The North Face sucks

[EndoftheTrail]

Hate to tell you this, but many urbane types have been snatching up Mountain Hardwear apparels as well. It's been the "in" thing the last couple of years.

The good thing is that at least MH doesn't SPELL OUT its entire name as part of its logo — unlike THE NORTH FACE.

I have a few MH Canyon shirts which I like a lot. My clothing are almost all tri-purpose: around town, traveling and hiking.

I also like my REI Sahara tees. They are actually logo free!

[David Ure]

I have a three year old 200wt fleece (type) vest that is the only fleece that has never piled on me. It is of extremely high quality. I think they do manufacture some decent. Some other stuff is not so decent.

[Scott White]

If you dislike TNF you may get a chuckle from this story.

[Michael Q]

Let's just hope Mountain Hard Wear won't go crazy and mass market like The North Face has.
Though I have a feeling they will start to do that the next couple of years to keep up with the market and sales.
Let's cross our fingers and hope that will not come true because I am a loyal Mountain Hard Wear buyer and love the quality of their products.

[Michael Q]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwIDtG3OesM&feature=related

Home made video about The North Face jackets.

[Andy Berner]

I saw a bunch of kids wearing Gossamer Gear shirts at the mall the other day….

I'm kidding.

[EndoftheTrail]

Since you profess to be a true MH devotee…

Note that it's spelled Mountain Hardwear. Just two words.

[Michael Q]

I know that but if you see their logos it's separated
if they wanted it to make their logos correct by spelling it correctly it would be spelled
Mountain Hardware
not
Mountain
Hard
Wear

[EndoftheTrail]

Logos are often stylized.

But back to hating THE NORTH FACE… What I like to see is a name change to:

INYO FACE

Which it really is.

[Dave T]

.

[EndoftheTrail]

Dave:

I think it has to do with a supposed deterioration of both design and quality. And I think it is precisely because the older items were so good and the current ones allegedly so bad that created a bunch of livid ex-fans.

I use the words "supposed" and "alleged" because I have no firsthand experience. As posted in the past, I steer clear of loud logos as a matter of course.

[Eugene Smith]

@ Michael Q:

North Face makes perfectly fine and quality outdoor wear and gear. It really depends on how you want your clothing to complement your outdoor activities, look carefully and you'll surely find gear that will work great. It doesn't take very long to find that they have pretty much all their bases covered for the lightweight alpine style climber to the ultramarathon runner. Patagonia!? The boutiques in the upper class commerce areas are enough to drive many away, but yet they still make excellent clothing that works and is fueled by a passion for outdoor activities. I don't think the North Face is any different. North Face makes gear that is developed by people and ambassadors who aren't sitting here gagging away on some online thread at how lame a clothing company is, they're probably making a second attempt at Meru Sharks Fin laughing at you for finding any value in assembled fabrics and silly possessions. Honestly, the LLBean comment is a dead giveaway that you don't know what you're talking about. I think the BPL forums are above this kind of discussion honestly. Sorry, so I digress.

[Dave T]

.

[Michael Q]

The North Face has been out for many years and was well known for their products. I am sure many of their products are still good and I am not totally putting their products down.
I just dislike they are over producing for modern wear and targeting teens for a fashion statement. I work for the school systems and in my observation though out the days I see about 50% to 60% of the students wear The North Face to show their fashion statement.
The company is smart to get some capital gain to market their products like they are now yet many of their products are going down because of mass production. When that happen the company loses their customers from the past because their products are produced so quickly and poorly. This is why The North Face buyers are looking else where for better quality and durable products such as
Arc'Teryx, Patagonia, Marmot, Outdoor Research, Mountain Headwear and more.
In my opinion I just dislike The North Face because of these reasons I mentioned above.

[Andy Berner]

Really

[EndoftheTrail]

DaveT:

My dislike is not the quality or supposed deterioration thereof — it's the loud logo.

And yes, I am making up for lost time — with a vengeance.

[Anonymous]

Anyone remember it before it became TNF??

[Eugene Smith]

Really what? I'm not sure what that link is supposed to inform us about Andy, or do you really dig the E-Tip glove?

[Robert Blean]

I do. I used to have some of their gear — some of the best around for their day. I did not realize they turned into TNF, though.

— Bob

[John Whynot]

They were purchased by The North Face in 1980…

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Anyone who thinks any one brand is less commercial than the other is delusional.

They must not pop into mass market chains such as Cabela's. ;-)

Just saying.

[Eugene Smith]

I don't know Sarah, I do think there are several companies in the outdoor industry whose commerce practices are different from the next guy. Many people here on this forum purchase from Mountain Laurel Designs simply based off the fact that their reputation for intelligent high quality gear and service is unavoidable, not their shameless marketing; I don't think I've ever seen a marketing ad for MLD gear. All companies sell products for individual use, that is a given, however the level at which they sell their products, the decisions they make in manufacturing quality and advertising vary greatly. It does appear that a large portion of The North Face relies on selling a lifestyle or the idea of acquiring a lifestyle; that idea is a commodity today in our free market. Nothing wrong with that. They still have quality gear to offer.

[Brandon Sanchez]

For anyone interested in learning about the evolution of corporations from sellers of products to sellers of a brand (lifestyle), then you should check out Naomi Klein's book "No Logo"
http://www.naomiklein.org/no-logo

[Tom Caldwell]

I really get confused with all the outdoor companies. Has there actually been many of them that have stayed independent and continued to innovate towards higher quality? I've always thought the modus operandi was to get big enough to sell to a larger sporting goods company, and then that company sells to a conglomerate that's publicly traded? Take Marmot for instance, I think they make some nice sleeping bags, even though I think their quality crested a few years ago. But aren't they part of the same company (Jarden) that owns Mr. Coffee? They've got many sporting goods markets covered, from cheap Coleman gear and Shakespeare tackle in Wal-mart's Sportings Goods, to Marmot or Penn tackle at Cabela's or REI.

How does it all work? Cottage gear maker gets their textiles from subsidiaries of giant conglomerates, and we support them by buying their great products, until the owner gets the unrefusable offer of a lifetime that eventually turns their brand into junk made by a conglomerate that answers to the shareholders. Or the company never grows and just dies.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Eugene, it was in reference to the "big players" not cottage gear.

Everyone from TNF to MH to REI and more…they all are making their real money on lifestyle clothing/gear. That is where the money is and what fuels any R&D being done. As well, the big companies (outside of REI) are all owned by large conglomerates.

So essentially my point was that if one thinks MH is "better" than TNF in some abstract way….it isn't. They are both sold in Cabela's meaning that anyone with money can wear it. It isn't any more burly or cutting edge or less selling out (the OP I was referring to seemed to think that MH logos were somehow less commercial).

Just thoughts to ponder.

And why does it always smack me like people who decide to hate a band once they make the big time? A company either progresses or it reaches it pinnacle and will eventually wither back. A cottage gear company can only be as good as its owner and burn out is a real issue if one is doing all the work themselves.

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