UKC

Hi all-

Does anybody here use their hillwalking/mountaineering/climbing gear in everyday wear? A lot of the top climbers I see always seem to be walking around in top-brand gear, expensive Rab waterproof coats and Mountain Hardwear fleeces for example. I'm not sure if these guys are using the same gear they use on the mountains etc. I suppose I want the 'cool climber look' too. But it seems odd to risk wearing out expensive gear by wearing it to walk the dog, walk to the shop, wear for daily life etc. But at the same time, if you have a mega-warm fleece that keeps you warm in the Himalayas, why not wear it when it's freezing cold here in the UK?

Am I seeing things or does anybody know where I'm coming from?

In reply to Stani49: I wear my approach shoes and my jackets when its appropriate to do so for walking the dog or out and about. But I don't think I look like a cool climber, more a scruffy one. I don't have that many top brand things. I just like to be warm and dry. I don't tend to wear my outdoor gear to the pub though.

In reply to Stani49:

I've always worn ski/snowboard jackets every day. I wear them out in the UK! They'd last decades otherwise. Just can't resist that warm, cosy feeling of clothing overkill when walking to the pub.

Never been organised/motivated enough to buy specific "crap" gear to tool around in day to day!

Am currently in the process of ruining a rather nice down jacket. Oh well...at least I'm warm!

In reply to Stani49:

I wear it because its all i got

In reply to Stani49:

There is no such thing as the "cool climber look".
Who ARE all these "top climbers" that you see in their approach shoes and Rab jackets, walking dogs?!

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Cool climber?
That perfectly describes your legwear last weekend!

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Some are Walts

I wear a TNF jacket to walk the dog as it's waterproof, cost me 5 quid in the charity shop and the nearest mountains are miles away.

Not really worried about wearing out things in daily life.

I only have only have one rain coat, I use it for everything. The thing thats done the most damage to it is climbing.

Likewise, I only have one 55L pack, sometimes it carries the groceries, or my gear.

Etc...Everything I own.

In reply to Stani49:

It rains on dog walks as well as on Scafell, you realise ?

In reply to Stani49:

I do the opposite, I go climbing/mountaineering in my normal everyday gear. I'm definitely the odd one out up a mountain wearing a normal vest & tshirt with a £15 army goretex jacket but it works for me. I don't really see what the £300 jacket does that the army surplus goretex doesn't

In reply to Stani49:

I do. And I find if you buy decent gear it lasts in that sort of use as well. Got 10 years out of my first Gore Tex waterproof and I still have it a further 7 years later (with a replaced zip) as a spare.

Neil

In reply to needvert:

Same here. I don't see the point in buying extra stuff that's going to be less warm/dry/comfy.

In reply to Stani49:
I wear my stuff all the time but then again, i'm a student on an outdoor course. I can't afford to shell out on other clothes too

In reply to Stani49:

Compared to many 'normal' clothes, 'climbing clothes' aren't that expensive, really, especially if you're a careful shopper. So keeping stuff for 'best' (i.e. climbing) doesn't really matter.

Almost my entire wardrobe is made up of outdoor clothing, because it's practical and comfortable. Now I know I'm now 50 years old, and I long ago stopped giving a sh!t what anyone else thinks about what I look like, and I see that you're only 16, and it probably matters enormously to you*, but I don't see any problem with wearing outdoor clothes all the time; they're comfortable, practical, easy to clean and they keep you warm and dry. If I have it, why would I wear anything else for day-to-day wear?

* I note that you asked a very similar question about footwear recently

Ihttp://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=538616&v=1#x7220750

In reply to Martin Wing:

I was realising a long held ambition to back off a Severe whilst wearing tights.

In reply to Stani49: My climbing clothes are my clothes, I don't really own many non climbing casual clothes. My approach shoes are my everyday shoes for example.

In reply to Lord_ash2000:

'Top climbers' probably get paid to wear brand gear...and given it for free so they would wear it for everything....

