Dear Buffalo

Wow! what a jacket the special 6 shirt is top notch and would recommend to anyone.

I spend up to 84 hours a week in this jacket on the coast of France where I work and it can be very cold down to -10c including wind chill and 50+mph winds.

All my colleagues are wearing 3 or 4 layers of clothes and I'm just wearing a Buffalo and am very warm - it's well worth the money .

I also wear my Buffalo for rock climbing, hill walking and shooting so it gets lots of use and thanks to it's durability and quality I shall contiue to do so.

Thanks Buffalo!

Greg

Malvern

i stumbled across the 'stories' bit of your site, so i thought i'd add my two penn'orth.
i first wanted a buffalo as a teenage army cadet, but other, more camouflaged, gear got purchased first. silly me.
thus, i left it for 20 years, until my honeymoon in slovenia required the acquisition of a new top. so the special 6 (in green, natch. old habits die hard) it was.
that was last september, and i’ve only just taken it off. my wife is rather pleased that I will now wash it.
it’s the best multipurpose outdoor top i’ve ever owned. from canal boating to canoeing, as warm down gear for running, when cycling, you name it, the buffalo comes along and performs. it's suffered snags and scrapes, but the quality of production ensure it holds up.
so cheers for continuing to make good gear, here’s a pic of me in my favourite jacket in the afan forest, biking in the snow, feb 2010. and yes, i am wearing a baselayer, which i soon realised wasn’t required.

ta,

daf
team badger
reading uk
april 2009

Via Email, 29.3.10

Thank you Buffalo for such great gear.

My dad reccomended the special 6 shirt to me for fishing. I was looking at all sorts of dedicated fishing clothing but decided to follow his advice and buy the expensive Special 6 shirt. Although pricey i'm very glad I did, this is the warmest most versatile shirt i've ever owned and I practically live in it now. Wet, dry, cold, its great. Just make sure to carry an extra if it warms up, the buffalo will cook you.

Well reccomended to all fisherman. The free movement, and light weight is great. You wont get anything better.

Ade
Nottingham

From Nick, 8.3.10

Hi to all at Buffalo,

Just a brief note to say thank you for providing such fantastic kit !

I am a full time Tree Surgeon, and as such am required to work in all weathers and at all times of year. I have worn my Buffalo jacket through three winters, including the very severe one just ending. It has performed extremely well, keeping me warm and dry while all around me were cold and damp. And when I say worn my Buffalo jacket I mean five days a week eight to ten hours a day. Thanks to all at Buffalo, keep up the great work.

Nick Chapman, County Tree Surgeons Ltd, West Sussex.

From R.Smith 30 December 2009

I would just like to drop you a note to tell you how impressed I was with you Special 6 Shirt that I bought. I have spent a few hours climbig pen y fan in heavy snow and gale force winds approx 60/70 mile an hour. I wore no other garments under the Shirt and it kept me plenty warm enough.

Fantastic bit of Kit.

R.Smith

From Gordon in Maine, USA 18 December 2009

Howdy!

Behold two photos of Erik in his new buffalo outfit. We went to, well, pretty much the middle of nowhere on Sunday and took the fat pig for a ride in the little sledge. He fell asleep, but at least that means he wasn't cold! The stuff works wonderfully, with a fleece romper suit on underneath, and the hood actually stayed up just fine, without a hat or scarf or anything. It went somewhat mild and wet that evening, and then for the next two days, so that was somewhat depressing. But the snow stuck around and yesterday I went ice climbing. As I drove off at 4 am it was -1. When I returned in the evening it was about -12, and this morning -17. Kurt and I went to Grafton, in western Maine, and had a lovely, if frigid day climbing icicles. It's just so amazingly cold now and the snow pile guarding us from the road became a glacier and had to be chipped away to allow the car in and out. That was my job, with trusty old camp ice axe in hand and lots of traffic. You'll be pleased to hear that I wore the buffalo again yesterday, nothing underneath, and even at minus a lot it was warmer than wearing lifa, thin fleece, and windproof fleece on top. I'm very very happy and will be even more so when Dan brings the expedition hood for it. Wish it had a crotch strap, though, so I shall fashion one. Now I have a meeting.

