# Outdoor Equipment Preferences?



## thetrailboss (Feb 16, 2005)

This is the time of year to buy winter gear...lots of shops are running good deals for us gearheads!   :wink:   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?


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## skijay (Feb 16, 2005)

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.


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## thetrailboss (Feb 17, 2005)

skijay said:
			
		

> 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.
> 
> ...



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.   :x


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## ctenidae (Feb 17, 2005)

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....


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## skijay (Feb 17, 2005)

Bogner = Merkur, since it is German


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## Charlie Schuessler (Feb 17, 2005)

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.


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## TeleGrrrl (Feb 17, 2005)

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.


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## thetrailboss (Feb 18, 2005)

*Re: For perspective*



			
				uphillklimber said:
			
		

> .
> 
> 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.   :blink:   

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.


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## TeleGrrrl (Feb 18, 2005)

I still have a TNF mountain guide goretex coat and a pair of mountain guide goretex pants sitting in my closet. The seams on the coat have come apart, and the inner linning is disitergrated, The zipper on the pants is broke. No warranty, even though both products came with a lifetime warranty. I even offered to pay money to TNF to get them fixed and they refused to help me. That's what pushed me over the edge.


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## thetrailboss (Feb 18, 2005)

TeleGrrrl said:
			
		

> I still have a TNF mountain guide goretex coat and a pair of mountain guide goretex pants sitting in my closet. The seams on the coat have come apart, and the inner linning is disitergrated, The zipper on the pants is broke. No warranty, even though both products came with a lifetime warranty. I even offered to pay money to TNF to get them fixed and they refused to help me. That's what pushed me over the edge.



Yep, same thing as me.  I guess they had many claims and opted to do nothing rather than help.  Costly mistake.


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## cbcbd (Feb 18, 2005)

ctenidae said:
			
		

> 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....


I agree.  These manufacturers make such a vast array of equipment and some do some gear better than others.  In the end it's always about the vibe you get from something or how you feel with it.  It's easy to tell yourself to be rational about your decision, but we always end up going with what we feel better with anyway.

You have to get gear that you will love and cherish


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## madman (Feb 23, 2005)

I voted other because I usualy buy what ever is on sale. I have a Lowe alpine water proof breathable shell I found off season for 60 $, Orignal price 220$ I hike with a guy only wears Mtn Hardware looks like a walking add. Suprised REI not represented good stuff good off season deals Check out Framingham store exit 13 mass pike great store


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## thetrailboss (Feb 23, 2005)

*Re: Substance!!!*



			
				uphillklimber said:
			
		

> Trailboss and Telegrl. I gotta say your claims have a great deal of substance. That has to have been a major mistake by TNF. I must say that I have never been treated that way, quite the opposite, in fact. Timing, maybe????
> 
> I appreciate that you gave a few details. All too often, I see a company getting trashed, unfairly. Much like a Ford man will trash Dodge and Chevy, etc.... What you have given lends much credance to your statements. I appreciate the details here. Thanx.



Yes I had heard that the original company declared bankruptcy right before my claim and was undergoing a transformation/restructuring.


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## smitty77 (Feb 24, 2005)

I voted LL Bean.  Their gear is pricey, but their guarantee is tops.  I've never had to use it, but know a few people that have - and there were never any questions asked.  I'll also buy EMS, columbia, and the like depending on price.  Last year I bought a Red Ledge ski jacket at Sams in Keene, NH for $100 and it's the warmest jacket I own and fits like a glove.

Smitty


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## thetrailboss (Feb 24, 2005)

Yes, the guarantee at LL Bean makes it worthwhile.  Is their gear durable?  Yes and no.  I've had my good stuff and not so good stuff from them.  Overall, favorable opinion, but it is going more mainstream.


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## smitty77 (Feb 24, 2005)

thetrailboss said:
			
		

> Overall, favorable opinion, but it is going more mainstream.


I feel like a yuppie when I wear the stuff.  I notice the catalog is looking more like an extension of Martha Stuart Living....  makes the yearly pigrimage to Freeport to see all of the "real" outdoor gear all the more necessary.


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## thetrailboss (Feb 24, 2005)

smitty77 said:
			
		

> thetrailboss said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Yes, this drives me nuts as well as do people who buy coats in the 100s of dollars to wear on the street and nothing more.   :-?   To each his/her own I guess.   :roll:


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## hammer (Feb 24, 2005)

smitty77 said:
			
		

> I voted LL Bean.  Their gear is pricey, but their guarantee is tops.  I've never had to use it, but know a few people that have - and there were never any questions asked.  I'll also buy EMS, columbia, and the like depending on price.  Last year I bought a Red Ledge ski jacket at Sams in Keene, NH for $100 and it's the warmest jacket I own and fits like a glove.
> 
> Smitty


What I like about LLBean is that you can do returns at their outlet stores -- which is great because there's one right down the road in Nashua, NH.
We've had to do some returns, but most of them were because of size problems, which is easy to do with kids stuff.


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