I honestly don’t remember the Redback brand. I remember RM Williams, Drizabone and Hard Yakka
I use a 30’ or 60’ wash at 30 degrees with Tech Wash, then 30’ wash with TX Direct. Very expensive detergent, but worth it; I get 20% off it at Cotswold Outdoor thankfully.
Hard Yakka came up in the search I did for the boots. They all seem to be very much the same in looks and build so it came down to price and size availability
Cheers. So you put just the things you want to wash in the machine on their own?
Hard Yakka are more known for their shirts and trousers, if they have boots, I suspect they are made by someone else.
After proofing your garments in the machine it’s best to then do a quick empty wash afterwards with normal detergent to purge the machine of Nikwax. Not a big deal, but the load after proofing can smell a bit Nikwaxy if you don’t in my experience.
In theory you need to make sure there’s no other detergent in the washing-machine; I tend to give the soap drawer a wipe (how do they get so minging?) and put it on for a 40 degree wash with nothing in it to wrinse it out. I don’t know how important this step is.
If the things are OK with it it’s good to give them a tuble-dry afterwards.
Assuming you’re looking at just shells there are two products to consider: Tech Wash washes stuff and gives the DWR a bit of a spruce up, it’s good for regular maintenance cleaning (something I’m guilty of not doing) and then there’s also TX-Direct which is a re-proofing if stuff needs it.
My problem with Paramo is their sizing. If you’re tall and skinny then skip Paramo as their LG and XL sizes are sized for right fatties. XL is practically a teepee tent. It’s an issue they’ve never responded despite decades of feedback in their reviews.
You can get custom Nikwax clothing. This outfit are 2 miles down the road from me. But their styling and colours are even worse than Paramo’s!
I’ve had a few bits of Paramo kit. A Velez smock is the only one still active. It’s superb but sadly short in the arms and bulbous around the waist and hem (size LG).
Thanks all, it’s an OMM Kamleika jacket, which is (I think) a triple layer and the outer shell is very stretchy.
Back OT, I was listening to a podcast about someone doing The Spine Race and they were using Buffalo clothing? ![]()
A mate of mine had a black one in the Alps when we were doing geological mapping one summer. He was always either waaaay too hot (wearing it) or semi-naked and frozen (because he took it off and insisted that you had to have bare skin under it, and that layering wasn’t required). It looked a right faff. I had a Paramo jacket that was far too hot and heavy for Jun-Aug in the Alps. And enormous. Neither of us chose our garments well that trip ![]()
There are three rules to wearing Buffalo clothing:
- You must have a beard
- You must have wanted to be in the military (but probably failed)
- Have no sense of smell or care about others’ sense of smell
Failure to adhere to these rules means you should shop elsewhere ![]()
Apparently, it’s warm when wet. Personally, I use a dry bag to keep my sleeping bag dry
Oh I see. I feel like it could be rabbit hole territory? ![]()
Paramo is best suited to UK type conditions I’d say, Autumn through Spring. I think I could see myself wearing one for Alpine Summer; if it was doing 4000ers. I usually wore a baselayer & GTX shell or the Vapour Rise with a baselayer for the lower 4000ers, and for Mt Blanc I started with the baselayer/Rab VR then added my paclite gtx jacket at the Vallot Refuge as I started to feel a bit cold and the Altitude a little. That was a hard ascent as we were sharing the trail breaking with another team; no one else would come past
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Paramo Medium seems to fit me okay; I’m 182cm & 75ish kg atm. The Halcon is much more loose fitting than the Enduro; the Enduro is pretty ‘athletic fit’ on me, which also feels a bit odd being so used to the Halcon.
Ben Fogle’s bought outdoor clothing company Baffalo, made in Sheffield. Sounds like a good match up, hope it works out.
Like an Oasis gig at Heaton Park ![]()
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Did you not get along with Paramo when you tried it on the hills?