Beyond

One more notch on the best post

noreply@blogger.com (Beyond Clothing) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 06:22:00 +0000

Branching out from our usual design focus of skiing, climbing, hiking, and military clothing, Beyond has been chosen by California wild land firefighters to design their new Wild Land Fire Fighting uniform. Sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security, the yet to be determined suite of garments will include new fabrics developed for the needs of WLFF making sure their brave men and women stay safe.

Scott Jones noted in a meeting recently that "taking our expertise in technical clothing yet allowing the garments to also have a dressed uniform look, and meet all flame retardent requirements, has been the biggest challenge. Similar to playing the piano well, and quiet. Its been fun."

Editor's Choice Award from Backpacker Magazine 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Beyond Clothing) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 21:41:00 +0000

Its been a busy week here at Beyond. At the airport, on my way to LA, I happened upon the latest issue of Backpacker Magazine. Within those pages was a nice little article about Beyond's new Roughrider pant, under the head line of 2011 Editor's Choice SNOW. A new EC this year for BP, and we are honored to have been the only choice for pants. Especially with the incredible choice these days from fellow companies.

The pants, tested by Editor-in-cheif Jonathan Dorn, fit his 6'6" frame perfectly and was said to be impressed with its versatile range of temperatures and winter environments. This is not surprising as the fabric used in the Roughrider is the Steel, Schoeller Dynamic with 3X Dry.

Check back here for updates soon.

Beyond is Hiring

noreply@blogger.com (Beyond Clothing) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:55:00 +0000

Beyond is proud to announce we have created several new positions to fill out our ranks. We are looking for the following:

1)Bachelor's or Master's degree, or equivalent, in Marketing
2)Past employment in the Outdoor industry, preferably hard or soft goods.
3)Proven record of success developing a strong brand
4)Ability to create, and develop branding programs from retail to print.
5)Developed relationships within the Outdoor industry

1)Bachelor's or Master's degree, or equivalent, in Business Development
2)Past employment focusing on government business development
3)Experience with government contracting and negotiations
4)Developed relationships within the appropriate government communities

Beyond is recognized within both industries as a leader in quality, and innovation. Both positions will focus on developing this recognition, and increase overall sales and profits.
The position does not require that you are in Seattle, as your current location may benefit your position.
If you are interested in this opportunity please email a cover letter and resume to hr@beyondclothing.com.

Please note: These positions may also be filled by contract, or by a consultant. If your company fills the requirements, please contact us.

Safari post from South Africa

noreply@blogger.com (Beyond Clothing) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 04:38:00 +0000

I have recently returned from South Africa. 15 1/2 hours from JFK to Johannesburg, and then a hop to Cape Town was not as bad as we had thought it might be. Knowing that we would be at an African safari for 4 days, I had our Mojave fabric made into a pant and top that would allow me to blend in without startling the animals. Little did I know that our fellow travel mates in the Land Cruisers would be wearing polka dotted sweaters, British denim, and the like. I guess you could say I was a little over dressed, but if needed, the setup would have been perfect for blending in in any situation.

I also must say I was comfortable! With pit zips in the Mojave Travel Shirt and the light fabric with Schoeller's 3X Dry application, nothing the sun threw at me could pull my lens away from the animals only yards away from the vehicle.
Of course it is only spring in South Africa, and the mornings and nights are still cold. We found ourselves bundled up with offered blankets, since we had chosen to travel with only carry on luggage for our multi week travels.
More to come soon.
If you have questions about our new lines of clothing, or this trip, please get in touch with us at www.beyondclothing.com or on Facebook at BeyondClothing

Hoping for snow,
Scott

Snow on Rainier!

noreply@blogger.com (Beyond Clothing) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 04:02:00 +0000

Everyone at Beyond is gearing up for the coming season. In the next few weeks, we'll have a few surprises for you, and a few awards to boot. In August, we are proud to announce our owner and founder, Scott Jones was married, and has recently returned from a trip to South Africa. He has mentioned it to have been an amazing trip, but we have yet to see photos of the sharks, lions, and penguins that he supposes. So far we have only gotten a glimpse of him testing his Cache Jacket in his yard with the local 'wild life'. We can only guess that the jacket reminds the horses of carrots, and the beer...well of...beer.

