patentcad
New member
In my experience, North Face and Marmot seem to offer the best overall quality/most innovative design in shells/pants. My new North Face Minturn Parka is Hyvent (NorthFace's poor man's Goretex, we'll see how waterproof and breathable that stuff is) and has some VERY thin insulation that is also very warm - the warmest thin insulation I've ever experienced in a winter garment. I'm very impressed with the parka's technical features. I was out in a sleet storm this afternoon and I felt as warm and cozy as you possibly can in winter coat - and stayed 100% dry. A felt lined pocket with a velcro attached wiping cloth for your goggles - an ipod pocket with a guide loop for headphones - a rubberized plastic zipper handle on the main zipper that helps you zip it up with gloved hands - all THAT is excellent attention to detail. The coat listed for $230 but I only paid $85 at the North Face Outlet Store in Woodbury, NY (Orange Cty upstate, not Long Island).
I've also had nice stuff from Soltice (American firm) and I have a beautiful ten year old goretex one piece suit from Mont Bell (French sounding name, Japanese firm, beautiful gear). I also think Columbia offers huge bang for the buck, as does Campmor (the Northern NJ outdoor store with a national mail order mailing list).
I'm also finding that eBay is a good source for clothing - you just have to watch out for counterfiet goods.
I've also had nice stuff from Soltice (American firm) and I have a beautiful ten year old goretex one piece suit from Mont Bell (French sounding name, Japanese firm, beautiful gear). I also think Columbia offers huge bang for the buck, as does Campmor (the Northern NJ outdoor store with a national mail order mailing list).
I'm also finding that eBay is a good source for clothing - you just have to watch out for counterfiet goods.