Balancing vanity, utility, and economy

It goes so far beyond clothing: gear in general, housewares, kitchen gadgets, furniture, etc.

For example, how many varrietes of MUSTARD does one household need?

3 types of mustard in my house, each for different purposes ;-)

I consume, therefore I am.

When I saw the title, "I shop, therefore I am" is what came to mind.

"When I saw the title, "I shop, therefore I am" is what came to mind."

A most reasonable interpretation. :)

Here, I always thought it was "I drink, therefore I am"….. But shopping works for me, too.

"Here, I always thought it was "I drink, therefore I am"….. But shopping works for me, too."

They go hand in hand quite nicely, I'm told by some acquaintances in a position to know. In either order. ;0)

I wonder how much merchandise lives it's entire life cycling between someone's closet and Gear Swap without ever actually getting used. If it don't work for you, there's a good chance it won't work for me either.

That's kind of a sweeping generalization.

Some things don't fit

Some things are duplications

Sometimes people upgrade

Sometimes people get married, or single, or have kids, or move, or run out of cash.

Ian,

This was one of the "great questions" that customers had in the back of their mind when I used to work at REI. You are not alone in trying to create the right balance. I whileheartedly agree with others who have suggested that in order to have any chance of something being street worthy (and remaining intact for years to come) it MUST be durable, and at a minimum, appear benign.

You are speaking only about down jackets here. At the end of the day, they are designed to keep you warm in as light a fashion as possible. A (good quality) down jacket is a specialized tool, just by its design. As others have mentioned, down is NOT the first thing most of us think of when it comes to durability. Perhaps consider a more generalized tool (like a windoroof fleece) that you can layer as needed?

Personal story time: the most versie piece of gear that I have owned the most over the past 19 years is a TNF Pamir jacket (originally a US made hooded prototype of one of the first "windstopper" fleece jackets on the market.) I have used it more than anything else because with the TNF logo blackened out, the black fleece jacket looks very benign and suddenly becomes fashionably "acceptable", is extrordinarily durable, and has almost always kept me warm either with a tee shirt underneath or a heavy fleece underneath. Yeah it's much heavier than a down jacket, but I still wear it out and about to this day (much to the shagrin of my wife, whom I happened to meet while wearing it in a nightclub on Thanksgiving night in 1995.)

So my point is: there are other (heavier) tools out there that can keep you warm and perhaps offer a better balance of durability/vanity. However, if your heart is set on down, perhaps eliminate the most $$ of the five (on principle) and invest in a light windshell that looks/feels street worthy and know that you can wear it overtop the down jacket as needed. Just limit your budget to whatever the delta is between the most $$ jacket you knocked out and the one you settled with (assuming you were willing to spend all that money in the first place. Just remember that nothing will last forever, ESPECIALLY down streetwear/outerwear.

Good luck.

Matt

Vanity: I understand those who are still young and good looking worrying about this, but once you've crossed the half century mark, you tend to focus more on whether something works well or not :)

Utility: Montbell jackets/parkas have always appealed to me and fit well. I have both a Thermawrap jacket and a UL Down Parka. The parka is decidedly warmer and lighter, but suffers from being more fragile. The Thermawrap is pretty much bomber if you aren't bushwhacking, but not as warm. When very cold, I will carry both, the jacket in case I need it for hiking (don't think I'd ever hike in down), the parka for camp and/or sleep. If it gets really c-c-c-cold, I will layer the parka over the jacket.

Economy: I've said this a hundred times…in the long run the good stuff is ALWAYS cheaper than the cheap stuff. It works better, lasts longer and you feel better owning it. Buy the good stuff (whatever you determine that to be).

I could wear my outdoor wear for city wear, but, well, I don't enjoy looking like
I am always ready to hit the trail at any given moment.

The blue jeans, cotton t-shirt and boxers, casual shoes and my three-quarter zip light sweater that I have on now is comfy if impractical for backcountry use. (The Costco brand wool socks work fine however)

My nylon pants, trail shoes and long sleeve thermal could be worn during the day, but besides being not nearly as comfortable as my above ensemble,the outdoor clothing has frayed cuffs, stains, is torn and is a little worn looking.

As someone above said:

>> if you use ur gear as hard as you can outside, theyll get holes, rips, stains, etc …
>>Which tends to reduce their "suitability" for social wear

Indeed! I am reasonably active outdoors and my outdoor gear does look trashed out after a while.

Not something I want to wear out and about on town.

Call it vanity, but I like to look nice when I am not out on the trail. (Or as nice as my ugly mug will allow ;) ).

