Outdoor Equipment Preferences?

[thetrailboss]

This is the time of year to buy winter gear...lots of shops are running good deals for us gearheads! I went to the Patagonia shop yesterday and the place was MOBBED. One guy barked at me when I got too close to his "pile of loot." Heard that the website was insane...stuff was disappearing from people's shopping carts due to the traffic. I also got some good deals at REI and EMS.

I like Patagonia, though it costs an arm and a leg, their stuff lasts a long time. North Face is junk, I mean, expensive junk. Black Diamond in VT made some good fleece at a good price and I still use mine 11 YEARS LATER!

EMS Gear has really improved. Good prices, good features, and good quality. Ms. Trailboss just received their windproof fleece and later the waterproof/breathable shell from Trailboss for Xmas and her BD respectively and she likes them a lot.

Good experiences? Bad experiences? Your comments?

[uphillklimber]

Hey, hey, hey there. Easy about TNF. We like their gear, but we pick and choose, because it is expensive.

Actually, we go to Freeport and buy their gear at their clearance shop, so we pick the good stuff in their bargain bins. No way do I pay full price! Their gear fits us well, and that's hard to do with my diminutive wife, and performs very well for us.

[skijay]

The North Face is one of my favorites for jackets, packs, trail shoes, snow clogs, etc. You may pay a little more, but the stuff lasts. Their fleece does not pill like other brands.

Another brand I like is the non U.S. sold Bogner ski parkas. These are the "sleeper" models, in other words they do not have all of the Bogner graphics & shiny "B" zipper pulls. Well built , good fabrics and different.

Have you ever noticed that most of the ski attire is made in Hong Kong or China? Even some Bogner products are made in China. Can we still find a Made in USA label on a jacket?

edit: I voted for TNF.

[thetrailboss]

The North Face is one of my favorites for jackets, packs, trail shoes, snow clogs, etc. You may pay a little more, but the stuff lasts. Their fleece does not pill like other brands.

Another brand I like is the non U.S. sold Bogner ski parkas. These are the "sleeper" models, in other words they do not have all of the Bogner graphics & shiny "B" zipper pulls. Well built , good fabrics and different.

Have you ever noticed that most of the ski attire is made in Hong Kong or China? Even some Bogner products are made in China. Can we still find a Made in USA label on a jacket?

edit: I voted for TNF.

I had a very bad experience with TNF and their supposed "warranty." Had to file a Better Business Bureau claim to get them to do anything.

[ctenidae]

I looked through my gear so I could make an honest vote. I can't. What brand I have depends on what I'm buying, what fits well, what has the features I'm looking for, and what mood I'm in when I make the purchase. Every company makes some good stuff, and some stuff that's not so good.
Sometimes it's just who has the coolest logo.
Ooooh, bright, shiny objects....

[uphillklimber]

Just for perspective, I have had very good experiences with TNF. I sometimes ski a little rough and have to sit down. I cut my Ski pants on my bindings (old rental bindings, so they project rearwards a bit) or on what I was sitting down on.

Now, I recognize that I did not buy Kevlar goretex, I bought regular goretex pants. I contacted TNF and sent the pants back to them for repair. This was not a failure of their product, it was rightfully labeled damage (from abuse, I suspect). They offered to return them as is or to repair them for $35, maintaining the waterproof guarentee. I chose to have them repair them for me. They unstitched the whole panel that was cut and replaced that panel, tested it and sent it back. It has worked flawlessly since.

It is unfortunate that every now and then, something goes wrong for someone at virtually every company in the world. It could be a misunderstanding, clash of personality, unrealistic expectations, or plain old bad service by the company. Afew bad reports on a company, hey that happens. Get too many, that's a developing pattern....

Old rule of thumb for business: For every bad report, it takes 10 or more good ones to balance it out.

I have heard from several folks at various forums, complaining about TNF. Pretty much, they call their products junk, and expensive. The word is that their gear ain't what it used to be. I don't really know about that. Every poster deriding TNF just makes the blanket statement: "Their stuff is junk". Not one of them has ever said WHY their gear is junk. Oh sure, they throw in the statement that their junk doesn't last or something like that. But the statements lack substance.

Here is my take on folks complaining about TNF. TNF is expensive, very expensive. My dollar goes much farther buying other brands, and I get similar performance. You buy the TNF label when you buy TNF. That won't keep you any drier or warmer. So later, after a purchase of TNF gear, they realize they paid $350 for a widget that EMS or REI was selling a similar model with similar performance for half that cost. That will sour anyone on TNF real fast. It's not that their gear is any less than anyone else's comparable gear, it's that it is only more expensive.

Personally, if TNF didn't have their clearance outlet nearby in Freeport Maine, I probably wouldn't own any of their gear. Way too expensive for my taste. But I find it performs as expected, and to be very durable and long lived. I have only had the one instance where I cut the seat of my ski pants, but I can pretty much guarentee that would have happened with any brand of ski pants. Perhaps snowboard pants, which are reinforced in the knees and seat, would have fared better.

Anyways, this whole thing sounds of folks speaking about Fords, Chevys and Dodge. That's not to say there aren't any Vegas or Merkurs out there....

[skijay]

Bogner = Merkur, since it is German

[Charlie Schuessler]

This part of the year I'm wearing a new Obermeyer MACH1 jacket with LL Bean pants that I picked up a few years ago and still going strong.

Great jacket, 4-big vents, 3-inside pockets and 5-zipped external pockets. WET PROTECTION that works.

[TeleGrrrl]

I'm a Pattagucci grrrl. I bought TNF in my early years, but had issues with warranty items they wouldn't come good for. I finally decided to look for another brand that made reliable gear. Im pretty happy with Patagonia, although I have to shop the sales because it tends to be a bit $$$$. if you're not fussy about color you can get some great deals in the off season.

They make woman specific gear comparable in quality to guys gear. This isn't always easy to find, although the last 5-6 years it's improved dramatically. Now with people like EMS, LLBean and REI on board, I can find most of the stuff I want in the size I need. I don't mind dressing foo-foo after hours, but when I'm out skiing or hiking I want gear that holds up.

[thetrailboss]

.

I have heard from several folks at various forums, complaining about TNF. Pretty much, they call their products junk, and expensive. The word is that their gear ain't what it used to be. I don't really know about that. Every poster deriding TNF just makes the blanket statement: "Their stuff is junk". Not one of them has ever said WHY their gear is junk. Oh sure, they throw in the statement that their junk doesn't last or something like that. But the statements lack substance.

Here is my take on folks complaining about TNF. TNF is expensive, very expensive. My dollar goes much farther buying other brands, and I get similar performance. You buy the TNF label when you buy TNF. That won't keep you any drier or warmer. So later, after a purchase of TNF gear, they realize they paid $350 for a widget that EMS or REI was selling a similar model with similar performance for half that cost. That will sour anyone on TNF real fast. It's not that their gear is any less than anyone else's comparable gear, it's that it is only more expensive.

I bought their top of the line Kichatna Jacket. The seam tape started pulling after two years of easy streetwear. In speaking with two reps, one told me that the item "did not have a lifetime warranty" even though I was holding the original tags in my hand that read that they did.

I also heard that they changed hands and were cutting back on quality and warranty claims...I guess I got caught in that change.

It took six months, a Better Business Claim, and catching their supervisor lying to the BBB ("we offered him a free coat" when they never proffered it to me). So I took them up on this last offer and swore not to go back.

It is unfortunate...but my claim does have substance.