Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting The North Face Quality, Boot Treatment, etc...

Gentlemen,
I'm not preparing for a climb up K2 , however, I've been trying to up the quality of some of my "go to" gear so I have a rough and ready wardrobe that is already broken in and merely has to be packed into a duffel when opportunity presents itself... I could not think of a better spot to ask this question and I'd like to thank you ahead of time...

In short is The North Face Gear still first class for tough conditions OR has it become an expensive NAME brand with little more than the "cool factor" to recommend it? Somewhere in the middle? I like the jackets, beanies, etc, however, nine times out of ten if you can actually find something on the shelf it is typically not worth owning. I am also more than open to other/better brands if indeed The North Face has become a "name"... Very much have my mouth shut and ears open here...

I'm fairly well set on boots with Cabela's Meindls(6 pair with 4 regular Perfekts and 2 12" Perfekts). I GREATLY prefer the higher 12" boot even after years of wearing the standard height. FAR more ankle support... I KNOW Cabelas's Meindls ARE NOT the equal or the real McCoy, however, I have to wear these out before I make the call to AJ Brooks and buy the real thing...

Every pair has been broken in slowly with Darn Tuff USMC Socks and I rotate them regularly on a single and a double Peet's dryer. Any suggestions about how much is too much time on the Peet's? Exterior leather treatment is from AJ Brooks and from Meindl Germany. Sport's Wax I believe the call it and it works very well...

I am very much open to your input here as I am ignorant of this area of hunting/outdoor preparation and would be much obliged for your input...

Best Regards, Matt.

Matt, what are you thinking of buying North Face-wise? Outwear or gear?

Nothing wrong with Perfekts... when my Crispi's wear out I'll get the randless with 400 gr thinsulate... about the only "mountain boot" I've owned that is kind to my feet, and I've owned a pile. Paint on some KG Boot Guard, and hey presto. A rand.

Brad,
Should have been more specific... Outerwear. Just picked up a North Face Denali Jacket and one of their Standard Issue Fleece Beanies. Not so much asking about that as I am their clothing line in general... The just opened a Field & Stream locally(part of Dicks) and despite my initial aversion this is the FIRST place within 50 miles where you can buy anything but junk. Bought a couple of boxes of Noslers just as a wave of the flag of support for making it available. Oddly enough Honady A-Max 52 Grain .224 and 50 Grain V-Max(100 per) were slightly more expensive than a 250 pack of 50 grain Nosler Varmint BTs... I AM halfway interested in how the 52 grain A-Max performs now that I have largish Yotes to try them on... Wish my .223 7 Ultra Suppressor was through form 4. Looks like I'll be slinging 6.5s far earlier that 5.56 if things continue on their current path...

Jacket fits well and seems fairly well made, however, for $180 it should be. Dunno what the Lifetime Warranty is worth? All of this is available online for about half of what I paid the other day, however, putting your hands on the item has to be worth something.

If they did not have $100K in YETI they did not have one. Bought a second coffee cup and their biggest thermos($90) works as advertised. Since Stanley went slant eyed they have not worked for dick... Granted Yeti is not US Made, however, at some point you buy the best available to you and move on or hem and haw and get zip done...

Apologize for rambling on there... What is your take on their clothing?

Good to hear from you by the way...

Regards, Matt.

Btw, the camera is NOT what you recommended and I've spent a good deal of time questioning that... You gave me the best advice by far especially considering the usage in mind. However, the APC sensor on the A 6000 is blowing me away when shown on my 27" 5K iMac Screen. I do miss the portability, however, I am humbled by the performance of the bigger chip. I see myself buying an older R100 down the road, per your suggestion, and I'm signed up for a class with the 6000. I've had a several serious camera guys tell me that Sony has thrown both Canon and Nikon on their ear. Neither were expecting anything out of Sony and they up and changed the rules... I did not buy THE Camera, however, I could not be happier with my buy in... If only I could find a riflescope and a ranging binocular that offered anything in the same ballpark of value for your dollar.

Have largely given up on Schmidt Bender for various reasons and settled on Nightforce in general. They've largely ruined the 2.5-10x42 by making it a FFP. Useless without illumination and even that does not make it usable depending on the situation. That said I have been guardedly impressed by the L word as of late. Had a guy setting up his .270 WCF who was about to mangle the tube until I offered a hand. Goofy reticle, however, the illumination has come along in leaps and bounds. They've managed a side focus knob complete with a tactile rheostat. Glass and multicasting was excellent... No doubt it won't track, shoot the box, or pound in a nail without loosing zero, however, they are quietly starting to do quite a bit right...imho. Kind of a nice thing to see and it was not a super expensive scope. $650ish(enough)... 4-12x50 VXR of some sort. Fast focus European Eye Piece.