Top Canadian kit company Arc'Teryx explain just why their gear is so expensive.
Ever wondered what accounts for the price differences between brands?
Sometimes it's obvious, but sometimes it's not quite so clear.
It's something we got thinking about at a recent trade show while
chatting to the guys at Big Stone, who distribute Arc'Teryx, the top
Canadian brand in the UK.
Arc'Teryx
stuff is pretty obviously quite lovely, but it also has a reputation
for being fearsomely expensive, but - say Big Stone - there are very
good reasons for that, not least that Arc'Teryx kit is built to last
for years.
For starters, the brand uses top materials. But it goes further than
that, while Arc'Teryx makes jackets from Gore-Tex Pro Shell like many
other companies, it routinely rejects the face fabrics offered to them
as not tough enough and specs its own, harder-wearing faces which use
very specific yarns and deniers to give as much abrasion resistance as
possible.
In fact some 95% of the company's face fabrics are unique to it. And to
underline that commitment, it never uses Performance Shell, only top of
the line Pro Shell or, for lightweight kit, Paclite. Pick up an
Arc'Teryx Pro Shell and you can, genuinely, feel the ruggedness of the
face fabric.
Then there's the construction, Axrc-Tery watertight zips, for example,
are the highest spec available and made using a unique process.
Pit-zips are constructed differently from the competition using
different processes with the zip glued directly into the jacket with no
stitching to keep things clean and simple.
Tape is skinny wherever possible to save weight, increase breathability
and improve mobility - Arc'Teryx pioneered microtape - stitch-lines are
hidden and have a higher stitch count, the lamination process used on
the peak of the jacket is different to anyone else's. The attention to
detail is incredible. Even labels are first stitched onto fabric
patches then these are laminated into the main fabric to avoid extra
stitch-lines in the main garment fabric.
Even the zips are special, Arc'Teryx uses waterproof Vislan zips to
create properly waterproof main openings. Finally even the cut is
uncompromising, Arc'Teryx is designed for an athletic, efficient fit -
if you're overweight or the wrong shape, forget it, the company won't
compromise its principles to accommodate your non-ideal body shape.
They're not alone in this approach or its invisibility - Lowe Alpine
does much the same with its packs featuring heavily tested fabrics and
triple-stitched main seams and Jilleberg is just as anal about its tent
fabrics - but Arc'Teryx is probably the best example out there.
What's interesting though, is that as prices rise throughout the
outdoor industry, suddenly Arc'Teryx stuff doesn't look quite so
expensive any more. That doesn't make Arc'Teryx kit cheap, but suddenly
it's rather more competitive, but just as importantly, you are getting
real benefits for that price difference, it's not just an exclusivity
premium.
And to underline that, we're actually going to be getting some
Arc'Teryx kit in for review in the near future. Just watch this space...
