Flyer received today from Haglof. Says "Buy Better Gear Than You Need" on front page and inside states "Most of Haglofs' outdoor equipment features design solutions and details you will rarely need. The materials have a built-in over-capacity which you will mostly utilise only a fraction of".
"Not sure that I'd agree that Primark stuff is better than Lidl's, or Aldi's. In my experience, the vast majority of Primark stuff is very cheap, and of low quality, and aimed purely at the transient, short life fashion market. Some of their products, by chance, more than design, I suspect, use higher quality materials, and could be used outdoors."
That is simply not true or at least it depends on what you buy. They sell fleeces, coolmax tops ("a rose by any other name....") and their outdoor trousers are of a similar textile mix to craghoppers. On the whole ALL of their stuff is put together much better than anything I have ever bought in Lidl which in my experience has always been poorly tailored, trousers too long or too short, (in one case one leg 2" longer than the other) tops too short with rucked neck bands and all with ropey seam stitching ready to come apart in the first wash. Nearly all their stuff comes ready packed and you get told off if you remove it from the packaging. As for Primark, I have several mid layer fleeces ranging from expensive to dirt cheap (the Primark ones), guess which ones I wear most. The advantage with Primark is that you can see what you are getting before you buy and cheap though it is it is also very serviceable as construction can be of as high a quality as mainstream High street stores, certainly better than Lidl clothing. I regularly wear chinos, shirts, t shirts and underwear that I bought years ago at Primark and they are still going strong. I do like my Lidl's silk bag liner though and some of their equipment can be pretty good. Check out Primark's soft shells and quilted jackets. If you really are strapped for cash they could do the job for winter walking. The jacket with the naff faux fur trim (removable?) has the more robust zip. The more flimsy zip on the other padded jacket is a bit suspect.
I can only comment on my experience of what I've seen in Primark, and I stand by my earlier comments. Maybe your Primark has a different range than mine. I've never seen Coolmax shirts or soft shells in mine. The only trousers they have are either cotton or cotton/nylon, and the ones I've tried on, looking for cheap climbing trousers, were completely unsuitable, as I could hardly raise my knee above 90 degrees; not enough mobility for climbing (and that was 3/4 length). My branch doesn't seem to think that men wear 100 weight fleeces; the only ones they have are felted, thick 200 or 300 weight. Their synthetic insulated jackets use a very dense wadding that doen't compress at all well, so is very bulky.
Believe me, I'm always on the lookout for bargains in unusual places, but so far, I've found very little (just two items) in my local Primark that I'd want to use in the outdoors, but I keep looking (as I did on Saturday). We can only compare our experiences, so I guess we'll have to agree to differ.
As with all cheaply-made items, you have to expect poorer quality control, so you have to take a good look at things you're buying. I've never been told off for examining things in Aldi or Lidl, and if they did, I'd tell them where they could shove it.
Also had a look at Tesco's women's fleece pullovers as JJ suggested, and they look very good for £4. Fabric looks pretty good. They were somewhat hidden away in a corner, and I got the usual funny looks skulking in the women's clothing section. Sadly, no men's equivalent; we need 200 weight or more, as usual...
CP said, "We can only compare our experiences, so I guess we'll have to agree to differ."
I guess so but I will concede that most of the things you say above are true. However where cost is the major factor in whether you get onto the hill at all it's a toss up as to whether you prefer to wear a "densely wadded" insulated jacket that will last more than half a trip or one with "named" techie fabrics and wadding which will, nevertheless, fall apart a few miles out. As for 100 weight fleeces, you are right but then they are not a specialist outdoor shop by any stretch of the imagination. Good underwear for walking though. I did tell the Lidl's lad, who apparentlt considers me to be a mate, to watch his Ps and Qs. When I said I wasn't about to buy a "pig in a poke", he looked extremely confused and grunted his perplexity. Don't they teach them anything of colour in schools these days?
For anyone buying boots at Aldi , they come out about half a size larger .I have wide feet and so trail shoes often don,t fit .My Aldi boots mean that i don't wear my more expensive heavy winter boots in the summer .Good kit but they sound like wellies when i walk!
The outdoor manufacturers have got an absolute cheek having a go at TGO for featuring cheap kit!
They charge rip off prices for years and keep young people out of the reach of decent gear for a hobby which can massively benefit them and society.
They should be ashamed for thinking there is no place for budget gear. If these companies have a problem then why don't they make there customers some cheaper alternatives.
Names like Gelert, Eurohike and Regetta are a god send to younger folk, and the likes of Aldi and Lidl should also have a place in the industry if there prepared to put themselves on the market. More competition can only be a good thing.
The only person who doesn't benefit from the competition is the fat cats who own the larger companies who's pockets are lined with our hard earned cash!
I now check the Aldi, Lidl and other websites like these regularly too see what they have just in case!
