Who designs this crap?

[Doug Briggs]

New and improved translates as messed it up again.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that, but I'm all about different strokes...

 

[MattFromCanada]

What ever happened to pants with pockets in them? Seems harder and harder to find a good pair of ski pants that have more than two pockets. And Arcteryx is the worst offender, two pockets on a jacket, and two on the pants? Clearly going for the market that can afford to buy lunch in the lodge and don't have to waste one of their precious pockets on a sandwich.

 

[princo]

What ever happened to pants with pockets in them? Seems harder and harder to find a good pair of ski pants that have more than two pockets. And Arcteryx is the worst offender, two pockets on a jacket, and two on the pants? Clearly going for the market that can afford to buy lunch in the lodge and don't have to waste one of their precious pockets on a sandwich.

Check out the Smarty Pants from 686 if function>form for you. They are indeed smarty and practical - "The Homer" of ski pants. Those have 8 pockets, including two secret stash pockets (one of them in the belt loop?!?!). They come in Goretex, have a removable liners, and finally have a reinforced inner kicker panel. I have a friend that swears by them.

 

[Tony Storaro]

What ever happened to pants with pockets in them?

Patagonia Snowdrifter bibs: 3 pockets, including a chest pocket.

Burton and Volcom bibs: gazillion pockets. Obviously the folks of the snowboarding persuasion carry a lot of stuff with them. I wonder why, given the fact that they spend like 90% of their time sitting in the snow.

 

[eok]

Patagonia Snowdrifter bibs: 3 pockets, including a chest pocket.

Burton and Volcom bibs: gazillion pockets. Obviously the folks of the snowboarding persuasion carry a lot of stuff with them. I wonder why, given the fact that they spend like 90% of their time sitting in the snow.

More pockets = carrying more stuff

more stuff = more weight

more weight = more rest stops required.

Or...

They are actually on the ground because they are taking a break from searching for all the stuff that fell out of their pockets.

 

[James]

Clearly going for the market that can afford to buy lunch in the lodge and don't have to waste one of their precious pockets on a sandwich.

One needs a pack to go with the beard, and pockets are extra weight. Since a pack is an “essential worker” and part of the uniform, it’s exempt from weight rules.
Pockets on pants got a little out of control for a few years. I washed some Patagonia pants and found a pocket I never knew was there. I can’t even figure out why I’d want it as it’s an odd size.

 

[Sibhusky]

I bought new pants with the same "model" name as pants I bought three years ago. The description still lists a cargo pocket. There is no cargo pocket and that was a big loss IMO. I would have returned them except they happen to fit perfectly.

 

[Wade]

What ever happened to pants with pockets in them? Seems harder and harder to find a good pair of ski pants that have more than two pockets. And Arcteryx is the worst offender, two pockets on a jacket, and two on the pants? Clearly going for the market that can afford to buy lunch in the lodge and don't have to waste one of their precious pockets on a sandwich.

Regardless of the number of pockets Arcteryx puts on their jackets and pants, I think it's safe to assume they have determined that for customers who will pay $750 for a jacket and $550 for pants, storage space for a packed lunch is pretty far down the list of factors considered in making a purchase decision.

 

[Idahosnow]

The problem I have with most removable hoods is that the collar tends to get bulky and stiff with zippers/buttons/velcro/etc. I'd usually just take the hood off. Then it wouldn't be there when I needed it. My new jacket (Flylow Albert) with a permanent hood is way more comfortable when zipped all the way up and I don't even notice the hood when not needed.

My pet peeve is Velcro. I hate velcro. For me, the only acceptable velcro on a jacket is the cuffs. I always seem to snag my nice merino base layers on velcro especially on those dumb tabs they use in the waist of a lot of ski pants. A belt works better. Speaking of belts, the elastic Arcade belts are awesome for ski pants.

 

[crgildart]

Regardless of the number of pockets Arcteryx puts on their jackets and pants, I think it's safe to assume they have determined that for customers who will pay $750 for a jacket and $550 for pants, storage space for a packed lunch is pretty far down the list of factors considered in making a purchase decision.

I came across a practically new Arcteryx jacket at Goodwill a couple of years ago. It was $15.00. I still didn't buy it because the pocket layout sucks. Now you need an extra pocket for masks..

 

[Jenny]

The problem I have with most removable hoods is that the collar tends to get bulky and stiff with zippers/buttons/velcro/etc. I'd usually just take the hood off. Then it wouldn't be there when I needed it. My new jacket (Flylow Albert) with a permanent hood is way more comfortable when zipped all the way up and I don't even notice the hood when not needed.

My pet peeve is Velcro. I hate velcro. For me, the only acceptable velcro on a jacket is the cuffs. I always seem to snag my nice merino base layers on velcro especially on those dumb tabs they use in the waist of a lot of ski pants. A belt works better. Speaking of belts, the elastic Arcade belts are awesome for ski pants.

Agreed! On both the Velcro and the Arcade belts.

 

[Uncle-A]

I think this is the second thread we have had about jacket design. A while back someone was working on a project about jacket design and started a thread asking what we would like to have in a jacket, it might have been about a back country or touring jacket but I don't remember. I do remember posting a request of what I wanted but I don't know what ever happened with the thread. This thread started with two basic requests, a rip off hood and a lumbar pocket in the back. Others have added things they would like or some of their dislikes. It would be nice if someone with contacts put a list together and shared with their contacts and or manufacturers.

 

[markojp]

I have been seriously impressed with Helly Hansen's ULLR line of jackets for women.
Pockets are really well placed and big.
Pocket placement is clutch for me!

