hakioawa Posted January 18, 2002 Share Posted January 18, 2002 I love marmot. I've got gloves, a jacket, a pack and a tent. All are great. The tent, while a tad heavy has great finishing touches. THe tent bag for instance tunrs into a gear lost for the added weight of two fastex buckles. The pack has a double zippers hood. SO you can clip your keys inside two zippers! Works great. Yeah they are getting bigger but I find thier stuff very well made, fairly light and reasonably priced. Oh and not too flashy. My down jacket is basic blue and I've never seen anyone walkingdown the street in one in the rain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtngrrrl Posted January 18, 2002 Share Posted January 18, 2002 quote: Originally posted by hikerwa: Actually, you can buy all of the "high-tech" materials Gore-Tex, Polartec and all that can be found easily, but it is very expensive to buy 5 yards of Gore-Tex, fleece is a little cheaper. I once made a fleece jacket from Polartec I bought in Seattle, worked pretty good, but I don't think that I could sew up and heat tape a goretex jacket.... Where did you find the fabric? I live in Seattle, and the standard fabric shops I've visted only have crappy fleece, not Polartac. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregm Posted January 18, 2002 Share Posted January 18, 2002 seattle fabrics - 87th-ish and aurora. gore-tex, other breathables, fleece, the works. still no schoeller or epic, but just about everything else. patterns too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigWallBigBallsRocky Posted January 18, 2002 Share Posted January 18, 2002 gore tex works better than coated nylon for hiking through wet bush. but i find latex works the best for that condition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hikerwa Posted January 18, 2002 Share Posted January 18, 2002 there's a polartec outlet on first avenue south, by the starbucks sort of, or just south of it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottP Posted January 18, 2002 Share Posted January 18, 2002 quote: Originally posted by mtngrrrl: (snip) Beyond the stitching, we ordinary consumers wouldn't have easy access to high tech fabrics and for that matter, fabric is also pretty pricey. So are industrial sewing machines. I've made my own ski bags from felt and nylon, but I wouldn't venture into anything more technical. I sewed all of the clothand webbing parts for a portaledge using my wife's regular sewing machine (with heavy duty needles) and fabric I got from Seattle Fabrics. The ledge has endured having a hundred pound flake come off of Uncle Ben's at Squamish and punch a hole though the floor. I patched it with my wife's regular sewing machine, and it's ready for more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodchester Posted January 18, 2002 Author Share Posted January 18, 2002 polartec outlet closed Ever heard of a product called sympatex? I have a pair of bibs made out of it and it works better than goretex. Apparently it is big in Europe, or was. They are about 6 or 7 years old now and are on thier last leg. I have heard that GoreTex's worst enemy is salt. It clogs the "pores" in the GoreTex. Hmmm humand sweat..salt...hmmm. Apparently Sympatex does not suffer the same salt problem. Anyone ever use this stuff? It is still a waterproof breathable, so it is not some radical departure from GoreTex. Also it is a lamanent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hikerwa Posted January 18, 2002 Share Posted January 18, 2002 no, no just moved, south of lemiuex's, it's still there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maurice Posted January 19, 2002 Share Posted January 19, 2002 I cannot say I'm sad to here that Marmot has completely changed their line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hikerwa Posted January 19, 2002 Share Posted January 19, 2002 But, Marmot sponsors PETER WHITTAKER, although that's thier only strike against them in my book, I have a great pair of GT pants that rule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedi Posted January 19, 2002 Share Posted January 19, 2002 Most of the companies have hard core people helping with design and testing their stuff in the field. BUT what works and what sells is two different things. My main climbing partner works for the military. He teaches mountaineering among other things. The military sends him to trade shows to talk to manufacturers about clothing and gear for the military. He has gained some insider info that is interesting over the past couple of years.One thing that many manufactureres have told him is that Gore-tex doesn't really work well. BUT everyone still makes gear with it because the general public believes it work the best.John Bouchard (sp) like many other smaller hard core designers even gives in to what the public wants. He didn't like some of the bells and whistles on some of his gear but people would not buy it unless it had that kind of junk on it. Just extra weight but people feel like their getting robbed unless they put the bells and whistles on.Bigger companies have a marketing department with people that only go outdoors to get in their cars, let alone head into the great outdoors. These people have the final say so if it hits the shelves. SO lets say Mark Twight makes the Patagonia Speed Ascent suit, which he did and he used on the Czech Direct a year before it hit the shelves. That is a good example of a company making specialty equip. Then there is the gear that another professional designs or tweeks. It works great in the field, everything looks good nd then it hits marketing. It's the wrong colors for the that year and bam! in the trash. It happens.Mt Hardwear was started by guys in TNF. When they noticed that the TNF was marketing to the urban crowd, they satrted their own company. Their stuff does seem heavy of the gear I have seen but I think they are trying.I had a buddy who had a small clothing company and only made stuff for the hard core climbers but was bought out by a bigger co. O-yeah, Sleeping bag ratings. They are based on a 2 1/2" of insulating pad. Who here takes that with them when you head up the side of a mountain? Geeze, I hope not. The Scarpa Alpha is going to be tweeked next year due to a small problem with snow melting around the tongue and getting in the shell. THere is much more but I can not recall it now. As consumers of this equipment, we do the best we can with the info we are given. You compare and make the best choice you can. Just remember, things are not as they seem and just because everyone is using it, it does not mean it is the best. just as some things here might not be 101% correct but it is close Jedi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hikerwa Posted January 19, 2002 Share Posted January 19, 2002 I would also seriously like to say, that the stuff the "sponsored" climbers wear may not be what it seems. Some have one-off specialty gear... I've been involved with kayaking and I know for sure the boat the Tao Berman uses is HALF the weight of the "retail" version, but it's lifespan is very, very short. these companies have to deal with issues that if a coat or pants don't last long enough they get a poor rep.... The average consumer would not deal with a jacket that lasts one climb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedi Posted January 20, 2002 Share Posted January 20, 2002 Is the Rain Shed still in business? 1-517-732-8900. Corvallis OR. They sell things like Fleece, stretch fleece, windblock, etc...Ultrex, taffeta, Supplex, Cordura, Lycra, Ripstop nylon and neopreme (among other things) from what I can remember. I do own the Marmot Alpinist one piece suit. It only weighes 34oz. Very simple design and it works well. It has taken a beating but has held up ok. Duct tape here and there. One of my favorite pieces. Most others weigh 48oz to 56oz. [ 01-19-2002: Message edited by: Jedi ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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