If video does not show
Welcome to fall 2011, Beyond style, and we'll see you all real soon.

I made a new friend

noreply@blogger.com (Beyond Clothing) — Wed, 11 May 2011 21:47:00 +0000

So I know a while back I promised that the Beyond blog would be posting more regularly and for awhile I kept that promise. But then life threw me a chance to make a new friend who has been taking up a ton of time lately. My new friend is named Bruno and he has been quite the support the last several weeks. My good friend Willy introduced us so to Willy.....THANKS A LOT!

If you can't tell from the all caps of the above that statement is dripping with sarcasm. So for the short version:

Please meet Willy:

And Please meet Bruno:

If you'll notice not only do Bruno and I have Willy in common he also knows Vince as well. Then again Vince from ESS seems to know everyone!

So to continue the story. If you haven't guessed by now I had an accident with our friendly front yard horse. I decided to take Willy out for a walk instead of the old mare Ethel, Scott took her. All was good until Willy had a tantrum about going back in his pen, started bucking, and took off. I in the infinite wisdom of the moment clamped down harder on his lead and off my feet I went, arm stretched over my head being dragged across my backyard. He only went about 10 feet to a new patch of grass and stopped. I was so shocked, and so irritated (and a margarita in) that I didn't notice my arm hurt. That wore off fully 3 hours later when I realized I couldn't move my arm but about an inch.

So off to the doctor the following week. And after an X-Ray and a soothing time in the MRI tube (I really do enjoy it. I find the noise rather rythmically comforting)it was determined a couple of ligaments had ripped clean off my shoulder socket, I'd torn my labrum (socket lining) and had flattened out a chunk of the normally rounded hummeral (arm bone) head. Good times. But I found a fantastic surgeon at the UW named Dr. Warme who showed up to pre-op in alligator cowboy boots and a killer suit. But you know what? He was super warm, friendly, and took more time to chat than a family doc. He was booked pretty far ahead so it was almost two months after the accident that I went in. The entire staff of Dr. Warme's office was the epitome of awesome. I couldn't have asked for any better treatment and I'm super grateful to all of them for taking such good care of me. And a huge thanks to Scott for making sure I had exactly what every Pacific Northwesterner needs after surgery, check out my hand.....

That's right, for some reason all I really wanted when I came to was a Vanilla Latte. Not sure what to think of that.

So after 2 weeks in a recovery haze of pain meds, tiredness, etc I'm sort of on the mend. PT starts in about 4 -5 weeks and I may be skiing, riding, etc by January though could be next March/April. We'll have to see. Hopefully I can find some new activities to keep me outside during recovery.

So to end the story the Beyond blog is back from hiatus. Thanks for your patience!

noreply@blogger.com (Beyond Clothing) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 19:55:00 +0000

Beyond in SuperTopo!

Beyond was lucky enough to have its Cold Fusion Shock Jacket as part of the SuperTopo softshell jacket review. The folks at SuperTopo really know how to review a jacket. They put the jacket through the paces like Beyond has never seen before during a review. The editors received it in December and have been wearing it every day since then. From the cold Pacific Coast, to climbing Mt. Whitney, to ice climbing, to everyday wear, the jacket really saw some action. So out of the 24 jackets reviewed how did Beyond compare? As has happened many times, Beyond tied for first. Third place was 10 points behind us. You can see the full list of results here. The beauty of the situation is we have received some awesome feedback on how to improve the product. Since we make everything custom Beyond has the flexibilty to quickly incorporate vetted changes and improvements to products. We do not have to wait for a new model year. We are currently doing just this on a new jacket for SuperTopo. The new jacket will ship shortly and while we understand they can't retroactively change a published review hopefully we'll steal 1st place in their hearts! Check out the full write-up of Beyond's Cold Fusion Shock Jacket right here.

Thank you SuperTopo!

Beyond In The News!

noreply@blogger.com (Beyond Clothing) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 17:54:00 +0000

Beyond was back in the news on Friday. Bloomberg Businessweek included Beyond in their article entitled: "Made in USA Gives Small Businesses an Edge". While people know Beyond for its commitment to custom cold weather technical gear what we don't always advertise as much is Beyond's commitment to producing in the USA.