G.

By Email 9.11.09

Dear Buffalo,

I’ve just returned from a week of walking, in the rain, in Scotland. Having seen all the other stories on your website I wanted to add my own experience of how your kit performed.

I wore the ‘Special 6 shirt’, with a hood, every day, and every day it rained. For most of the time whilst walking I just wore the shirt. On a few occasions I put a waterproof on top as I wasn't using too much energy on the walk (e.g. coming downhill) and the rain was so heavy and persistent. On all the ascents of the hills I just wore the shirt - and it kept me very warm. The best example was when we were going up Braeriach in the Caringorms. The wind was around 60mph and it was also sleeting ... I was quite happy just wearing the shirt (zipped up). On another walk I waited on the Cullin ridge for one hour whilst my friend climbed Am Bhasteir (I didn’t fancy the 3m down climb!), it was raining and cold. I had my special 6 shirt on and your ‘belay jacket’ with a gore text on top (and was in a KISSU). Whilst I wasn’t hot, I was definitely comfortable. Had I been wearing your salopettes I could have done without the goretex. I very much doubt I would have been as comfortable wearing the traditional layering system.

The only bit of your kit that I can fault is, I’m afraid, the hood. I don’t find it sufficiently ‘stiff’ compared to the wired hoods on many goretex jackets. So it is a bit of a pain wearing it when it is very windy as it doesn’t stay in place on my head very well. It does however work very well underneath a goretex hood.

Thanks for making such excellent kit. I’m trying to find an excuse to buy a new one of your shirts (I’d like to try your ‘tecmax’ one for winter) but my special 6 one keeps on going and keeps me so warm that it is proving hard to find such any excuse!

Mike Pigott

Buffalo's Reply

Hi Mike

Thanks you very much for the story. I will get it posted this week.

To enable the hood to pack down very small and to fit in a pocket, we have avoided use of wire. We are however aware the hood would benifit from some improvment and we are looking at this point at the moment. if you are wanting a more technical hood you could always look athe the Expedition hood which has a volume adjuster and a wired peak.

I hope this information help you out.

Regards

Buffalo

By Email 12.10.09

Dear Buffalo

I feel compelled to write to you in order to thank you for making such excellent products. About 19 years ago I was out looking for a christmas present for my mum, and being easily sidetracked I found myself in 'Blacks' of Sheffield. I discovered the buffalo range and was smitten with the 'mummy style' sleeping bag with the full length  main zip and the head zip.That year my mum got chocolates! and I was delighted with my purchase.

It was soon tested to extremes and proved its worth. As a soldier at the time, it went everywhere. To date it has circumnavigated the world three times, been in two major conflicts (Iraq and Bosnia) been subjected to desert sand, heat ( and cold ), arctic conditions ( I left it in a bivi area in Canada and come back to find it was frozen solid, and would have been more use as a surfboard ), and Sennybridge mud! In later years it has been tested as a bed for the cat, and peed on by my dog (presumably because the cat had bagged it as a bed first) It has always amazed me how warm and windproof it is whilst still being able to be packed so small and being so light in weight. It is a credit to whomever designed it.  

Now this is where I get to my only misgiving, and feel the need to highlight a small design fault. namely the zip! As a junior soldier, I was once travelling back from an exercise in the back of a Bedford lorry with the rest of my platoon, having been zipped up in my bag for a bit of a kip, I awoke with the dire need to relieve myself. On this occasion however I was unable to even get out of my sleeping bag owing to the fact that several of my junior ranked colleagues had padlocked both zips together where they met at the neck; this was where the anti tear properties of Pertex worked against me. When I was finally 'allowed' out of the bag my need to take a pee could best be described as "beyond desperate", so I just stood up and relieved myself from the back of the lorry. To my eternal chagrin, the car following our truck was driven by a young mother who had been following close, so her son could see the lorry full of ruffy tuffy soldiers! She was not pleased but at least she found what her windscreen wipers were for!!!! On a completely separate occasion, I made the same error of cocooning myself completely ( you would have thought I'd have learned ) and was kicked over the tailbord by my buddies "for a bit of a larf" as we entered the camp gates, I recieved a second kicking from the provo seargent for littering up the guardroom forecourt.

