 Poster: A snowHead
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So. Anyone tried making a drinking water filter out of their old Goretex coat?
28m pressure should be easily achievable from a faucet.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I spent 15 euros on my jacket from Decathlon in the sale, its done about 100 days now, I would say that it was worth splashing out.
Of course I'm not doing some of the extreme shit some of you guys are doing like sitting around on cold chairlifts in January or going out on pub crawls in Val Thorens when it is -20C.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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davidof, did you get your boots from there too? perhaps not right?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| davidof wrote: |
| Of course I'm not doing some of the extreme shit some of you guys are doing like sitting around on cold chairlifts in January or going out on pub crawls in Val Thorens when it is -20C. |
Why ever not ?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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pam w, less is more when it comes to "LOL's" - you're trying little too hard there to pretend to laugh at whitegold
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| ringingmaster wrote: |
| Arno wrote: |
my current jacket retails at £300+ (Patagonia Primo somethingorother) and I paid about £100 for it (brand new) on ebay... |
Most of the kit on ebay is decent quality copies, but copies non the less. You are paying over the odds for a rip off model. |
Depends where you buy it from - plenty of reputable stores clear old stock on ebay, saves them cannibalising their in store sales.
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| ringingmaster wrote: |
| Arno wrote: |
my current jacket retails at £300+ (Patagonia Primo somethingorother) and I paid about £100 for it (brand new) on ebay... |
Most of the kit on ebay is decent quality copies, but copies non the less. You are paying over the odds for a rip off model. |
I've had enough Patagonia gear to tell a fake from the real thing thanks. If it was sourced from Hong Kong, you may have a point
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I wear 3 layers all day every day and the kit covers probably + 5 to -20... the most I need to think about is a thinner base layer or not wihch is nothing to pack.
I've ended up very warm once or twice but 95% of the time it works great...but I also carry an icebreaker in the pack on cold days and it has never been used for anything other than packing the video cam...never!
I am not happy about paying European prices for kit made in the far east but this is getting harder to avoid...
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| queen bodecia wrote: |
But to me the difference in cost between say a £30 jacket and a £500 jacket does not represent a 16-fold increase in quality. If people have lots of spare money and have to have the 'superior' designer brands, more fool them I say... |
Welcome to the law of diminshing returns. It applies to everything you ever buy. If you exclude fashion designer brands, some of the technical brands do offer some seriously good gear. I've never found a £30 jacket that I'd be happy to ski in regularly, but there are plenty in the £200 range, particularly when discounted from the £300 range.
I know most gear is manufactured out in the far East for economic reasons, but that doesn't mean it's all of the same quality. The end result depends on design, materials, production and quality control. The cost of production also depends on the manufacturers attitude to cheap labour, but that's a totally different thread topic.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
Fiat vs. Mercedes.
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I drive an ancient Fiat Panda 4x4 which I used this season to rescue my friend out of her Mercedes convertible which was stuck in less than ankle deep snow. She has since had to buy a cheap hatchback for the winter.
Fiat wins. 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Lizzard, It is like keeping a Land Rover or somesuch... and wowing over the fact that you may have pulled a few cars out of the ditch a couple of days a year. Depends where you live and what it has to do over what timescale...but would I have a car that excels in conditions only 0.1% of the time...and is a dog to drive the other 99.9% of the time..
You have to be joking... BIG TIME..!!!
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| Quote: |
Depends where you live
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Somewhere which regularly gets shedloads of snow, if you care to look at my location. I can't say the Panda is particularly difficult or uncomfortable to drive either.
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Lizzard wrote: |
| Quote: |
Depends where you live
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Somewhere which regularly gets shedloads of snow, if you care to look at my location. I can't say the Panda is particularly difficult or uncomfortable to drive either. |
It was my Mercedes that Lizzard rescued. I love driving it in the summer with the roof down but I'd MUCH rather be driving round in a Panda 4x4 or a 17year old Peugeot 205 in the winter.
