You may remember last week we told you that Aldi - the German
supermarket group - are going to be stocking a range of outdoor gear
at frankly ludicrious prices from 4 April onwards...
Well, yesterday a man arrived with a big box full of Aldi outdoor
gear and, to put it bluntly, we are flabbergasted. This stuff has to
offer the best value for money of any outdoor kit we've come across.
We're talking £17.99 for a pair of nubuck walking boots,
£14.99 for a waterproof, breathable jacket, £9.99 for a
pair of zip-off nylon/cotton mix walking trousers - that's right,
zip-offs for a tenner...
Okay, it's not top end stuff, but in a Pepsi-challenge scenario,
you'd take the jacket for being priced at least around the 50-quid
mark and the boots much, much more than their meagre 18 quid or
so.
Unfortunately the boots aren't around in OUTDOORSmagic foot size,
but we took the jacket for a stroll around the Lake District
yesterday for a quick idea of how it would cope. Here's some quick
first impressions, but the bottom line is that this stuff is a
bargain. Sure, you can buy better, but at these prices.
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Price:
£14.99
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Weight: 779 grammes (men's
M)
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Features: Nylon
micri-porous coated material, mesh drop liner, taped seams,
roll-away detachable hood, double storm flap over main YKK
zip, adjustable drawcord at waist and hem, ziped handwarmer
pockets with storm flap, interior and exterior chest
pockets, Velcro cuffs.
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Dirt cheap and surprisingly well detailed. Costs less than
my shades...
No peak on hood, no OS-sized map pocket.
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'No peak
on hood'? How churlish can you get. The bottom line here is that we'd
have trouble picking the differences between the Aldi - badged Crane
Sports - and a 50-quid budget jacket from elsewhere. It fits well,
feels well put together - the main zip is YKK for example - and has a
surprising spread of features like double storm flap over the main
zip, draw cords, detachable but basic hood, protected pockets etc,
etc, etc. At 780 grammes, it's even quite light.
It fitted well and looks surprisingly good - what we're saying is
that people won't point and sneer as you go by. We haven't had a
chance to use it in really foul weather, but we will. A quick shower
confirms that there's enough DWR to make the water bead. A quick walk
up a hill confirmed that it's not that breathable, but then again, no
waterproof jacket is. Just about the only weak point in the spec is
the lack of a peak on the hood, but hey...
The bottom line is that this jacket is a bargain. You can pay 15
quid for a CD. We're not suggesting you buy one to go high altitude
mountaineering, but for spring/summer use by someone who wants to try
on the outdoors without spending a load of dosh, you can't really
argue with this...
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Price:
£17.99
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Weight: 1130 grammes (size 7
/ 40)
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Features:
Nubuck leather uppers, TenTex breathable /
waterproof membrane, padded collar and tongue,
Duratex insole, shock-absorbing mid-sole, rubber
outsole.
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Dirt cheap and surprisingly well detailed.
Erm, nothing really..
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 First
things first, if there's an OM member with size 7 / 40 feet,
drop us a line and you can be a boot tester. Unfortunately
they won't fit on our feet, so no wearing impressions, but
again the specification is astonishing at the price and we
were astonished at the value for money.
The uppers really are nubuck albeit panelled with quite a
lot of exposed stitching and there's a reasonable heel cup
and a decent amount of internal padding. To be brutally
frank, the mid-sole stiffness is a bit low and they are
bendy, though to be fair, we've seen more expensive boots
with less torsional rigidity so they're unlikely to be happy
on rocky mountain trails.
At the price and accepting their limitations though, they
look like a bargain for cheapo introductory summer or
occasional walking.
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Price:
£9.99
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Weight: 390 grammes (size
M)
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Features:36
/ 64 cotton rip-stop fabric, built-in sun
protection factor, zip-off legs, six pockets
including zipped change pocket. quick-clip webbing
belt. press-stud fastening waist.
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Dirt cheap and zip-off for a tenner?.
Cut on the large side, leg zips
intrusive
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 More
price war lunacy... Honestly, for £10 these are an
absolute bargain and spot on for summer walking on a budget.
The detailing is great and you get a combination of zipped,
un-zipped and cargo pockets, the fabric feels good being
soft and comfortable. Unfortunately they fall into the
classic zip-off trap and the YKK zips that attach the legs
to the rest of the trouser are too chunky and tend to run
uncomfortably against the thigh. Try before you buy. A shame
as a non zip-off version would the a surefire winner.
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Also in the range are an outdoor gilet (£9.99), Shirt
(£6.99), Shorts (£7.99), Walking Socks (£1.99) and a
baselayer tee (£4.99) which is basic but a much better option
than cotton. You can also.
If you're a very occasional walker or wondering whether to take
the plunge, the Aldi stuff is fantastic value for money. We can't
pretend that you won't want to upgrade to better kit in time, but you
could pay a lot more and get stuff that's not a lot better.
The Aldi range goes on sale from April 4 at all of the UK's 262
Aldi stores. It's a 'Special Buy' which means they're only on sale
while stocks last. For details of your nearest Aldi outlet see the
Aldi UK web
site where you can also read about the frankly rather disgusting
sounding Choco Pillows - 'Crunchy chocolate flavoured wheat and
rice cereal with chocolate and hazelnut flavoured filling. With
added vitamins.' Yum...
