Favorite outdoor performance brand?

[attgig]

I think it goes here under the general umbrella of "sports", but just out of curiosity, what's your favorite brand of performance outdoor gear?

and feel free to yell at me if i'm missing any other major brands.
and explain if you like a particular brand for particular equipment.

[baggio248]

I love Mountain Hardwear. The price is hard to swallow. I have a windstopper fleece, polartec 200 fleece, fleece sweatshirt and a goretex shell. For the price its way better than Northface. Arc'Terx is super expensive. I know friends who were die hard Marmot and switched to Mountain Hardwear.
For less expensive stuff I get Columbia. I believe they make Mountain Hardwear, and since they are based here in Oregon we get a lot of selection for reasonable prices.

[Jeffbx]

"Outdoor performance" is pretty broad category...

For running out in the cold, I like Under Armour. It's expensive, but seems to work really well.

[Memo]

For general stuff I like REI. But like Jeffbx said, it's a broad category. There are lots of different brands who specialize in certain aspects of outdooring.

[cadetevon]

Great Big Sea (www.greatbigsea.com) is killer fun in outdoor venues.

Any venue truly, but outdoor especially.

[cheapie]

mountain hardware for sure. we have several MH items and love them all!

[Kevster]

Mountain hardware is fantastic gear, as is REI's stuff. As for packs and hiking gear I usually buy REI, but right now I have two Osprey packs that I just love. I also have a nice 4-season North Face tent, so I checked them off as well.

[cadetevon]

OMG. I want to die.

I read... not at all what was written.

I read "out door BAND" Not brand.

So lame I am.

[guiseppewv]

I like North Face's stuff because it works and it lasts a long time. I have had my current NF system for almost 10 years. It is a little worn but it works well. I broke the zipper on it after I had it for 4 years and I sent it back to NF. They professionally cleaned it, repaired it, and sent it back to me for free.

[oblongmelon]

Northface, but I do have some Columbia stuff..and Hey! I live here in Binghamton..the home of Dicks Sporting Goods...tiny little shop but they carry alot of good products there..billion dollar business and the employees -I swear are retarded though.

[gear02]

OMG. I want to die.

I read... not at all what was written.

I read "out door BAND" Not brand.

So lame I am.

Don't worry...so did I

I like North Face but I've heard from many different people how the quality has been diminished since they were purchased by VF. I like what I have from them but I think it's moving towards fashion rather than performance.

[guiseppewv]

Northface, but I do have some Columbia stuff..and Hey! I live here in Binghamton..the home of Dicks Sporting Goods...tiny little shop but they carry alot of good products there..billion dollar business and the employees -I swear are retarded though.

Although Dick's started up in Binghamton, the home (i.e. headquarters) of Dick's is in Findley Township, PA which is located outside of Pittsburgh. The startup of Dick's is a great story.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick's_Sporting_Goods

[attgig]

nobody's a fan of patagonia, huh? from my limited experience with their stuff, it's been pretty good (kinda pricey, but i got something on sale with them).
and they're the only company that is really vocal (and puts their money where their mouth is) about protecting the environment, and that earns props in my book.


yeah, arcteryx is way expensive and i couldn't get myself to spend te money on it (even on sale).

[guiseppewv]

I agree that I like Patagonia too but I very little of their stuff. I do like their environmental stance.

I should have said that I do not think that any of the companies have such a great product that I would pay full price for. I always try to wait for end of season or discontinued product sales. My NF jacket and liner would have cost me ~$500 at full retail when I bought it years ago. I waited for a sale in the summer and I bought it for around ~$225. I remember thinking that $225 was way too much to pay for a ski jacket but after almost 10 years of regular use I think it was money well spent.