Is expensive outerwear worth it?

Stupid site won't let me post

**This post was edited on Nov 7th 2019 at 11:04:13am

Since when is $200 on a Jacket expensive? Virtika is pretty well known for being inexpensive and even their stuff is around $300

In my opinion yes. All of my gear that was painfully expensive to buy or I had to ask for as a present in high school or college is still around. The cheap shit I bought/buy cause it looks "cool" is normally done within a season. I still use the same HH coat I got as a senior 10 years ago for those cold/deep days.

BraybladeSince when is $200 on a Jacket expensive? Virtika is pretty well known for being inexpensive and even their stuff is around $300

>$200 IS expensive but I guess it's all relative. For many that's a quarter of a paycheck. For me, I can't justify wearing $800 in just outerwear.

People calling $300 inexpensive is why ski gear is so expensive. You supported it.

BlumpkinPumpkin>$200 IS expensive but I guess it's all relative. For many that's a quarter of a paycheck. For me, I can't justify wearing $800 in just outerwear.

People calling $300 inexpensive is why ski gear is so expensive. You supported it.

$300 is for sure a lot of money, but you don't wear a coat only for one season do you? If you save and spend more on a nicer coat it can last for 4-5 years if taken care of

You get what you pay for, to an extent. You will pay a base amount for decent outerwear made with Goretex, eVent, or some other similar high quality material that breathes well, is durable, and lasts for many seasons. However, you are going to pay more for that goretex shell from Arcteryx vs a really similar jacket from say Marmot.

If you just want a jacket to keep you warm and dry, you don't have to spend a lot of money. However, if you want a jacket that you can wear day in, day out for the entire season, from riding the resort, the park, and also touring in the backcountry, and you want that jacket to last a long time, then you are going to have to shell out some more dough. It will be worth it.

Brayblade$300 is for sure a lot of money, but you don't wear a coat only for one season do you? If you save and spend more on a nicer coat it can last for 4-5 years if taken care of

So that's my point I wanted to get at, but the website was being stupid. My pants and coat probably cost me $100-150 total and I've had for 8+ years. They're clearly not waterproof as they get heavy at times but I still am dry and warm at the end of the day.

But is it really worth it to buy all these expensive outerwear items? Sure some look sick but that's not justification enough imo. Are the pockets in the perfect locations? Is the waterproofing degree that important? Some may say durability but I've found cheap stuff is just as good sometimes

BlumpkinPumpkinSo that's my point I wanted to get at, but the website was being stupid. My pants and coat probably cost me $100-150 total and I've had for 8+ years. They're clearly not waterproof as they get heavy at times but I still am dry and warm at the end of the day.

But is it really worth it to buy all these expensive outerwear items? Sure some look sick but that's not justification enough imo. Are the pockets in the perfect locations? Is the waterproofing degree that important? Some may say durability but I've found cheap stuff is just as good sometimes

I don't have very good experience with durability, but for me being dry is a game changer. I also have noticed that newer stuff has a lot more features like insulated media pockets and huge skin pockets etc.. You also have to realize that things are just more expensive now than they were 8 years ago. A new jacket could make a huge difference and I imagine you could probably find something decent for around $100-$150 at your local ski swap

BlumpkinPumpkinSo that's my point I wanted to get at, but the website was being stupid. My pants and coat probably cost me $100-150 total and I've had for 8+ years. They're clearly not waterproof as they get heavy at times but I still am dry and warm at the end of the day.

But is it really worth it to buy all these expensive outerwear items? Sure some look sick but that's not justification enough imo. Are the pockets in the perfect locations? Is the waterproofing degree that important? Some may say durability but I've found cheap stuff is just as good sometimes

It all depends on where you're located and where you're skiing for material choices.

If you're in the PNW or Northeast, where wet snow/rain is common, having a good Gore-Tex/top equivalent material is ideal. Staying dry ultimately means staying warm in these regions.

If you're in CO, UT, WY, ID, etc. where rain and wet snow is less frequent, it doesn't matter as much.

The same can be extended to durability. If you're skiing through a lot of trees/brush, having a material that doesn't rip is going to be convenient and ultimately last longer. Duct-tape can only help so much.

Not to mention, many of these premium gear companies have bomber QC and repair policies.

There's a theory from a Terry Pratchett book called "Boots Theory of socio-economic unfairness" which basically states that pay less now for worse quality, pay more in the long run.

But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.

If you're the kind of person who goes through a lot of low quality gear, it may be worth investing in some higher quality stuff.

No one is saying go drop $1k on an Arctery'x/Mammut/Patagonia/TNF setup, but going for a mid-range, or even top of the line set up from a few years back isn't a bad idea.

I personally refuse to buy things that are in a new model year unless I can't find things from prior seasons. Very rarely do you see massive changes to outerwear year to year.

**This post was edited on Nov 7th 2019 at 12:43:56pm