kathmandu.

[wayno]

must say, some of the latest lot of kathmandu clothes don't look too bad, better than in the past....
or do people think they will never redeem themselves from their past sins??

[Ent]

Hi

Interesting stuff coming out with a bit of innovation reappearing Now if they can drop the hogwash of huge RRP then 50% discounts it would be worthwhile going in outside "sales".

Cheers

[wayno]

50%? they are doing a sale at the moment that is more like 75%........ when they are using fabrics from suppliesrs like polartec i'll sit up and take notice at the sales....
they were doing a deal on gore tex active shells, which are very breathable waterproof shells. who knows what their dwr is like though......

[Ent]

Hi

It is getting rather hard to understand what is a fair price. I tend to use the USA online shops as a guide.

Gore-tex has a huge advantage that their keep you dry guarantee appears to be honoured, even on some very old garments, so would be tempted to give them a punt.

Tend to have to have more faith in brands like Windstopper than in house names such as NTGX or Repel. As for stitching quality Katmandu appears ok. I just run foul of not matching the standard sizing model so limited to the short sleeve tops and shorts.

Friend picked up a rather impressive cycling top after a long look around. Remarkably light, windproof, and breathable.

Cheers

[wayno]

remember theres not much labour charge on making the gear in asia. so its down to materials, transport and markup.... kathmandu ship in bulk reducing that cost....

[nq111]

I wouldn't discount any brand on principle - some kathmandu stuff may be ok for a purpose.

I am one that sizing is bad and better value from overseas. I have a down jacket I bought years ago at about 30% rrp that has held up well. A bit heavy compared to better stuff from the USA but good for urban. Also a windstopper beanie. Their old boots were ok for the price. They have also had decent sleeping bags and tents in previous times - but well behind the best now days. I don't recall them ever having great gear - but it is possible in some category over the years they hit a winner.

[Overlandman]

I will go into Kathmandu for a browse, when in town but I dont seem to buy anything from them!
Is this normal?
Regards Overlandman

[Strider]

Yes!

[jacko1956]

Kathmandu is one of those shops that I think most of us "evolve" thru.
Their sales got me in before I got serious about hiking and I still have and use my 60% off sleeping bag and GoreTex jacket (I find their jackets have excellent length past my waist).
Now however my son and I often browse them and similar shops to see what's on offer and when the staff come up and say "can I help you with anything?" we have a quiet smile between ourselves and say "no" with total sincerity....

[sthughes]

I've bought a bit there at 60%+ off in over the years and their top of the line stuff has always been pretty decent in my opinion. But recently their value even at those crazy mark downs has not been very good. I haven't looked twice at anything in their recently due to it just being overpriced compared to MD's and especially overseas retailers. I did get that Gore-Tex Active shell there recently, and it's been great. But frankly I would have got something elsewhere if I hadn't needed wanted an Active Shell jacket ASAP for the walk I was about to do. Quality wise I'd probably put them ahead of Macpac, but perhaps under MD's and beyond

[wayno]

just looked at mountain designs, they are cheaper
120 for a winflece at kmandu, md is between seventy five and a hundred

[Ent]

Yes it is very noticeable the difference in list price between MD and Kathmandu. About a year back Kathmandu RRP skyrocketed and sales became almost a weekly event. Just gets very tiring wandering in seeing what you like and then knowing that maybe a week or three later it will be at 60% off. Also with the big sales you can not move, while during off sales weeks the store is almost empty. A true sale for me is clearance of unpopular colour, sizes or the last of a range. Now just about every store is running 20-25% everything periodically with Kathmandu going for the 50-60% mark. Gets all too hard so hence lot of internet shopping as at least with the common brands you can get a feel for what stores are "genuine" with their discounts.

As for quality. Well on the OLT you see just about every pack model made. Not a fan of the Kathmandu pack range but at least their "bushwalking" packs with a multitude of stuff hanging off them do not fail unlike a few other brands. I would rate their quality as acceptable or better, while MD gets the good or better, and specialist brands like One Planet, Hilleberg, etc get excellent. A few other brands get the utter junk rating for some items but then whack out something rather good. Snowgum quality is very patchy. The big issue is what brand was once good might no longer be good due to the brand name changing ownership. The NZ and Italian made Garmont boots are excellent but not so sure of the modern stuff.