We here feel very strongly that it is important to invest here at home in the manufacturing realm. It is important for people in the communities in which we operate, it is important for being able to truly monitor the conditions in which our staff work and our impact on the environment, and it is important for this country to have a strong manufacturing base into the future. So Beyond is extremely excited to see more attention being given to the importance of American manufacturing both in online, print, and television media. You can find the article here.

A big thank you to the folks at Bloomberg Businessweek for including us in this article.

We're still in the blogging world

noreply@blogger.com (Beyond Clothing) — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 05:17:00 +0000

Happy almost first day of Spring!

So after a brief hiatus Beyond is back to blogging. What have we been up to these last few months? Well all sorts of things such as;

Had our first booth at the Winter Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City.

Produced and printed a new catalog.

Launched a new website. (Check it out: www.beyondclothing.com)

Finished design on several new products including a new women's line.

Started working on a retail shop program for custom garments.

Tried to get in as much skiing as possible when the snow cooperated which it really has been.

And attempted to get a Facebook page up and running.

Actually, we had a Facebook page and it was working swimmingly until I tried to change the admin e-mail associated with the account. Ever since we have been locked out with no answers in sight of how to fix the situation. So for now you can keep up with Beyond via our blog and the occasional tweet. If anyone out there has suggestions on how to get into a locked out account they would be much appreciated!

Anyhow onto less irritating matters. Over the next few posts we'll give a re-cap on the fun things that have happened the last few months such as all the awesome new garments in the line-up as well as some fun projects we have coming down the pipeline.

We'll be sure to be a bit more steady on our blog in the future. We don't want to leave anyone hanging wondering what happened to us. So please keep your eyes on us for new blogs, products, and developments.

We'll be back soon. Think snow!

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Beyond Clothing) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 21:24:00 +0000

And for all of those possible future Beyond converts it definitely is and will be a great year. We are finalizing the new line that will be launched in January and February, the website is coming along nicely, and the new catalog's photos are complete. Yes, the little Beyond elves have been busy, and we hope that you all will check back later this month for the unveiling.
If anyone is heading on over to the Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City, come on by for a visit. Booth #38137.

We is blessed for cold weather clothing

noreply@blogger.com (Beyond Clothing) — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 06:04:00 +0000

Earlier this week Seattle woke up to horizontal wind, hail, lighting and of course thunder. This might be acceptable in many parts of the world, but is downright strange here in the north west. We get grey clouds, a trickle of rain, and a ton of snow (sadly during the day)(screw you Colorado ;).
A couple of folks here at Beyond are renovating a 1964 Airstream trailer (ie. the silver bullet)from scratch. It has taken a bit longer than expected, but when complete will have an original skin, and frame, while everything else from insulation to inner skin, to bed, 'black tanks?', and cabinets, and wireless, and ... will be modern. We think 'kinda cool' when the same year this AS was built John F. Kennedy was touring in the same.
This one day this week that we woke up to this hell storm, we all woke up to wondering how 'Jack' was (his name). He currently resides in a fenced in gravel of a pit that keeps him safe until his renovated debut, but is not close enough to peak in every morning just to make sure all is all right. Thankfully he was, but the weather made it almost impossible to take a picture of the chaos around him.
What does this have to do with cold weather clothing?...Not a whole hell of a lot.
BUT...I must say that the our new Primaloft Technical Jacket, and Soft Shell Bibs did amazingly well in the storm as we were dealing with the chaos of the tent that keeps him safe.
Yes, you heard it first, we are in the final prototype and patterning stage of a new set of Primaloft, Softshell, and GORETEX that will be far superior to anything you have seen from a high end micro-manufactured custom cold weather clothing company before. Oops, thats just us. Oh well. Either way its gonna be great, and hope you check back soon for updates.

Beyond ready to launch in '11

noreply@blogger.com (Beyond Clothing) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 18:24:00 +0000

So its a few weeks from 2011, and we've been pretty quiet. All for good reason. New lines will be launched in January and February, that will include new technical offerings, and a new custom created Women's line. Check back here for updates.

SLC OR attendees. Please visit us at booth 38137 in January.

