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Best budget brand outdoor clothing?

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Graeme G 30 Nov 2015

Teenage daughter has indicated an interest in joining her father in his love of the outdoors (not before fecking time.....do i look like i care about hair extensions?)

Normally i would always advocate spending to get the best gear but i'm obviously thinking she may change her mind. However also thinking if I buy cheap gear and she gets cold and wet that will more likely put her off.

Any recommendations of gear which provides a degree of balance? It also has to be aesthetically acceptable (oooh those boots look nice....it's Scotland! Everything ends up brown!!)

Mountain Warehouse any good?
Post edited at 19:38
In reply to Father Noel Furlong:
> Mountain Warehouse any good?

Only for non-technical gear. Sportpursuit can be useful for reasonable gear - often Eastern European - at pretty low prices. Kids' current windproof, waterproof, fleeces and a sleeping bag all came from there.

And Blacks when on sale - *always* worth a look.
Post edited at 19:43
 john spence 30 Nov 2015
In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

Decathlon.











Removed User 30 Nov 2015
In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

Alpkit

2
 PGD 30 Nov 2015
In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

My kids are a bit younger but I've found the mountain warehouse poly/merino mix thermals to be excellent for them. I found one myself in a charity shop and use it a lot. Not really much worse than icebreaker/smartwool ones and seems more durable.
 L.A. 30 Nov 2015

Decathlon by a long way for good value and reasonable quality with some aesthetic values
Mountain Whorehouse no no and still no
Post edited at 20:01
 dek 30 Nov 2015
In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

My local TKmax has piles of quality women's gear from 'Top' labels at the moment. You can be outfitted from the socks, base layers, to mid layers softshell, downie/primaloft belay jackets. Berghaus, Marmot, Saloman, Patagucci, NF, Bridgedale.. If you know what your after, a lot cheaper than T*so!
In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

It's fit first (will it get used?), function second (will it get used for the intended purpose?), price third (is it affordable?) and name last (will I die of shame if others see me in it?).

But really it's a subtle blend of, for me, the first three with the last never mattering. So start with Regatta and Ron Hills rather than Rohan, shop at Go Outdoors, Blacks and even Millets (which have surprised me in the past with what they offer and for what price) and Sport Direct rather than Tiso or Snow and Rock. There'll be things there which if they fit properly will outperform their price tag (I did many years mountaineering in Peter Storm waterproofs whilst others were clad in Goretex. They were probably more comfortable and looked smarter, but they weren't doing anything better than me).

Just don't compromise on boot fitting. Cheap is all well and good but uncomfortable feet will put anyone off. That doesn't mean boots have to be expensive of course; just that they have to fit properly.

T.
 AndydHart 30 Nov 2015
In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

I've notice a lot of people using Decathon kit- especially the base layers and synthetic jackets. Never used them myself but I've heard good things.
 sjminfife 30 Nov 2015
In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

I am a fan of Keela, Snugpac,Vander and TKMax.
sjm
 sjminfife 30 Nov 2015
In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

Where are you based? Keela in Glenrothes have a sale next weekend.
Removed User 30 Nov 2015
In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

Quecha/Decathlon, or eBay.

In case you didn't notice it the first time, Mountain Whorehouse sell rubbish.
 The New NickB 30 Nov 2015
In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

Definitely Decathlon!
 Andypeak 30 Nov 2015
In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

Decathlon is brilliant. Often better than top brands
Graeme G 30 Nov 2015
In reply to sjminfife:

> Where are you based? Keela in Glenrothes have a sale next weekend.

Damn was in Glenrothes a few weeks ago. But not this weekend.

Thanks all think Mountain Warehouse will be given a miss. Will def check out other recommendations.
In reply to Father Noel Furlong:
A big tick for charity shops & TK Maxx. Go Outdoors get a bad press on these forums but I have had some real bargains over the years on the basic kit. Aldi & Lidl have some good base layer stuff but not all the time.
Post edited at 21:41
 Brass Nipples 30 Nov 2015
In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

Aldi specials
 Greasy Prusiks 30 Nov 2015
In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

Some HiGear stuff can be good. Generally fleeces and base layers are good but I'd steer clear of their waterproofs.
 Dell 30 Nov 2015
In reply to Father Noel Furlong:
Yeh, just try making a teenage girl go out of the door wearing clothes from Aldi!

Buy her some fancy branded gear ya tight bugger!
At least a North Face or Berghaus will have some resale value.
Post edited at 23:11
1
 HakanT 30 Nov 2015
In reply to Dell:

Decathlon all the way.
Removed User 01 Dec 2015
In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

Another vote for Decathlon!
 Deviant 01 Dec 2015
In reply to HakanT:

> Decathlon all the way.

Indeed, all made in the same fu*king Chinese/ Bangladeshi sweatshops. Might as well save a few bob and screw Patagonia !
 Nordie_matt 01 Dec 2015
In reply to dek:

Be careful at TK maxx, in the past I have seen samples from Haglofs for sale there, depending on brand etc, some samples are not made of the *actual* fabric to be used in production, and aren't stitched to the same quality (I used to work for an outdoor apparel company).