At least at Kathmandu you get a consistent level of quality so just need to look and understand the materials used. Can not fault their pack-able packs and in my opinion they are the best of breed on the market regardless of price. Would not hesitate to buy one of their rain coats if made from Goretex and sold at the right price. Not so sure on their home brand materials. An awful lot of claims are made about a lot of stuff. Bamboo in socks is one that has me shaking my head but hey it could be worse, it could be like the words appearing on wine bottles

Cheers

[wayno]

yeah about rrp. kmandu list their rrp for windfleece jacket at $400 reduced to $150 then $120,,,
MD rrp $150 reduced to 75.
kmandu are using polarfleece and personally it's not as stiff a fabric as the MD, but I'm not that fussy as to pay the extra money for the kmandu., kmandu shops are a lot bigger so you're paying more for their rent....

[gayet]

Ent:

Bamboo in socks is one that has me shaking my head but hey

Bamboo socks are quite good - can't comment on Kathmandu versions in particular but I have had some others for several years now. They are soft, warm and wear well. Wash and dry easily and quickly. Lighter than wool, warmer and better feel than synthetics. I also have wool and bamboo jumpers. Give them a try, you might be surprised

[Ent]

Hi Gaynet

Ok I will give them a shot. Maybe I was just scarred for life after battling it in my garden. Bamboo sure is hard to kill.

Cheers

[nq111]

Ent:

Bamboo in socks is one that has me shaking my head but hey

Bamboo socks are quite good - can't comment on Kathmandu versions in particular but I have had some others for several years now. They are soft, warm and wear well. Wash and dry easily and quickly. Lighter than wool, warmer and better feel than synthetics. I also have wool and bamboo jumpers. Give them a try, you might be surprised

Rayon was invented 100yrs ago or so. Just because the cellulose source is now bamboo instead of wood does not change its properties.

Manufacturers in the USA were officially warned for misleading marketing with bamboo fabrics a couple of years ago.

[icemancometh]

I wouldn't touch anything from MDs or Macpac except maybe their trail running packs but they are still expensive. Just by hand feel and stitching quality, Kathmandu seem better imo than the other two but don't own much of any of their clothing to be able to report back on wear. A mate has a MDs WS shell which he swears by. I would only go into MDs to buy non MD branded gear and same for Macpac. Kathmandu more for their nick nacks and their head torches are not bad. Great for mountain biking according to my mate. Their clothing don't fit me well though the ones I owned in the past were well made. Cut not so good for my body shape anyway.

Re bamboo socks, got given a pair of them in the Injinjis...very smelly, slow drying and died very quickly (ie holes developed very quickly...) not had that problem with any of my other Injinji socks and the bamboos definitely saw the least use and the only pair I've actually binned! In fact my old Kathmandu TR socks are still going strong 5 years later!

[gayet]

Well there must be bamboo socks and bamboo socks. Mine came from that other great general merchandise emporium - Target. Purchased in Oct 2010 and still going strong, except one got cut by a vicious toenail

[nq111]

Well there must be bamboo socks and bamboo socks. (

Yeah - I am not necessarily saying that rayon is bad stuff. Just that it is old technology and there is nothing special or different about the 'bamboo' component.

[gayet]

The processing may be different and that could result in a different end product. The bamboo socks I have do not feel like any rayon I have come in contact with. Unlike the experience of icemancometh, I have no smelly issues and they have been washed and worn most weeks since purchase. Bamboo has been used for centuries for a multitude of purposes - why not fabric and yarn, without the chemical processes applied for rayon. Rayon has its uses too, just not my preferred sock.

[wayno]

theres no end of combinations of materials used in socks, varying ratios of wool. cellulose, and synthetics, the more synthetics the more smelly generally...

[nq111]

The processing may be different and that could result in a different end product.

Not really - most of it results in stock standard rayon - nasty processes and all. http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/02/bamboo.shtm . The original motivation to use bamboo cellulose was that for rayon factories developing in China this was the cheapest and easiest to source cellulose stock.

Wayno is right that endless variations in blends with other fibres and weaves could significantly change the end properties. It is not the source of the rayon itself.

