Anybody buy any of the gear from outdoor vitals?

Outdoor Vitals gets mixed reviews, solid specs but they’re just getting things made in China to a price point.

Take a look at the Hammock Gear Econ Burrow top quilt. It’s a quality piece for just a bit more $$$.

I got a sleeping bag for my son from them when they had a big sale. For the price and for a teen, it was a good option. He used it at Philmont.

It’s heavier and bulkier than the better brands, but I wasn’t willing to spend the money for a child.  Still, he had the lightest, most compact bag of any of the scouts.

I looked at a bit of their stuff but mostly seemed like low end gear wrapped in a lot of hype. For example, their “ultralight” 2P tent is  heavy (4 lbs) and on the product page they tout very basic stuff like “we sourced ….milled ripstop fabrics and YKK zippers to put together premium components for exceptional performance”. As if using ripstop or basic YKK zippers (not even YKK AquaGuard) is somehow premium and exceptional. You’d be hard pressed to find a tent without those things. Some of the stuff looks okay (down bags) but I suspect their gear only makes sense if you’re buying it for value and not the design or quality. As far as I can tell, they’re buying really low cost stuff in the same vein as Lanshan but then spending a lot on marketing so it ends up mid-tier priced.

the video for the synthetic bag has him holding it in a stream than sleeping in it which is probably misleading too. I’ve never found anything that is warm when wet, it may keep you alive but it’s not warm.

I have the 15 degree down top quilt from Outdoor Vitals (disclosure: they sent it to me to review) and a synthetic jacket (purchased on my own). As an owner of an EE 20 degree Revelation, I was skeptical of the Outdoor Vitals quilt at first. The fabric has a “plastic-y” feel, and they only provide one strap even though there are two places for straps on the quilt. Also, they do not include a large storage bag. However, I’ve used this quilt on at least five backpacking trips, and I think it’s actually a pretty good product. I still prefer my EE quilt, but if I was looking for a quilt and didn’t want to spend as much, I would recommend the Outdoor Vitals quilt as a low cost option. If I have the money to spend, I’d stick with EE or look at Katabatic or similar, mainly due to being made in the U.S. of higher quality materials. I’ve used this quilt twice as a second quilt on backpacking trips in cold weather, pairing it with my EE Revelation and the two together keep me super toasty warm while still weighing less than the Mountain Hardwear Phantasia that I couldn’t stand to sleep in (I hate mummy bags).

The Loftek synthetic jacket is one of my top favorite pieces of gear and I actually prefer it over my much more expensive Ghost Whisperer… that is, except for the weight: 11.7 oz vs 7.7 oz.  I’ve been wearing this jacket almost every day, at home and on hikes. It’s warm, but not too warm, layers well, and in spite of being a men’s jacket, I actually like the fit. I’m small (5’1″ 107 lbs) and I have the XS size. It’s a little big in the mid-section, but that works well with layering. And the arms are way longer than mine, but I like that about it. I can keep my hands warm without gloves just by not pushing the sleeves up my arms. It has pit zips, not common in insulated jackets under $150, and an adjustable hood. It also has thumbholes in the sleeves, although I don’t tend to use them. My favorite thing about this jacket is how easy it is to wash it. I just throw it in with my regular laundry (washer and dryer), which is much less work than washing a down jacket. Also, it doesn’t lose it’s warmth abilities when it’s super damp conditions (I live in Portland, OR).

I agree that Outdoor Vitals marketing is a bit much… their gear is not ultralight, in spite of what they tout. And I wish it was made in the U.S. But I love my jacket, and I’m keeping the quilt.

I bought one of their synthetic sleeping bags rated at 30f about two years ago, which cost me about $70 I think? I think it was the Atlas model? Bought it for a trip to the mojave preserve. I think they stated that their zippers were no-snag, but they snagged pretty often. Compressed ok, but the stuff sack was bad quality because it busted at one of the seams at the end of the trip. Materials felt ok. Overall it was a super decent bag for the price…but you could get a way better bag for just a little bit more. I ended up giving that bag to a friend for car camping. I’ve also had their pillow, which I didn’t like because it felt like it would only be good for a back sleeper…and I am a crazy sleeper.

This was the only time I’ve tried out a company that seems to spend some serious coin on marketing, but will be my last. I avoid these types of companies and youtube personalities that push products (*coughdanbecker*) until there’s some real backing to them.

Any thoughts on the upcoming “Shadowlight” backpack from Outdoor Vitals?

At first it looks pretty good:  1lb 15.5oz for the 60l version, frame included and carrying up to 35 lbs. Personally I also like the front access and the five (six) outer pockets.

