The trail is important for your sanity
Correction; *Trails are important for sanity.
ill agree with that well fixed.Originally Posted by blackbird04217
and
And the farthest off road most 4wheel drives ever get is an unpaved parking lot.
I drive a big 4wd truck, but rarely go offroad anymore.
I wear melanzana fleece, patagonia nanopuff, convertible pants , ul shortsleeve shirts all the time. Might as well get some use out of them. If they wear out, Ill buy more. Why pay 100 for an item and just let it sit?
North face definitely just a retail consumer brand of clothing now. They sold out years ago. Their highest end gear is still good, the rest is junk. 95% of the clothing..junk. But, so are quite a few other names out there. Fortunately when one company sells out, someone else steps up to make quality gear usually.
New Kid on the block , Im still putting my gear together for March , Im doing pretty good with my choices of gear , Tryin to stay in the Light weight category to keep my pack weight down , Clothes , Is an issue , I,ve read all your posts , And it might as well been a TXT. Mess. , Being from Carlisle Pa. where the Trail runs just outside of town , I thought local stores would be up on clothes for the Trail , But Im not sure what Im looking for , And where to buy it , Any input appriceated , Im Old School , got a set these Blue Jeans aside , N let em rest , so I can putt some real clothes on. NoBo in March !! PS. Half way point rite outside of Carlisle , Few miles South !!
State of Confusion , Bring that Mudder to Central Pa. , ( Carlisle ) , You,ll definatly get it out of the parking lot , Make sure you have a Winch on the front ,lol / It could come in handy !!
drug dealers love cargo pants and parkas, baggy clothes for their stashes. the hip hop crowd made both timberland and TNF famous with the urban crowd.
but these clothes are highly functional,warm and dry for commuters who wait in the elements for their trains and buses... its a jungle out there!
not that theres anything wrong with that.
Why is it clothing, which is as important (if not more so?) as a sleeping bag, does not have temperature ratings? This morning I woke and must have had some residual thoughts from this thread, and figured- why not build an analog human torso, with water that cycles around. Heat the water to X, put a parka on it- hands in pocket and place the thing in a freezer and measure how long it takes to drop the water to Y. (Also a slight breeze in the freezer would be a good addition).
I'm sure the test is not fully accurate, but would think it would work for a good rating since it would test how well/long temperature is retained.
Does it really matter if people appropriate outdoor clothing for fashion?
In the grand scheme of things, who cares?
As one poster said, the trickle down effect is nice. I can buy inexpensive, but very serviceable, outdoor clothing at other places. Love my Costco softshell for $30. The Champion-branded shirts, socks and running shorts at Target are an awesome deal. And I can buy a 'knock-around' fleece (camping, trail work, working on my car) for less than $20.
So if people want to subsidize me by buying the very expensive Northface clothing at an outdoor store, so be it. Lets my favorite outdoor store survive so I can buy hard goods, too.
Paul "Mags" Magnanti
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[QUOTE=blackbird04217;1246876]Why is it clothing, which is as important (if not more so?) as a sleeping bag, does not have temperature ratings? This morning I woke and must have had some residual thoughts from this thread, and figured- why not build an analog human torso, with water that cycles around. Heat the water to X, put a parka on it- hands in pocket and place the thing in a freezer and measure how long it takes to drop the water to Y. (Also a slight breeze in the freezer would be a good addition).
I'm sure the test is not fully accurate, but would think it would work for a good rating since it would test how well/long temperature is retained.[/QUOTE
i dont think it would be any more accurate than sleeping bag ratings, and probably less useful, as a good layering system is really the key to staying warm and dry.
Don't forget, REI, TNF, Sierra Designs, Jan Sport, etc. all started as cottage businesses. Some went big, others went bust, very few stayed small and profitable.
"It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how." ---Dr. Seuss
Don't worry, we won't tell anyone.
"It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how." ---Dr. Seuss
Im completely on board about posers
I've always had friends that wore expensive hiking gear and kinda talked the talk for many years, although here recently I've realized that they were full of it and didn't know a thing about one; the type of material that the clothing was made of and two; what are the best uses. I've been wanting to hike the AT for a few years now and things just came together to start the trail Mar 2013. Now I don't own expensive gear "yet" but my waredrobe is slowly going from Button Down Dress Shirt and Slacks to very comfortable hiking gear (that I wish I could afford to wear them everyday).
I get the same feelings about employees at REI and other outdoor stores, when you ask them about certain gear or best uses it's like your sitting in a training class and they are reading straight from the manual/Tag. Anyways great discussion and any ideas from all you seasoned Vets are more than welcome.
Ever worked at one? Ever been asked about a piece of gear you're really not there to be selling but the guy who knows more about it is out that day or with someone else? You just have to do the best you can. I can talk to you for weeks about every piece of climbing gear in REI but I don't know hardly anything about kayaks. But i've done both and shared what i knew as best i could.
I've found the people who trash employees have never been in their shoes and should really think about that. If you know so much then you shouldn't need to ask questions.
This trend, if you really want to call good business that, will continue and will end on the same note as RadioShack. Back shortly after the earth cooled and the first RadioShack stores opened you could go there and find technical people and all the bits and peices to make some pretty cool electronics, assuming you were so inclined. Now if it isn't a blisterpack finished product you will struggle to find it there and forget asking one of the folks there if a given switch will handle a 10 amperes @ 250VAC...they haven't a clue.
So all those "techie" places you now go to get your real hardware will continue to morph into clothing stores and there is nothing you can do about it. Even the companies that make the gear will start cutting gear lines. In the crappy economy its all about maximizing profits and lean manufacturing. Which means since clothing is arguably the most profitable product line the less profitable hardware lines will continue to shrink as a percentage and eventually each company will cut them off.
This is not to say this will result in not being able to get the hardware you will just have to buy someplace else and probably from a different manufacturer.
Take almost nothing I say seriously--if it seems to make no sense what so ever it's probably meant as a joke....but do treat your water!
Also, before you bash the employees. recognize that they are being paid $8-9/hr. Unless it's a side job most people with more expertise are going to be managers or elsewhere in the outdoor business. A floor staff employee is not a very profitable venture and people who are the most qualified to do it are not going to settle for that kind of money.
i already know i'm going to look like a sellout on the trail. my nearest outfitter sells, almost exlusively, north face when it comes to clothes. i've asked for other brands, offered to pay to have them shipped. after all, i want to buy local and help the little guy out. but they say almost all of their business these days comes from selling the north face branded winter gear to teens. either way, they do give me a large discount for being a regular, and its usually cheaper than even the best online retailers; so call me what you will, i'll just be the cool guy to all the girly girls in town.
I wear my merral hiking shoes daily.
As mentioned by others, I fail to see what's wrong with people wearing "hiking" clothes for everyday use.
The winter rounds up herds of people wearing TNF due to the cold and blustry conditions. Without a doubt, TNF jackets keep you warm if you are walking down the street or high up in the mountain. The TNF Denali proves to be a best seller for TNF and you witness it everyday when you are out and about. Why does everyone have one? It's warm and light. I'd much rather wear it as a casual everyday jacket as opposed to a heavy and cumbersome wool jacket. Plus, unlike many other fashion based jackets, it actually keeps me warm.
As long as the outdoor clothing manufacterers continue to make innovative clothing worn by athletes in the harshest conditions that most of us will never experience, I don't think there is must room for questioning their integrity in the business.
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