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Patagonia owners give away their company


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Has anyone actually named their kid Chad since sometime in the late 70s?  I'm sure they exist, but I don't think I've met a Chad younger than 45.

Kudos to the Patagonia folks for at least trying to do something with a net benefit.  Whether or not such gestures actually result in a net positive is debatable, I suppose, but it's most likely better than doing nothing at all.

And yes, if you wear Patagonia it says something about you whether you like it or not.  Any clothing that puts its label forward is going to send a message to others and it will almost always be negative except to other douches wearing the same brand.  I've tried, over the years, to never buy clothes with visible labels.  It's a pathetic thing to do in general, with extreme examples being Euro-dude wearing Gucci/Prada/whatever labels.  Nonetheless, I've got a Patagonia fleece that I enjoy in Texas winters, but I'm fully aware that I look like a complete douchebag when I wear it. I just don't care. The puff jackets are like a bright shining beacon announcing the arrival of an insufferable cunt, but they work really damn well.  I haven't been able to pull that trigger, but I understand why some do.  They're well made.

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2 hours ago, Bateshorn said:

Wearing Patagonia vests in the office is cringe. And I’m a total Patagonia homer. 

I love vests, Patagonia or otherwise. My office attire is slacks or dress/casual pants and a long-sleeve button-down dress shirt (or golf shirt) with no undershirt. Most days it isn't cold enough to wear a full jacket so the vests work perfectly for a large portion of the fall/winter months in North Texas.

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22 hours ago, Bevo said:

Does Patagonia still have the stand alone stores?

Could have knocked me over with a feather when I saw this: https://www.patagonia.com/patagonia-austin-316-congress-austin-texas-78701/store_1049258718.html
Last one I saw was in Aspen, which makes a hell of a lot more sense.

21 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said:

It’s awesome stuff that nobody living in Texas needs to be spending money on unless they travel to cold weather climate frequently. 

Could not be farther from the truth, because this: 

15 hours ago, Your Mom said:

Hardly a day goes by in winter that I don’t wear my nano puff jacket.

Mine is a North Face, purchased before I knew how awesome Patagonia was as a company, but same thing.  It's 10+yrs old and easily the best $200 I've ever spent.  Not sure anything else even comes close from a value/use perspective.  It's great in everything from the 60s to the 20s and can pack down inside its own pocket if I need to stow it away for a bit while traveling.  Reminds me I need to get a little rip stitched up before it gets chilly again.

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1 hour ago, Mittens said:

Could have knocked me over with a feather when I saw this: https://www.patagonia.com/patagonia-austin-316-congress-austin-texas-78701/store_1049258718.html
Last one I saw was in Aspen, which makes a hell of a lot more sense.

Could not be farther from the truth, because this: 

Mine is a North Face, purchased before I knew how awesome Patagonia was as a company, but same thing.  It's 10+yrs old and easily the best $200 I've ever spent.  Not sure anything else even comes close from a value/use perspective.  It's great in everything from the 60s to the 20s and can pack down inside its own pocket if I need to stow it away for a bit while traveling.  Reminds me I need to get a little rip stitched up before it gets chilly again.

I got you fam:

https://www.gearaid.com/collections/tenacious-tape

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And yes, if you wear Patagonia it says something about you whether you like it or not.  Any clothing that puts its label forward is going to send a message to others and it will almost always be negative except to other douches wearing the same brand.  I've tried, over the years, to never buy clothes with visible labels.  It's a pathetic thing to do in general, with extreme examples being Euro-dude wearing Gucci/Prada/whatever labels.  Nonetheless, I've got a Patagonia fleece that I enjoy in Texas winters, but I'm fully aware that I look like a complete douchebag when I wear it. I just don't care. The puff jackets are like a bright shining beacon announcing the arrival of an insufferable cunt, but they work really damn well. 


Perhaps you spend a little too much time judging yourself and everyone around you on the basis of tiny little labels on clothing.

You see a guy in a Patagonia [or insert brand here] jacket and you think “he’s an insufferable cunt.”

I see a guy in a Patagonia jacket and think, well nothing really, he’s just a guy in a jacket like everyone else in a jacket when it’s cold.

If you go to the grocery store in Texas in the winter, you will likely encounter 10-20% of people wearing a Patagonia puff jacket, fleece, or vest. Why? To stay warm. Not to mention people wearing North Face or whatever other clothing of choice. Probably 50% of people have some visible brand label on their jacket. Are all of those people douchebags in your eyes?