Preordered its only 150 dollars, but as I read so many mixed opinions I’d love to hear some assessments about this pack especially.

I looked at a bit of their stuff but mostly seemed like low end gear wrapped in a lot of hype.

After preliminary inspection of several pieces of their gear first hand, I agree with Dan’s intuition.

1. Lower end material quality (cheap, so less performance:weight), cut and sew quality, on par with Ozark Trail, Alps Mountaineering, SMD. SMD’s advantage in this group is better quality materials.
2. The marketing seems to overpromise – zipper catching is one example. this tells me that the marketing targets less experienced users, and probably less experienced users on a budget who are responsive to “excitement” marketing.

That said, it’s one option for functional and durable enough gear for intermittent or careful use at a decent price point, but it’s not going to be at the lighter end of performance:weight ratios. Nor will it be subjected to anything resembling a “stress test” for long periods of time, due to cost-cutting material quality and cut/sew methods. See comment #1 above.

I do have a soft spot for the guy with the beard who does the video commercials. He seems passionate and authentic about his brand. Just not convinced that the products are that special to warrant distinguishing from the mass market of everything else out there.

I looked at a few Outdoor Vitals products. The quality is not quite there yet. However I needed a synthetic bag because my dog likes to roll in the snow until he is sopping wet and then jumps on my sleeping bag to get warm; he’s my new backpacking buddy. They describe their Loftek fill as:

LoftTek™ Hybrid Insulation is a mix of 80% LoftTek™ & 20% 800+FP down that provides bulletproof warmth and down like weight/packability even when soaking wet!

My opinion is Nothing is warm when wet. It may keep you alive but I would not describe that as warm. Maybe I need to test the Atlas bag, somewhere down the line.

I’m impressed by the warmth, didn’t like the weight; I should make my dog carry it. I’d love to see the opposite ration 80% down with 20% Loftek. I’ve always been a cold sleeper and a hybrid mix makes for a warm bag. Also putting a short foam pad in the bag adds a lot of warmth.

With my dog the Loftek is great. Didn’t like the zipper on the Atlas Hybrid bag.

I love my Arcteryx CERIUM SV HOODY which also mixes 850-fill goose down with Coreloft™ synthetic insulation.

More down with a little synthetic is a GREAT combination. The synthetic fibers keep the overall fill pretty resilient when it gets damp.

More synthetic with less down – the math just doesn’t work out when it comes to “boosting fill” or “resisting loft loss due to moisture.”

I found the advertising when the owner says  “Then I discovered that the middle man makes a mark up” to be a bit too disingenuous.

Yes, that’s very disingenuous marketing. I can’t figure out if he really believes that or if he’s following a marketing ‘script’ that’s commonly used. Either way, it’s not a great way to build trust.

I backed their LoftTek jacket because it looked like a promising synthetic puffy. There were some sizing and styling issues but the insulation property seemed solid. After 18 months of use, seriously disappointed. The insulation is clumping and not giving full coverage. I would recommend against it. I also backed the Satu adventure pants. So far it’s been great and being able to vent heat has been a wonderful feature. I also got the Dragon Wool thermals. It has some nifty features but I’m already noticing some snags and I have serious concerns about longevity. They just Kickstarted their mid-layer hoody and I’m not going to back it.

I have their “million dollar jacket” which is actually my favorite mid-weight synthetic jacket. I also have a Patagonia Nanopuff hoody which I’d say the Outdoor Vitals jacket is most similar to, but I love that the OV jacket has pit zips. It’s the first puffy type jacket I’ve had that has pit zips, and I love the fact I can vent extra heat without unzipping the front as usually that’s too much venting in cooler weather. I also have their pillow, which came free with the jacket, and I like it as well. Is there lighter stuff out there? Sure. But OV I think makes a good product at a fair price.

I purchased a pad and quilt from them last year. Seems like decent quality compared to other brands like thermorest and big agnus. Im not familiar with cottage products so I’m not campaigning. The 15f quilt kept me warm around 25 as that’s the lowest I’ve taken it so far. I’m not a really experienced hikker, But I have walked and waded trout streams in the Canadian rockies with overnight and weekend trips for years.

My only complaints are the duty and shipping costs here in Canada and only one pad strap. Because of trade agreements between Canada and America you can get a UGQ or hammock gear for basically the same price. I’d recommend going that route.

Finally it’s funny how most of the negative comments are from people who have never used their products. I can tell you both the pad and quilt will keep you warm well below freezing in the Canadian rockies if used properly. But I would like to go cottage brand next time for the fact it’s the same price here in Canada and I like to support fellow outdoorsy people. Cheers Evan from central Alberta.