3D Patterning has come to Beyond

noreply@blogger.com (Beyond Clothing) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 22:52:00 +0000

Beyond recently completed a new investment in technology that allows us to step into a whole new realm in customization. Our new 3D patterning system allows us to create your garments in a digital world before creating it for you in the physical one. Now, not only are we able to create your custom cold weather gear specifically for your measurements, but we are able to verify that it will fit you perfectly. With 360x360 degree rotation (left and right, up and down), tight spots that shouldn't be tight, and loose spots that shouldn't be loose will be able to be recognized before our cutting table ever harms a thread of our state of the art fabrics.

Yes, we do have a Right Fit Guarantee, and thankfully it is not needed very often, but Beyond is dedicated to the fit we create for you, and that is not easy. If it were, more companies than just Beyond, would be creating American Made Custom Cold Weather Clothing. Any chance we have to allow for a better Beyond experience, we jump at the chance.
Here's to your next Beyond garment. May it fit even better than your last.

A new year...Some new snow

noreply@blogger.com (Beyond Clothing) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 14:37:00 +0000

2009 has come and gone, and the snow is slowly making its debut here in the North West. A quick few dumps in November got everyone excited, and then really nothing happened in December. But thats the way it is. Skiing and riding don't really get good until January, and then it stays all the way through the summer. A beautiful thing indeed.
We got up to the Mt. Baker ski area this last Sunday for the first time this year. Our local hills near Seattle take a bit more time to get the base they need. Baker had plenty of great buttery snow, and it was actually sunny most of the day.
During the day I wore a Base Line pant, with the Glacier Shock Pant over it. Great comfort and protection for those tele falls that so often happen, but I couldn't help but notice that a bit more warmth in the rear for the chair ride would have been nice. I'll have to keep that in mind as we redesign the line for a relaunch in June.
My trusty Base Line Long Sleeve, and Grid pullover gave me the warmth I needed on top with Beyond's GORETEX jacket on top. Now I am not usually a believer in waterproof / breathable shells on days when the rain is not pouring down, but I've got to say, that the protection and breathability are beginning to make me change my mind. The 2.5 layer fabric, similar to PacLite, but American Made, breathes well, and feels good while skiing all day.

Road Trip I

noreply@blogger.com (Beyond Clothing) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:40:00 +0000

This fall the folks at Beyond have seen more than a few rambunctious times and its not even Halloween yet. Liana, Siena (the black lab), and I jumped in the car on one fine September day, and found ourselves (20 hours later) in Teddy Roosevelt National Park.

Now for those of you who do not know where TRNP is, as I did not, its across the very long state of Montana just inside North Dakota on Hwy 94. I’ve heard quite a few folks say how ‘flat’, and ‘uninteresting’ North Dakota is, or the Midwest for that matter. After the next few hours in the park, I can personally say they’re wrong.
We got up to a campsite, which we could not see at four o’clock in the morning a few hours prior, that had warning signs of rattlers and bison. The bison had already made their mark with massive beds flattened in the prairie grass, only yards from our tent. Thankfully none had been there that night, or that morning.

A quick breakfast and a few mandatory emails, and we were on the driving loop. It was hot by 10:00, and since trails in a national park and dogs don’t mix, I decided to jump out of the car and head out for a trail run. 3.5 miles straight through bison and rattle snake country, on a trail next to a creek called Jones Creek (fitting). Liana was going around on the road and would pick me up on the far side.

The day was getting hotter. Being on the road for two weeks was forcing me to be strategic in what clothing became regretfully fragrant. So in running shoes and shorts, I set off. The run was uneventful until 45 minutes later when I could see the Green Subaru at the trail head only 100 yards away. My eyes then traced the trail back to my feet and the area I would have to travel through to get to said car. Sadly there were at least 25 head of Buffalo in that distance, and I would soon find out that I was not going to be let past.

