I wanted to purchase a Down jacket, so living in Suffolk i thought id wait until I went to Ambleside. Before going into the town i looked at the Gaynors website and thought id go into their shop and buy the jacket i liked from their website. Upon entering the store I realised the jacket was ??30 more expensive? I told the member of staff about the price difference and asked him if he would sell it at the internet price. He told me they couldn't price match their own website? And agreed it was a ridiculous situation. What he was really saying was that it was pointless going into their store as their items were cheaper online? Thank god i didnt buy the jacket in-store only to realise it was cheaper on the internet, even purchasing it over 200 miles away? What a joke. I bought the jacket elsewhere out of principle.. Hence i wont be going back in the store as ill feel im being ripped off if i could sit at home and get it cheaper..
The military boots are built to last as they cannot afford to keep giving you new boots all the time. The downside is that they are nowhere near as good as a good quality walking boot such as Meindl etc. If it's for civilian use then go for a normal boot. It's very much like when I was in basic training (long time ago!) we were issued with crappy trainers, despite the fact I had my own decent Nike trainers - why? because they were cheap and were given to us so we all looked the same - hope that answers the question...
The Lowa boots are not really a proper military boot, but more of a normal boot in a military style. You wont see many military personnel wearing Lowa boots - Too expensive (even though they would no doubt love to have them!)
I've got a couple of Buffalo Shirts, a Paramo Cascada and an Arcteryx Theta AR Jacket. If you are adamant about a smock the Buffalo is brilliant, but far too warm if you're doing some serious walking. You will seriously suffer as they are brilliant at keeping you warm. The buffalo does have side zips which help, but it all depends on the type of activity you want to undertake. If im going dog walking and its around zero degrees I will inevitably pick up my buffalo. The paramo jacket is again good if it's cold because it is heavier and warmer than the Arcteryx. The Arcteryx jacket is just the dogs you know what. Excellent quality, easy to vent, ultimate performance, but on the down side it is literally an outer shell only. I disagree with other people regarding ventilation - Even if it rains - if you are extremely hot I still undo my pit zips on all three jackets. Common sense comes into it and if you start to get wet you simply do them up again. The paramo velez looks to be a good option for you as it is easy to vent, is waterproof and provides some insulation in cold weather.
I also have some mitts. I agree about getting one size larger, they're a funny fit especially near the thumb. They are relatively warm, but I have to say that unlike my Buffalo shirt, they're nowhere near as water resistant. They're a great back up, but I would probably get a gore tex outer mitt to go over them if you're going into really wet/cold conditions. For the money they are a good buy. I've just got my wife some so they can't be too bad. She loves them.
Several years ago I bought a fair bit of equipment from Field and Trek as they held a good range of outdoor clothing from all the top brands. Admittedly, it wasnt always the cheapest option but my employer was buying me the items and couldn't be bothered to buy each little thing from different suppliers. I have just gone on their website and the expression that came to mind was "What the **** are they doing?". I cannot believe how downhill (pardon the pun) they have become. I wanted to buy a Mountain Equipment fleece. As soon as you click on the mens fleeces section it immediately takes you to the Sale section (Im not bothered about my product being in a sale I want it regardless) but oh no, its sale items or nothing. I then looked at the items and they stocked a whole two different types of Mountain Equipment fleeces (both in a small size). What is going on? just about every product they stock has minimal range of sizes??? even if I am willing to pay the rrp. I then went through the products and immediately thought, where are all the top brands ie Mountain Equipment, Mountain Hardwear, North Face, Arcteryx, RAB. Out of all these brands there was just the two Mountain Equipment products (In small size). The other makes were Montane, Berghaus, Regatta, Craghoppers, Lowe Alpine. I was so disappointed that I decided to email them. Surprise Surprise, their email address is cs@sportsdirect.com (purveyors of all things Chav and Tat). I'll say no more, except to say Gaynors.co.uk got my business....
stickybunn