If wearing outdoor clothing day-to-day down to the shops etc wears it out, then it's pretty crap clothing in the first place and I wouldn't want to be outdoors in it!(Shoes aside - they do wear out noticably)

In reply to captain paranoia:

Indeed.

I have kept postponing buying a traditional gentleman's long woolen overcoat for numerous years on the grounds of cost - I can't justify c.£350 when I have perfectly serviceable outdoor kit I can wear instead.

In reply to NottsRich:

Agreed. I have rarely got more than a year out of any pair of approach shoes or light fabric boots that I wear as my main footwear for outdoor and/or casual use.

I did however get nearly a decade out of a pair of traditional British Goodyear welted leather ankle boots albeit with 2-3 resoles. I recently acquired another pair half price but as with decent clothing, they were still well over twice the price I paid for the TNF fabric mid boots I've been wearing outdoors recently.

I'd generally prefer to spend much more time wearing 'traditional', high quality clothing and footwear but it is bloody expensive, so for me the 'outdoor look' is the alternative because I'm skint not because of any preference.

In reply to Stani49:

I'm always slightly horrified at the idea of using my technical gear for everyday wear, partly for fear of wearing it out, and partly because it feels like I ought to keep it reserved for special occasions, like the wedding china.
But logically I can see it makes sense, if you've got something that would do the job, just to use it all the time, then get a replacement when necessary, and I'm secretly envious of people who aren't quite so precious with their kit.

In reply to Stani49:

I don't think it's a "look" for most though I am sure there are some who are trying to look 'ard.

I spend pretty much all my money on gear and trips and for a long time I simply could not afford to fund a parallel "everyday" casual wardrobe (much to Mrs C's disgust). Of course I had my dating outfit and some smart clothes but usually I was to be seen in Asolo fugitives, jeans and fleece, at work or at play.

My better half has to a point had her way and before Christmas she made me give her 600 quid to spend on my new "look"

In reply to Stani49: Berghaus chokoi fleece windstopper for work, RAB baltoro guide jacket for on the bike and old approach shoes for fishing, knocking about and stuff. The best kept stuff in the house is my climbing clothes, they work and last really weel but I filter them down when replacing stuff. Was gonna wear my G20s to work when it was snowing the other week but thought it might be overkill

Mrs just leaving to work now and she has a craghoppers micro fleece bomber on...

In reply to andic:


Is that like a copping shirt or lucky pants?

In reply to Stani49: In our old flat we used nuts to hold up our washing line

In reply to radioshed:
In our old flat we used nuts to hold up our washing line

Same here, window frames make good skyhook placements until you hang a load of wet towels on the line and pull out the sealing strip

I tend to live in my outdoor kit as I can't be bothered to buy other stuff and I've never understood complex concepts like "Smart casual".

In reply to Stani49: My climbing partner Warmuari just wore a pair of Tesco bags over his rock shoes to negotiate a mud bank at the bottom of a climb(unfortunately there is no photographic evidence) Is this what is meant by the "cool climber look".

In reply to Stani49:
Erm yes, my waterproof jacket is my waterproof jacket, likewise for boots. I cycle in my climbing helmet, I wear my primaloft gilet most days at work over my "smart" clothes as it's cold. My house is getting so baltic that even the merino baselayers are being worn a lot. Conversely my red cloche hat looks rather dapper on a walk in.

Can't quite see why you wouldn't really, apart from sticky rubber soles. (Oh and my grotty brown fleece that is just too horredous to inflict on an urban environment.)

Instead of not using nice things because of the "best china" syndrome, I'm the opposite - much more likely to use something all the time cos I'm just so pleased to finally have something that does the job and have spent money on it!

In reply to Stani49:
My climbing hardware is clearly not pulling it's weight round the house though, any more tips?

In reply to Stani49:

I'm (probably) the top climber in my street and often wear outdoor kit as it impresses the local teens....

I often hear them saying 'What a Kalanka' when I walk past obviously referring to my jacket.....or at least I think that's what they're saying.

In reply to Stani49:

Thanks everyone. Didn't expect such a great response.
How about socks- anyone stick religiously to trekking socks?