There were two young ones in the bushes, and the massive grass eating grunters were not going to let me through. Scratch that…growlers. They actually growled at me as I tried to whistle my way past.
Not able to go left due to large tight bushes, I was forced up a ridge with semi tall grass. Walking in large steps keeping one leg above the knee tall grass (yes, a picture would have been good), I proceeded to the ridge where I hoped I could traverse and lower myself down to the road. The bull of all bulls though was chewing his cud up top though, and he felt like he had to show off a bit by getting up. Only 30 feet away, and as tall as me, I ‘scampered on down the other side of the ridge, and found myself on a 45 foot cliff overlooking the road. …..No car…..
Side note: I would find out later that several young buffalo had been wrestling near the car, and had actually used the car as a bumper during their game. Liana, in her infinite wises, left for the other trail head hoping I would be as wise, and turn around on the trail.

Quite a while later the bison from below found themselves wandering off down to the east, and I was able to make my way down to the road.
Stopping every car I could, I let each know to look for the green Subaru which held water, and more importantly at this point, a shirt. I believe I was on the ‘35th bottle of beer on the wall’, when a beautiful truck with leather seats, and a trailer big enough to haul at least 6 horses pulled up. A man in a Stetson right out of the movies, rolled down the window, and said ‘I’m thinking your name is Scott’. I of course agreed, and he said to hop in.
30 minutes later, after a call to Liana, she pulled up, and for the coming two hours, we stood around hearing stories of his and 8 others horse riding exploits over the last few decades. Chasing Bison, being chased by Bison, creating traditional masterpiece saddles that are so ordained win contests and art competitions where there is actually ‘art’, and how often the find themselves getting into trouble. It pleased me to know that my ‘trouble’ was pretty low on the scale, all told.

Beyond's Version of Philosophy

noreply@blogger.com (Beyond Clothing) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 23:34:00 +0000

Is it called a vacation or a trip?

Scott says trip because taking trips is a lifestyle whereas a vacation just means you want to take a break from your life. Seems like a reasonable distinction to me. However after a summer of on and off rain and the last week feeling like December in Seattle with all the gray skies and poor weather, I am indeed ready for a vacation. In particular SUNSHINE!!!

I’ve never gone anywhere warm (unless you count the unfortunate trip to Orlando for a high school band competition. Yes I was a band geek and I’ve already heard all the jokes), but always said I would some day. One day Scott mentioned he wanted to take a full week off of work and had never been to Mexico. So I found some cheap tickets and we head out in October. Our luggage quota has to go to kites and boards so our clothing has to be light and compact to fit the carry on restrictions. To that end Scott is going to produce some new items including a dress and skirt for me.

So check back to see what clothing Scott designs and how it turns out. Also tickets are only cheap because it’s still hurricaine season in the Yucatan that time of year. I’m hoping for an uneventful trip but events mean stories so not all is lost provided you have a good sense of humor.

Stay tuned!

Sea Fair and Skiing in August

noreply@blogger.com (Beyond Clothing) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 23:09:00 +0000

Here in Seattle summer means many things, bonfire nights on the beach, kayaking, mountain biking, among a host of other activities. Really the options are endless and most I have embraced with open arms. However there is one tried and true Seattle activity which I have made a concerted effort to avoid for the last eight summers I have been here. So much so that last year found me off backpacking in the mountains with a broken rib, concussion, and hyped up on vicodin (good times - just ask my partner). What could drive a person to these lengths? I have one word for you: SeaFair. Now it isn't so much SeaFair itself which provides a month of neighborhood fairs, celebrations, and events. It's the closing weekend which caps the whole
thing off. In one weekend we get a massive air show complete with the Blue Angels, Hydroplane races (imagine Nascar on water), and a huge fair in one of the largest city parks. We endure closures of the major I-90 bridge over lake Washington, the noise of the Blue Angels taking off several times a day for several days in a row (they actually take off right above the Beyond facility), among other slight if irritating inconveniences. At least that was my feeling as a transplant who had never taken the time to go. So you can imagine my reaction when Scott e-mailed all excited because he had gotten free passes to not only the event but into the
pits where the hydros are. Now I have to admit I was curious and this was going
to be a close-up view but with a ton of snow still sitting on Mt. Baker skiing seemed like a much better use of my time. However it is good to be social so we came up with what we thought was the perfect Seattle summer weekend: riding our bikes to SeaFair with a couple of friends and their son; checking out the fair and the pits; heading to their friends house for a party; then riding our toushes off back to Scott's car, driving to pick up the dog and my car which was fully
packed with camping and skiing gear, driving up to Mt. Baker, camping at 'our spot', and skiing Sunday.

