So this is what i mean -WHAT is it that makes it a better jacket? is it the materials used? the why the seams are finished or just maybe the after sales ' return if it breaks' warranty?? which is worth something in itself so could justify the initial outlay.
I tend to flit from looking at the really high end stuff and drool over it , but then look at the cheaper stuff from Alpkit and think - well that would work!
Even the North Face stuff have a very cheap option but I'm not sure exactly how good it is. Just paying for a label maybe?
Personally, I don't rate North Face. But let me give an example. It rains here a lot, heavy and persistent and I am often out in it for long periods. I have an Outdoors Research jacket, which is good. But it doesn't have quite the detailing you need. It is cut and detailed to an OK-level and, whilst fine in that regard, if I am not careful rain will get in round the hood. Arcteryx, Norrona and Paramo jackets simply don't create that problem. They are cut better, from better materials with the details you need to control cuffs and collars and sleeves and waist cinches to get the jacket to fit right and keep the rain out. They have more input from more people who use these kinds of jackets regularly and they have a critical and demanding audience thats pays close attention.
Because of that excellence they have been able also to use that credit to add a layer of pizazz to the look of their clothes, which in some cases attracts a wealthier fashion crowd and the price goes up. Viewed another way, if you are going to be paying a lot for a technically good jacket, should you necessarily have to look as if you are wearing a brighly coloured binbag.
Also, Arcteryx (Paramo and Norrona, too) for instance have a number of ranges and, within the ranges, there are different options for a lighter version, a very light version, an allround version and a severe weather version. An Alpha SV is seriously burly, cut for wearing insulation and will take thrashing about in the brush. It is a coat that's good for people who work maintaining mountain resorts digging in wet snow and heavy weather, for example, but is likely too much coat for other conditions. Whilst a closer fitting Alpha FL maybe too light for that, it will be great for hiking uphill in a downpour. A lighter version still, like a Norvan, will be great for running uphill in a downpour.
You probably have to think about the use you'll get from one of these. From now til April it will rain heavily pretty much every second or third day here, and then there is the snow. Once that comes in November, I am in that two three times a week. Unlike Robson Valley, it is quite wet snow, especially in early Spring. When you think like that, spending the extra not to be wet and cold isn't a choice. If you have the money you do it. Otherwise you will be coming off the hill earlier than you would otherwise; or, in the end, just not going at all. If you have the right coat on, you don't even think about the weather or the suffering it brings.
You should note, though, that Arcteryx do have urban/backcountry crossover options in all their lines, as well as just straightforwardly fashionable lines. I don't think it is worth thinking that this arena is filled with numbskull fashionistas with more loot than they know what to do with, though. These top-end outdoor jackets have serious performance advantages. Also, skill in manufacture, continual improvements in design, a wide range of options and a relatively small market base, who are likely only ever going to buy a few items over a lifetime in any case; all these factors will up the price.
But, it might just be that, if it was kind of a regular-use necessity for you, you'd have bought one already. In the end, if you want a tank type jacket that will keep the elements at bay whilst you hike about the place or drag stuff through the woods but won't weigh as much as a tank, or keep getting in the way of your movements, it costs more ... though not if you are prepared to lie in wait on ebay or scan the sales.
Sometimes, you buy a thing that you know to use already. Sometimes you buy a thing that sort of has to teach you how to use it and introduces you to whole host of things you'd never thought of.
