Ridiculously Overpriced Climbing Clothes...............

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?

Dead Bird shit is expensive....... I'll alert the media.

This hardly ever comes up, I'm glad we're going to get a chance to discuss it.

I guess don't buy it.

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.

The clothing is insanely expensive. Maybe if it were still made in Canada, but outsourcing to China loses me on many fronts - mainly sustainability.

Check out Westcomb. Made in Canada last I checked. Owner started Arcteryx, sold off to investors, started a new company with a less cool name and logo from what I heard years ago.

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.

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*

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-…

It's not cheap being really, really ridiculously good looking.

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.

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.

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.

Woahh. Is the OP trying to police my climbing attire with this post?

Real climbers wear head-to-toe Goodwill

I think you mean $3200 sweaters

Arcteryx is the leader in performance outdoor apparel design and the money is well spent in my experience.

One example is my purchase of a Theta AR around 2001. I abused the jacket on hiking and climbing trips and a 2,500 nautical mile sailboat delivery between semesters in college.

In 2011 the jacket seams were delaminating and I had torn the inside of the cuff of one sleeve. I sent the jacket back to Arcteryx to see if they could repair it. They reached out to me, told me they couldn't repair it and asked how I had taken care of the jacket. Well, I hadn't taken care of it. In the 10 years I owned it I didn't wash it once. They explained how sweat and dirt will break down the taped seems in a jacket if not taken care of and that it wasn't covered in the warranty. However, they had several colors of my model in stock and to choose the color I wanted them to send me at no charge.

Now it's 2016 and I'm wearing the newer coat I paid nothing for. 15 years and counting of use for $500 spent in 2001, it is worth the money considering I would have purchased over $500 worth of another brands jacket in the last 15 years.

Ball wrote:Real climbers wear head-to-toe Goodwill

+1!
Except my shoes, so i guess head to ankle...!

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)

They also spend so much R&D developing these products that their retail price needs to be high so that the company can remain functional, not even profitable in some cases.

If you read Let My People Go Surfing, Chouinard addresses the high cost of Patagonia's items a good bit.

^^^^^^^^^^^^ +1 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

My Arcteryx belay jacket was purchased the second day I went out climbing. The jacket keeps me warm to this day. My BC ski kit is still going strong after 10 years.

I would also argue that no one pays full price for Arcteryx. Whether buying at a shop, online or the factory store.

As for who the hell buys climbing brand clothes... I would rock a pair of Jordan's, jeans and a hoody but than I would look like a criminal. These days you can get shot for that.

Ray Pinpillage wrote:This hardly ever comes up, I'm glad we're going to get a chance to discuss it.

lmao

Ball wrote:Real climbers wear head-to-toe Goodwill

This. 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.

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.

It's telling that the super gear nerds at BPL favor things like a Cap4, R2 Fleece, 2012 Windshirt combo over any of the new stuff out there.

IMO, while DriDown does seem to have a new place at the table, in general all the down layers we see marketed today (ultra light "shirts", Down as a MID LAYER etc) is completely off target.

The Primaloft "revolution" is fine for a low movement belay piece. All this push for it as an active layer is off target never mind it's lack of durability...

Still not impressed with any of the laminates - Gore, eVent etc all end up being garbage bags if you're even remotely exerting yourself. A specialty piece for sure.

I think for most climbing, skiing etc, the industry was at its "peak" in the days of Shelled Fleece and Softshells. Things like EPIC shells or DriClime.