You Know What Really Grinds My Gears? Now with 3x more gears...

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Slava

I'm just going to dive in here and defend my line of thinking on the CG jacket. I grew up poor, which meant not great winter jackets, boots and gloves.

#### 'em

You don't need to defend wanting to be warm regardless of how you grew up. I also grew up poor, wore my sisters hand me down jeans, in the 80's. High waisted jeans do not fit a male the same way. I can recall coming home with nicer boots that I found in the bootroom, because mine were old and cold.


There are no medals for being cold.

[Fuzz]

My wife got a CG about 6 or 7 years ago, I thought it was crazy to spend $550 on it. But it keeps her warm waiting 30 minutes for the bus, and it still looks like the day she bought it. If it lasts 20 years that's pretty good value.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

My wife got a CG about 6 or 7 years ago, I thought it was crazy to spend $550 on it. But it keeps her warm waiting 30 minutes for the bus, and it still looks like the day she bought it. If it lasts 20 years that's pretty good value.

This is pretty much it, its an investment. Its not a coat you're going to toss because it 'went out of style.'

As long as its quality, and it lasts, by the time you've amortized the cost over the lifetime of the coat you're going to be pretty pleased with the investment.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

#### 'em

You don't need to defend wanting to be warm regardless of how you grew up. I also grew up poor, wore my sisters hand me down jeans, in the 80's. High waisted jeans do not fit a male the same way. I can recall coming how with nicer boots that I found in the bootroom.


There are no medals for being cold.

No one has an issue with defending staying warm. The issue is considering something ultra premium with poor value as a defacto minimum standard. It's purely an extension of how many people cannot differentiate the difference between a need and want. It's like a phone you can easily use for 4-6 years and many people are cycling through them in 18-30 months. Same thing with jackets but probably a double time duration.

I get it. I have worn the good stuff and the crappy stuff. I've looked like Sanka from Cool Runnings because of how poor my family was growing up. People say they were poor growing up and are speechless when I ask if they ever lived in a trailer even temporarily.

I have no issues with people wearing CG and liking it. I do have slight issues with people looking at me like I'm ######ed and freezing my ass off because I'm wearing a down vest with an autumn jacket on top in -20C weather... granted sometimes they're not wrong because I am wearing shorts and flip flops on the bottom while I throw out recyclables and trash or whatever...

But dammit, those saying I'm cold because I don't have CG aren't talking about temperature or recommending a product to me in concern for my health. It's low key ridiculing me for looking poor in their eyes for not wearing premium clothing. Screw those people.

Yeah, I have inexpensive jacket options, pants and footwear options for winter. But I am waiting on delivery on a pair of $100 Sealskinz gloves to see if it's good/great performance in compact form vs my current good performance in bulky form.

Originally Posted by Fuzz

My wife got a CG about 6 or 7 years ago, I thought it was crazy to spend $550 on it. But it keeps her warm waiting 30 minutes for the bus, and it still looks like the day she bought it. If it lasts 20 years that's pretty good value.

Agreed. It would come out to approximately $30/year if it lasts 20 years. A replacement is closer to $60 per year at the moment due to the price spikes of their current stuff. My stuff I use around 5 years for winter level performance at around $30-50/year for jackets.

Most people wouldn't use a jacket like that for 20 years though. I'd say closer to 10 before they consider it "too old" and do an unnecessary replacement. A ball park calculation of about $90-140 cost per year for winter jackets seems pretty accurate for most people whether they buy CG or other brands.

Originally Posted by Locke

This is pretty much it, its an investment. Its not a coat you're going to toss because it 'went out of style.'

As long as its quality, and it lasts, by the time you've amortized the cost over the lifetime of the coat you're going to be pretty pleased with the investment.

I don't know if I'd call it an investment, but I get your point. I agree in the sense that the cash flow spread/cost per use spread over a longer duration (ie: 5-15 years) is reasonable if you look at bigger time frames and if you use the jacket for those longer time frames.

But my issue is that I know vocal weirdos with 3-4+ premium winter jackets that buy a new one every 3-5 ish years or so because it's "old" or they didn't like the color. Their yearly costs per jackets are probably easily double the average person IMO. Some of these people are mid 20s and on their 3rd CG. That's nuts. Do what you want to do with that insane level of spending, just don't comment on my level of spending.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

I don't know if I'd call it an investment, but I get your point. I agree in the sense that the cash flow spread/cost per use spread over a longer duration (ie: 5-15 years) is reasonable if you look at bigger time frames and if you use the jacket for those longer time frames.

But my issue is that I know vocal weirdos with 3-4+ premium winter jackets that buy a new one every 3-5 ish years or so because it's "old" or they didn't like the color. Their yearly costs per jackets are probably easily double the average person IMO. Some of these people are mid 20s and on their 3rd CG. That's nuts. Do what you want to do with that insane level of spending, just don't comment on my level of spending.

And those people should be appropriately shunned.

I dont care what anyone thinks of my jacket. Its mine. It serves several purposes, so long as it serves those purposes well then I'll forgive a lot.

[Shazam]

$550 for a jacket is expensive?

[CroFlames]

I would submit I'm just as warm in my Eddie Bauer as you are in your CG at 1/3 the price.

