Gear That Doesn’t Quit

"Number one, it's a bomber softshell jacket. My Flylow Higgins Jacket has kept me warm and dry in dozens of Utah storms, and it's breathable enough that I wear it with a light base layer as winter turns to spring. Number two, it's functional—great pit zips for dumping heat, and I love the internal pockets for skins. That loop for wired headphones was functional back then and now it's funny and nostalgic. Number three, it's cool. I love the look and color combo. It was awesome when I first bought it and it's still super cool 10 years later now that it's faded." —Colin Corridon, ski bum with a corporate job in Salt Lake City, Utah

"Many years ago, I was skiing Tuckerman Ravine in New Hampshire and I saw a guy wearing a pair of gray Baker Bibs. I'd never heard of Flylow, but I was like, those look like a solid pair of pants. It was those reinforced knees. I got my first pair of Baker Bibs in 2019 and I've worn them skiing around 100 days a year since then. I'll be at the top of the mountain, it's 36 degrees, pouring rain, and blowing 50 miles per hour. And I'm completely dry. You don't notice good gear in good weather. But when it's wet out and you're staying dry, you sure notice it then. That's when good gear makes all the difference. My biggest fear was that the Baker Bibs would sell out or be discontinued, so I ended up getting a second pair just to keep on hand. If the first ones ever fail, I'll have my next pair ready to go." —Paul Cotter, freeride coach at Palisades Tahoe, California

"I got a prototype of the Ridge Glove back in 2009. That's when I was baking gloves for Flylow, sitting by an oven and hand-treating hundreds of pairs of gloves with a waterproofing Sno-Seal. You know how Rainbow flip-flops take time to wear in? But once they do, they're the most comfortable sandals you own? That's what my Ridge Gloves are like. I put maybe 50 days a year of skiing in those gloves and every other year, I'll hit the palm with some more Sno-Seal. I now travel around the world teaching fire behavior classes to new firefighters so they understand what they're up against and I wear my Ridge Gloves to teach fire dynamics classes, too. They hold up in everything." — Allan Cheateaux, Colorado-based firefighter

"I had no money at the time, but I needed a jacket so I walked into my local ski shop and I saw the Flylow Lab Coat on the sale rack. I think I paid $60 for it back in 2005. For more than 15 years, I've skied 60 days a winter in that coat. After that many years, it feels worn in. I had to get the front zipper replaced at one point, but other than that, it's still the jacket I grab every morning. It still keeps me dry. It's a well traveled jacket by now. It's been to Alaska, Canada, Japan. I've skied all over the world in that jacket. It's skied in Austria, France, Germany, Wyoming, Montana. Because it's navy blue, it can get dirty without showing too much dirt, but it smells a little because I don't wash it." —Andrew Branagh, president of a survival gear company

"I have this army green Puff Coat that I've had since 2007. It's still super warm. I use it for camping all the time. Sure, I have newer gear, but I don't want my other jackets to smell like a campfire, so I bring my old Puff Coat. I roll it up, fold the arms inside, and pack it inside the hood, then I use that for a pillow inside my tent. It makes for a great pillow and a great layer to wear around the campfire at night." —Chris Budish, Denver real estate appraiser, skis Loveland every Friday

"I kept blowing through pants—my ski brakes would catch on them or they'd get shredded. A friend said, 'Check out the Flylow Chemical Pants.' They had these reinforced knees and cuffs made from Cordura nylon. That was around 2006. Those are the only pair of pants I've rocked ever since. My first pair of Chemical Pants, the zipper got mangled on a stray screw sticking off a metal locker in the ski patrol locker room. They weren't worn out; they were just torn up. The second pair, I slipped on a huge sheet of ice on the Jay Peak tram dock. I fell completely flat out. Next thing I know, I'm in the bathroom, I look at my pants, and there's a tear in the crotch across the seams. I was like, OK, that's it. Time to get my next pair. I've had my third pair for years now. I sewed a pocket with extra reinforcements on the side of my Chemical Pants so I can have my Leatherman right there. Working on patrol, it's super handy to have a knife in a utility pocket on the outside. I like to keep things around for as long as I can." —David Tepper, Jay Peak ski patroller, Vermont

"I've worn the King Hoody all winter long for the last 15 years. If you look closely, you can see the wear and tear, but it's holding up shockingly well for how much use this coat has gotten. I wear it all the time to shovel the deck, go to the grocery store, go to work. I have other coats I wear skiing, so this is more like my everyday, all the time jacket. It's been through so much of my life. I wore it when my first dog died. That was 10 years ago and we ended up sleeping on the lawn as he was having a seizure. This jacket was there for that." —Allan Sapp, Kirkwood skier from Gardenville, Nevada