Outdoor expeditions demand good gear. From mountain ascents to Wainwright challenges, your gear keeps you comfortable, warm, dry and safe.

But, there’s an abundance of outdoor equipment brands! So how do we know what to choose? What’s the best gear for each adventure? What is actually worth your money? Let’s talk about it.

Choosing the ‘right’ piece of gear can be overwhelming when there are so many brands that offer so many great products. When looking at equipping your adventures, things like durability, fit, price, reliability and warranty are a few things you might want to consider.

Choosing The ‘Best’ Brand

Although some brands are generally more favoured than others, the ‘best’ brand depends on the activity and your personal preference. What works for you may not work for someone else. Here’s a quick look at some of the brands we stock.

Mountain Equipment

Mountain Equipment is a leading outdoor clothing and equipment brand specialising in alpine apparel, down insulation, and expedition gear. Founded in 1961, their gear has been a trusted staple for climbers and mountaineers needing extreme-weather protection. They have supported some incredible mountain expeditions and, most famously, were part of the first solo ascent of Mt. Everest without supplemental oxygen, where Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler wore their down apparel and equipment.

Ultimately, the brand had to grow with the times and people’s ever-growing desire to summit more of the world’s highest peaks. Their mission was, and still is, to make equipment very warm and very light so that extreme cold could be tackled at extreme heights.

Compared to other leading outdoor brands, Mountain Equipment offers more robust gear that is arguably one of the most durable on the market. Their high-performance down-insulated jackets and technical waterproof outerwear are among their best-selling products, and rightfully so.

Their technical apparel is designed for dynamic movement in harsh conditions; their down insulation is world-renowned, with both sleeping bags and jackets trusted on major peaks and polar expeditions. Alongside this, they were the first brand to partner with Gore-Tex and, since 2009, have established new benchmarks for down sourcing. Meaning live-plucking and force-feeding of birds within their supply chains were eliminated.

Rab Equipment

Rab Equipment is up there alongside Mountain Equipment as one of the leading British outdoor brands. They are globally renowned for their high-performance, technical mountain clothing and equipment. Rab was founded in 1981 and built a reputation on honest, no-nonsense, hard-wearing gear that withstands extreme alpine environments.

Fundamentally rooted in cold-weather protection, their premium down jackets and sleeping bags are some of their most highly regarded products. Rab utilises Responsible Down Standard-certified European goose and duck down, as well as relying on collaborations with gold-standard fabric tech companies like Pertex, Gore-Tex and Nikwax, while transitioning away from harmful PFAS chemicals. Evidently, the brand pride themselves on being sustainable and ensuring they are kinder to the environment.

Their gear is often made with materials that feel softer, stretchier and more breathable than more robust brands like Mountain Equipment, and their sizing often offers a roomier fit and broader fabric comfort. Rab was made by climbers, for climbers, and today stands as a staple among climbers, hikers and alpinists worldwide.

Montane

Montane was founded in 1993 and is recognised globally for its focus on ‘fast and light’ mountain gear. They prioritise minimalism, weight reduction and breathability, and for over 25 years have worked closely with serious mountain professionals working in hostile conditions across the globe as a proving ground for their garment design. Professionals who demand the toughest credentials from their clothing and equipment, choose Montane.

Their Terra Pants have done exceptionally well and have become a technical outdoor wardrobe staple for many. They are widely considered some of the most durable and functional walking trousers on the market. They build gear specifically tailored for intense cardiovascular movement in harsh weather and heavily rely on highly breathable membranes like Gore-Tex and Pertex Shield.

They are endurance specialists that build gear tailored to intense cardiovascular movement in harsh weather. Because of the lightweight garments that Montane have on offer, they are favoured by trail runners, endurance athletes and fastpackers.

Craghoppers

Craghoppers was founded in 1965 and is another leading global outdoor brand, but they steer away from extreme alpine sports and more towards positioning themselves as a highly functional brand tailored for travel and everyday hill walking.

Unlike other leading outdoor brands, they focus more on warm-weather hiking, with their NosiLife line featuring permanent anti-insect treatments woven directly into the fabric matrix and their SolarShield line offering permanent UV protection, structurally woven to block up to 98% of harmful rays even after years of washing.

Their trouser lines, such as the Kiwi Pros, have become very popular and are often praised for being exceptionally tough and long-lasting for the price. Their waterproof garment ranges are designed to offer dependable protection from the elements without compromise and are often highly praised for their durability and reasonable price point.

Sprayway

Sprayway was founded in 1974 and focuses on hill walking apparel that is accessible, reliable and functional. It sits at a similar level to Craghoppers, whereby they steer away from mountaineering and alpine ascents. But where Craghoppers prioritises warm weather protection, Sprayway prioritises reliable protection against the cold, damp climate of the British hills, focusing heavily on reliable rain protection and insulating fleece layers.

