@Quirin
I mean how much more expensive will a luxury brand be then, any guesses?
Davin said:
@Quirin
I mean how much more expensive will a luxury brand be then, any guesses?
Well, a North Face x Gucci tent is like, $2250 and my Hilleberg 3p tent cost me $600 with a professional discount. But I know that Hilleberg tents are the best tents on the planet and I wouldn’t take a North Face tent if it was free, so what am I paying for exactly?
@Quirin
Gotcha, thanks a ton
I feel luxury outdoor gear can offer stylish designs and high-quality materials, but it often prioritizes fashion over performance. So I think it can be less suited for serious outdoor use
Davin said:
I feel luxury outdoor gear can offer stylish designs and high-quality materials, but it often prioritizes fashion over performance. So I think it can be less suited for serious outdoor use
That’s my point, exactly. I think if somebody is a seasoned trekker, they wouldn’t want luxury gear, only functional ones.
@Blaze
Yeah of course we don’t need luxury everywhere, unless you are a spoilt brat
Davin said:
@Blaze
Yeah of course we don’t need luxury everywhere, unless you are a spoilt brat
That’s what I’m talking about!!
Most of it is landfill, and a good portion won’t even be used once before it ends up on the landfill.
Zhen said:
Most of it is landfill, and a good portion won’t even be used once before it ends up on the landfill.
Yeah, that’s not surprising at all, smh.
Over the years, many of the go-to brands have priced their stuff higher and higher and have become the ‘luxury brands’.
Ashby said:
Over the years, many of the go-to brands have priced their stuff higher and higher and have become the ‘luxury brands’.
It’s crazy how brands that were once known for being affordable and reliable are now priced like high-end luxury labels. It kind of changes the whole vibe.
It’s such a money grab. When North Face moved into the fashion branding/luxury realm, I was officially out. Such a shame, you ditch all the people who have stood by your gear and swore by it.
Dax said:
It’s such a money grab. When North Face moved into the fashion branding/luxury realm, I was officially out. Such a shame, you ditch all the people who have stood by your gear and swore by it.
It feels like the more they focus on fashion, the less they care about the real performance side of things. It’s a shame when brands start prioritizing the label over the function.
Lifestyle/fashion accessories.
Micah said:
Lifestyle/fashion accessories.
What do you mean?
All that stuff sold by luxury companies isn’t actually meant to go outside. It’s basically just collectible stuff that you maybe take out once in a while to flex. I had a friend that got really hype on camping about 4 years ago and he ended up spending like 2 k on a North Face x Gucci tent. And another 2k on accessories. Now that he’s a little bit more knowledgeable he knows he kinda messed up lol. The tent is huge and heavy and he’s too paranoid to actually camp in it for fear of ruining it. Funny enough the times he had taken it out people just assume it’s an Aliexpress creation lol. These brands will pretty much strap their name on anything that looks good.
@Dane
I can see how that would be a bit of a letdown. It’s interesting how these luxury collaborations often prioritize style over function. It must be frustrating to spend so much and then realize it’s not as practical as expected.
Don’t bother if you are looking for functional gear. Go with well-known hiking gear companies.
Lex said:
Don’t bother if you are looking for functional gear. Go with well-known hiking gear companies.
That’s what I’m gonna do, no doubt!
I mean, let’s be honest. There are a lot of different types and segments of people who use outdoor gear. I guess you could very generally break it down into enthusiasts, weekenders, and vacationers. A luxury brand that would delve into outdoor gear is probably targeting vacationers - the type of people who might go on one or maybe two short outdoor oriented trips a year. Nothing wrong with vacationers of course. But here, we’re talking about vacationers with plenty of money to spend who want to be stylish and fashionable and want a brand name for whatever activity they are doing. So they could go with an outdoor brand that is fashionable (think Fjallraven for example). Or a luxury brand could step in with line of clothing targeted toward their tastes and their wallets. So long as it sort of works, it’s fine. It’s not like the wealthy would be through hiking with stuff like that. Maybe they go on a day hike at a mountain resort and sit around the fire pit once they get back enjoying barrel reserve whiskey paired with chef crafted artisan s’mores. For this crowd, much like other luxury clothing, the price point can be high enough to sell a much more limited quantity of rarely used articles of very nice clothing that needs to perform well enough for simple, relatively safe outdoor activities. To put another way (and to riff on the HBO series Succession since we are talking about the wealthy here), these are not serious people. But they also don’t need serious gear.