In reply to Stani49:

My favourite socks are motorbike socks from Aldi.
A close second - camping socks from Aldi.

I have never ridden a motorbike and I don't wear the camping socks when actually camping, but they do make me look cool so that's why I like them.

Strewth.

In reply to Stani49:

I wear walking socks in winter - my feet get cold and I've had some chillblains this winter. I have a good newer pair that I'm saving for walking though.

In reply to captain paranoia:


Pretty much sums up my attitude as well - tend to wear the same tops, fleeces and jackets, and jeans if I'm not doing outdoors stuff. Interestingly though, I tend to intentionally buy 'low end' where possible, as I do a fair bit of work with kids who don't have much cash, and don't want to create the impression that you need a megabucks wardrobe to have fun outside.

In reply to Stani49:

The school run in Cumbria is littered with technical kit. Partly cos it's so wet, partly because it's easy to pick up end of season bargains, and partly because there are more gear shops than "normal" clothes shops

In reply to Stani49:

Working outside all day, every day, I began my job by keeping my expensive kit indoors and wore a rubbish waterproof jacket, but then realised I had hundreds of pounds of stuff which would keep me warmer/drier just sitting at home.

Now I just wear my Primaloft jacket to keep warm (down jacket if i'm standing around) and Rad waterproofs if its wet.

No point in having expensive gear if you aren't gunna wear it! Saying this, my trousers which are pretty expensive, are beginning to show signs of wear!

In reply to Stani49:


FFS, it's just stuff you wear...

I'm beginning to smell a troll; surely no-one can be this fixated about the nuances of clothing?

Oh, hang on...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/nov/25/outdoor-gear-bad-science...

In reply to Stani49:

Yes, very much so.

My amateur tree-surgery efforts at weekends would be nowt without the full application of my aid-climbing kit (apart form the portaledge).

And my 11mm lead rope now passes as a perfectly servicable 9mm after towing my mate's car back form Wales.

I use my MSR to get the barbeque going and my quickdraws are hanging the power tools up in the cellar. It all gets a bit messy when I have ot go away climbing for the w/e mind...

In reply to Stani49: My only jackets are my down jacket and my waterproof. So these are all I wear. As has been said above, why go out and spend god-knows-how-much on a everyday or "fashionable" jacket that is essentially just less practical and lower quality than my climbing/outdoor jackets. I don't have the cash to run two wardrobes, one for everyday and one for climbing.

That said, if I do see really nice clothing dirt cheap in a sale then I might get it, partly to avoid being forced to wear fleeces and walking trousers at all times. Unfortunately the fleeces are starting to win.

In reply to Stani49:
I wear my gear every day and when it gets a bit tatty I wear it climbing. You don't ruin kit by simply walking the dog unless you are the guy that trains police dogs to take a criminal down. I dont want to ruin new clothes by going climbiong in it only posers do that and you see them cry when a high stretch means their nut key rips half way up a new jacket.

In reply to Stani49:

>> Remember that everyone you see wearing outdoor clothing in town isn't necessarily a climber/hill walker. Many "civilians" have sensibly taken to wearing good outdoor gear because the high street can be also be a very cold place. You notice this most with North Face jackets.

In reply to Stani49:

At this time of year I'm almost permanently wearing my Rab Generator when outdoors, but it's for function rather than appearance.

In reply to captain paranoia:

Not a troll at all. An established, young mountaineer and climber. With an organisation OCD and not a lot of cash, combined with a desire to be different to my peers. Considering the way most under 18's act- can you blame me?

In reply to Stani49:

I only use my gear for daily use.

In reply to Stani49:

http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/27926468.jpg

Anyone who says the Rab Neutrino is best kept for when the temperature drops below zero seriously underestimates how warm I like to be! I don't care if it looks ridiculous, I'm never happier than when that hood is up and the zip is to the top

In reply to Stani49:

Socks!? The only thing my feet have known for years are PhD smartwool.

