Point Loma Outfitting - sailing clothing, outdoor performance wear, foul weather gear in San Diego

By Daved Brosche
Patagonia Classic Retro-X Fleece Jacket - An oldy but a goody.

With Fall soon approaching, it is time to start breaking out the fleece jackets. If you haven’t yet purchased your Swiss Army knife of outdoor clothing, you may want to look into the Patagonia Classic Retro-X Fleece Jacket. While the price tag of the Patagonia Classic Retro-X Fleece Jacket may be a bit more than some of the other fleece jackets on the market, its well worth the price. Anything made by Patagonia is going to be expensive, but well made.

So, whats makes the Patagonia Classic Retro-X Fleece Jacket worth shelling out a steep $185 smackers for? First of, the name. I don’t mean buy the jacket because it has the cool Patagonia tag on it, but because of who they are. They offer one of the best guarantees in the industry, are all about being eco friendly, and regularly give back t the community.

But, lets get down to the technical specs of the Patagonia Classic Retro-X Fleece Jacket. The jacket is made with a cool blend of recycled materials. The fabric is made up of a blend of recycled polyester Synchilla pile and a Capilene. Talk about a warm and cozy fleece. This material will having you pet yourself all night long beside the campfire.

The quick & dirty:

Where you can get one: Point Loma Outfitting, of course!

Why they rock:

It’s windproof/breathable barrier comes sandwiched between cozy recycled polyester Synchilla pile and a Capilene brushed-mesh lining
Full-length zipper is backed by a storm flap
Stand-up collar protects your neck from cold breezes, and the Lycra spandex binding at cuffs and hem seal in warmth
Zippered hand pockets are lined with a moisture-wicking brushed polyester mesh
Vertical zippered chest pocket
Seat-of-the-pants rating: 9 out of 10
Im all about a good fleece jacket. It is one thing I dont mind spending a lot of money on. If I were in the market for a new fleece jacket, I would seriously consider the Patagonia Classic Retro-X Fleece Jacket. But, my North Face Denali has laster a good number of years now, so I think it may be a while before I have a chance to buy this bad boy.

Looking to buy? Check it out!

Patagonia introduced their line of footwear late in 2006. Prior to this they had a robust relationship with Merrell, but were concerned about some of the manufacturing, and social standards within the footwear industry. So how does a company go about impacting an entrenched industry? Why they partner with the very company they had been working with in the past, Merrell. Except this time they mandated that the shoes bee constructed in a manner in line with their philosophy; make the best product, yet do no unnecessary harm. So what are the results, well here are some examples of their progress:

 Hevea Milk

The latex they use comes from milk harvested from the hevea tree. They felt using hevea milk had two positive results; firstly the harvesting process was actually good for the trees in that it helped boost the milk production. Secondly they found that the milk itself had a certain microstructure that when cured created thousands of tiny cushioning air bubbles. Now I can attest for the later; the Cardon shoes I have been wearing these past few months are the most comfortable shoe I have worn with respect to impact on my knees and spine. I have done trade shows where I would wear one brand of shoe, but have to switch back to the Cardon as my knees would begin aching from standing on the concrete for long periods of time.

 Better Leather

Before sourcing any of their leather, Patagonia really studied the industry. What they found was that all leather does not have the same impact on the environment. To insure that the leather they used in their footwear left the smallest possible footprint, they chose only those tanneries that had ISO 14001 registration. This strict set of environmental standards measures how efficiently a producer uses natural resources, how its processes impact the environment, and how closely the producer adheres to local and international environmental regulations. Patagonia believes that tanneries that measure up to ISO 14001 produce leather that is better for shoes and better for the planet.

 Hemp

Hemp may be one of the most useful, and misunderstood crops ever cultivated. It has a very short growing cycle, requires relatively little water and no pesticides, and is extremely resistant to molds and bacteria. Its root structure even helps prevent erosion. Shoes made of hemp require no break-in period, breathe better and smell better than those made of leather or synthetics, and are less prone to bacterial build up, which is a lot healthier on the feet. Patagonia uses hemp in a variety of ways, including as laces and as well as material for uppers. Check out the Wilkens shoe for their use of Hemp.

 Smart Step

During the shoe manufacturing process, scrap rubber is left on the cutting room floor. But that doesn’t mean it has to end up in a landfill. A number of Patagonia shoes, including the Drifter are made with Ecostep, a Vibram formulated compound that uses up to 30% recycled scrap rubber that would otherwise be thrown away. Ecostep is highly abrasive, resistant and provides great traction in all kinds of weather and terrain.