Back to the clothes, my kit consists of a jacket that cost £100 4 years ago. No complaints with it. Trousers were £20 from tescos. I have worn them for two seasons and I have no complaints with them either! I'd buy more trousers from Tesco. They have done what I needed them to do so why pay more?
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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mugen, it's impossible to mention cars without some bloke banging on about the size of his pint. Just one of those things. 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Lizzard, mine's massive.
Would you like a picture?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| mugen wrote: |
what do you base this on.
cache' or that the equipment is better.
merc has some of the worst current customer service
one of my mates has a couple of rollers and a bentley and trust me they brake down a fair bit and the paint finish on a roller isn't excellent..
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You ask what he bases that on and then talk complete rubbish yourself
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| uktrailmonster wrote: |
| mugen wrote: |
what do you base this on.
cache' or that the equipment is better.
merc has some of the worst current customer service
one of my mates has a couple of rollers and a bentley and trust me they brake down a fair bit and the paint finish on a roller isn't excellent..
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You ask what he bases that on and then talk complete rubbish yourself |
well talking rubbish is one of my "gifts"
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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mugen, driving the thing...?
Lizzard, I wouldn't bang on about it to you, I've met you, .............. 
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If I lived where Lizzard does I've got to say a Panda 4x4 would be one of my top choices as a daily drive. Maybe go a big bigger if I was planning on chucking bikes in in summer etc though in my youth we did numerous trips 2 up in an Uno with bike in the boot.
As to gear I'm with the decent stuff heavily discounted theory myself though I'm not a brand slave and have spent enough time wet in goretex to know that marketing boasts about technical fabrics are not the be all and end all.
....ok I admit I'm scared of her 
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Double post
Last edited by After all it is free  on Sat 28-03-09 0:32; edited 1 time in total
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Never pay retail and buy a Land Rover 
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at the risk of sounding controv.. this season I've mainly been using spyder ski pants, bought in the S&R sale last season for £70 when should have been £300+
Can I tell the spyder difference - no not really..the don't seem much (any) better than my billabong pants (when they were as new) which had an RRP of £120.
there's also a couple of quirks in the design that are really pissing me off (a) no belt loops, braces only.. (b) no pockets on the legs.
Did I have a deal yes! Would I have been happy paying the £300 notes, no definitely not VFM IMHO
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I presume you lot getting such fantastic deals in the S&R sale are at the extremes of the size range.
As a medium, I find very little in the sales my size.
At least, very little of anything any good.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Quote: |
In fact they patently have -no idea- how much enjoyment they can get out of skiing and therefore cannot evaluate how much that pleasure is worth.
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The question, i believe, is " are the reputable brands worth it". In my experience the answer has to be absultely,yes!!
Buy cheap,buy twice as the expression goes. Cheap meaning an inferior made product not necessarily the price you pay at the till point.
At the moment there are lots of good sales on around the country that sell high end,ruputable brands at reasonable prices that perform well.
You may get away with a cheaper,lower performance brand but it is a gamble. I have tried cheaper brands and have never been impressed by the performance or the fit.
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| Lizzard wrote: |
| Quote: |
Depends where you live
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Somewhere which regularly gets shedloads of snow, if you care to look at my location. I can't say the Panda is particularly difficult or uncomfortable to drive either. |
You have the old Panda which is slight more rustic than the new model but they move people from A to B and it is probably one of the best snow vehicles and about as spacious as a freelander inside - I had a concrete mixer in the back of my old one once.
Still I guess if you want something to park on your drive in Surrey in front of your 350 grand new build rabbit hutch while you do some drudge "executive" job in the computer belt and engage in willy waving competitions with your mates on a Sunday the Panda really doesn't cut it. You would probably be considered quite a loser.
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You know it makes sense.
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| alpinequeen wrote: |
| Quote: |
In fact they patently have -no idea- how much enjoyment they can get out of skiing and therefore cannot evaluate how much that pleasure is worth.
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The question, i believe, is " are the reputable brands worth it". In my experience the answer has to be absultely,yes!!
Buy cheap,buy twice as the expression goes. Cheap meaning an inferior made product not necessarily the price you pay at the till point.
