Comments by "A.J. Hart" (@cobbler88) on "The Truth About Expensive Winter Gear" video.

  1.  @escapetherace1943  It does in many situations, but this really isn't one of them. I've got a couple of them for certain purposes, even the emergency one that delaminates if it gets too windy. But the Tyvek-type versions aren't really geared toward cold-weather hiking in the snow. Take care.
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  2. Yes. For those of us who need to go from the trail directly to a cocktail party, avoid that ookie smell of hard work and effort. Your Patagonia-clad friends pretending they like IPAs at the craft brewhouse wouldn't approve of the whole "sweat thing." 🤣 Invest in merino wool. And expect to keep doing it on a regular basis because some of you will give it an honest use and wear through it every couple of years or so. Except DT socks, which are the bomb.
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  3. Important points made. My set-up: 1) Rain/wind layer: Just to get this out of the way, this is NOT really a Frogg Togg situation. As indicated in the vid, you need a "real" jacket with a better way to regulate body temp. There IS a North Face rain jacket with pit zips and an adjustment for a helmet in the hood. One key for people looking to minimize their spending is to not care that much about what the colors are. The NF rain jacket sold for about $90 at BassPro, which is where I tried it on and made sure I knew the model. Then I went on Amazon and looked for the cheapest color schemes for that model. Fortunately the colors I was looking for were among those, and I ordered it new for $50. Note: If you're going on excursions that require a harness, ropes, crampons, etc., try to get a jacket that has breast pockets if it's important for you to carry items in your jacket. Regular pockets have a tendency to get covered up by climbing harnesses. 2) Insulating layer/puffer: I'd use the price difference from the rain layer and invest it in the Decathlon Declaz down puffer jacket that runs $80 normally but which today is apparently marked down to $60. VERY warm and with the hood helps avoid all of your heat being stove-piped out through your collar. 3) Base layers: Absolutely. $30, max, all day every day. I've had great luck with the Russell Athletic offerings at Walmart. And if memory serves me correctly, they usually start putting those on clearance in Feb. I also got a Russell waffle-pattern polyester "mid" layer - with thumb-holes - for about $7 a few years ago, and like all the best things Russell makes, they promptly stopped making it and you can't get it anywhere. 4) Fleece: Yes, you probably have something fleece, but make sure it's on the form-fitting side. Just grabbing a baggy fleece from the closet probably is going to make for pretty uncomfortable wearing as it may not play nice with the other layers. Basically, you probably want one that wears more like a shirt than a jacket or hoodie. The Amazon option sounds great. I've also had very good luck getting REI fleece layers for under $20 on eBay. Take care!
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  4. After reading down the comments, I REALLY need to start going to thrift stores and Army surplus with the people who comment on hiking message boards. I've done an extensive amount of junking at the Goodwills, etc., over the years. I have yet to spot all of this high-end gear everyone claims to be finding! 🤣 And I sure hope military surplus stuff is better than the stuff we actually had in the military. Almost none of it was fit for stomping about in cold weather. Although surplus stuff from Scandinavian countries isn't bad.
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  5.  @MyLifeOutdoors  I can believe finding a 30-year-old Osprey frame pack. I just don't see a lot of Arc'teryx GORE-TEX climbing jackets on the racks in between the "gently worn" Autozone polos and stained Big Johnson T=shirts.
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