However, last year my eldest daughter borrowed it for a sleepover, and she broke it!  I quote: " It wasn't my fault, it just broke, the zip got stuck so I gave it a bit of a tug and it just came away.....". The bag that was giving sterling service before she was a twinkle in my eye, killed in one night by an adolescent! Her sister still calls her 'Man hands'.

Keep up the good work.

Regards

Ian Morgan

Emailed 15.5.09

Dear Buffalo,

I have owned several of your very excellent Mountain Shirts over the years (green for work, blue for fun) and I have always been very greatful for all of your hard work and dedication to quality. Whilst in green mode I can absolutely recommend these shirts for warmth in all climates and have been especially impressed by their ability to maintain body warmth when (frequently) wet - particularly as waterproofs are never practical.

I have also discovered a novel use for the front pouch (!?):

(see attached picture below)

Yours,

John

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Email, March 19th 2009.

Dear Buffalo

I recently had to look for a replacement for my Special 6 and after some sound advice from one of your sales/marketing blokes (Adam) I opted for a hooded belay jacket as I wanted something that was a bit easier to put on and take off than the Special 6, but with the same performance.

After wearing it on a trip to The Lakes last weekend I have to say that it was worth the six week shipping delay.

We decided to go up Helvellyn via Striding edge and on the day the wind was averaging almost 60 mph with gusts well over 80 mph. It didn't let up all day, and close to the summit the air temperature wasn't far above freezing so the wind chill must have been well into minus figures. Add to that some rain showers and there was the potential for a very cold, wet and miserable day.

The jacket was awesome. I wore it with a thin Merino wool t-shirt (which in hindsight probably wasn't even necessary), and from 7 degrees C with light wind down in the valley where we set off, to the howling winds and driving rain during the ascent, to the near-freezing temperatures and biting wind chill at the summit, at no point did I feel too hot or too cold.

It was great never having to faff about with different layers despite the big variation in conditions, and I was reminded of this throughout the day as every hour or so my mate started thrashing about in the wind, adding or removing layers as he got too hot or too cold.

I always used to use the base layer/insulating layer(s)/waterproof layer combination but since discovering Buffalo, I'd now only consider taking a waterproof layer with me if there was a big chance of getting really soaked and having to remain completely inactive for a prolonged period.

Bearing in mind that in the past just my Special 6 and a Merino t-shirt kept me perfectly warm when sat inactive in temperatures as low as -6 degrees C, I'd be confident that with the belay jacket and a thicker Merino t-shirt or maybe the addition of a thin fleece I'd be perfectly warm in temperatures more than twice as cold . Considering how lightweight the Buffalo belay jacket is, the warmth it provides is incredible- I've used loads of different jackets in the past, some of these more than twice as thick and heavy as the Buffalo, yet none have ever been as warm.

Oh yeah- it looks decent too, so I can also wear it day-to-day without looking like a complete tool . Bonus!

Cheers

Leon

10th February 2009

Hello Buffalo,

I worked for 5 years building Scotland's mountain paths.  For four of those years I wore a Buffalo special 6, and deeply regretted the one year I didn't.  The first year I wore what I could find, I really suffered hard, but I needed toughening.  Pathbuilding was hard physical grind, in all kinds of crazy conditions on top of a mountain and rarely backing out.  We only ever stopped for deep snow, but otherwise we had to get on with it.  Buffalo was the garment of choice, we all wore them, it was our uniform.  Nothing else worked, not for long anyway, and certainly not cost effectively.  Seriously, one boss I had even enquired about getting sponsorship from Buffalo!

You could wear out an expensive mountain jacket in 3 or 4 months - technical fabrics generally need careful maintenance.  Far from 10-year ownerships mentioned here, we would go through at least 1 a year - and I consider that really hard wearing all things considered.  As the pile wore down, the pertex thinned out through constant abrasion with stone, then the system began to fail.  Eventually you had to wear a base-layer and you'd look forward so much to getting a new one, but even then they really worked well and kept you warm and happy.  You had to time it so you got you new one at the beginning of winter, when you needed it most, so that the tattered version was perfect for summer.

