what
columbia a member of the Nazi party give me break?
I just finished the Post article that provides details about folks getting rolled for their TNF stuff.
That's pretty funny. You couldn't PAY me to hike with their stuff, as it simply isn't that great. Years ago, when I worked for an Outfitter here in Hanover, we referred to the NF Mountain Light (which now probably retails for about $350.00) as a "hundred dollar coat with a two hundred dollar logo on it." To this day, you see can't throw a frisbee in this town without hitting some twit from Connecticut wearing a North Face coat.....you could put a frozen turd on a stick and some yuppified ass-clown would buy it as long as it had the right "trend" logo of the moment.
Pretty amusing that the guys in the city think this stuff is so great.....on the Trail, if you see someone wearing a North Face backpack (which is actually quite rare), it generally means one of four things:
1. They're only out for two days.
2. They got it for Christmas from Mom.
3. They got it sponsored somehow.
4. They don't know diddly about gear.
Near universal truth if you see someone in Georgia in a NF pack:
Don't get too attached to 'em, as they ain't gonna make it.
Hooray for the pink TNF Denali!!!
I've worked at outdoor shops since 98, and I gotta say The TNF Denali is the best Jacket EVER. Pink, sky blue, pastel green, even the classic all black, they rule!!! Would I ever wear one? Nope. Should you? Probably not. But from the perspective of a small shop, anything I can put on a rack and sell by the dozen is great. Selling what the "masses" want brings cash in that allows the shop to carry the truly specialized gear that appeals only to the select few. Sell enough TNF Denalis to kids who just wear then around campus, then shop can afford to have a solid selection of ,say, Western Mountaineering bags hanging back in the corner.
nice post redneck. I feel the same.
a Northeastern thing
This idea of TNF brand items being "yuppie" wear is news to me. In Texas I don't think TNF gear is looked at the same way as in the northeast. Working at an outfitters near Dallas I have sold tons of North Face Denali jackets. It's a top quality fleece that looks really nice. TNF rain coats are also a good item in my opinion. The packs are a different issue. People on the A.T. think or make comments about people who use TNF gear on the trail ? The same can be said about vegetarians on the trail for what it's worth. Each to their own I suppose.
THE Mairnttt...Boys of Dryland '03 (an unplanned Billville suburb)
http://www.AT2003.com
[email protected]
http://www.myspace.com/hudson_hartson
Tnf
Like I said, I don't know nothing from nothing but power doesn't evaporate and ideals die hard.Originally Posted by the wonderer
That's funny. Made even more funny by it's accuracy... That's just too bad. But for those that have and love their TNF gear... I hear ya. There are still relics that exist from some forgotten era when TNF was showing everyone what gear is all about. I happen to own the TNF Soloist Bivy and I love it. I don't use it too much as my demand for a bivy is small but I have yet to see another one I rather have. And another thing, Good point Redneck Rye. Lets hear it for pink and periwinkle yuppie/gansta wear.
And Dew,
Of course TNF has to maintain some standard of quality.... Real bad for business if their sponsored athletes either die or smuggle in other gear.
"Study hard what interests you the most in the most undisciplined, irreverent and original manner possible." -Feynman
Oh Really.
Funny but all of the stuff I own form TNF works just fine...granted it's all older stuff. I'm a bit of a pack rat and a gearaholic. Every piece of gear I have by TNF is good gear.
When the "never been to da' woods" hoods start wearing Mountain Hardware, Arcteryx and Marmot stuff in their rap videos are people gonna get mugged for their gear then ?
As for those that don't like NF packs ...good for you...don't get one.
I have a NF pack and I love it...it's one of my most comfortable packs.
I had a girlfriend that thru-hiked in 93 with a NF pack. What the hell are you mumbling about Jack? Like yuppies working at an "outfitter" in Hanover know what they're talking about.
Uh, if North Face's coats have gone to Hades in terms of quality...