SeaFair wasn't exactly what we hoped but it was interesting to see the boats up close. However all I kept thinking was "I wonder how much the fuel bill is?" I'm guessing this guy was thinking the same thing:

May be time for a new sport

After experiencing all SeaFair had to offer for us we headed up to the party.
Our host loves the Blue Angels. Conveniently his house is located up on a hill
right above the fair and right in the path of the airshow.

He has a great view which is made even better by the fact he installed a full
set of bleachers on his roof specifically so people could come watch the show.
I can't think of a better way to see the Blue Angels. Kegs of beer, tons of
great BBQ, an endless assortment of sweet treats, comfy seating, and the best
part; a real bathroom! Some people may have been inclined to linger but we were
on a mission to stick to the plan. We managed to pull it off and found ourselves
installed at our campsite by 9:30pm. It wasn't one of our finest car camping
excursions what with no happy hour or camp chairs but we did manage to get through
a chapter of the Monkey Wrench Gang which we read on every tenting excursion
and I made the best camp pillow ever out of my Beyond (black jacket help) wrapped
around a Beyond Primaloft vest. The jacket has to go inside out so as to help
reduce slippage on the Therma-rest pad.

The next morning we headed up to our breakfast spot which is
when we noticed the dog was actually injured. She had managed to completely
expose the quick of her nail and had a couple of torn pads. Now Siena loves
the snow more than any dog I've ever known so there was no chance of her taking
it easy. But we were up there and figured we had to get some August turns in
and I needed to give my L2 Grid its first active test. So we headed out to Blueberry
Chutes which is just a short jaunt from the Artist Point parking lot. It was
perfect spring skiing conditions.

Unfortunately Siena is one vocal dog and whenever one of us
went out of sight she would start barking and pulling wanting to run after.
We had gotten a night in the tent and time in the mountains, and a tenth straight
month of turns.

10 months of skiing and trip 1 in my L2. A great day. Apparently being able to nap the whole ride back to Seattle isn’t good enough.

noreply@blogger.com (Beyond Clothing) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 23:47:00 +0000

Beyond Blogger: Liana Herron

A couple of Fridays ago Scott met me for dinner and brought with him my very own Beyond L2 (grid) pullover. Now while I knew this was in the works as we had taken measurements and talked about what clothing I wanted I didn’t expect to see the first result so quickly nor did I know what to expect. To back up a minute; when you meet a guy on the chairlift and he starts talking about a custom clothing company he owns you think to yourself “that sounds pretty cool”. That said it’s still kind of hard (at least for me) to imagine exactly what it would mean if I got a custom made something or other. Scott’s extremely passionate about what he does so I figured the clothes had to be pretty good and I have worn a few items of his which were not custom made for me. Read: I continually steal his fleece hoodies under the premise I forgot to bring a sweater with me. In fact there’s one in my hall closet now but still I’ve never owned a piece of custom gear before and have been fine.

So to continue, I pull the shirt over my head and………….SOLD!!!! You know those kids who decide they are going to stay in their jammies for weeks on end? Yeah that’s me in my L2. It’s been in the 70’s and 80’s here in Seattle and I’m looking for any excuse I can to wear my shirt. Out of the last 14 days I think that shirt has seen wear at least 11. Don’t believe me? Just ask my co-workers.

You might be thinking to yourself what could be that great about a shirt. Well let me tell you; first and foremost it fits. Not it fits okay, not this will do, but it actually fits and frankly it makes me look pretty dang good. At least I think so and that’s really all that matters. Just because you are in the woods or on the slopes doesn’t mean you don’t want to look at your best. Take it from me; chairlifts are a great place to meet people.

Now to the serious bits; for the women out there who have been graced with curves you will understand the difficulties of getting a top to fit. An ample chest means those shirts designed around a more boyish female figure all of a sudden are two inches shorter in the front, there is extra fabric billowing in the hollow of your back, and nothing manages to find its way over your hip bones but instead bunches up around your waist.

With this shirt the front comes down past my waistband, it skims my hips instead of bunching up, I don’t look like a box, and there aren’t bunches of fabric floating around my lower back. I wish someone would have told me about custom earlier.

