Dumping Grounds, Vol. III: Outdoors Edition🌲🥾
vintage hiking gear for the outdoor enthusiasts (or not), according to my *extremely* outdoor friend
In my last Dumping Grounds post, I featured these La Sportiva sneakers (not vintage, but secondhand) and promptly received this iMessage from a friend who was at the time on a climbing trip in Argentina.
While I’m flattered he felt moved to read my Substack post while “camped at 18,000 feet at the base of Aconcagua” (I had to Google what the heck this was), I felt inclined to clarify here that I’m not actually in the thick of outdoors culture. One, because I live in NYC and only get an opportunity to go hiking, like, once a year and, two, because the closest thing to camping I’ve experienced was passing out in a tent with some of my cross-country teammates in the middle of a Kansas field after a late evening of rambunctious behavior that may have included copious amounts of Bud Light and Burnett’s vodka (yes, this was high school in 2009). Since then, I’m embarrassed to admit that I haven’t even gone glamping upstate.
As much as I would like to argue that jogging through Central Park or navigating downtown during rush hour is comparable to a decent trek anywhere else, I know it’s not. However, I do have a soft spot for outdoor sportswear, whether or not it’s functional for my extremely urban lifestyle. Thus consider me an honorary participate of gorpcore.
gorpcore (n): a fashion trend that involves wearing functional outdoor clothing in urban settings.
For the record, some gems in my closet* that are gorpcore-aligned:
*I also love Merrell’s Moab Speed Sneakers (pictured below). I wore my last pair so often I ended up having to let them go, but another pair is on my shopping list.
All this to say, for this special edition of Dumping Grounds, I reached out to said friend in the name of fashion research. The prompt: Can you think of any brand/item [in terms of outdoors apparel] that has a kind of lore attached to it? Or if you were at the thrift store, is there anything in particular you’d be over the moon about finding? Revealing some of his picks, below.
FYI, search terms I used on eBay and Depop:
“vintage hiking”
“vintage leather hiking boots”
“vintage climbing shoes”
“vintage l.l. bean sweater”
“vintage hiking boots”
“chukka hiking boots”
“eastland leather boots”
“chouinard equipment”
Chouinard Wool Alpine Climbing Sweater, $379
If you’re like me and have never heard of Chouinard, let’s begin with a brand you most definitely have heard of: Patagonia. According to my friend, the latter was created by, and still run by, a famous climber named Yvon Chouinard.
“He used to have a company before it became Patagonia known as Chouinard Equipment,” he said. “They had a bad lawsuit and he basically let the company die and instead put all his focus on Patagonia. Anything from that would be RAD.”
Let me just say that vintage Chouinard is going to cost you a pretty penny, but the stuff is admittedly super cool. My friend sent this wool sweater 🍅 that goes for nearly $400 as well as this $480 backpack and these $500 climbing pants that have definitely already lived a full life.
Royal Robbins Vintage V-Neck Knit Sweater, $20
“Attached to one of the most legendary climbers of all time,” according to my friend, this brand was “prolific in the golden age of climbing in Yosemite.” The founder apparently “pioneered a lot of the first big wall routes up Half Dome, El Capitan, etc.” He had started his eponymous clothing brand that at the time was seen as “super academic and stylish.”
While I’m not head-over-heels about the current offerings, there are some great vintage pieces from the brand, namely this $20 v-neck sweater that would look stunning layered over a white tee, as well as a couple other finds I link to later on.
Chouinard Equipment Backpack, $482
My friend had actually shared this Chouinard backpack, but something about this ‘70s Chouinard Dragon struck a chord with me. After some research, I discovered Chouinard Dragon was a Korean subsidiary of Chouinard Equipment.
Nonetheless, I would literally buy this new if it were available today (and less expensive) for hauling to the office. It would actually be quite functional considering I’m typically toting 2-3 bags weighing at least 20 pounds to and fro.
Chouinard Equipment Wool Sweater, $271
This is simply a Chouinard wool sweater with the Chouinard Dragon logo patch. Again, not sure if vintage Chouinard Dragon holds as much weight here as the Chouinard Equipment label does.
Fun fact: “Back in the day before metal equipment, Chouinard had to learn blacksmithing so he could make his own pitons and metal tools for climbing,” my friend informed me. “He’d trade the French, who made better crampons, for his famous pitons.”
La Sportiva Classic Climbing Shoes, $45
“In terms of vintage stuff, there’s a lot of ‘70s-era climbing shoes I always get stoked over,” he said. “I wouldn’t buy them cause they’re not practical, but they’re cool af.” Case in point: This La Sportiva pair, as well as this Asolo Sport pair. I personally love the label on the tongue of the La Sportivas.
Royal Robbins Vintage Green Sweater, $20
Another vintage Royal Robbins sweater made from 80% wool. The rollneck collar is reminiscent of the classic J.Crew sweaters from the ‘90s. This is a steal for $20 and the moss green hue is humbly striking.
Royal Robbins Vintage Fleece Plaid Vest, $15
Last but certainly not least is this plaid fleece vest by Royal Robbins. Ideal for springtime nature walks where you need a cute extra layer. I’m also smitten with the brand’s leather label on this piece. They just don’t make ‘em like this anymore.
A few more items that caught my eye (not endorsed by said friend):
📰 In other news…
Reading: Last week I wrapped up You Are Here by David Nicholls and it’s exactly the palette cleanser I needed after reading Onyx Storm (derogatory). It’s a romcom novel about two awkward singles who meet while on the famous “Coast to Coast” walk, a nearly 200-mile hike from the west coast of England (typically St Bees Head in Cumbria) to the east coast (Robin Hood's Bay in Yorkshire). I’ve now started Piglet which I like so far but am only a few chapters deep.
Watching: Severance Season 2. If you aren’t watching this, what do you think you’re doing with your Thursday nights? We also recently watched Conclave, The Brutalist, and Nobody Wants This—I actually enjoyed them all for their own reasons!
Buying: Nothing fancy at the moment, but I did scoop up this Everlane quilted liner while it was on sale; I don’t have any white jackets for spring and am excited to pair it layered over something more fun underneath. In that same order I also bought these black corduroys (I sized down and they fit perfectly), this gauzy navy top for spring, and this bandeau structured top.
Listening: We saw Father John Misty perform at The Beacon on Upper West Side last week. The tickets were a Christmas present for Cody—highly recommend booking a show in December for January/February so you have something to look forward to post-holidays when you’re wallowing in the depths of winter.
Obsessing over: These vintage charm watches I found on Etsy. Aside from my Garmin I never really wear a watch (especially metal decorative ones) because they clank around when I type on my computer. Alas I have still garnered quite a collection of vintage watches because I always convince myself I would wear them. One of these is currently in my Etsy cart so it looks like I haven’t quite kicked the habit.
xx E