Does anyone here take the position that the quality of their sleeping bags has gone to pot as well? I was considering buying one of their sleeping bags next month before I section hike the AT in GA.
My TNF Badlands has hiked from Springer to Harpers Ferry with me. It isn't in the best condition now (sent it back for repairs on the harness), but it served a purpose. It got me into backpacking again. I have gear from all sorts of different companies. I don't buy it for the "logo". Has TNF gone down in quality, yes. Is it pure unadulterated crap...I don't think so. Quality costs money, and entry level gear serves it's purpose...gets people hiking and camping. Jack...I didn't know I should be ashamed of my gear when I'm hiking. Next time, I'll tape over all the logos so people won't laugh at me.
fleece
I've got a black TNF fleece jacket I got on sale a few years ago. I like it because it's only 100 weight fleece and very light, I use it for a thermal layer, usually under a rain shell for around camp use. It also serves as a pillow when I pack it in a stuff sack. It's "just enough" insulation but not too much...it works well and I'm satisfied.
Never heard of the hoodlum attachment to this stuff until this thread, but I now I will likely think twice before walking through the 'hood with it... is it the hi-tech ski-jacket stuff they're after or simple fleece jackets?
Hey, maybe I could spray flat black over the logo, kinda like the subdued markings the Air Force uses on their planes nowadays to evade detection!
hhmmm
LW....you know of an outfitters in Hanover that I don't ? I wasn't aware that there was one. Get off those blue blazes and trying a white blaze out now and then.
THE Mairnttt...Boys of Dryland '03 (an unplanned Billville suburb)
http://www.AT2003.com
[email protected]
http://www.myspace.com/hudson_hartson
Before your time. Used to be one there. They were clueless.
I don't know if they were clueless or not but they sure were good people. I broke a strap on a sandal and was going to buy a new pair. They went in the back and gave me a sandal that was very close to the one I had left.
My friend has a down bag from TNF. For a small fee (less than $40), TNF will clean & restuff your bag with down. My friends bag has over 20,000 trail miles on it, and it looks like new. That's pretty good service as far as I'm concerned.
'All my lies are always wishes" ~Jeff Tweedy~
Anoither opinion
I'm sorry Lone Wolf thought the staff of the Hanover outfitter's was "clueless." I was under the impression that among most hikers, they had an excellent reputation. The store was certainly well stocked and well run, and many folks had been there for years. When I was there, which was briefly, I was surrounded by knowledgable, capable, friendly folks. In short, for a small store, they did a pretty great job.
One of the former managers of the store now helps manage the EMS in West Lebanon; another works as a product buyer for the company and has an encyclopedic knowledge of gear.
Evidently the powers that be who run EMS thought enough of Hanover's "clueless" management that they hired and promoted them.
Go figure.
I don't know about their jackets, but my TNF Blue Kazoo is an excellent down bag. (Weird name, but good bag.) It's true to its 20 degree rating and protected me from the foolishness of my decision last week to leave my zero degree bag behind in February.
I have a synthetic 20 degree TNF that I'm pretty happy with. Kind of heavy, but warm. I'm kinda addicted to down now, but it's still a decent bag.
Ahh, c'mon Jack, he was just sayin' that to mess with YOU! I knew that even before I got to your post...
Clarification on the type of sleeping bag I'm planning to buy soon...
I figure on buying a synthetic bag rather than a down one, given my impression that it's hard to go out on the AT for more than a weekend and not get your stuff wet. As I understand it, down holds more water (gains more weight) from getting wet than synthetic does, not to mention down losing more insulating ability while wet. So, if price isn't much of an issue (and, for me it really isn't anymore), it would seem that synthetic would be the better way to go for me on the AT. Now, the PCT and CDT both might be a totally different kettle of fish due to lesser rainfall, but I wouldn't consider doing either one of those for at least 2 years after my AT through-hike, so I don't figure on worrying about that for my upcoming bag purchase.
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