For the guys with long arms, long torsos, and small waists with big shoulders you too can have something with fabric where it should be, like at your wrists, and not where it shouldn’t be, for example bunching up around your stomach.

It’s also important to not forget that at $64.00US it is less expensive than many of the comparable alternatives out there. And yes that is custom and you even get a neck zipper.

Camber Layering System - Level 3 (Fleece)

noreply@blogger.com (Beyond Clothing) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:32:00 +0000

Level 3 of the Camber Layering System (CLS) includes a versatile set of fleece fabrics. From the Malamute to the Cold Blooded, each of our fleece products are made with Polartec. In 1996 when I started Beyond, we launched the Cold Blooded along with our Classic Line. The Classic line was traditional Polartec 200 fleece, a fine fabric, yet the Cold Blooded went a step ahead. At about the same thickness as Polartec 200, the Cold Blooded is two layers of fleece with a windproof, water resistant membrane in the middle. The inside layer of fleece is treated to wick moisture and disperse it along the membrane to enhance moisture transfer. The outer fleece layer is treated to be hydrophobic (hates water) and beads up water on the outside even before it gets to the membrane. Along with the great water characteristics, the fabric stretches perfectly for comfort of movement. The two layers of fleece along with the membrane allow for the warmest fleece product available.
The Cold Blooded is a great addition to anyone's CLS as their Layer 3. It is not as compressible as some fabrics though. If you will be wearing a wind proof layer (L4 and above), the windproof membrane of the Cold Blooded is not needed, so for versatility, compressibility and weight reduction, the Malamute is recommended. As a high loft fleece, warmth without weight is at the highest level. A loose weave with lofty 'fingers' creates great warmth on its own without wind, and great warmth under Layers 4-7 with any amount of wind. Due to its loose weave (less bulk), and open fingers (less bulk), the compressibility of the jacket is very high.
Recommended locations and uses: As a mid layer, the fleece is to be used as an addition to Levels 1 and 2 when the temperature dips below a comfortable level. What temperature would that be? We are unable to say, as everyone is different depending on their natural 'furnace', age, sex, fitness level, experience level (stress reduces temperature), and if they are wearing a warm hat. What I can say is that the CLS with the addition of Layer 3 will take you anywhere in the world, in any condition, any time of year, with less weight and bulk than ever before.
We've recently added a product matrix that has weight comparisons for all layers. See it here. Product Matrix.pdf <.5 meg>

Camber Layering System - Level 2

noreply@blogger.com (Beyond Clothing) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 20:06:00 +0000

Beyond’s blog is currently progressing through each level of the Camber Layering System. Continuing the progression through the various layers we are on to Layer 2.

The layers progress from long underwear, and next to skin type products in Layer 1 to the warmest, most protective layers in Layers 6 and 7.

Layer 2 includes the Grid products. The Grid, named for its inner fleece that looks like a grid, or waffle pattern, is fleece next to the skin, and smooth on the outer. Even though it is fleece it still includes the same wicking properties as the Base Line in Layer 1, and is still Polartec PowerDry. What does this mean?

1) PowerDry uses a bi-component knit that utilizes smaller yarns on the outside, that creates capillary action to draw moisture from your skin, and the inside of the shirt or pant, and spreads it out over the fabric for enhanced drying.
2) The ‘grid’ pattern is created by cutting away fleece linearly, leaving squares of loft. This increases compressibility, and enhances warmth with more pockets of air to capture your heat.
Otherwise the Grid fabric feels very similar to a 100 weight, one sided Polartec fleece.

I must say that the Grid has impressed me. We offer it in a long underwear style pant with fly, and a ¼ zip shirt. I have used both extensively over the last two years, next to skin and as a secondary layer. The pant as a next to skin works well while telemarking both on lift access, and back country (a Level 5 pant over). The wicking action keeps my warm legs dry, and do not overheat easily.
The Grid Shirt usually has the Base Line T-shirt under it, and has been used in single digit temps with multiple layers over (Layer 5 jacket & Layer 7 vest), and while biking on cool summer mornings (no other layers). The air flow allows for heat exhaust, yet keeps enough warmth to allow for continuous comfort.
The looks are also great. The patterning of the grid texture on the inside shows through to the smooth outer surface. Compliments abound, while it is also easy to transition from the trail to the pub, or bbq without feeling strange.