To be honest I have given up on "normal" socks they all seem to go baggy within ten minutes of putting them on which I fkng hate

In reply to Stani49:
I have a nut as a door stop.
A friend uses a small screwgate to hold his many key rings.
I use a large hex as protection against neds (their primary function).
Jetboil to read after dark (I hear electric bulbs work for this too).

In reply to Stani49:

I use my ice axe to scrape frost in freezer when defrosting it!

In reply to Stani49: I wear mine as standard which generates quite alot of funny looks in the pub sometimes but it's comfy, warm and tough.

In reply to Stani49: I cycle to and from work (20 mins through town) in my softshell when it's too wet to use my woolly greatcoat - and if it's really wet, then swap out softshell for full hardshell, including trousers. Likewise in snow you'll find me in full outdoor kit, including walking boots for grip if it's bad. By preference, though, it's the greatcoat in good weather.

My small daysack gets used if I need a small rucksack but don't need all the junk that lives in my work one!

The other thing that I seem to do is have a few carabiners about me most of the time, for such uses as clipping my camera bag either to the camera, to me, or into my bike basket...

In reply to David Ponting: Oh, and my everyday 'trainers' are technically approach shoes - they're just better on every count (comfier, more support, warmer, waterproof...)

In reply to Stani49:

Sorry, I was being a bit harsh...

But, as has been said, clothes say something about you, but not everything. They certainly won't scream "I'm a climber!", if that's what you want to say about yourself*. They might just about identify you as someone who likes the outdoors, but even that's not guaranteed, since lots of people wear 'outdoor clothes'. What it might do is say that you're 'normal', since they are pretty normal clothes, rather than the attire of one of the many youth culture genres (goth, emo, chav, what have you...).

* What is 'a climber'? Someone who climbs; whilst there are some personality traits that seem to draw people to climbing, we're far from being a monolithic group with the same beliefs, behaviours and ideals. One of those personality traits does seem to be a certain independence and self-reliance, which you seem to be demonstrating in your desire not to be like 'most other under-18s'. That's probably good; be yourself, think for yourself, and have respect for yourself and others. That will end up defining who you are much better than the clothes you choose to wear.

No I do not. All my gear rots in my car boot and stinks of dampness! It gets chucked in the sack for the hills as and when required.

In reply to Stani49: I only wear expensive climbing gear for dog walking etc, as to wear it climbing would knacker it, so I use shit stuff for climbing.

Upstairs for thinking; downstairs for dancing...

In reply to Carolyn:

Glasgow is always wet and miserable but the population manage to get about in all seasons in t shirts, mini skirts and wee tops.

In reply to Milesy:

You must be pleasant company on the hill!

In reply to Stani49:

I don't really own much non outdoor gear.

In reply to Stani49:

Most of the clothes I own is outdoor stuff, it is almost a uniform for us biologists.

Seriously, I cycle to work 11 km one way, why should I not wear the comfortable, breathable stuff designed for moving around outsides? When it is really cold (below -10°C or so) I even wear my ice climbing gloves and down jacket and am toasty warm. My PhD students who also come by bike think this counts as cheating.

CB

In reply to Stani49:

Pretty much the only time I wear outdoor gear in town is when it's really rubbish weather, i.e. freak snow or downpours. Otherwise, well, at the risk of offending a lot of people in this thread, outdoor gear when you're not actually climbing or walking (or working outdoors) looks pretty nerdy IMO.

I know you shouldn't care what other people think of your appearance, but being totally honest, I like to put a bit of effort into wearing what I think looks good, and fleece and approach shoes don't fall into that category for me. On the hill, I am generally function before fashion (well, OK, apart from Paramo cos it looks heinous..), but let's face it, in town/the pub it's never life threateningly bad conditions. Hence, I will wear something that doesn't have a hydrostatic head of 20,000 but looks, in my opinion, to have a bit more style to it than an anorak.

Flame away.

In reply to Stani49:

My down gets regular winter use for pretty much every situation when I go out of the house, my fleeces are worn continually, indoors and out.

The trouble I find is that decent gear is just, well, so much *better* than cr@p gear. I know this sounds like stating the obvious, but...

