people doing ice climbing for example. If you want to make an ice climbing friend very very happy.. then that's a great idea..they will love you forever.

So good luck..have some fun...donate that jacket you've had for years... it may well out last many of us and will be greatly appreciated by the next owner...
Get a nice "stylin" Soft shell..(which is fairly resistent)
Layer up and enjoy !!

ps..I only used Gortex as an example, lot's of companies have their own "propriety fabrics"..
(I have one pair of climbing pants made with "triple point ceramic" something or other that work great..but are noisy...)

Let's see..Oh...always buy on sale and stay away from those Rasberry thickets that always seem to be where they don't belong.....
Bon Chance !