At the moment there are lots of good sales on around the country that sell high end,ruputable brands at reasonable prices that perform well.
You may get away with a cheaper,lower performance brand but it is a gamble. I have tried cheaper brands and have never been impressed by the performance or the fit. |
specifically what performace and fit issues do you think makes the difference.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Quote: |
specifically what performace and fit issues do you think makes the difference.
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For example, cheaper jackets do not have a membrane in them for waterproofness. The tewnd to have what is kown as "DWR" whick is simply sprayed on the exterior and when washed become about as waterproof as a sponge.
For ammore technical skier cheaper brands to be less appropriately fitted to a skiers needs and flap in high wind or at high speed which i find personally annoying.
I just think it is wise when going to high altitude to do a little research before buying a jacket because "it's cheap". Generally,with the odd exception, products are priced for a reason.
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Poster: A snowHead
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it's worth it if you need it - so what do you need for the skiing you do?
If, like me, you head for the bar when the weather closes in then you're better having the money in your pocket. On the other hand if you are going off the beaten track then you'll need to have the right gear (whatever it costs). Check what guides are wearing or ask around forums for recommendations.
This year i wore a longsleeve icebreaker, basic tiso micro fleece and a short TNF soft shell and i was completely fine in both -10 and blizzards for the short time i was exposed to them. If you wanna ski in the rain then you might need something else.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The answer is, generally, yes. I assume the questioner is hoping the answer is no.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You miss the point.....if it does what you want it to do when you want it to do it, then it is a decent buy..... but somethings do cost more for a reason... and when they do, better performance or a better experience can be the benefit.
It you like the cheap deal and get what you want out of it..then fine..but this inverted snobbery is just as pious as any willy-waving that may be assumed.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| JT wrote: |
| ...but this inverted snobbery is just as pious as any willy-waving that may be assumed. |
Agree.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| 666 wrote: |
| The answer is, generally, yes. I assume the questioner is hoping the answer is no. |
no i asked the question in the hope of understanding the differences..
assume makes an ass of U and ME.. ok i'll get my coat 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| eithnem wrote: |
it's worth it if you need it - so what do you need for the skiing you do?
If, like me, you head for the bar when the weather closes in then you're better having the money in your pocket. On the other hand if you are going off the beaten track then you'll need to have the right gear (whatever it costs). Check what guides are wearing or ask around forums for recommendations.
This year i wore a longsleeve icebreaker, basic tiso micro fleece and a short TNF soft shell and i was completely fine in both -10 and blizzards for the short time i was exposed to them. If you wanna ski in the rain then you might need something else. |
Basically thats what started the question. i skied in very heavy rain for a whole day in cheap gear and apart from my gloves i was fine.
i'm not really capable of going off the beaten track yet.. but would like to.
when looking at the killy stuff etc just wondered the advantages.
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| mugen wrote: |
| assume makes an ass of U and ME |
Very good. I'll have to remember that one.
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| JT wrote: |
You miss the point.....if it does what you want it to do when you want it to do it, then it is a decent buy..... but somethings do cost more for a reason... and when they do, better performance or a better experience can be the benefit.
It you like the cheap deal and get what you want out of it..then fine..but this inverted snobbery is just as pious as any willy-waving that may be assumed. |
where is the inverted snobbery of the original question, it was a simple question i feel.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Jonpim wrote: |
| mugen wrote: |
| assume makes an ass of U and ME |
Very good. I'll have to remember that one. |
a golden oldie...
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mugen,
Personal experience is that if gear can stand up to driving rain in the cairngorms it will take anything the alps throws at it.
Driving rain is a lot harder on clothes than cold snow which basically brushes off.
Windproof and then layering is what tends to count when skiing.
Personally I find jackets of virtually any brand I have used will do fine untill I'm bored or they get ripped on trees, carrying skis etc.
Trousers I am fairly hard on and better made ones last a fair bit longer. They also are nicer on wet chair lifts for the first couple of weeks that the material remains reasonably waterproof.
Different folk find different things but if your clothes do well in the Cairngorms I doubt you will have top worry overmuch about other places.
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FAQ
