If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
A saying that always comes to mind for everything I own. Finding pieces of gear that are well-built, last for years and can take a beating time and time again.
I got my first piece of gear from Arc’teryx about 6 years ago. It was a classic – the Beta LT Shell Jacket. At the time, I was a 16 year old kid growing up in Whistler… spending my weekends skiing & hiking while learning how to use a camera. It took a handful of photography gigs, pretty much anything I could get at the time, to save up for it. I ended up wearing that Beta LT for the better part of a decade.
It was with me when I was living out of my truck in Alaska for a summer, backpacking around Europe for months on end and had it with me when I shot my first magazine cover – a career milestone for me. What I loved about it was that I could wear it year-round… hiking, skiing or travelling – it did it all. I’m not particularly sentimental about the things I buy, especially clothing but that jacket has been through a lot with me – many of my most formative years. It barely got worn down throughout all those adventures and never started to go “out-of-style.”
After more than half a decade of use I gave the jacket to my mom. She lives in Northern Alberta and it’s become her go-to piece on a snowy day in the winter or while hiking in the summer. There’s something special about passing on a piece of gear that travelled the globe with me. When I’m visiting my parents, I still get to wear that jacket and it never fails to bring back some of my favourite memories.
These days, I’m lucky to be able to spend the better part of my year on the road. Visiting far off places that others call home, spending less and less time in the Sea to Sky. This winter I decided to change that. The plan was to take less flights, put fewer miles on the truck and focus on adventures that are just out my back door. My goal was to see new corners of this place I call home, while shedding light on those who have built a life in this special place.
Andrew Strain
“These are my work clothes. They take a ton of abuse and bear the battle scars of making a living in the mountain environment. There’s a cut across the calf from the time Jérémie Heitz almost tore my leg off, and a fresh coat of grime after a day of bushwhacking through tangled willows in Northern BC. Nothing a wash cycle and a strip of duct tape can’t fix!”
Austin Ross
“The Rush LT Pant is my go-to choice for ski touring. The main reasons I keep putting these on in the morning are that they breathe well, have a regular fit so they aren’t too slim or too baggy and have a nice soft feeling fabric. I can be pretty rough with my pants in the mountains and these have held up extremely well. A+ for the Rush LT!”
Malcolm Watson
“Working as a helicopter pilot in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia you’re always dealing with variable weather patterns and a constantly changing landscape. I routinely fly out to the Pemberton Icecap where the weather can change in an instant. From clear skies to full-on winter storms in a matter of minutes. It’s not rare for me to be waiting on the ice for an hour or more. Getting out of the machine to put the intake cover on the aircraft and shaking the rain and hail off my jacket before getting back in the cabin. Whether I’m battling the elements in the mountains or just trying to stay dry on the Sunshine Coast… the Patrol Shell Jacket is my go-to piece.”
Justen Bruns
“My partner. The Alpha FL jacket has been with me on all of my mountain outings — from the alpine rock of the Bugaboos, to the wet valleys of the Coast Range and the jagged peaks of the Rockies. The one thing that has been there the whole time is my Alpha… packed tightly away, always ready for anything.”
Does your gear still have life in it but is trapped in your closet? Get your gear back into play through Arc’teryx’s Rock Solid Used Gear program.