A lot of tops and pullovers promise warmth without weight. And to be fair, most of them deliver on the promise, whether they are made from Polartec, company specific fabrics such as Patagonia’s own brand of fleece or even cheap no-name fleece. The difference between the various products is firstly cost: a no-name fleece will […]
Smartwool vs Icebreaker Merino
Once people decide to change from synthetic base layers to ones made from merino wool they get hung up on which brand to choose. A lot of people wonder whether Icebreaker or Smartwool is a better choice. Frankly I think that the bigger decision is the one you’ve already made, namely to invest a bit […]
Smartwool or Icebreaker Merino?
Think of a dumb animal for a second. Okay, I’ll bet it was a sheep! After all, how much intellectual prowess does it take to hang around in a field all day eating grass. They can’t even think for themselves and follow each other around like, um, er, sheep. Sorry to say this but sheep […]
Mallory’s Gear Was Lighter Than Modern Kit
Talk to people about the legion of climbers racing up the world’s 8000 meter peaks and you’ll likely get a comment that it’s easier now because of modern clothing and equipment. In fact most climbers these days think it’s safer to climb on Everest now than it was in the age of Edmund Hillary and […]
Patagonia’s Hemp Jackets – Not for Smoking
And, with the new catalogues coming in thick, Patagonia has just put out theirs. Seems the only new clothing they’re introducing this fall is a line of jackets made from a mix of hemp and recycled polyester. The Hi-Wire jackets are definitely on the fashion-end rather than the technical-end of the scale. That said, they […]