That said, there are some gems in there. It is just a case of check all labels, then recheck
 Jenny C 01 Dec 2015
In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

Mountain Warehouse is fine for tees, trousers, thermals, fleeces etc.
(Be warned that a lot of the cheaper brads use cotton based, non-wicking materials for their thermals)

For waterproofs, boots and winter insulation I would say it's worth paying the extra for known and trusted brands.
In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

my issue with "outdoor" gear is that we have been conditioned to buy overpriced, labelled, luminous , branded mountain gear, when all we want to do is potter around at the bottom of a gritstone edge or wander along a path possibly a couple of thousand feet altitude, or sit outside a tent in a muddy field.

http://lakesculture.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Kendal-Mountain-Festiv...

See what I mean?

Head to a bushcraft or hunting store and find a plethora of outdoor gear (admittedly mostly brown or green) that is functional, designed for Northern Europe (not Himalayas/Alpine) and usually much cheaper. Ridgeline/Pinewood/Snugpack/Harlika/Schofell/Musto/Bufallo etc..

But if you need to be part of the climbing herd, then Decathlon is a good choice for cheap technical climbing stuff in orange or purple
 HakanT 01 Dec 2015
In reply to Deviant:

To be fair, some of them are a bit different. Paramo have a great social responsibility policy. Patagonia does a lot of good as well. But I prefer kit that doesn't require a second mortgage.
 GrahamD 01 Dec 2015
In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

Don't underestimate the aesthetics ! it doesn't matter how 'technical' it is, at the end of the day one polyester fleece does pretty much the same as any other but they are all useless if they aren't going to be used. Gelert, Regatta and Craghooper stuff is pretty OK.

Footwear is interesting. Hill walking in the UK rarely needs technical gear. Here fit and comfort really do take precedence and ironically its often the less 'technical' shoe that is most comfortable (at least in the dry) because they are closer to what beginners normally have on their feet and being softer tend to rub less. Don't spend a fortune on boots until they really know how to assess the feel of them and be honest about even trivial pressure points (trivial in the shop that is!).
 NottsRich 01 Dec 2015
In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

Simond/Decathlon.
 alasdair19 01 Dec 2015
In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

decathlon is generally good has she stopped growing?

deal hunting at go outdoors cab be worthwhile there north ridge range seems good at copying pricier brands.
 GavClayton 01 Dec 2015
In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

Just waiting for delivery of a £9.99 insulated jacket for my 14 y.o. nephew's xmas present and a £9.99 waterproof/insulated coat for my 5 y.o. from Decathlon. Can't argue with that. Every time I've looked for something online to collect from Go Outdoors it's not been there in the shop as they can't seem to match hanger sizes to the actual product. Not going back there.
 L.A. 01 Dec 2015
In reply to Father Noel Furlong: One thing thats not been mentioned about Decathlon is that you really do need to visit the store to buy items as a lot of the sizing can come up quite small, also their website is just an appalling mess .
 PaulHermes 01 Dec 2015
In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

Yes Decathlon. The Simond kit is a bargain!!!!
 Mal Grey 01 Dec 2015
In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

Another vote for Decathlon, with a nod to Keela.

Put the money in footwear that fits but will also last. Second priority the outer shell, beneath that most stuff will do a reasonable job, but avoid the cheapest base layers with no "anti-bacterial" treatment or your daughter will only wear them once.

Decent socks to go with the boots!
In reply to sjminfife:

Sadly, the days of TK Maxx having decent stuff are past. There's a reason why the long-running 'TKMaxx Watch' thread on OutdoorsMagic has pretty much died...

I suspect manufacturers are dumping excess stock via places like SportsPursuit, getting higher margins that TKM are prepared to offer.

I used to find myself being 'man at TK Maxx'. These days it's more often 'Man at Decathlon'.
Graeme G 01 Dec 2015
In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

Again....thanks all. Once I've got her to try all my old gear I'll have a look in Decathlon for what we need to buy next time I'm back in Glasgow.
 Wsdconst 01 Dec 2015
In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

Just bought a simmond jacket for £50 to walk the dog in but it's that good I might have to use it for the hills too so it's another thumbs up for decathlon from me especially now they've sorted the ordering on their website so you can actually use it.
In reply to Father Noel Furlong:

The thing to remember with Decathlon is that they have a 'vertically integrated' product range. So there are low end things that are really cheap, but not so good, but their mid and top end things really are pretty good. None of it is rubbish, though. The higher the number, the 'better'.

As with buying anything, it's worth checking the cut and fit; last year, some of their 'higher end' outdoor fleeces had awful armscye designs, so that arm raise was very bad, and the fabric pulled across the chest. Shame, because the fabric was nice (R1 style).

Their Techwinter 500 shirts, on the other hand; if they'd flat-lock the raglan seams, they'd be passable as something from Arc'teryx; design, fabric, build. And if they added a simple grown-on hood, it would be a killer for the ME Eclipse/MEC T3 market.

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