My grandfather was a sharp dresser and so is my Dad. Guess it rubbed off.

I *could* do the "outdoors as lifestyle thing" that is popular here in Boulder, but I don't need to look like the latest GoLite or Patagonia fashionista.

So I wear a softshell that looks less like an outdoor jacket and more like casual wear at a glance for milder weather. Versatile, too.

A retro-looking Golite down jacket for colder weather (looks a bit like the 60/40 jackets from years past. GoLite no longer makes it) that I've rec'd some nice compliments on. The Patagonia style down sweaters are what most people wear, but frankly it is funny going to the grocery store and seeing everyone wearing one. :) At least to me.

For really cold weather, I have my wool Filson Double Mac that Dad bought me for my 30th birthday. Could never personally justifying the money on it, but it is a piece of clothing that will never go out of style and will outlive any nylon and down jacket out there.

Maybe I should live simpler in some ways, but I figure using higher quality "urban wear" that will last a while, it is more sustainbable in the long
term. And my outdoor gear last longer, too. AND because my urban wear is not stained, frayed, torn and worn out looking I look less like Boulder's other
look: The homeless! :)

I used to (maybe still do?) lead college groups on camping and mountain-climbing trips in the Northeast. I think looking good has a direct correlation on whether or not people are willing to listen to you when you're in a leadership role.

I go out of my way to dress in a way that is:

1. Effective and condition-appropriate. I want to set an example. Even if I could be ok with just a wool shirt, I'll wear a fleece so that others copy my setup on future trips and nobody gets too cold. If I make a gear list for a winter trip, I make sure I have every item on it in my pack.

2. Professional. I have at least one outfit that is neutral colored, clean looking, and well-fit.

3. Outdoorsy. Here's the grey area. Sometimes, tying that EMS bandanna around your neck makes you look just a little bit more like someone on the cover of National Geographic. I dress like my heroes and I try to emulate the confidence and reliability of the quintessential Outdoorsman. I often fail, but it's ok.

Ultimately, my voice is what get 18 year olds to buck up and listen when we're trying to set up 6 tents in sleet at Acadia National Park. But, not wearing a T-shirt and jeans helps.

actually in climbing the one you generally DONT want to listen to is the one with the shiniest, nicest, best dressed gear

now there are exceptions like sponsored climbers and such … but even guides with pro-deals tend to wear out their gear pretty fast

if hes got a shinny new rack, stylish fresh set of matching "outdoor" branded like new clothes, and a rope that looks fresh out of the plastic … its often not an experienced climbing group "leader"

i see those "leaders" all the time outdoors and most of them are clueless

;)

"Ultimately, my voice is what get 18 year olds to buck up and listen when we're trying to set up 6 tents in sleet at Acadia National Park. But, not wearing a T-shirt and jeans helps"

Y'all need a pointy hat :)

I went into REI one day wearing a khaki vest. Someone started asking me questions and I answered a couple, giving my frank opinions. It finally dawned on me that he thought I was an employee. What fun I could have had with that. I could have told him anything and he would have believed me :) "umm yeah, these will chafe less if you wear 'em backwards…."

"So I wear a softshell that looks less like an outdoor jacket and more like casual wear at a glance for milder weather. Versatile, too."

+1

I bought a new Arc'teryx Gamma jacket back in the mid 90's at a seconds store for $125 and finally wore it out enough that what little vanity remains in me at this point in my life whispered softly in my ear, "C'mon, you old cheepskate, shell out and stop embarrassing your wife". Serendipitously, at about that time some BPLer, Delmar, I believe, posted that Costco was selling the latest Gamma for $140, so I caved and picked one up. Now I'm set for another 15 years or so and my wife has a smile on her face when we step out, instead of a sneer. ;0)

The old Gamma was passed on to a local charity where someone even less concerned about appearances will no doubt get at least another 5 years of functional use out of it, as I had all the zippers replaced under warranty before I let it go.

Like many who have posted, I am sceptical about trying to use my backpacking clothing, which is quite specialized, in urban settings. They are 2 different environments that require different approaches to dressing oneself. My 2 cents.

Most clothing for daily wear tends to favor some sort of natural fiber (excluding the 1970's Ron Burgundy type polyester suits from Anchorman), whereas outdoor clothing has progressed into synthetics, … some rather delicate. Unless one works in an outdoorsy field (field engineer, outdoor instructor, REI store personnel, .. or has to present an outdoors appearance (like civilians as defense contractors who need to interact with troops and their leaders – from a business fashion book).

Anyways, most outdoor apparel makers have a "casual/mountain lifestyle" line if one has a need to blur the line.

ed: punctuation