I would accept that bamboo is probably a more sustainable source of cellulose than most trees. But don't be deceived into thinking the process or end product are better. It is just rayon. Rayon may be a brilliant product but the bamboo stuff and common stuff is just as brilliant as each other.

Pure arsenic sourced from a rare vine growing only in primary forests on high mountains in the amazon is exactly the same killer crap as pure arsenic isolated from a toxic chemical plant's waste stream. The story doesn't change the end product.

I would be surprised if other bamboo based fibres have not been invented since the bamboo / rayon boom. Not because such new fibres are technical breakthroughs but because there is such a big proven market in places like the USA (proven by the uptake of bamboo rayon) that will pay a premium for 'bamboo' due to its green connotations. But to meet this demand now without running afoul of the FTC requires a non-rayon bamboo fibre. True market led innovation - a very rare thing .

You will also see ''made with viscose from bamboo" on products now - this is an attempt to admit that it is rayon from bamboo (for the purposes of the FTC) but in a way that many consumers won't link to rayon.

I would be very interested to hear what Roger Caffin has to say on this. I don't know the guy but from other posts understands he was a textile scientist in a previous life. I believe he visits this forum sometimes?

[GD4Up]

As for quality. Well on the OLT you see just about every pack model made. Not a fan of the Kathmandu pack range but at least their "bushwalking" packs with a multitude of stuff hanging off them do not fail unlike a few other brands. I would rate their quality as acceptable or better, while MD gets the good or better, and specialist brands like One Planet, Hilleberg, etc get excellent.

I've had a 'early model' Kathmandu pack for about 7 or 8 years - used it all over... Tassie a number of times including the OLT twice, Vic High country, Carnarvon, Hinchenbrook and regular walks in Lamington / Border Ranges. So its had a full range of weathers and kept the dust and water out. Its lasted well - no rips although the toggle on the drawstring broke - doesn't constitute an excuse to go pack shopping apparently . The design / shape is a good fit for me and I've been pleased with it when considering the price. I've also used one of their down sleeping bags a couple of times and was pleasantly surprised with it. The over-inflated RRP is frustrating if you need something ASAP and can't wait until the next sale. Always good for some cheap tshirts though!

Bamboo in socks is one that has me shaking my head

I'm with you, conjured images of the 'bamboo under the fingers' torture. Interesting to read the comments re the warmth and comfort.

[Ent]

Yesterday's visit to Kathmandu highlighted the usual thing that I dislike about Kathmandu, over pricing. A year ago Devonport Kathmandu was selling 220-230 gram gas canisters for $6 to $7 dollars. Yesterday they were now priced at $12 Oh yes but in that sale they were ........

Now is a gas canister a fashion item? Was it close to the use-by date? Was the canister for a now superseded system? Answer is no to all three but there it is again having a massive RRP and then discounted by spectacular percentages to create an impression of value when even when on sale a trip down to the local MD or Allgoods will give a cheaper normal price.

Ok there might still be suckers out there but I do tend to think that more people have woken up than are being suckered in nowadays. It is illegal to raise prices before a sale to mislead consumers that an item is on sale at a discount to its true price. But not illegal to start with a artificially high RRP and discount at sale time to create misleading impressions on value. Talk about following the letter of the law rather than the spirit.

Simple advice, in Devonport walk the extra twenty metres and check out MD's pricing.

Also gas is an issue in Tassie as transport restrictions means buying inter-state or overseas is not on. Well at least some hardware stores are stocking it. I do wish however there was mandatory labelling of the gas mixture make up. Wonderful marketing hype like "winter blend" has replaced honest labelling. It would be a damming indictment on retail if mandatory labelling had to be introduced. Maybe I am asking too much for a multinational retailer to apply standards. But I sincerely hope not.

Cheers

[icemancometh]

I stand corrected. I did own some MD clothing in the distant past. Two coolmax tops. The singlet was ok but the shirt was not so good...poor cut and design all round. The shirt is long gone but the singlet sometimes finds itself pressed into service for training days if it's been too wet/I've been lazy to get my washing done.

RE Kathmandu nicknacks, I'm waiting to see bigger companies use the IR sensor that Kathmandu have tried in one of their current headtorches...seems a great option for cold weather!