Ridiculously Overpriced Climbing Clothes...............
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while browsing my local climbing shop looking for a jacket for my boyfriend I had to ask myself who the hell actually buys climbing brand clothes? The prices are beyond laughable. a rain coat for $800? a fleece for $250? |
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Dead Bird shit is expensive....... I'll alert the media. |
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This hardly ever comes up, I'm glad we're going to get a chance to discuss it. |
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I guess don't buy it. |
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I own precisely one dead bird logo - on my 70L pack. Simple, durable, and way more expensive than Osprey. The hip belt was the only point of contention. Arcteryx had a more comfy pack for my beanpole ass. |
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You should see what goretex charges for their base materials... Plus arcteryx uses a lot of non standard colors and some tight tolerances on the manufacturing that not all factories can do. Also they have a smaller distribution, and they might have some other duties to deal with being headquartered in Canda (but I have no idea about Canada's duty laws). Also the Beta SV isn't a "rain coat"...thats like calling a Ferrari FF a "sedan." Yeah it's got four seats, but sedan it is not. |
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I wish Bearbreeder was here to post about finding these same jackets for 12 maple syrup dollahs at whatever outlet he's always apparently shopping at. |
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It's not cheap being really, really ridiculously good looking. |
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NorCalNomad wrote:You should see what goretex charges for their base materials... Plus arcteryx uses a lot of non standard colors and some tight tolerances on the manufacturing that not all factories can do. Also they have a smaller distribution, and they might have some other duties to deal with being headquartered in Canda (but I have no idea about Canada's duty laws) You should take a look at Mammut's top end stuff if you want some proper sticker shock :P But alas in a culture more and more use to commodity goods(i.e. Cheap crap), no one remembers what it's like to invest in a good piece of gear and repair it. *gets off soap box*For 99% of the things we buy the idea of a good piece of reparable gear is dead. Rain jackets delaminate, down jackets lose feathers and sythetic jackets lose most of their loft with in a few months of use. Anything that is light enough to truly be at the cutting edge of performance will not be that durable. Why spend 5x as much on something that won't last, when equally high performance options exist that are so much cheaper. I think that Dead Bird has been flogged enough on these forums and others, but the bottom line is that you should not try and convince yourself that buying the most expensive item gives you some edge. There are more sustainable companies, there are cheaper companies and there are companies that put a stronger focus on performance, so at some point you have to take a step back and go for what makes you happy. If that's wearing an $800 dollar jacket to the office then great, and if you'd rather pick something up for $50 that does the same thing then that works too. |
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Brian Abram wrote:I wish Bearbreeder was here to post about finding these same jackets for 12 maple syrup dollahs at whatever outlet he's always apparently shopping at. For what it's worth, the Beta SV's MSRP is $649. Is that $800 in Canada? Patagonia's prices are getting to be almost as high: patagonia.com/product/mens-…The factory store outside of Vancouver. Most of the clothing there is about 25% off (CAD), there is a non returnable blow out section (two racks) that is like 60% off. I scored a pair of Psiphon AR pants for $75 (US). I wasn't super impressed but I think if you're a local and can stop in regularly you can find some good deals. If you have pro deals it's not even worth going. |
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Ray Pinpillage wrote: The factory store outside of Vancouver. Most of the clothing there is about 25% off (CAD), there is a non returnable blow out section (two racks) that is like 60% off. I scored a pair of Psiphon AR pants for $75 (US). I wasn't super impressed but I think if you're a local and can stop in regularly you can find some good deals. If you have pro deals it's not even worth going.I really love the Gamma Rock pant. What didn't you like about the Psiphon AR? I almost pulled the trigger on a pair I found cheap a few weeks ago. |
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Woahh. Is the OP trying to police my climbing attire with this post? |
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Real climbers wear head-to-toe Goodwill |
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I think you mean $3200 sweaters |
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Arcteryx is the leader in performance outdoor apparel design and the money is well spent in my experience. |
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Ball wrote:Real climbers wear head-to-toe Goodwill+1! Except my shoes, so i guess head to ankle...! |
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Stories like JSimpson's are one reason to buy from the 'top' brands. Other can include what companies do with their sales (donate, support causes, activism) |
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^^^^^^^^^^^^ +1 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ |
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Ray Pinpillage wrote:This hardly ever comes up, I'm glad we're going to get a chance to discuss it.lmao |
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Ball wrote:Real climbers wear head-to-toe GoodwillThis. For fall cragging, a decent baselayer to keep from sweating/freezing, and clothes that let you move. Something warm to belay in, and something to put on if it rains. I understand the super expensive stuff for alpine where the weather can kill you, but I can't afford that pursuit. |
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It's EXTREMELY debatable if there's been much REAL innovation in outerwear systems in the past decade or more. There's been a lot of marketing telling us they're innovating but for the most part, we're left with incremental improvements to systems that we've had for years and in many ways, marketing has pushed many away from what's probably best for them. We shouldn't be surprised by this since companies need to sell new products to stay in business but the hyperbole around Arcteryx (and other brands) is a bit over the top. They use Gore-Tex, Synthetic Insulation, Polartec etc just like many others. To their credit, Arcteryx have pushed the envelope in manufacturing with laminates, construction techniques etc which we see trickle down over the years but generally speaking I've never found their MSRP worth it. (But that's true for nearly all top tier brands with me - Sales rule) Their Gamma soft-shell push 15 years ago was one of the big breakthroughs in "thinking" - Still have some Gamma pants that rule. |