UKC

Gear Design Classics

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 UKC Articles 01 May 2013
Mammut's own Rob Sykes sports Base Jump Advanced trousers on Sgurr nan Gillean, 3 kbDan Bailey reviews four bits of outdoor kit that stand the test of time - the Scarpa SL Activ walking boot, Mammut Base Jump Advanced trousers, Rab's Vapour-rise Jacket and the quirky Pacerpole walking pole.

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=5431
 tony 01 May 2013
In reply to UKC Articles:

£225 for a pair of SLs?! Last time I bought a pair they were about £125. That was a wee while ago though.
 GrahamD 01 May 2013
In reply to UKC Articles:

Wow ! £582 just for boots, sticks, trousers and a windproof !
 fhuaran 01 May 2013
In reply to tony: Not only this but from the evidence I've seen, the upper of a pair of Mantas will cover twice the mileage for a similar price.
 maresia 01 May 2013
In reply to fhuaran:

I had a pair of Mantas years ago and they were great. They survived 6 weeks of expedition easily in Alaska (plus many subsequent years) when other team members boots were literally falling apart half way though. A bit of a strange look the gaffer taped on sole with crampons!
 Graeme 04 May 2013
In reply to UKC Articles: My dad had about three pairs of SL's, he had a couple of pairs re-soled so many times they literally fell to pieces on him while he was on the coast to coast.
And for those who think the word literally is overused, they came apart at the seams. He came home picked up his other pair and went and finished the walk.
 Morgan Woods 20 May 2013
In reply to UKC Articles:

i think to wear Rab and Mammut stuff you need long arms and legs. I think the American brands are better cut for those more averagely shaped.

Some I would nominate:

- Marmot Driclime top
- Patagonia backcountry guide pants (now discontinued)
- anything Patagonia capilene, Regulator and Nano
- Scarpa Crux approach shoes
- Mammut extreme 45L pack
- MSR pocket rocket
- Black Diamond guide gloves
- Arcteryx gamma mx hoody
- Arcteryx Beta AR jacket
- Prana shorts
 BnB 20 May 2013
In reply to Morgan Woods: This is fun. I think I'd nominate my Marmot Spire Goretex Proshell Hardshell. Still performing perfectly after 5 years' hard use. I took a long time in choosing the right jacket. Designs were less winter friendly just 5 years ago and it was the only option in what you might call the medium-upper price range (I paid £200 online against a RRP of £300 - quite a lot in those days for a cagoule) to combine all the features I then considered essential:

Helmet hood with size adjuster for wearing over the head only
Velcro tabbed cuffs
Goretex proshell
Pit zips
Inner pocket
Harness-friendly pockets
Adjustable high front collar (over nose) for wind protection on a belay or chairlift
Cuffs big enough to fit over gauntlets (not the other way round) for complete snow seal.

The above just reads like a rollcall of all the features common to all modern winter jackets, but at the time it was nigh impossible to find a jacket combining all those features. Especially the last two demands.

Bought in a size Large for freedom of movement while snowboarding my only regret now is that I didn't get a climbing-friendly Medium. The damn thing just refuses to wear out so I can get a new one!
estivoautumnal 20 May 2013
In reply to GrahamD:
> (In reply to UKC Articles)
>
> Wow ! £582 just for boots, sticks, trousers and a windproof !

Not bad considering what you get.
 Anoetic 20 May 2013
In reply to UKC Articles: Norrona kit is great and not discussed much. I would recommend the trollveggen jacket any day.
 TobyA 20 May 2013
In reply to Anoetic:
> (In reply to UKC Articles) Norrona kit is great and not discussed much.

Considering it's not be available in the UK until very recently its not really likely to be in a design classic article is it!
 GrahamD 20 May 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

> Not bad considering what you get.

boots, sticks, trousers and a windproof, basically
 3leggeddog 20 May 2013
In reply to UKC Articles:

For a real design classic, look no further than ron hill tracksters, a lifa shirt and a buffallo top
 Anoetic 21 May 2013
In reply to TobyA: I think you'll find the trollveggen jacket has been around since 1977. Maybe you just haven't been looking hard enough.....
 TobyA 21 May 2013
In reply to Anoetic: Sure, but where has Norrona been sold in the UK though? Until a couple of years back I hadn't seen a single UK shop selling the brand, nor anybody ever wearing it. I'm sure some people like me have bought Norrona gear whilst not in the UK, but something that isn't sold in the UK and isn't worn by British hill-goers isn't likely to make it into a "design classic" piece on a UK website.
 Morgan Woods 21 May 2013
In reply to TobyA:

Has been in Ellis Brigham for the last 2-3 years. Some of it is pretty hard to miss :p
 ScraggyGoat 21 May 2013
Apart from the manta's, which are undoubtably classics, this list has more to do with either a) UKCs commercial affiliations or b) Dans personal choice.

I agree rons, buffalos and liffa were classics, along with karrimors hot-seris sacs,lowe alpine mountain caps, and mountain technology axes, macpac ascent sacs, msr whisperlite/x-gk, quasar tents ect

Its harder for gear to become classics these days, gear manufactures change designs nearly every year so good designs can get abandoned before they come to prominance, and there is so much more choice avialable that individual items have more competition meaning there is less likely to be a clear 'winner' or 'classic'.

A classic for me is something that more than one in ten hillgoers own, and survives the test of time, i.e. they are still using them, or be replaced 10 years down the line
 TobyA 21 May 2013
In reply to Morgan Woods: Yeah, I think it was one of the Scottish shops where I first saw being sold a few years back but they are pretty new to the market still I think. I was in Norway just the other week and it seems all the Norwegians wear almost solely Norrona stuff. Perhaps it doesn't seem to expensive to them!
 Roberttaylor 21 May 2013
In reply to 3leggeddog: Not expensive enough. Otherwise, amen.
 SCC 21 May 2013
In reply to UKC Articles:

So, what do people think qualifies an item as a "Design Classic" in the context of outdoor/climbing kit?

I'd say something that does the job it was designed to do well and has lasted despite alternatives being introduced (ie still being used in preference).

However, something being popular does not make it a design classic - it might just be that there is no alternative but that it's still rubbish.

So, sadly, I'd have to say that, using the criteria above, Ronhill tracksters qualify.

But that's just my criteria and reading it back I can see that it doesn't focus much on the design element other than to say the it does the job well.

Si

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