Vegan Friendly

Some of Patagonia’s footwear line, but not all, yet, are made without any animal bi-products. The solvents that are used are water based, and the uppers are synthetic or of natural fibers. A quick example that I can think of is the Tenzing shoe.

Now all of the above are obviously a movement in the right direction as far as reducing the shoe manufacturing industry’s footprint, but even Patagonia admits that there are still further advances to be made. Reducing the amount of water used in the tanning process is just one. Yet the journey can only start after the first steps have been made.

Now why did I take the time to put all of this down? One, I think Patagonia has a good story behind their footwear line; taking an industry that has been historically harsh on the environment and demonstrating that improvements can be made without sacrificing the quality of the product. I only wish that Patagonia was a little less humble, and did a better job promoting this story. The other reason and likely the most important to you as a consumer is that every shoe of Patagonia’s that I have worn has been comfortable and well made.

Just as with the Patagonia clothing they stand behind their product with their Patagonia Ironclad Guarantee: If you are not satisfied with one of their products at the time you receive it, or if one of their products does not perform to your satisfaction, return it to the store you bought it from, or to Patagonia for a replacement or refund. A reasonable charge will be assessed for damage due to wear and tear. They guarantee everything they make. That says something in this day and age!

OK, I think I am definetely getting lazy by just posting some video footage! Believe it or not though I actually learned something about the Puckerwear cloth:

This year the American Alpine Institute presented six awards at the annual Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City last week. The equipment and clothing awarded the AAI Guides Choice designation have proven to be of the highest quality in their product category. The awards are determined on the basis of excellence in design, performance, and durability demonstrated in rigorous international field tests conducted by professional guides of AAI. Evaluations are made throughout the year in desert, cold weather, rain, snow, high wind, and high altitude environments. The American Alpine Institute has no financial ties or financial interest in any manufacturer or distributor. All testers and their expenses are paid by AAI.

A core group of AAI professional guides conduct Guides Choice field tests year round, throughout the world. Tests may be completed in a single long season (for example five summer months of intensive climbing in South America), or over several seasons (for example McKinley expeditions in the spring and Himalayan expeditions autumn). Because of the intensity and constancy of use, the wear and stress that gear receives during these tests corresponds to many years of use by a recreational climber.

The following products won this year’s Guide’s Choice Award:

Patagonia Guide Pant

The guide pant is comprised of a tough, weather-resistant nylon/polyester/spandex blend that both breathes well and retains its shape. The guide pant is a lighter alternative to many of the other options on the market, but not too light. Patagonia found a great compromise in the epic balancing act between weight and warmth. This product is just about the right for everybody.

Many of our female guides found that these pants fit better than any of the alternatives. The cut of the women’s guide pants is both feminine and comfortable. AAI Guide Mary Harlan felt that they were the best option on the market for female climbers.

Patagonia CSS Technology

Like all new products, two to three years ago the stitch-free composite seam system technology (CSS) had a few problems. Patagonia worked to eliminate these problems and this year after extreme testing in a variety of environments, our guides found absolutely no problems with the CSS technology.

Patagonia’s CSS technology provides for jackets that are streamlined without extra bulk, weight or material. Sewn seams are far more vulnerable to abrasion, wear and leakage than the durable non-stitched seams found in Patagonia’s modern jackets.

Buff for Buff Original Headwear

The Buff is a multifunctional article of clothing that may be used as a scarf, a neck cover, a face cover or a hat. Many guides find a variety of other purposes for the product. Over the last couple of seasons our guides have begun to wear these on a regular basis. Indeed, it has become almost a part of the AAI guide’s uniform. “When it’s too warm for a balaclava, but too cool to go without, the buff is the perfect piece of clothing,” Senior AAI guide Justin Wood said. Such a sentiment is common among the guide staff.

MontBell Ultralight Thermawrap Parka

The MontBell Thermawrap Parka is an incredibly well designed and functional mid-weight layer. The Exceloft synthetic insulation stays warm even when wet. The combinations of fabric and insulation are designed to dry extremely fast. This makes the jacket a valuable piece in warm and wet environments like the one that we have in the Pacific Northwest.As part of a layering system, our guides found that the jacket performs extremely well. Some of these light to mid-weight jackets are too warm to be used as a part of a layering system. This particular model doesn’t have that problem. On Denali our guides found this to be a good top layer low on the mountain and a phenomenal mid-layer as the temperatures dropped higher up.

Black Diamond Quantum Pack

Our guides found the 55 liter Quantum Pack to be an exceptionally well-designed backpack. This stream-lined pack feels bigger than other packs of the same volume. This has to do with its longer/taller profile. It’s built with ultralight, durable and water-shedding VX 21 Polyant laminated fabric and lined with lightweight 30d SillNylon. In other words, the pack is tough, light and carrys loads well. There are no extra bells and whistles. It is a good pack.