Camber Layering System - Level 1

noreply@blogger.com (Beyond Clothing) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 21:40:00 +0000

It seems like my goal in life lately is to obtain as much experience with our Camber Layering System (CLS) as possible.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be explaining the Camber Layering System, layer by layer. The Base Line being ‘Layer 1’ will be at the beginning. Layers 2 through 7 will come soon after. I hope that through these stories, and production information you’ll begin to understand the layers, how they work together, and to know which are right for you.
My name is Scott Jones. I’ll be your guide through the process, and am also owner and founder of Beyond Clothing.

On Saturday, a skiing partner and I found ourselves on Mount Margaret near Snoqualmie Pass. A few weeks before, we had also been on a mountain biking trip in Bellingham, WA. The two experiences show the versatility of the Base Line.

It is important to know that I am a very warm person. I heat up quickly, and do not get chilled easily. On our ski trip to Mt. Margeret I was carrying a pack with the usual water, ten essentials, shovel, etc, weighing in at probably 15 pounds.

Being a snowy day, yet with spots of sun, I was only in my Base Line Silk weight t-shirt up top. Pants were differing layers, to be discussed in future posts.
While we made our way up through the forest we were working hard. Steep terrain with knee deep snow made the going tough, but Dave’s vocabulary does not include the word ‘slow’.
Sweat appeared on my face, and forearms, creating the appropriate cooling, yet allowing the skin to uncomfortably chill when the sun dipped behind a cloud. My body on the other hand was protected by the silk weight shirt. Not a snug fit, but one that allows for continuous connection with the skin, the PowerDry fabric from Polartec wicked every drop of moisture from my skin. The action worked so well that the outside of the shirt actually beaded up with water. This is significant as many other cotton or synthetic shirts will simply ‘wet out’ or soak through.
By not wetting out, the shirt stayed light, dry, and able to continue wicking for hours to come. This regulated my temperature, and kept me comfortable and dry for the entire trip.

March 1, 2008: 24 Hours Old Pueblo

noreply@blogger.com (Beyond Clothing) — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 16:45:00 +0000

Endurance mountain bike athlete, blogger extraordinaire and Beyond Gear Ambassador Jeff Kerkove started his 08 season off on the right clipless shoe by helping the Ergon2 team ride away with the 5 Person Co-Ed title at the 24 Hours Old Pueblo (shouldn't there be a "of" in the middle?). Other race members included 2007 Female Mountain Biker of the Year Pua Sawicki, Ron Sawicki, the agless Dave Wiens and Dejay Birtch.

Favorite quote of the day: "Not really in the mood to line up for a World Cup XC event and get thrashed beyond my wildest nightmares."

March 1, 2008: Jeremy Wright North American Snowshoe Championship

noreply@blogger.com (Beyond Clothing) — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 16:34:00 +0000

Beyond athlete Sonja Wieck placed an incredibly awesome 8th at the recent Jeremy Wright North American Snowshoe Championship.

What's next for the Colorado multisport supermom? Oh, just the National Championship in Ogden, Utah, and then the St. Anthony Triathlon in St. Petersburg, Florida.. Lots of Saints down there...

Feb 29, 2008: Sell the house, live in the Cold Fusion Women's Jacket

noreply@blogger.com (Beyond Clothing) — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 05:57:00 +0000

"My Cold Fusion Shell Jacket is by far the best jacket I've ever owned. I've been living in it, and also have had tons of compliments on it!"

Feb 26, 2008: The Huntin' Fool

noreply@blogger.com (Beyond Clothing) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:11:00 +0000

Arguably the best group of guys we hung around with at the recent SHOT Show, Jason, John, Bryan, Adam and Garth from The Huntin' Fool were kind enough to send Beyond a complimentary membership. Along with was 3 issues of their beautiful magazine (can you describe a hunting mag as "beautiful"...just goes to show John can lay out a good read!)and a very manly (there, testosterone levels back up) Browning knife with The Huntin' Fool logo. Everything about THF points to the fact they are THE experts for western big game hunting.