If you love Patagonia as much as I do for fly-fishing, hiking, camping, etc., you know the best time to get the gear you need is when they have a good sale. Check it out via the link below:
Patagonia End of Season Sale
Category: Patagonia
Who doesn’t love Patagonia deals?
If there is ever a great time to stock up on Patagonia gear, clothing, etc., it’s when they have online sales.
Remember that ‘Gear Recommendation’ post I did yesterday? Base layers, top layers, jackets– any past season products are ALL are on sale as of today.
As an affiliate with Patagonia.com, I was pretty excited to get an email from them this morning announcing a 50% off sale going on now until April 23rd.
Get on it!
~L.S.
What’s wrong with hatcheries?
Well, for one thing, they have a huge negative impact on wild fish populations. This is why when my husband and I catch a hatchery salmon or steelhead (you can tell by the adipose fin being clipped), if at all possible, we kill and eat it.
The WSC (Wild Steelhead Coalition) has provided useful information about why hatcheries do more harm than good for wild steelhead and salmon:
“The ecological impacts of hatcheries are also increasingly being highlighted as cause for concern for wild populations. Production hatcheries release several billion hatchery salmon and steelhead each year. These fish, often larger than their wild counterparts compete for finite resources with wild fish, prey upon wild juveniles, spread disease, and attract predators. Furthermore, many of these fish will remain in freshwater and wild fish in most systems are subject to competition and predation from residualized hatchery fish.”
Read the whole article Here
There is a lot that people can do to help, but the easiest way to do your part to help save wild populations of salmon and steelhead, is by educating yourself and getting involved with organizations that have already started the dirty work for you.
To name just a few organizations that are doing their best at conservation projects:
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While we are on the topic of conservation, there is a big reason why I support clothing companies like Patagonia: THEY CARE.
“We can’t pose Patagonia as the model of a responsible company. We don’t do everything a responsible company can do, nor does anyone else we know. But we can tell you how we came to realize our environmental and social responsibilities, and then began to act on them. Like other things in human life, it began with one step that led to another.” -Yvon Chouinard and Vincent Stanley
Read about why the company that not only stands behind their quality, but also stands behind the environment that allows us to keep enjoying the outdoors: http://www.patagonia.com/us/environmentalism
Cheers~
-L.S.
Pata-"Gucci"
Patagonia is an amazing brand of outdoor clothing. It is also $$… Maybe $$$…(Hence the nickname stated in the post title– with all do respect to the actual name, and of course, the company as a whole.) Ultimately, no matter the price, it is worth every penny. I was lucky enough to get my first pieces of this fine thread from family and/or friends for Christmas or birthday gifts. So, the obsession began…
I think what I love most about Patagonia gear, is that it is designed for a purpose of some kind– aimed to please a fly-fisher, rock-climber, skier, etc. So, whatever you buy, you will be warm, dry and/or comfy. It also is a company that is dedicated to conservation and gives back to support helping save our planet. http://www.patagonia.com/us/environmentalism
I do find it amusing that when worn off the water or mountain, Patagonia can also suit the taste of an upper-class soccer mom’s every day “NW casual” closet as well. One day, you could be on an Olympic Peninsula river and see the Down Sweater jacket with dirty-stained sleeves rolled up on a guy who just finished landing a native steelhead, and the next day, you see it on a Jennifer Aniston look-a-like “bleep-bleeping” her Range Rover to prevent anyone from stealing it in the University Village parking lot outside of Pottery Barn. I find this to be quite an interesting juxtaposition of a single brand. Hence, the coined name: “Pata-Gucci”. Of course, there are plenty of people who find themselves Patagonia-clad who are not fishermen or wealthy house-wives, so that was just a single observation I happened to come across and felt the need to share.
When reflecting back to the image on the river, I feel this is where my love for this clothing sprouted. I relate to the “dirty sleeves rolled up” and to the fishing. Before I started fishing, I would see photos of people fighting big fish wearing the “Patagonia” label, and I thought to myself, “That must be good fishing clothing”. So, after receiving the Nano-Puff for Christmas a couple years ago and trying it out on the river for myself, I just found myself glued. Sure, my waders are Simms G3‘s and my jacket is a Cloudveil model that they don’t make anymore, but ultimately, you have to mix it up a little and I find that whatever works, works. Patagonia works best for me, thus far, for under-layers, sweaters and jackets. Thanks to a fellow fly-fisher who offered a generous coupon that allowed me to get some new gear without breaking the bank, I was able to get a couple more awesome pieces of outerwear to try. The good thing is, if it doesn’t end up working out on the river, it most likely will suit me just fine on days spent off of it.
~Lisa
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| In front of the Yellow Cedar Lodge in Terrace, B.C. |
PNW Gal On The Fly 