Paramo From The Horse's Mouth...

Hi

Is Paramo gear still to be recommended?

I was thinking of buying some Paramo gear but I notice

a) Not a single stockist in London (WHY?)

b) I went to four mountaineering shops in High Street Ken and no one had even HEARD of Paramo!!

c) I notice the range hasnt expanded much in the last couple of years...
e.g. The only colour of trousers you can get seems to be blue!!

d) And the most recent review on this site (www.outdoorsmagic.com) was 2003 (as far as I can see...)

e) Their own website (www.paramo.co.uk) seems to be impossible to buy from - or is it just me?!!

Are they in financial trouble or something.

If so this is a terrible shame. I like the fact that I can walk into a gorse bush an not utterly ruin my jacket (as happens with any gortex-type shell) and I like the fact that it does wear out and that it doesnt russle. (I use it for birding & fairly extreme hill walking in the W Highlands of Scotland)

I have an old plane green Paramo jacket which I rather like. [Not sure if it is an Alta or a Cascada, but it has a hood and an internal breast map pocket...] I've had it for about 3 years and it works well. I use it for cycling and was thinking about getting something much brighter (and lighter!)

And or maybe just a lighter one...?

I also need a pair of waterproof trousers for hillwalking.

I find that the water doesn bead off like it used to even though I wash it in all both the recommended Nikwax things. I also tumbledried it as hot as I dared - it even began to shrivel at one point...!

In desperation I actually tried some grangers equivalent to NikWax's TX Direct & Tech Wash and that seemed to work slightly better - though of course it too stops beading after a while... but it seemed to bead the water better for longer and it doesnt smell so horrible when you put it in the tumbledrier!

I find it strange that Paramo seems so good to me and yet it hasnt really taken off (not in London anyhow, it hasnt!!)

-Or is there something else similar on the market that is cheaper and/or better?!

Can anyone help?


Ship
Shiperton Henethe

Posted: 13/08/2004 at 17:06

paramo recomendation - top gear. in my opinion.

this year saw new trousers - the zip off leg ones, and the snazzy jacket, both about a third lighter than before.

reason for trousers being blue is the manufacturing village (in bogotoa i think)could only do different colour OR different length - not both. so length won. for some reason it wasn't possible for both.

the same beading thing happened to my jacket. it was re-treated at their premises. works like new now.if you contact paramo i think they would be very helpful.

apparently if you use a domestic washing machine for re-treating it must free from all traces of washing powder, that might explain the reduction in beading over time.

there is other stuff the same as paramo, made in scotland somewhere (or an island off), i think it is even heavier, bright are the colours - like very bright, and more expensive. but they will make the garment pretty well how you want it.

you may have started something by suggesting paramo might not be financially secure.


call the paramo police! dee-door dee-door

Posted: 13/08/2004 at 18:33

Yes its still to be recommended.

I don't hink I've ever seen a stockist in London.

The nearist one that I know is up the A41 at Bourne End just past Hemel Hempstead and they are a fairly big stockist although even they have cut back a bit in recent years. There's another place in St. Albans that can order stuff on your behalf, but being a very small shop doesn't stock much of the gear on site.

Otherwise we rely on visits to Derbyshire and the Lake District to replace our Paramo gear. (We being myself and two friends.)

They have been bringing out new stuff and new designs, but sales do seem to be declining. This is possibly due to the gear lasting ages.

Posted: 13/08/2004 at 18:39