That must be an awful way to go through life, constantly worried about what everyone else is wearing.
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13 hours ago, Bateshorn said:

If living in Maine taught me one thing, it’s that looking cool in cheap cotton hoodies is way more important than weather resistant layers that manage to both insulate and breath at the same time.  Also, who cares that wet cotton is the quickest path to hypothermia?  I look gooooooood.

 

On a more serious note, I’m sorta at a loss on why they didn’t just sell Patagonia and give the money away, ala McKenzie Scott?  I mean, this feels overly complex and more than a bit vainglorious.

 

I read an article where he addressed that.  He didn't want the brand going on and not being able to control how it acts.  They spent 2 years figuring out a structure that worked for what they wanted.

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7 hours ago, Samson's Wig said:

Has anyone actually named their kid Chad since sometime in the late 70s?  I'm sure they exist, but I don't think I've met a Chad younger than 45.

Kudos to the Patagonia folks for at least trying to do something with a net benefit.  Whether or not such gestures actually result in a net positive is debatable, I suppose, but it's most likely better than doing nothing at all.

And yes, if you wear Patagonia it says something about you whether you like it or not.  Any clothing that puts its label forward is going to send a message to others and it will almost always be negative except to other douches wearing the same brand.  I've tried, over the years, to never buy clothes with visible labels.  It's a pathetic thing to do in general, with extreme examples being Euro-dude wearing Gucci/Prada/whatever labels.  Nonetheless, I've got a Patagonia fleece that I enjoy in Texas winters, but I'm fully aware that I look like a complete douchebag when I wear it. I just don't care. The puff jackets are like a bright shining beacon announcing the arrival of an insufferable cunt, but they work really damn well.  I haven't been able to pull that trigger, but I understand why some do.  They're well made.

Good luck buying quality outdoor gear without visible labels.  

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1 minute ago, Celery Man said:

Summit Ice offers a logo free hoodie. If you're on the fence about whether the holocaust was real 🤷‍♂️

Never heard of Summit Ice and have no ideal what you're saying about the holocaust.

Patagonia - labels

North Face - labels

Arc'teryx - labels

Mountain Hardware - labels

Helly Hansen - labels

Marmot - labels

Mammut - labels

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49 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

Good luck buying quality outdoor gear without visible labels.  

Yeah, when it comes to outdoor gear for people who actually do backcountry stuff, Patagonia is just another brand that happens to have a big marketshare. There's other stuff way more expensive and pretensious than Patagonia when it comes to technical gear.

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Yeah, beyond REI co-op, which is also labeled, but relatively quietly, I’m not sure how you are supposed to get functional tech gear that actually works without labels. 
 

My point about this structure is Not that they aren’t doing a good thing, but like all other billionaires, they can’t just give it away. They need control.  They easily could have sold the company for 3-4 billion, taken the money and given it away, with interest, at probably $5 billion.  But that means giving up control. 
 

Yes in theory, they could actually give more away, over decades. But they means not giving it away right now, to charities and communities that need it. 
 

It’s another form of wealthy vanity  giving. They needed the “look at me!”  It’ll make the world a better place, but I’m not entirely sure that’s the only goal here. 

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3 hours ago, wild_turkey said:

 


Perhaps you spend a little too much time judging yourself and everyone around you on the basis of tiny little labels on clothing.

You see a guy in a Patagonia [or insert brand here] jacket and you think “he’s an insufferable cunt.”

I see a guy in a Patagonia jacket and think, well nothing really, he’s just a guy in a jacket like everyone else in a jacket when it’s cold.

If you go to the grocery store in Texas in the winter, you will likely encounter 10-20% of people wearing a Patagonia puff jacket, fleece, or vest. Why? To stay warm. Not to mention people wearing North Face or whatever other clothing of choice. Probably 50% of people have some visible brand label on their jacket. Are all of those people douchebags in your eyes?

That must be an awful way to go through life, constantly worried about what everyone else is wearing.

 

yes, the ghetto HEB in Temple is full of Patagonia wearers in January 

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Yeah, beyond REI co-op, which is also labeled, but relatively quietly, I’m not sure how you are supposed to get functional tech gear that actually works without labels. 
 
My point about this structure is Not that they aren’t doing a good thing, but like all other billionaires, they can’t just give it away. They need control.  They easily could have sold the company for 3-4 billion, taken the money and given it away, with interest, at probably $5 billion.  But that means giving up control. 
 
