Seattle's answer to Barbour (good stuff!) is Filson. Like Barbour,
expensive, but the coats and shirts can last a lifetime if cared for (or not
left behind somewhere). I have an old wool shirt that keeps me warm in cold
NW drizzle, holes and all:
<A HREF="http://smtp2.thewwwstore.com/filson/";>Filson - Might as well have the
best</A>
http://smtp2.thewwwstore.com/filson/
Seattle has a long-standing reputation as an uncultured, buffalo plaid shirt
wearing, beer drinking, backwater logging, fishing & gold rush town with
"world-class-city" aspirations. Some of us literally wear that reputation
proudly (except for the "world-class-city" aspirations part -- who needs $4 a
cup coffee?). At any rate, a wool shirt, and sometimes trousers, too, are an
ESSENTIAL component of my outdoor dress when cooler temps come (soon here).
I'm a follower of both old-school and new-school thought when it comes to
dressing for the ever-changing outdoors. Think layers, with wool the outer
one if cool, only covered with a breathable Gortex (or newer high tech
fabric) jacket/windbreaker/parka if raining/sleeting/snowing/blowing. To me,
most wools are scratchy, so I wear cotton (t-shirt, turtleneck) underneath,
and if freezing temps are expected, poly long underwear beneath the cotton
layer. Wool pants, too, if hunting. Soaking wet, they'll still keep you
warmer than anything else to a point... and quiet. Good for hunting (even
with a camera).
The high tech stuff for boots, windbreakers, tents, etc., is now mostly
Gortex and its poly-blend successors. I don't even try to keep up. The
weight-obsessed climbers and hikers pretty much make a religion of the newer
fabrics (nylon/teflon/Gortex, Thinsulate, etc.), in everything from socks to
sleeping bags to tents. But there is still very much a place for "low tech"
duck & goose down (the better, lightest sleeping bags) and wool garments.
The best source of information about the whole range of fabrics and outdoor
products that I know of is REI, Recreational Equipment, Inc., which has many
well-researched & written technical articles/comparison charts about choosing
different brands & types of clothing & equipment on its website. I have a
low membership no. (something that gets RESPECT in these parts, like carrying
a gun in Watts), and wor$hip there regularly -- it's a disease, like
zuikoholism:
<A HREF="http://www.rei.com/?AOL=1030325767";>REI Home Page - REI for camping,
hiking, cycling, paddling, climbing, snow
sports, boots, bikes, tents, boats and more!</A>
http://www.rei.com
Just put the word "headlamp" in the search window and you'll get an idea of
the range of products REI carries. It's truly mind-boggling and overwhelming
to walk into the mothership store any more. But by golly, if you do your
homework, you are satisfied by the time you walk out of the store with
something that you have the best piece of equipment that is available for
your needs (unless your lust for gear overules your wallet -- just like
zuikoholism).
There are stores in several states now (even Washington, D.C.!! -- what do
they do for recreation there??? Never mind.).
The retail prices sometimes seem a little high, but keep in mind that most
years you will get about 10% rebate on your non-sale item purchases, so you
can go back to the store and use the rebate to buy MORE outdoor gear!
Customer service is good (I should get a commission, eh?), almost as good as
Nordstrom, which is legendary for customer service.
Another local company that USED to be good for outdoor clothing WAS Eddie
Bauer, (they could even equip you for a safari to Africa, right down to the
British double rifle, by gosh) but lately they seem to be marketing to
BMW-driving dot.com yuppies who don't know a salmon from a trout. They're
currently realizing that marketing approach ain't workin' (some of us STILL
hike and hunt & fish here, dang it!), so there is hope they may "see the
light" before they go under. They do still have SOME good outdoor clothing,
but would be way down my list of places to shop. After REI, I'd use L.L.
Bean, Orvis, and/or Cabelas long before I'd shop Eddie Bauer any more, and
saddens me, as a native Pacific Northwesterner, to have to say that.
Rich
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