Black Diamond Anarchist Ski Pack

The 42 liter Black Diamond Anarchist Ski Pack is a durable well designed pack with the multi-day backcountry skier in mind. There is enough volume in the Anarchist to cover the minimalist skier for up to four days in the field. The pack’s expandable top-loading design features a side-access panel for easy admission. Its sleek design allows it to compliment the skier’s movements.

Like the Quantum Pack, the Anarchist is tough. The 420d nylon fabric and 1300d Ballistic reinforcements offer water-shedding, long-wearing performance. Our ski guides put this pack to the test, working it through day after day of deep powder in the Sierra and the San Juans and brushy wet approaches in the Cascades.

Mountaineers Books Outdoor Experts Series

A few years ago Mountaineers Books introduced a new series of “how-to” texts. The books took off in a way that went far beyond anyone’s expectations. This series of books now includes some of the most well-known outdoor education writers and climbers in the field. Kathy Cosely, Mark Houston, Craig Luebben, Jared Ogden, Molly Loomis, Martin Volken, Margaret Wheeler, Scott Schell, Andy Tyson, and Will Gadd are just a handful of the well-known mountain guides and climbers that have contributed to the series.

Voilé Telepro T6 Avalanche Shovel

One might think that a shovel is a shovel. But when our guides are up on Denali in -30 degree temperatures, trying to dig out a tent platform during a storm, a good shovel may make the difference between frostbite and comfort. The T6 Avalanche Shovel was the only model not to break or become damaged during our eight expeditions to the tallest mountain in North America this year. If that isn’t enough reason to give this product the Guide’s Choice Award, then we don’t know what is…

By Brian Hindo

BW Magazine

There’s no place on a company’s balance sheet for garbage, so most executives don’t think much about it.

But with oil and other commodity prices surging, some companies are reconsidering trash. They recognize that used-up products are the sum of their raw materials, energy, and labor: With another wring of the sponge, more value can be extracted. So they’re essentially running their supply chains backward, a process called “reverse logistics.”

Genco, a privately held company in Pittsburgh, has lately seen brisk reverse-logistics business. It helps retailers such as Best Buy, Sears, and Target find buyers for products that are returned as defective or broken and would otherwise be landfill fodder. A recent KPMG study suggests companies can recover up to 0.3% of annual sales this way. (That’s $100 million in the case of Best Buy.) Genco has even spun out a reject-pile brokerage business, called Genco Marketplace, that connects sellers and buyers with $5 million a day in junked goods.

Some companies are keeping the efforts in-house. Carpet makers Interface and Shaw Industries collect used-up materials to feed back into production. The hurdles have been numerous, they say, but both expect to enjoy cost advantages over others that produce from scratch.

Outdoor gear maker Patagonia is one of the most ambitious reverse-logistics pioneers. Its Synchilla Vests consist of fiber recaptured from old fleeces and T-shirts—even those sold by rivals. Customers drop worn duds at a Patagonia store or mail them to a distribution center. A subcontractor turns them into new fibers. More than 90% of the fabric is spun into new clothing, says Patagonia; the rest becomes a cement additive.

Patagonia concedes that its process costs more than virgin polyester, but there’s an environmental mandate from Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia’s founder and majority owner. “[He] really wants us to plan for the end of oil,” says spokeswoman Jen Rapp. For most companies, though, it’s all about money. “The real value of reverse logistics is turning trash into cash,” says Curtis Greve, a Genco senior vice-president. There’s a clear spot on the balance sheet for that.

By Wendy Donahue | Chicago Tribune reporter

July 13, 2008

Johnny Depp’s puffy shirts in “Pirates of the Caribbean” are one version of nautical performance wear. Attire for the historic 100th running of the Race to Mackinac next weekend is quite another.

A record number of boats—460—are competing this year in the race, which stretches 333 statute miles from Navy Pier to Mackinac Island, Mich. The crews don’t exactly primp or fuss over their clothing during the world’s longest annual freshwater sailing distance race.

But the course demands a great deal of adaptability from a pair of shorts, shoes and a shirt. Mariners must be dressed for blistering sun, breaking waves, gale-force winds and slippery dashes from stern to bow.

Perhaps not all that different from the demands on other athletes. Or tourists. Or parents.

Besides availing themselves of Patagonia, and other standbys, sailors are abetted by a number of specialty brands, many of which are known only to its subculture, some of which are worthy of broader applications. We’re spilling a few style secrets for your next Kankakee River kayaking adventure, Starved Rock hike or just a stroll along Lake Michigan.

