Whichever hat fits, we’ve got heaps of outdoor apparel on WildBounds to suit you. Read on to meet some of our favourite outdoor types, and find out which brands we reckon might float their boat.
You went through a phase, some years ago, of wearing those baggy fisherman’s pants with the crotch round the knees, paired with a bright yellow Inca-Kola t-shirt. A look which was sort of fine when you were sandboarding in Huacachina, but not when the next stop on your round-the-world ticket was Downtown Manhattan.
These days you understand that the secret of a globetrotter’s wardrobe is versatility. Sure, you still want a dash of that relaxed gappie style, but when everything you own has to fit in a duffel bag, it’s all about stuff that you can wear at the beach in Malaysia or a jazz bar in Stockholm – with bonus points for comfy fits and easy-care fabrics.
What to wear…
Seattle-based KAVU excels in this kind of apparel. It’s fun and a little bit loud, but smart enough to take you from the seafront to the city. And if you love that slightly retro 80s block-colour look, you should check out the range from Cotopaxi too. It’s lightweight and practical gear – plus much of it is made from remnant fabrics that would otherwise end up in landfill.
Airport security scanners light up like Piccadilly when you saunter through, but can anyone really say they’ve made the most of life without a few metal plates and pins to show for it? One winter on a black run at Whistler you could almost swear you heard a sonic boom as you broke the sound barrier.
Come spring, you switch the skis and snowboard for a bike, and by autumn you’re on first-name terms with the A&E nurses who’ve dug half a kilo of gravel out of your knees. Out in the hospital car park, your mates are waiting in the van to drive you to the nearest bar. Play hard, play hard, and all that.
What to wear…
Whatever the season, you’ll want to start with a base layer from Kiwi mountain obsessives,Mons Royale. Made in technical merino blend fabrics, these are base layers that fit like regular tees – and they also do a great line in windproof jerseys and other biking apparel. For your bottom half, try some super-stretchy and water-resistant ‘performance denim’ from DUER, and top it all off with a trucker cap from Picture Organic Clothing.
It’s all about the Vitamin Sea. You swim at dawn and dusk, especially on solstices and equinoxes. You paddle board on flat days and surf on rough ones. You’re resigned to the fact that in the winter months your wetsuit will never really dry out.
When the sun goes down, the driftwood fires begin to crackle. You sit around singingRiptide and frying up kelp crisps, even though they spit like hell and taste like that iodine mouthwash you used to get at the chemist before they banned it.
What to wear…
If you’re anything like us, you’ll spend most of your time at the beach in a pair of Sunski shades and a cosy changing poncho from Slowtide or Rumpl. Team it with some quick-drying shorts from the likes of prAna or KAVU, and a relaxed logo tee from Picture Organic Clothing.
Come campfire time, you’ll be ready to bump up the insulation with a warm layer. We’ve got loads to choose from, and many of the brands are doing great work reinvesting their profits in worthwhile projects. Pick a fluffy hoodie from tentree and they’ll literally plant ten trees, while if you go for a toasty merino sweater from Sherpa, you’ll be helping to fund education projects in Nepal.
People see you in an airport departure lounge in your brightly coloured mountain gear and crampon-compatible boots, and they understand instinctively that this person is off to do somethingdangerous.
But you’re not all gear and no idea. On the contrary. You know how to cross a glacier, assess avalanche risk or set up a polar bear fence. You can navigate comfortably in a white-out, and you even understand the arcane grading system for climbing routes, though you don’t like to boast about it.
Some might say your technical mountain jacket is overkill for an afternoon stroll in the Chilterns, but you didn’t get this far in life by being under-prepared.
What to wear…
If this sounds like you, then you’ll want to explore the range from Alpine legends, Ortovox. They started out more than forty years ago making avalanche transceivers, and they’re still the go-to clothing and gear brand for mountain guides and rescue professionals.
Looking further north, we’re among a handful of UK retailers stocking apparel and backpacks from Sweden’s best-kept secret, Klättermusen. Hailing from the ski town of Åre (kind of like Swedish Chamonix), this is seriously well-thought-out gear from lifelong mountain enthusiasts. It’s engineered to perform, and built to last.
We’ve also got a full range of camping and outdoor equipment from the likes of Jetboil, MSR and Sierra Designs, so getting kitted out for serious expeditions has never been easier.
As you stand pigeon-toed on the tip of Trolltunga and throw a studied glance over one shoulder at your long-suffering partner snapping away on the iPhone, you wonder where’s next. Cherry blossom season in Kyoto, or a moody autumn in the Pacific Northwest? They say the artisan coffee in Seattle is to die for.
What to wear…
Not all kit is created equal, at least as far as social media is concerned. Top of the list is culty Japanese brand Snow Peak. It’s so popular that the company holds 30+ camping events each year, where employees and customers meet up just to talk about how much they love the impeccably engineered gear.
Likewise, if you’re going to rock a trucker cap, it’s got to be a tongue-in-cheek ‘animal farm’ one from Goorin Bros – favourite of footballers, actors and pop stars. And for those big, moody landscape shots, few things are quite so Grammable as a Stutterheim raincoat, preferably in the brightest colour you can carry off. Accessorise it all with a vintage 35mm camera on a leather strap – even though we all know it’s the iPhone that gets the money shots.
While we’re at it, let’s not forget thoseKinfolk-inspired interior pics in the shepherd hut or glamping tipi. To ramp up the #hygge, you can’t go wrong with an iconic Pendleton throw, a pair of folksy Öjbro Vantfabrik socks and a scented candle from Skandinavisk that’ll look great flickering away on Reels. Extra likes for an artfully placed Murakami novel.
How does a Pomeranian feel when it sees a husky? Rather like you feel when you visit the Nordic countries. Home to the mighty fjords and fjells, to the midnight sun and the Northern Lights, to lifestyle trends likefika,hygge andlagom… there’s something effortlessly and ruggedly charismatic about Scandinavia.
Is it their brutal murder dramas, their famous midsummer crayfish parties, or that compelling concept of friluftsliv (‘open-air life’)? You’re not sure, but you can’t get enough of it. Though they can keep that thing with the tins of rotted herring.
What to wear…
If you have a weakness for Scandi style, the marketing shots for Amundsen Sports may well be your own personal catnip. It’s beautiful, timeless gear that’s one part golden-age-of-exploration, one part 1970s-ski-resort-chic – and it’s built to take serious hard use through years of adventures.
For best results, combine it with some Nordisk cookware and a Primus stove, throw in some Hestra work gloves, pack it all up in a Klättermusen backpack and get yourself booked in for some telemarking lessons.
The problem with all this lightweight modern kit, you opine over your third pint of Beavertown craft ale, is that it’s just not built to last. You want the bombproof, tried-and-tested stuff that the ranchers and forestry workers have put through its paces.
So what if you happen to work in digital marketing? Why should those horny-handed sons of toil get all the best gear? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and when you spot a beaten-up, 15-year-old waxed cotton jacket that’s been patched and re-waxed, you’re convinced it’s never looked better.
What to wear…
It’s all about natural materials like leather and waxed cotton that’ll work up a unique patina over time. You’ll love the classic backpacks from Topo Designs, or the tough leather gloves from Hestra.
For our money, though, the ultimate old-school gear comes courtesy of Filson. This stuff was born in the lumber camps of the north-west USA, and it doesn’t come much more gnarly than their waxed ‘tin cloth’ and heavy mackinaw wool. Combine it with some heritage-inspired pieces from &SONS for a timeless and rugged look.