In reply to Stani49:

Any suitable suggestions for how to get rid of loads of non-climbing wear if you want to become a fully equipped outdoors-clothed civilian?

In reply to Stani49:
I've practiced several sports in my life , like cycling ,hiking,ski , ski board and Sport climbing... And I've always seen people who use the most expensive gear , equipment ... But the most common thing is these People ,who wear expensive stuff is not who have the best performance results...courious!!!!
I think , what you say , is a consecuence of our society .Radio , TV , magazines , are full of adverts to sell us everything , and get the people hipnotized to keep buying.
There are people who needs use expensive gear to practice an Sport , could be a kind of motivation or something
But my conclusion is , we don't need any expensive gear to do anything , we can find a lot of brands in shops expensive or not , because we've got the power in our mind.
And people who wear like a climber , from head to toe, in a daily life , is just unfashionable person.

In reply to RicardoSP:


That'll be me, then. I'm one of those that never saw the point in jeans (work trousers made for chinese labourers invented 150 years ago) over modern trousers.

In reply to Stani49:
A mix: I keep my (relative to my other clthoes) expensive jackets for hill wear only. I have enough knacked but still functional coats for all my dog walking, coats with ripped pockets & broken zips etc. I have a 'posh' coat for restaurants.

I never wear my 'big' boots about town so as not to wear out early (the gore tex lining will break after so much flexing) and they're heavier & warmer than need be for walking up the high street, Instead I wear my merrell trainers / mids or my inov-8 trainers.

I also keep my socks seperate as I have found socks that work for me & my boots (i.e. no blisters) and I won't add unnecessarily to their wear & tear when a pack of 5 for a £10 type socks will do for every day use.

I have also relegated several old fleeces for every day use.

I wear my Moon trousers all the time as I love the fit and colour.

In reply to Stani49:

Every day. Wouldn't last long without it, fresh -27 today but the suns out so it's positively tropical.

In reply to captain paranoia:


The article isn't really about the "nuances" of clothing (although the headline and standfast might lead you to think that) and I think his conclusion has a degree of validity:

Adventure gear deploys the classic trick that marketing plays on the consumer, that sense that only certain equipment will do. We buy into it so readily that we convince ourselves we need things that we don't – especially men, who are natural gear queers. Is the equipment a substitute for our physical abilities? Here I am with a mountain to climb. I'm togged up in technical gear. I haven't done any exercise in two years but – technically – I'm ready.

In reply to Martin W: A very funny article and with more than one grain of truth, particularly where trail shoes (Robocop's turds, as the author wittily describes them) are concerned.

On the other hand, I'm very grateful for the advances made in fabric technology since the days of Hilary's Everest conquest. Goretex proshell is some kind of wonder fabric if you ask me.

In reply to Martin W:

I think that article shoots itself in the foot; on the one hand saying how terribly expensive a waterproof coat is, and how garish the labelling, and on the other hand pointing out a £300 wooly jumper as the epitome of subtle style. Basically, all he is saying is "look at me with my subtle brand indicators; aren't I the sophisticate?". Emperor's new clothes. Did he bang on about huge logos for Gap, Dolce& Gabbana, SoCal, Jack Wills and all the other garish high street fashion? No.

Yes, some 'outdoor' clothing is ugly. But then so are vast swathes of 'fashion'.

In reply to Stani49:

Has nobody else found that when they wear down jackets a lot in the Winter, that they just get trashed? Mine seems to get nipped and pinched by all sorts of stuff, now it looks a mess and regularly leaks feathers.

In reply to Stani49:

I don't own any other clothes other than my biking stuff...

BW

In reply to Stani49:
At school, in Larkhall, near glasgow, a (probably fake) Berghaus Mera Peak was the height of fashion for the neds/chavs.
Doubt many of them were outdoor types.

In reply to Stani49:
I brought a year old pair of converse to the alps over summer for walk ins- theyre still in one piece.

In reply to Stani49: I wear my buffalo for the journey to work and my salomons and haglofs trousers while at work (but i do work in an outdoors shop)