UKC

The authors of a forthcoming book on British outdoor clothing (Kickstarting now!) pick out six key pieces of clothing from their research. Garments that contributed to the history of mountaineering and the popular love of the outdoors – and perhaps added a little bit of style.

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In reply to UKC Articles:

Nice article.

Just to add that Helly jackets were quite popular in the 70s but their standard jacket had no pockets or collar. The Javlin had both and was quite a bit cheaper, so really cornered the market for a while.

Shame you did not include a Javlin advert. A friend was at a party in Sheffield 20 years ago and got talking to a middle aged lady who mid conversation let slip that she used to be the " Javlin girl".

In reply to UKC Articles:

I still have my Berghaus Trango Xtrem, great colours! Though I don't use it anymore, it was my first mountain jacket and I loved it.

Think this was the sailing focussed advert rather than the climbing one.

In reply to UKC Articles:

Nice article, iconic pieces. I loved Hargreaves suit back then, the colour combo was a break from the purple, black, burgundy and navy that seemed overpowering.

In Australia in the 1980s, the Trango Extreme was probably the only foreign Gore-Tex jacket available in shops. It was stocked solely by Paddy Pallin (who had their own brand products then) and were $400-500 or so, which at the time here was just ludicrous. Like buying a space suit. I had a blue Peter Storm version of a traditional oiled japara, which most bushwalkers here used, and it was maybe $150.

I look forward to the book, I just can't afford to buy one with postage to Australia. Madness.

Note: First paragraph - 'George Rowe'? Is that from the Peter Sellers audiobook?

In reply to UKC Articles:

The word 'perhaps' is doing some heavy lifting there.

T.

In reply to UKC Articles:

When I was taking my first forays into the mountains it seems there were two tribes, Helly Hanson Jacket wearers and North Cape Ogre wearers. The Ogre with the windproof (but sadly not bonfire proof) outer was my preferred garment for decades.

In reply to UKC Articles:

Brilliant. My first goretex jacket, after a couple of knee-length boil-in-the-bag kagoules was a blue and red Trango. I lived in it, the ultimate mountaineering posing jacket of the day. It was pretty leaky and after about three years when they were no longer available I sold it for a substantial amount and bought a Patagonia Storm jacket. 

Rick Graham: I remember Helly Hansen still being popular in the late 1980s and I had a pullover someone left behind in the Clachaig which I thought was vastly superior as hill wear to the then much more popular fleece (invariably purple at that time).

Rohan Super Striders, possibly the first softshell/Schoeller garments, should have got a mention, and Latok/Lowe hats. 

In reply to UKC Articles:

That article should have come with a trigger warning! Just reading the words `Peter Storm' and `cagoule' makes me sweat. Quite why we valued keeping rain out when we were bathed in perspiration is a mystery. No wonder Goretex (with its oversold promise of breathability) swept up when it came in. 

As for fibrepile, oooh how I wanted one of those blue HH jackets that all everyone was wearing in `Crag'. 

In reply to UKC Articles:

Good article!

Lots of the active insulation pieces (those without an inner liner anyway) that have been very popular in recent years are basically modern pile with a pertex type outer. Still don't think you can beat pile style fleece with a wind top over for a lot of the time in the UK. 

In reply to UKC Articles:

My first waterproof was Peter Storm on a school YHA trip when I was 9.  Had a Tog 24 fibre pile jacket around 1980. Lovely and toasty. My down jacket is 28 years old now and still going strong.

In reply to Brass Nipples:

I reckon my ME Annapurna must be at least 35-40 years old, and it still gets used 👍👍

In reply to 65: Super stridens were interesting good and venter than anything else Rohan made.  I suspect they postdate Chouinard Rock bottoms tho' , which were very much like a heavy softshell.  I did a lot of good routes in a pair of rock bottoms, sometimes paired with a Latok 3 ply Gtx jacket, and both i still own. 

I think Patagonia made the first trousers in the Schoeller fabric, then the mammut base jump? 

In reply to UKC Articles:

I loved my Javlin jacket and would probably still be using it now if most of the pile around the waste and shoulders hadn't been worn away by my Karrimor Hot Ice pack. I was never quite as keen on its successor, a Patagonia Synchilla jacket with ribbed cuffs which seem designed to soak up water. To be fair to the Patagonia jacket it still sees occasional use and my partner claims its turquoise shade was one of the things about me which caught her eye on our first encounter, at Tebay motorway services.

In reply to wbo2:

Ah, that's interesting. Probably slightly before my time.

In reply to UKC Articles:

What no Ron Hill tracky bottoms??  Maybe they made it as item number 7.

There are surely enough stories of where people have used those to start a whole new thread!

In reply to Guy Hurst:

I think we need a bit more story here!

In reply to wbo2:

I don't remember any when I was working in outdoor shops 1994 - 97, but I bought a pair of Patagonia ones in 2000 or 2001. So I guess it was sometime in the late 90s that became available?

Rohan striders were still being sold when I started hillwalking and then winter climbing at the start of the 90s, but were definitely falling out of fashion by the early 90s and perhaps became unavailable around then. I remember thinking they were definitely for old dudes back then, and feeling absolutely no urge to get some - Ridiculous as that seems now!

In reply to James123:

Buffalo still make 'em. 

In reply to TobyA:

We were definitely selling Mammut Base Jumps in Snell's in 2003, they weren't new and the Patagonia ones predated the Mammuts.

In reply to UKC Articles:

Really looking forward to this book. I do hope Calange get a decent mention, I was so proud of my Calange trousers. I remember in the summer of '96 in Scotland I was in crazy patterned Calange trousers and a bright purple fleece and my climber partner was in a dark blue fleece and tracksters, chalk and cheese.

Still love the bright colours, much to my family's distain.

In reply to Andy Hardy:

Absolutely. I must say I prefer the Rab VR version of the concept, better fitting for me and lighter/more versatile. Separate fleece plus windshirt is also very versatile too.

In reply to 65:

Got my first Goretex jacket in the '70s, it was made by Mountain Equipment in a luminous green colour. There were welded seams at bicep level in the sleeves. On its last outing, one entire sleeve just dropped off!

In reply to UKC Articles:

PointFive were the main providers of down (duvet) jackets alongside Mountain Equipment in the mid-1970s.  I still have mine.  After many years of use including two expeditions to Greenland I had it cleaned and was amazed that the dull red colour was actually bright red as per when I purchased it.

In reply to Colin Matheson:

I still have my (bright red) Pont Five Freney duvet jacket from 1975/6 and it’s still going strong.

In reply to Christheclimber:

It helps being older than you but my second salary cheque paid for an ME duvet, snowline model, I think. 1971.

Still very usable, never cold even when soaked to the skin on Alpine epics. Had to replace the zip and velcro fix the hood. Been washed a couple of times but never managed to clear the ingrained frying pan fat on the front from too many bacon butties for breakfast when winter  camping. 

Just lovely and made me smile bringing back memories, i've 2 editions;

- Ron Hill's and the Buffalo Mountain shirt 🥸

In reply to Christheclimber:

I've got a ripstop goretex one from 1981, supposedly one of the first GTX duvets, supplied discounted to £50 a Christmas trip up Mont Blanc with the GUM club in 1981. Still sees winter dog walking duty though the Goretex is pretty delaminated.