.... and Elevenate out of Sweden. They also do a great job with pockets in their women's collection.

 

[DanoT]

Thus the obsession with venting helmets. Helmets used to be warmer than hats, now you need a hat under the helmet, and a hood to cover the whole thing in meringue to keep warm.

I think the price of lighter weight helmets these days is less warmth. I wear a hood under my helmet and plug went holes.

@Kneale Brownson I don't like hoods either as they don't stay up when skiing and tend to fill with snow on storm days. I have a 2 year old Orage Alaskan S Shell Jacket with removable hood, Dermizax 20k/20k waterproof breathable membrane, pit zips, 2 zippered cargo pockets, 2 zippered chest pockets one with ear bud pass thru, and stretch cord key ring, forearm pass pocket, high collar that can zip up just below the nose with felt fabric against the face and the back of the neck, and breather holes for the part that covers the mouth.

Inside tthe jacket here is a goggle pocket and powder cuff. No waterproof zipper ( I never have liked them) but instead it has an inside storm flap. It also has a feature that I call a wrist gaiter wherein your thumb fits thru an opening resulting in fabric against your palm and back of your hand leaving nowhere for snow or wind to enter the jacket sleeve.

The sleeves are lined with a bright orange fabric and it has rescue pics and instructions: "Turn jacket inside out for rescue sleeves".

And it is made in Vietnam, not China.....What else could you want in a ski jacket?

If memory serves it retailed around $500CDN or $525CDN

What ever happened to pants with pockets in them?

I bought Burton snowboard Gortex bib shell pants last season with 7 pockets as well as mesh lined inner thigh zippered vents

 

[James]

I think the price of lighter weight helmets these days is less warmth. I wear a hood under my helmet and plug went holes.

Think how insane that is. My current Smith helmet is basically $300 list. Maybe I’ll weigh it against my first ever helmet, a Giro from around 2000. It even had closable vents in it.

 

[Average Joe]

All due respect, but if that was always the case, Patagonia's obscenely priced capilene T-shirts and boxer pants from a year or two ago would not start disintegrating after just a couple of washes.

Not to speak of their cotton T-shirts, which start to fade and lose colour almost immediately after you take them out of the plastic bag.
You can buy a better quality T-shirt for about 5 dollars from any street vendor in Bangkok and it will stay black far longer than Patagonia ones. And will have much better looking graphics-elephants, temples, muay thai dudes, lotuses and suchlike.

Yeah, yeah, I know, organic dyes, harmless to the environment etc etc etc but when I pay this much for a cotton T-shirt it'd be real nice if I can tell what colour it was originally after a month of use.

Luckily you bought Patagonia- just send them back and they'll likely send you free replacements.
The quality fabric they use in all their products is well worth the premium cost, to me. I appreciate that what costs twice as much lasts seemingly forever, and performs better. And if you look on EBay, you'll be pleasantly surprised that, after wearing your synchilla snap top for 25 years, you can re sell it for almost as much, or more that you originally paid for it.

 

[Uncle-A]

I have been using the Eddie Bauer Weather Edge jackets for years. They have enough pockets for me, although I have not tried to ski with a mask yet, some of the hoods roll up into the collar others don't but hoods are a low priority for me. I don't know or have any feedback about their woman's jackets. However my wife picked up an Under Armour woman's jacket just before Lindsey Vonn signed on as a endorsement person for the women's line. The jacket is very well designed with a lot of features and functions my wife likes. It is not a shell but an insulated jacket, one of the features she really likes is the sleeve. It has an outer cuff and an inner knitted cuff to keep a tight fit around the wrist, but they took the design one step farther by adding a thumb hole that keeps the sleeve from riding up which is great because she has long arms and has difficulty getting jackets with long enough sleeves. The jacket has plenty of pockets and a hood, it is one of the nicest woman's jackets I have seen. But I can only be an observer on that subject.

 

[Tony Storaro]

And if you look on EBay, you'll be pleasantly surprised that, after wearing your synchilla snap top for 25 years, you can re sell it for almost as much, or more that you originally paid for it.

Trust me, I do not need to look on eBay. I have been a Patagonia customer for years and owned/own almost every imaginable garment/backpack/flyfishing boots etc.
Most of the stuff is truly excellent, some of it (Foot tractor boots, Sweet pack vest, Powslayer bibs, R3 fleece) are legendary, but capilene underwear and cotton T-shirts just suck, so the fact something is made by a reputable company and carries a hefty price tag is no guarantee of quality. Not always.

 

[crgildart]

+1 for Patagonia stuff. I've never returned anything, nothing ever just failed without SIGNIFICANT use. I'm not going to warranty something that just plain wore out/through. And, everything I've had has been great for at least a couple years of solid use before getting to that point.

 

[markojp]

Can I tell everyone again how uniformly lousy built in boot heating is? The battery technology just isn't ready for prime time as failure rates are ridiculously high. Some boot manufacturers even manage to place the batteries where they cause pressure and pain at the rear medial cuff, and I'm frankly tired of taking boots apart to make room for something the boot design didn't account for (and NO medial cuff adjustment either!) just to make the boot function as advertised. Then good luck finding proper care, use, and feeding documentation for the batteries, etc.... (or a warning that your ancient phone with its own dying battery won't reliably operate the blue tooth system) on line. You know, something like a simple link next to the product on their website. Rant over.


EDIT for clarity... this is about integrated boot heaters, not aftermarket add ons. The latter have their own issues, but aren't difficult to deal with.