UKC

What's the UKC opinion on Jack Wolfskin kit? I've used their rucksacks, tents and sleeping bags extensively over the years and really rate them but it's not a brand you see much of in the UK, although they are HUGE in Germany and very popular elsewhere.

In reply to tim carruthers:

Excellent kit and a lot of it is better quality than the likes of Berghaus and Lowe Alpine and more robust. In my opinion of course.

I have their original windstopper and Alpine sack, still going strong after years of abuse. Bought heaps of it when I was based in Germany.

In reply to tim carruthers:

Excellent quality stuff.

Never really taken off in the UK, probably down to marketing or whatever.
I have noticed JW ads popping up around premier league football grounds this season however, I wonder if this is anything to do with the selling of the company this summer by their brilliantly named ex-owner - Manfred Hell?

In reply to Glyno:

Stuart Cunninghams in Ambleside & Betws are very commited, having large areas of their stores dedicated to Jack Wolfskin products.

In reply to Glyno:
Bit of a trek to Ambleside or Betws try stuff on if you're based elsewhere. Maybe that's why you don't see much of it around.

In reply to tim carruthers:

Theres a Jack Wolfskin store now in Covent Garden.

In reply to tim carruthers: I'm a huge ME fan but I've looked at jack Wolfskin stuff a lot and I've got to say it looks quality... Never tried it but I'm after a primaloft jacket and i'll maybe have a look at one of theirs... I've seen the odd piece in Cotswolds outdoor

In reply to tim carruthers:

I've no doubt you can buy it elsewhere.

In reply to tim carruthers: Had a JW rucksack for about 5 years back in the late 80's/early 90's that I lived out of, literally. Totally bombproof and really well designed. Really comfortable back-system that seemed loads better than other sacks at the time. Was stolen off me with all my worldly goods as I slept on a train to Bedford

Got a new JW rucksack afterwards and it is still going nearly 20 years later. Needs a couple of zips fixing, but still going strong. My (far newer) Podsac Expodition is the nearest I have in terms of toughness.

Well thought out and well-designed gear, well it was all those years ago. The old garage in Capel seems to stock a bit of JW gear.

In reply to chiz:

Never used it, but they've got a store in Westfield Shephards Bush as well as Covent Garden so are obviously moving over here

In reply to tim carruthers:

I first used some JW kit back in 1990/91 when the brand made its first attempt to penetrate the UK market. It seemed to be stocked in some of the smaller more leftfield independent retailers.

The kit was very high quality. I had a small 20l day pack that is still working very well today. That's value! I had a jacket made from 'Texapore' their own proprietary breathable fabric which was very decent. A friend had a trekking pack called 'Chogori Extension' that seemed very comfortable and durable. I also recall having a hankering for a 'Pocket Hotel' tent which was very similar to the Macpac Minaret.

I also noticed the advertising at EPL grounds. Not sure who now owns the brand or what the quality is like but the old stuff was very high quality.

In reply to tim carruthers: They should have changed the name before bringing it over to the UK, Jack Wolfskin sounds like a brand that deals in hunting/fishing wear etc. to me.

Ben

In reply to tim carruthers: It's the German equivalent of North Face ie. everyone seems to be wearing it these days over there. However, it is good stuff - I have one of their '90's 'spider' rucsacs and it's awesome.

In reply to Sharp:
I always thought it had a nice "backwoodsy" ring to it. Strong logo, too.

In reply to tim carruthers:

Tend to see more of their kids range in the UK - Cotswold used to do several items from the range, not sure if they still do.

Seemed pretty good stuff, but never got the reputation it deserved against the bigger brands - it seemed to be thought of as a "budget" brand and so got unfairly overlooked, I think.

In reply to tim carruthers:
The stuff I've looked at has seemed pretty robust but rather heavy. My girlfriend has one of their jackets and white it is nicely made and utterly bombproof it does give every impression that someone had attempted to introduce goretex backed canvas

In reply to Reach>Talent:
I was over in Germany last week and wandered into one of the big Jack Wolfskin Stores. Some of the fabrics they have used in their latest range look amazing: very light, very waterproof and very high breathability. Didn't see any Gore-Tex backed canvas!

In reply to tim carruthers: My wife is German so when visiting my in-laws we usually pop into one of the many JW stores around the place. Excellent kit. I was in the Perth Tiso's yesterday and noticed they had quite a bit of JW stuff in.

In reply to LastBoyScout:
Maybe they need to employ a few of these "sponsored athletes" we all love to idolize, to give the brand a fresh image

In reply to tim carruthers:

I've never used any of their kit, but noticed a new JW store is opening in York as I wandered through town last night.

From memory, the opening date was 15 September.

OM

In reply to ring ouzel:

It might be decent quality but it's not for mountaineering though really. Most of their stuff is rather gimmicky (windproof fleece jacket that zips into a shell jacket -why? Or lots of jackets where you can remove the sleeves - ho hum) and rather heavy.

I have a few JW bits I bought down the years - a synth filled pullover that must be 8 years old now - back when virtually no one else in Europe did them, and some baselayers from back in the 90s that still work great, but most of their stuff is for the Euro trekking market who want a 25 ltr daypack that weights 1.5 kilos.

They don't have the mountaineering heritage that North Face has for example.

In reply to tim carruthers: I've had J/W stuff for years and it has'nt let me down, did'nt know it was big in Germany though, ten again though so is,"The Hoff"

In reply to tim carruthers:

I suspect the brand, in common with Marmot, suffers quite a bit from brand snobbery in the UK. I have a variety of JW (& Marmot) stuff - all good btw. Personally, I don't give a toss that it hasn't got the so-called 'proven mountain credibility' of TNF.

It's not *that* hard to get hold of JW kit as they have dedicated shops in many UK towns and cities. Cunninghams have also sold their stuff for years.

Dave