Certain seams would eventually split - under the arms - and the zippers never really stood up to constant use in grit and grime.  I always meant to contact Buffalo about commissioning a chunky zip version because it really pissed you off when, inevitably, the zip would fail on your precious buffalo.  You'd have to use safety pins.  But then, no zips stood up, or really could in such a job.  The hoods aren't the greatest around the neck, I always wished there was an integrated version.  And that you didn't have to buy it separately. We used to carry over the hoods to our new shirts.  The chest pocket was perfect for stashing tobacco, though in a storm you wished it wasn't made of pertex - soggy roll-ups.  Bad habit anyway.  The vents meant you could wear it 80% of the time, though in milder weather and wrestling with rocks you could quickly boil. 

That said, it is such a simple garment, and I love there isn't much to go wrong.  Maybe that simplicity is Buffalo's real virtue.  Also Buffalo is The Best Windcheater, hands down.  And seriously, if you have cold fingers like me, nothing works like the buffalo pockets for getting them warm again.  It reminds me of the time I tried neoprene gloves up Fionn Beinn, the first snow I'd ever been in up a hill - what agony, serious, serious pain.  Buffalo saved me from wasting money on garments which wouldn't work for long, or work half as well.

We always wore plastic fisherman's waterproofs for full-on Highland storm weather, and the Buffalo was perfect underneath that.  Against the skin, there is something really connecting about being wet, yet also warm and comfortable - it's just not unpleasant, and you need to have faith and drop the base-layer.  You could get on an enjoy where you were and what you were doing - the weather became irrelevant.  I've tried everything, and nothing can beat how that works.  When the storm passes, in a good breeze a buffalo dries in 5 to 10 minutes.  What else does that?

I don't work the paths any more, often I wish I was.  I've literally just started to look for some hiking gear again - what a baffling array of stupid technical fabric terms and systems - and I realised, why am I not getting another Buffalo??!  Somehow I'd never associated Buffalo with recreation, just work.  Fool!  Because, by design, if you work with it then it simply wont let you down, anywhere.  I cannot recommend Buffalo enough for day to day use in a tough mountain environment, unbeatable.  And when I see people wearing Buffalo, I still feel part of the gang.

Looking forward to my new Special 6,

Cheers

Nicholas Richardson

2nd February 2009

I was recommended the special 6 shirt by an army mate, a couple of years ago. He has always worn his in the most un-usual circumstances and swears by it.

He told me that I could get away with wearing the special 6 shirt, with just a t-shirt underneath in the middle of winter! Well, I work outside whilst on duty in uniform & plain clothes. I had to see it for myself. I have very bad blood circulation, especially with my hands, the slighted drop in temperature and my hands start getting numb.

It works, my hands are still freezing (even with gloves). I use the front hand pocket warmers, when the situation allows and it works while there in there.

Unfortunately, while I'm in plain clothes and wearing a covert harness on top of the special 6, I have to wear a jacket as well, usually my leather one. When I'm in the car or in the police station, I get bloody hot and even with the vents open, my leather jacket doesn't vent my perspiration well.  If however I'm wearing my duty belt in plan cloths, I don't need to wear any jacket on top, and I'm laughing.....

Can't have it all, can we.

Buffalo does what it says on the tin.

Dan

By Email 26.01.09

Dear Buffalo

  Hi, I first got my special 6 shirt about 2 years ago, my dad had some Buffalo gloves so I thought I would try out a shirt. It was a month before a weeks skiing trip in Austria, and I had to get a top for, so I decided to get a Buffalo after much research abouth them on the internet.

  I was pretty anxious about using the top for the first time on the mountains so I took another jacket and fleece just in case. But I didn't need them at all and I lived in my Buffalo all week, whatever the weather I was comfortable, if it was snowing I was warm and if the sun was shining I would open the vents and and be cool. The rest of the group even tried putting snow down my back to get me cold.