[Sr. Mints]

I had am EMG that produced news I didn't want to hear: I'm getting sent to a neurosurgeon ASAP to see what surgical options are available. I've had four back operations in 20 years, super bummed there be another

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Locke

And those people should be appropriately shunned.

I dont care what anyone thinks of my jacket. Its mine. It serves several purposes, so long as it serves those purposes well then I'll forgive a lot.

I honestly believe you, Slava and other with CG are on the same page as the rest of us with gear grinders about CG. It's not that you own CG/premium jackets and like it. It's being an ass to those without CG/premium jackets.

That's the true gear grinder.

[Locke]

Also...'Thanked' for Sanka reference.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Locke

And those people should be appropriately shunned.

I dont care what anyone thinks of my jacket. Its mine. It serves several purposes, so long as it serves those purposes well then I'll forgive a lot.

You got taken to the cleaners

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Shazam

$550 for a jacket is expensive?

For me it is. I don't mind spending $250 on a good coat but how much better is a $550 coat really for the average person that's needs a good coat to walk from their car to work or maybe a couple of blocks to a bus stop?

[Slava]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

I honestly believe you, Slava and other with CG are on the same page as the rest of us with gear grinders about CG. It's not that you own CG/premium jackets and like it. It's being an ass to those without CG/premium jackets.

That's the true gear grinder.

I don't really care what other people have or wear, really. I will say that I did hesitate when I got the CG* because I do think they're kind of fashionwear as opposed to needed. But, I had a Helly Hansen jacket that was supposed to be awesome before it, and I was freezing to death. It was stupid. My true gear grinder regarding winter jackets and such is that I've become more of a wuss through the years. I feel like I tolerate the cold much worse now than I did years ago, and I can only imagine how feeble and weak I'll be as an old man!

*(I feel icky using the initials, like on Arrested Development when they call it the OC!)

[PepsiFree]

I’ve never encountered someone with a Canada Goose jacket judging other people for not having a Canada Goose jacket. That seems insane.

I could see judging a person wearing a vest and a light jacket in -20 and below though. Regardless of what you’re wearing.

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by Shazam

$550 for a jacket is expensive?

That would end up being my only garment of clothing purchased for the year.

[Sliver]

Okay well good luck finding one for $550, anyway. I think my CG was $1200. A bargain at twice the price. I'm always warm enough regardless of the weather. Cold doesn't exist for me anymore.

When I think of what people spend to go away to somewhere warm, or how much a heated seat option is in a car, and all the bitching people do about the cold, it really puts into perspective how good the value is in a CG. The price of a CG and a remote remote car starter 100% erases any and every bad part about the winter. For a one-time investment of $2k you can better enjoy six months of the year/half your life. Truly a bargain.

And if there are better parkas for less money than a CG I've never found one. Owned several parkas over the years, too. And maybe there are, but you just got lucky if you found one. If you want to never ever worry about being cold ever again, buy a CG.

[GordonBlue]

Originally Posted by Shazam

$550 for a jacket is expensive?

supposed to be green text?
In my world, $500 for a jacket is freaking bat#### expensive, no matter how good it is or how long it would last.

If you think that's low end to an average jacket price, we live in far, far different worlds.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Slava

I don't really care what other people have or wear, really. I will say that I did hesitate when I got the CG* because I do think they're kind of fashionwear as opposed to needed. But, I had a Helly Hansen jacket that was supposed to be awesome before it, and I was freezing to death. It was stupid. My true gear grinder regarding winter jackets and such is that I've become more of a wuss through the years. I feel like I tolerate the cold much worse now than I did years ago, and I can only imagine how feeble and weak I'll be as an old man!

*(I feel icky using the initials, like on Arrested Development when they call it the OC!)

Yeah man. I went to mec and bought the "warmest parka in the store" and was so cold in it that I returned it. Just said fata it, I guess parkas aren't warm and went back to layering up underneath my old parka, which was also supposedly super warm.

My wife bought me my CG for my birthday a couple years ago and it has been a game changer. I was a little self conscious in it at first because it feels slightly ostentatious and I don't particularly love attention-getting clothes, but I'm a full convert now. They're top of the line.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Yeah man. I went to mec and bought the "warmest parka in the store" and was so cold in it that I returned it. Just said fata it, I guess parkas aren't warm and went back to layering up underneath my old parka, which was also supposedly super warm.

My wife bought me my CG for my birthday a couple years ago and it has been a game changer. I was a little self conscious in it at first because it feels slightly ostentatious and I don't particularly love attention-getting clothes, but I'm a full convert now. They're top of the line.

Yeah, 100% this. It's the warmest jacket I've had. Honestly, until this thread I've never really thought about what other people think when I wear it...probably because it's ridiculously cold and I just don't care?

I do think they're probably over-priced. But it is what it is...they're a great jacket and I wear it more than I would like.

[PsYcNeT]

I don't know if you guys have looked at the price of CG jackets lately, but $550 won't even get you a Fleece Zip-up.

CG Jackets run between $1100-$1600 nowadays.

As someone that had a CG jacket until I tore it on #### in my garage, I second that the Eddie Bauer jackets are just as warm and cost like 1/6th as much (on sale, about 1/3rd normally).