Yes in theory, they could actually give more away, over decades. But they means not giving it away right now, to charities and communities that need it. 
 
It’s another form of wealthy vanity  giving. They needed the “look at me!”  It’ll make the world a better place, but I’m not entirely sure that’s the only goal here. 
You're really going to give them shit for this? Wow. We need more wealthy people to do this, not less.
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3 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:
32 minutes ago, Bateshorn said:
Yeah, beyond REI co-op, which is also labeled, but relatively quietly, I’m not sure how you are supposed to get functional tech gear that actually works without labels. 
 
My point about this structure is Not that they aren’t doing a good thing, but like all other billionaires, they can’t just give it away. They need control.  They easily could have sold the company for 3-4 billion, taken the money and given it away, with interest, at probably $5 billion.  But that means giving up control. 
 
Yes in theory, they could actually give more away, over decades. But they means not giving it away right now, to charities and communities that need it. 
 
It’s another form of wealthy vanity  giving. They needed the “look at me!”  It’ll make the world a better place, but I’m not entirely sure that’s the only goal here. 

You're really going to give them shit for this? Wow. We need more wealthy people to do this, not less.

We need more wealthy people just to fucking give their money away, straight up, cash money honey, no strings, no provisos, no building naming ceremonies.  And it can be done: Mackenzie Scott. 
 

But in the absence of that, yes, this is a good thing. 

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3 hours ago, Bateshorn said:

Gracias!  Ordered.  I have an old Pacific Trail- Pac Tech Terrain Jacket w/ a rip, that I bought at Oshman's/ Sports Authority years ago.  It's a backup that I leave in my outdoor box in the truck.  Best jacket ever.  Think Columbia bought them, canceled the brand.

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41 minutes ago, Bateshorn said:

We need more wealthy people just to fucking give their money away, straight up, cash money honey, no strings, no provisos, no building naming ceremonies.  And it can be done: Mackenzie Scott. 
 

But in the absence of that, yes, this is a good thing. 

Dude, you're never gonna bone her.

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13 minutes ago, Macanudo said:

Um, they plaster their logo just like everybody else.

And a hoodie IS NOT high quality outdoor gear.  It's what teenage girls wear.

Yeah cause they’re trying to start a conversation. And maybe you’re not comfortable with that conversation but that’s on you man and I’m a little disappointed.


Also, disagree on hoodies.

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11 hours ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

Yeah, when it comes to outdoor gear for people who actually do backcountry stuff, Patagonia is just another brand that happens to have a big marketshare. There's other stuff way more expensive and pretensious than Patagonia when it comes to technical gear.

Yep.  Some of the technical gear is wild.  Jackets/shells that are close to a grand.  

If you are an alpinist, extreme hiker, mountain hunter/guide, etc - I get it.  Weight and protection will keep you alive.  Most everyone else is just larping

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8 minutes ago, Celery Man said:

Yeah cause they’re trying to start a conversation. And maybe you’re not comfortable with that conversation but that’s on you man and I’m a little disappointed.


Also, disagree on hoodies.

Cotton hoodies, yes.  Wool and synthetic hoodies, that's different.  

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20 hours ago, Samson's Wig said:

Has anyone actually named their kid Chad since sometime in the late 70s?  I'm sure they exist, but I don't think I've met a Chad younger than 45.

Kudos to the Patagonia folks for at least trying to do something with a net benefit.  Whether or not such gestures actually result in a net positive is debatable, I suppose, but it's most likely better than doing nothing at all.

And yes, if you wear Patagonia it says something about you whether you like it or not.  Any clothing that puts its label forward is going to send a message to others and it will almost always be negative except to other douches wearing the same brand.  I've tried, over the years, to never buy clothes with visible labels.  It's a pathetic thing to do in general, with extreme examples being Euro-dude wearing Gucci/Prada/whatever labels.  Nonetheless, I've got a Patagonia fleece that I enjoy in Texas winters, but I'm fully aware that I look like a complete douchebag when I wear it. I just don't care. The puff jackets are like a bright shining beacon announcing the arrival of an insufferable cunt, but they work really damn well.  I haven't been able to pull that trigger, but I understand why some do.  They're well made.

Wearing well made clothes that work really damn well and have a lifetime warranty makes you an insufferable cunt?

I must be missing something. 

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