I know this may rub people here the wrong way, but what is it with alot of you guys and the designer tactical that you are wearing these days?
$230 for hoodies, $500 for softshell jackets, and God knows how much money for whatever you saw Costa wearing on youtube.
I think a man should be able to spend his money on whatever he wants, and if that is what floats your boat then go ahead. But what is it about a $230 hoodie that makes it worth the price? What is it about a TAD or Arcteryx jacket that make full grown men start accesorizing themselves and asking eachother where they are buying their clothes?
:D, if I wanna make myself puke all I need to do is say is “Tactical Fashion” … Well the only “tactical” gear I have are a pair of 5.11 pants I got from the discount page for like 39 bucks or something, but I am considering buying an outfit of high quality mountaineering gear from the long johns to the pants and outer shell to have as good survival gear. Since this would probably mean close to $2000 most probably I haven’t done the research or the decision to go for it yet. But spending good money for the performance, weight, and durability of the item is legitimate. Spending the money cause your tactical man crush is wearing it is revolting
I definitely know what you’re saying and the “type” of people you’re talking about, but I personally will only drop the coin on “designer tactical” garments that will enhance performance or serve a specific purpose for ME…not because some big name guy wears it.
An example would be the Arcteryx Atom LT Jacket. If you have ever worn one for any length of time, you would know that there is not a fleece garment on the market that can offer the features that the Atom LT can. Because of this, it has pretty much replaced any fleece top that I own.
On the other side of the coin, I will absolutely not drop coin on the TAD softshells. My $60 Condor softshell has proved to do just as much as TAD at a MUCH lower price. It may not hold up quite as long as TAD, but I see it as a “wear item” that will get beat up and probably need replacing down the line…I would feel much better about replacing a $60 item than a $350 item!
I guess I was sort of aiming this thread at the ones who I believe are more into this for the fashion, cool gear, and online attaboys. To those like you who are putting your gear through its paces, then who could take issue with that?
I suppose this all stems fro reading the facebook page of Costa and seeing how many men ask what pants/shoes/shirt/socks he is wearing, and then getting on this forum and seeing some of the same behaviour.
Ha yeah I hear you. The only reason I responded is because I think it is a good topic since I often have to evaluate gear selection and the REAL reason I “need” it.
Shoot, I didn’t even know Costa had a FB page!..logging on…now! :haha:
Perhaps it’s only a matter of time before one of the “man channels” starts airing a “What Not to Wear” show for tactical gear or “Say Yes to the Holster.” :no:
it’s no different from gun accessories, gear, watches, a nice steak dinner, sushi - whatever. does the civvie buying an S&B really get his money’s worth, vs buying an optic a quarter of the price? how about $2500 custom 1911’s vs a glock?
actually, i can see spending $250 on a jacket that gets worn every day vs. $500 on an optic that gets use only at the range.
same thing with what people drive. people like well-made clothing like well-made cars, guns, etc; whether or not they use them to their full potential.
I wear stuff down, beat the crap out of gear on a daily basis.
If something lasts twice as long as something else, and costs twice the cost, while offering some things that the cheaper product does not then why not try it?
I picked up a $500 Arc’teryx (made in Canada not China) softshell for $250 on clearance at Amron.
If you look at the price of hipster outdoor clothing like The North Face, Patagonia, Mountain Hardwear, Marmot, et al. you will find that $250 really is not that insane of a price for a top notch garment that will keep you warm when it’s cold and dry when it’s wet.
LOL@ dudes with Suunto X10’s just so they can geo cache.
Multicam is cheaper then realtree seems like, but I just wear my woodland frog’s.
Snivle gear is different, it sucks being at the range, or on the mountain, and freezing/wet.
BTW, if you were a hipster tent camped out in some park in Wash DC with the OWS crowd,you’d demand the most from your cold weather gear too! It’s fkcing cold!
I would not spend $1 on 5.11 clothing. I liked them well enough when they were Royal Robbins 5.11, but as soon as they became tacticool they forgot how to use a sewing machine.
On the other hand I don’t have any problems spending $55-65 on ah pair of Rail Riders or pants from Duluth Trading Company - clothing that will actually hold up.
I agree with others, and to each his own. If you want to spend “X” number of dollars, then more power to you.
As for myself, I have purchased North-Face, Royal Robbins, Columbia, Patagonia, L.L. Bean, and other ‘Hipster’ clothing in the past.
All I could say is that if your activities take you up into the mountains or into a very cold environment, then quality gear becomes a priority. So, $500.00 for a winter-weather coat is not an issue for me. And on the flip-side, I have several pieces of outdoor clothes (jackets, parkas, boots) that have lasted many years and remain acceptable in appearance and functional.
Under the right conditions, well made outdoor clothing really displays it’s worth.
SkiDevil
P.S. I have personally found many pieces of outdoor gear from Columbia and L.L. Bean to provide alot of “bang for your buck.” If anyone knows of other quality brands for less please share.
OP, would you make fun of someone who bought a Tom Ford or Burberry suit because they saw it on a famous person and said “hey, we have the same body type and the suit fits him very well, looks good”. It may be a silly reason that began the journey to purchasing that item, but if you were looking for it in the first place this may have been a way for you to see a brand/article you may have otherwise not known about or considered.
There was a thread on here where people discussed watches and some of the examples posted make my Tag look like a calculator watch from the early 90’s. Are those people silly for buying them? A friend of mine bought a Brightling, he has no idea how to use the outer bessel functions to calculate time/distance and so on, he is not a pilot. But hey, if he wants that watch why not?
As far as posting questions about the gear people like Costa are using, it’s similar to reading the reviews that people like MM post up. Similar only because I don’t know the conditions under which rather person was given the item that may sway their opinion. But I will tend to believe that they will be honest. Some people are just looking for an honest opinion on the items they are interested about.
I am sure some ask just because they want to copy, but others are genuenly interested in opinions of good quality gear.
If someone looked at an actor and wore what he wears everyday, inquires about it, and feels like wearing it will make them a better actor, then I would make fun of them all day.
There are grown men who hang off of shooting instructors nuts. That doesnt seem weird to anyone? Again, not accusing anyone of doing it, especially here since most of us are actual shooters.