I was a proper convert after this trip, after the skiing I used my buffalo on my duke of edinburgh gold trip which involved 4 days of walking and camping throughout north wales, covering about 50 miles. The week which I happened to do this walk it rained and rained all week. Again I lived in it all week, even at night when my friends sleeping bag was soaked I gave up mine to sleep in my jacket and it was just as good. I stayed dry, it was amazing I thought my jacket was magic I couldn't work out how i stayed dry with rain almost all week. Its really magic.

My last use for my jacket is everyday use I go to an agricultural college and do a countryside management course and I can wear it every day with out worrying about getting wet or cold, also its perfect for taking the dog out.

I think your tops are the most versatile tops I have ever used they have always kept me dry and warm whatever the weather. Im so glad that i bought it, its such good value i prefer it over every gore-tex or event jacket i have used.

thank you

Dan Small

From: Christopher barrett

02 November 2008

Hi

I found out about Buffalo when I was 14 years old, used the system for long distance sea kayaking.

The original shirt I bought when I was 14 has now finally given up the ghost, that was last month, I'm 34 now!

No matter where I am the Buffalo system just keeps on working. So far I have used it in the Scottish Highlands, right down to the South Sinai desert in Egypt, and I have even used it as an undersuit for Diving in very cold water.

Thank you for creating a perfect system of clothing for my needs

Keep up the good work

Chris Barrett

Email from Duncan Clark, 21st August 2008

Title: A Little Balance

Dear Buffalo,
Whilst I am a great fan of your gear, and have used it pretty much from the start, I have been reading your stories and think they could do with a little balance so that new users can make a proper informed choice.

Many years ago, I used to organise a mini adventure race for our climbing club, and one January tested Buffalo gear 'to the max' by swimming across a plunge pool to retrieve a Tyrolean, then heading up Moel Siabod in the snow and ice! People were quite rightly amazed that I didn't immediately die of hypothermia.

In the Army, I remember being similarly impressed during a particularly unpleasant wet and muddy OP we were mounting once - everyone had the old '58 pattern bags except one lad who had the brand new Superbag and who volunteered to leave it in the OP - what a hero - instead of the cold wet nylon, smeared with clay and grit from everyone's boots, I got a soft warm, deliciously comfy bag with armholes (liner removed)! Result!

As you can tell, I have been well impressed by the performance of Buffalo gear, however there is another side (there always is)…

If you get an unexpectedly warm day (or night) you will melt in it! Yes, it wicks away the sweat but you cant afford to lose sweat at that rate when working hard for extended periods - what this means is that you almost need to carry a thermal and windshirt at times when there is a warm weather risk.

I've one other experience I wanted to share because people should know the full story regarding specialist clothing systems. Once I was involved in a search for 2 missing climbers which took place after a wet bivvi (no problem there) and went on for about 10 hours of driving rain and wind round the back of Y Llewydd in Snowdonia. To start with, I was fine in fact better than my mate who was wearing full waterproof jacket and saloppettes however after several hours there were more and more trickles of water running around inside my 3-piece suit, which also wasn't really a problem because I was staying warm enough anyway.

Where the problem started was when we were forced to become stationary for some time (about 3 hours) with little shelter - my mate was able to deal with this with relative ease, being protected by a barrier, however I started to become wetter and colder as time went on. Luckily the 2 were found before anything worse happened but there you go….

In summary - fantastic and durable kit - and great at what it does best.

Kind regards
Duncan Clark
www.NorthRidgeAdventure.co.uk

Buffalo's Reply

Dear Duncan

Thank you very much for taking the time to write this email to us. I will put it on the web site today. It is very important to have a balanced view of our equipment on the site so everybody can see what it can and, just as importantly, cannot do.

To comment on some of the points you made, I agree about the need to take ‘warm weather' clothing when you are out as well as cold weather. It might be cold at the start of the day where a Buffalo Shirt is perfect, but by lunch time, the temperature could have risen  by 10 degrees or more and a Thermal and Windshirt is perfect, or even an ActiveLite Shirt (!). Getting too hot can sometimes be very unpleasant and without enough water dangerous.

