Most reliable brand?

[Steelhead]

For extreme high altitude mountaineering, Which brand makes the most reliable, longest lasting, highest performance, most durable CLOTHING...(fleeces, shells, pants, etc., not Equipment)...North Face, Patagonia, Arc'teryx, Columbia, Mountian HARD WEAR, etc.?

[Ron]

I sell all those brands you mention in your post. Columbia doesnt belong in there. (nice to go skiing but thats it)
If your looking for good clothing then its hard to say witch brand i best and there is alway a possibility in hard core conditions that someting will fail.
However after 13 years of climbing Arc t rex and Patagonia have my preferance in terms of weight/performance/design and function.
Brands like  Berghaus ,the north face, Mountian hardware , Haglofs come in as a good second ad also do the job.
(and i also would recommend socks from merinowool (smartwool). It beats any sock made of "plastic" fibers.)

[Steelhead]

thanks for the response!

I like patagonia also, I've used it for fishing in British columbia, but never for High Altitude mountaineering.  (I've never been)  But I was really curious to know, anyway, thanks.

[7summits]

Hi Steelhead and Ron,
thanks for your question and input. I have created a poll for this question, you can choose your favourite brand here.
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Thanks and keep climbing,
Harry

[trunl]

i think north face and mountain hard wear are the top 2 they both have very reliable gear

[Koldbrand]

Norwegian brand Norrøna is a brand that is completely superior the other mentioned brands. If you are looking for clothing that last for several years, choose Norrøna! On the other side: Nothing beats Lowe Alpines Mountain Cap

[Ron]

never heard of it..i dont think its a known brand on the european mainland...do they have a site?

[Koldbrand]

never heard of it..i dont think its a known brand on the european mainland...do they have a site?

www.norrona.com

[Ron]

Ahh yes now i recognize the loge.....its good stuff i think..but to say its best is a bit over the top

[trunl]

i disagree ron, i think Norrøna is definately among the best.

[Experienced Climber]

i disagree ron, i think Norrøna is definately among the best.

What is that statement based on?

[trunl]

my experience in talking to climbers that use that, and researching the brand myself.

[Ron]

quite some researh i presume

[trunl]

yeah (and was that sarcasm?).l

[Buddha]

One look at the website and he fell for it

Seriously, Norrøna have really good clothing but here in Sweden they are extremely expensive. I rather put those money on Arc'Teryx.. I used to be a hardcore fan of Haglöfs but I am now switching to Arc'Teryx. I like the design and fit and from what I've heard it's great clothing for mountaineering.

I recently purchased the Theta AR jacket and hopefully that jacket will be sufficient for high climbs. The only problem I have now is what pants/bibs to choose...

I'm thinking about the Theta LT pants but they don't seem to have a drop-seat so then the Minuteman bib would be the second choice... Any ideas or inputs there?

Concerning socks, I actually ordered a pair of Smartwool mountaineering socks yesterday. Merino wool. As for baselayer I bought Icebreaker last weekend. Haven't tried them out yet more then at home... Love them though and thanks Ron for helping me make the final decision on those!

[norranaORarct]

my experience in talking to climbers that use that, and researching the brand myself.

I have some money to burn on equipment. Could you share your thoughts on pros / cons of the brands mentioned?

Thanks

[Ron]

sure you can

[Andreas]

Ahh yes now i recognize the loge.....its good stuff i think..but to say its best is a bit over the top

http://www.friluftsliv.no/article.php?sid=587&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
I do believe that Mike Horn used norrøna on one of his expeditions. (At least it is a picture of him wearing a norrøna jacket ) That was probarbly not on a high alltidude so... but at least in a bit "unfriendly" nature..
Norrøna is a norwegian brand, and everything made in Norway is expensive. In Norway though Arc'Teryx is just as expensive as Norrøna. I know there has been norwegians on everest and trango using Norrøna so it can`t be so bad brand, at least in the same league as Hagløfs and Berghaus. What the BEST brand is I leave to some other to decide...

[MikeW]

Hi Guys!

There isn't a BEST brand. I've got a gore-tex XCR shell from North Face that is perfect for high altitude. I swear by my Windstopper jacket from Arc'Teryx (viva Canada ). My sleeping bag is from Mountain Hardwear and I had to sleep naked in -20c because it was too warm  . And I won't go on an expedition without my Patagonia insulation.

Here in Canada, the best price ratio to performance is definitely The North Face, Arc'Teryx even in Canada is expensive as Mountain Hardwear and Patagonia too.

As for my boots, I love my new Salomon Pro Thermic double boots. Less rigid than plastic but as warm, great stuff and the future of double boots.

MikeW

[Mari]

The North Face is a reliable brand but I'm Finnish so I must mention a very reliable Finnish brand: Halti. Excellent quality clothing, backpacks, tents and footwear for both climbing and hiking.

www.halti.fi 
also in english