I also don't understand why people climb mountains..
the FIRST guy.. ok fine.. we didn't know what's up there..
But NOW, we know..
There's literally nothing up there..
I'm certainly not against people challenging themselves.. but there are more productive hurdles for humanity to overcome..
It's like collecting keyboards and key caps. Just think of each mountain as a gigantic, unique key cap. Only mountaineering is healthier. And more MANLY. Grrr.
Back on topic of brands though: These days there are so many brands that make good stuff that I think that a lot of brand loyalty is down either to old preferences or to marketing. TNF used to be very good back in the 80s, and then made a lot of mass market crap (school bags for students). Mountain Hardware replaced them in terms of design. Arcteryx popularised ultrasonic welding and water resistant zips (and then outsource to China while maintaining their Made In British Columbia stratospheric pricing).
I used to buy a lot of Patagonia stuff, until I finally realised that I was buying an image (and a cut made for chunky Americans, when I am built like a sport climber). I've sinced switched to whaterver fits, which tends to be European. Rab is well made and cut for skinny climber physiques. French stuff fits well, when I can find it in non-horrible colours.
It's especially telling that one of the most effective softshells on the market (Marmot Driclime) is unpopular, because it looks like a daggy 80s shell suit. People buy much fancier jackets that cost two or three times as much and don't breathe as well, because the newer softshells look far more fashionable.
There are a bunch of brands which definitely make stuff that's not top notch, but top tier design and manufacturing quality is pretty easy to find across a lot more brands these days.