Their garments focus on proper fit, robust construction and traditional longer cuts for complete, heavy-duty storm protection. They use their own HydroDRY waterproof membrane, which was among the first machine-taped waterproof fabrics on the market and one that provides excellent rain protection and comfort at a fraction of some of the premium name-brands in the outdoor scene.

The North Face

The North Face straddles two entirely separate worlds: its Summit Series and its lifestyle apparel. Founded in 1966, the brand has seen some incredibly significant expeditions in the outdoors, including summits of some of the world’s highest peaks. Some of their insulation and shells match the likes of Rab’s standards.

The brand offers some excellent winter protection, technical hard-shells and travel hardware. However, they also offer products that lean more toward broader and baggier daily use. While they have slowly moved into more urban, lifestyle-friendly clothing and other brands have arguably ‘overtaken’ them in the outdoor equipment scene, it is undeniable that The North Face still produces quality gear for your outdoor adventures, with some products at a lower price point than other brands.

Where the Nuptse puffer jacket dominates global urban fashion, the Summit Series range offers protection and comfort on your alpine ascents.

Keela

Keela is committed to providing high-quality gear that is made to work in real-world conditions and can be trusted to keep working no matter what. Their kit keeps you warm and dry whether you’re on a weekend stroll or completing your latest round of rescue training. In 2023, they launched the Legacy Project, which is their sustainability commitment to reducing waste and rethinking how they use outdoor kit.

Their Ultimate range offers a selection of robust, durable, Mountain Rescue trusted gear that ensures you are equipped for any situation with uncompromising reliability and comfort. Their gear is often less lightweight than the likes of Montane, but is equally as high-performing and reliable in unforgiving weather.

Price Points and Warranty.

Most companies will offer a warranty that covers items against manufacturing defects for the usable lifetime of the product to the original owner. The ‘usable lifetime’ varies from person to person and depends on how often you are using the product. There’s typically a standard period of ‘usable life’, but of course it is longer in some cases for certain products and considerably less if a product is used continuously on expeditions, etc.

When considering price, more expensive doesn’t always mean better. Sure, if you’re venturing up one of the 13 peaks, you’re going to want trusted, robust alpine gear that provides harsh weather protection. But, if you’re getting out on milder adventures, you don’t necessarily need gear that sits at such a high price point. There are plenty of more budget-friendly options that will protect you against the elements all the same.

Mountain Equipment – their robust alpine-ready garments sit at a higher price threshold than other brands. Their outerwear sits roughly between £200-£600 depending on what you’re looking for. So, they do offer a wide range of reliable gear, some of which are at more accessible prices. They follow a ‘reasonable life’ policy where a product is damaged and offer a wash and repair service for items that are too far gone for home care.

Rab – prioritises alpine function and down insulation heritage at a slightly more accessible price point. They offer an in-house repair service aimed at extending gear longevity over fast fashion replacement cycles.

Montane – offer a great performance-to-cost ratio compared with some other brands at higher price points. They offer a repair service to extend the lifetime of your equipment, and the price depends on the type of repair you need.

Craghoppers – produce some quality, durable gear at much more affordable prices than most brands. Lower price doesn’t mean lower quality. They offer a lifetime product guarantee because they are confident that the quality of their kit is made to last. As if it couldn’t get any better, they also offer free repairs on your Craghoppers products.

Sprayway – prioritise reliable wet-weather protection at a fraction of the price of more premium brands. Their products are all guaranteed for their lifetime, which, like most brands, means that general wear and tear, accidental damage or product misuse is not covered.

The North Face – their product pricing varies from affordable, urban gear, to slightly more premium prices for more premium gear, like their Summit Series range. They offer a two year warranty to the original owner against defects in materials and workmanship, so, again, it does not cover damage caused by accident, improper care, negligence and general wear and tear.

Keela – they are committed to providing high-quality gear, without the big-brand price tag. They are confident in their manufacturing quality, so they offer a one-year guarantee and a two-year guarantee for their System Dual Protection range. Any item with a defect of material or workmanship will be replaced, repaired or refunded at their discretion. For any products damaged outside of this guarantees regulations, they may offer a repair service at a nominal charge.

Making Your Decision.

Your gear is extremely important. You want to make sure it fits well and, when you’re paying a premium for a product, you want to make sure it is comfortable and will perform the way it’s intended to.

So, you’ve done your research, you’ve found the brand and product that ticks all your boxes. But what about trying it on? If you can, popping in-store and trying on your desired item is a great way to decide on size and comfort. Some brands have narrower fits than others, so where you might be a small on one, you could be a medium in the other. You may even try it on and decide that maybe it’s not the piece for you! If this isn’t an option for you, to get your sizing as accurate as possible, you’ll be able to find size guides and measurements of each item on the brand’s website, which you can compare to your own measurements to get a better idea of which size is likely to fit you best.

If you need any assistance with your gear, don’t hesitate to contact us by phone or email.