BRAND: Slam, based in Genoa, Italy

KNOWN FOR: Being worthy of Russell Coutts, three-time winner of the America’s Cup.

CROSSOVER APPEAL: Equally adaptable to running or biking, the Evolution Fresh shirt, $75, is a half-zip top made from Silver Aid fabric, with threads covered with pure silver, which has antistatic and antibacterial properties (essential for long passages without long showers). It stays cool in summer and warm in the winter.

ANOTHER MVP: For feet, Slam’s Defender shoes replace laces with elastic fastenings for a closer fit. A rubber anti-slide sole negotiates slippery surfaces. The suede upper is treated with Scotchgard, the felt midsole is water resistant, and an antibacterial insole is removable. Plus, the denim blue (the most popular color) just looks cool. Available in women’s and men’s, $109.95 at www.slam-shops.com

BRAND: San Diego-based Camet (pronounced CAM-et)

KNOWN FOR: Breathable shorts that repel water and still look and smell presentable after three days at sea.

CROSSOVER APPEAL: Perfect for travel, mountain biking or hiking, Camet Agility shorts, $84 (above), boast a Cordura-reinforced seat to withstand abrasive surfaces. Cut loose for ventilation, they feature a two-tone shell with deep side pockets as well as unobtrusive cargo pockets. Velcro waist adjustments keep the shorts from shooting down to the ankles if the wearer dives in the water to cool off (not advisable in the middle of the Mac race).

ANOTHER MVP: Camet’s Hobart Extreme Technical Shorts, $80, add a UV rating of 40-plus, weigh in at a featherweight 9 ounces and offer offset side seams to reduce chafing.  See www.pointlomaoutfitting.com/camet.php

You may, or may not, know that we are planning on moving from our current location here in the old J World San Diego office down the street to Liberty Station. Liberty Station is the old Naval Training Center, and is being re-developed as a residential, commercial, non-profit 12,000 acre mini-village. We have signed a lease for a 6,500 square foot building down in the Landing District( next to the golf course). This historical bulding as in the past been the brig, the Post Office and lastly a day-care center before the Navy moved out.

Anyway, we had planned on opening in the new location March 1, but now it looks like it will be late-April. The reason we felt we needed to get more space was we will be bringing in the complete sportswear line from SLAM; as well as expanding our coverage of the Patagonia line. When all is said and done we should have the largest coverage of Patagonia in San Diego County, especially when you count the new Patagonia Footwear line! While SLAM is best known in the States for their technical sailing gear, in Europe they are best known for their sportswear line. We are quite excited to be the only ones in the US that will bring bringing this line in.

In addition to the above we will also have a seoarte froom just for children’s clothing and shoes; expanded product line from Kaenon, as well as more accessories than you can shake a stick at!

Hopefully I will become smart enough to be able to include some pictures in future postings; but I will definitely keep you apprised of the progress. We hope to have a huge Grand Opening, and get the opportunity to meet you in person.

Well I did not quite follow through as promised; mostly due to technical issues with my lap-top, and somewhat due to the rather interesting weather pattern of the past week. Mondays racing was canceled due to high winds, Tuesday they got three races off in a medium breeze; Wednesday was canceled due to no wind, and then they got fives races off Thursday and Friday. Gear sales in the SLAM booth continued at a rather torrid pace, and by now they are packed up and headed back up the highway towards Miami.

When we arrived at the Key West airport over a week ago I commented on how many bags per person all of the sailors were carrying; then on race day I was amazed how big a bag the crews were bringing on board. With todays materials, and proper use of base layers a crew member should be able to fit all of there gear in a small bag (except boots if they wear them). Last year for the Cabo race (6-8 days) I managed everything; Racing Evolution Jacket and Lohn Johns, Capilene 4 Zip, Cap 3 bottoms, Cap1 Crew and T, shorts and underwear in just a small bag. At no point was I uncomfortable and wished I had brought more gear. If everyone had packed as light we would have saved almost 250 pounds!

I say all of this because last week the racers saw a wide range of conditions, but if they had layered up well they would have been able to save a lot of weight on board each day. I still remember back in the IOR days, if you were racing around the bouys the saying was: “If it fits in a baseball cap you can bring it.” Or if you were racing offshore you brought what you wore. Both of these statements were to emphasize keeping things light; but were also promoting unsafe preparation. Using today’s synthetic materials you can easily take enough gear to stay warm, get adequete sunprotection and not overload the boat with gear weight.

So next time you are going out for a day race and the breeze ia up, ask yourself if you really are taking the right gear. You do not need a 3-Layer jacket that is good for offshore sailing, when a 2-layer spray top will keep you just as dry and warm. In the end it the crew that has the fewest distractions that perform the best.