BigLoad
Trail Wise!
Pancakes!
Posts: 13,372 
|
Post by BigLoad on Oct 14, 2023 9:03:01 GMT -8
Stio might be a good recommendation. I have a fleece jacket, and the "Turpin" fleece pants and half-zip. You won't remember but I wore the half-zip the entire time at Pickle Gulch. And I mean literally, as in day and night. :D It's the most comfortable fleece I've ever worn, gets washed often, doesn't pill (hasn't yet, anyway.) Oh, and I also have a pair of their shoes - the "Colter" in a tan suede. Total impulse buy because they looked cute and were on sale. I've been wearing them all summer. Love them. I do wait for their sales though. Is it sort of white or cream-colored?
|
|
jazzmom
Trail Wise!
a.k.a. TigerFan
Posts: 3,139 
|
Post by jazzmom on Oct 14, 2023 9:26:28 GMT -8
Is it sort of white or cream-colored? Blue.  (I did have a white-ish down jacket.) Now, if you were on FB, you'd have seen everybody's pictures.  |
|
|
|
Post by downriver on Oct 15, 2023 12:19:04 GMT -8
I’d add Salewa to the list. Interesting Italian company with more products coming to the US market.
Regards,
DR
|
|
|
|
Post by downriver on Oct 19, 2023 18:08:37 GMT -8
Stio will be disappointed. I have a few of their fleece pieces and am a fan. If Prana qualifies as an "outdoor" clothing brand, then I would think Smartwool does too (and, yes, I think they deserve it for their baselayers and socks.) Happy to see OR on the list. What do you like about their fleece pieces compared to Patagonia, LL Bean, REI and the like? Happy Trails, DR |
|
jazzmom
Trail Wise!
a.k.a. TigerFan
Posts: 3,139
|
Post by jazzmom on Oct 20, 2023 9:06:34 GMT -8
Stio will be disappointed. I have a few of their fleece pieces and am a fan. What do you like about their fleece pieces compared to Patagonia, LL Bean, REI and the like? They're really comfortable; soft, stretchy, breathable. Good warmth-to-weight ratio. And, in particular, I like the design of their sleeves/cuffs (I don't like snug or banded cuffs.) And their colors are a bonus. I generally don't like the feel of all-synthetic fabrics. So, while I appreciate the attributes of fleece, I don't wear it around that often and don't have a bunch of different manufacturers' to compare. Other than Stio, I think all of my other fleece pieces are Patagonia. (I tend to find something I like and repeat purchase in other colors.) I think the R1's are ideal for backcountry/active outdoors. I like their retro/retool line for casual outdoors. I think what I appreciate most about Patagonia is that they seem to be indestructible. I think my R1's are at least 10-15 years old. I'm sure the Stio won't last half that long but the tradeoff is that they're super comfortable to wear. |
|
ErnieW
Trail Wise!
I want to backpack
Posts: 10,519
Member is Online
|
Post by ErnieW on Oct 22, 2023 6:38:09 GMT -8
I’d add Salewa to the list. Interesting Italian company with more products coming to the US market. Hard to remember but I think my first pair of full crampons 35 years ago were Salewa's. Unfortunately one of the instep links on them broke when I was about 100 yards from the summit of rime ice covered Mt Madison NH. I did get back down safely but couldn't find a replacement links source. |
|
|
|
Post by downriver on Oct 25, 2023 18:07:03 GMT -8
What do you like about their fleece pieces compared to Patagonia, LL Bean, REI and the like? They're really comfortable; soft, stretchy, breathable. Good warmth-to-weight ratio. And, in particular, I like the design of their sleeves/cuffs (I don't like snug or banded cuffs.) And their colors are a bonus. I generally don't like the feel of all-synthetic fabrics. So, while I appreciate the attributes of fleece, I don't wear it around that often and don't have a bunch of different manufacturers' to compare. Other than Stio, I think all of my other fleece pieces are Patagonia. (I tend to find something I like and repeat purchase in other colors.) I think the R1's are ideal for backcountry/active outdoors. I like their retro/retool line for casual outdoors. I think what I appreciate most about Patagonia is that they seem to be indestructible. I think my R1's are at least 10-15 years old. I'm sure the Stio won't last half that long but the tradeoff is that they're super comfortable to wear. My favorite fleece was a Mountain Pile Polartec fleece jacket I bought from LL Bean back in 1995. It was incredibly soft, breathed super well, looked great and was made in the USA. it was also durable. Super durable. I just recently gave it alway to my niece as a wedding gift (she wears it at work and for a mid-layer while snowboarding). I’ve been looking for something like it for years. The closest I could find was a Patagonia Retro Pile fleece jacket; the shearling fleece was close in terms of softness, but not nearly as well made. I doubt it would have lasted as many years as the LL Bean jacket. I think I’m going to try the Wilcox fleece from Stio. I got a $50 off coupon from them. It looks really nice as soft. Pretty pricey even with the coupon, but I really like its color (blue). I’ll let you know how I like it. Regards, DR |
|
Image Credit / Coolkat
(I did have a white-ish down jacket.)