As for your cold, wet experience on Llewydd, we do try and recommend that some form of ‘movement' will be required to keep you warm in times when you are stationary; star jumps for example should do the trick every so often.

One of the reasons for getting cold was that you started to get very wet with cold water. The ‘pushing' process of moisture from your body to the outer layers of the 3 piece suit (Shirt, Salopettes and Jacket) would have stopped because there was no heat to do the work and no heat to ‘warm' the water up when it came in contact with your skin. This is where some form of vigorous exercise does the job and helps keeps you warm. Another way is to put the trusty Windshirt over the top of what you are wearing just as the rain starts. This, though not waterproof, can act as small water barrier and just delay the time it takes for the water to get in and the chilling process to start. (Exercise will still be required though, as above). If a ‘Waterproof' is put over the top and not breathable, any moisture that is ‘pushed' out though the Buffalo Clothing will be trapped behind the waterproof and end of making you colder than before. Of course, keeping your head and hands warm in this type of situation is vital, and a DP Hood on your head can help, and Mitts will help keep your hands a little warmer. The other answer, of course, is to try and find a little shelter!

As for the plunge pool, I did something similar a few years ago to test a new shirt, because loads of other people had done it and I thought that I should really know what it was like. Mine was on a very snowy day on Bleaklow! 20 minutes later we stopped on top for lunch and I was fine!

I hope this has answered some of the points you made. I will add this reply to your email on the web site so new users can see how we ‘try' and address some of the issues you raised.

Again, thank you for taking the time to make these comments. It is always good to hear that we are still making great kit, in the UK, and that we have not given in and gone down the fashion line that so many brands have done before us, and lost their actual reason for making clothing in the first place.

Regards

Adam Thomas

Sales and Marketing Manager

Buffalo Systems Ltd

Hello,

I stumbled across your site when looking for a new snowboarding jacket and after a quick phone call with someone helpful at Buffalo, went for the alpine jacket. Amazing! From very windy blizzard conditions in Austria and France to being soaked during the commute, I have never been cold wearing it, no matter what (if anything) I had on underneath. I've even had to dry it out from damp by wearing it after a wash, and still I was warm (and dry in a few mins).

I also appreciate that I don't look like a ski instructer when on the tube in London. The jacket has instantly become one of the very few things I would replace the next day if anything happened to it. Thankyou very much for making it.

here's a pic of me getting vertigo at Alpe D'Huez 2800 - Dome des Petites Rousses. Hopefully again next year!

Oli

I have been meaning to check in for a year or so ever since I
realized you actually have a web site! I have been wearing my buffalo
shirt every weekend to ski in Yellowstone National Park where I have
lived and worked since 1993. I am from Somerset and I married a park
ranger and work here as a Landscape Architect. This is buffalo
country (bison actually if you want to be correct about it), and I
always thought it ironic that I am the only one here who has a
buffalo shirt. I often sing the praises of the shirt when people ask
me if I am too cold or too hot and just wait while they are
constantly putting more on or taking stuff off. Even in below
freezing temperatures and winds I rarely wear anything else and the
weather can get pretty warm (winter warm you know) before I get too
hot in it. We mostly back-country ski in the park or the wilderness
areas around the park. We generally don't ski where the bison are as
they tear up the snow, can be pretty dangerous and don't hang out in
the best skiing areas. Hence I don't have any pictures of me skiing
with the bison in my shirt. Just today I was driving up the road to
my favorite ski trail and there were the usual ten or so big bulls
standing in the road. I thought about getting out and taking a
picture of myself next to them but ... didn't!

The shirt is doing well. It is showing signs of wear. I have
seriously worn it every weekend from December to about the end of
April for the past fifteen years. I think part of the longevity is
due to the fact I rarely wash it - it doesn't smell so I don't need
to. I don't wear it in the summer it gets too hot here and though I
love it, it isn't the most comfortable thing to sit around camp in.

I worked in an outdoor shop on weekends for a while, way back when,
in Somerset and went to trade shows with Nick of Nickwax. He was just
getting started then and trying to get his products known. Now you
can by Nickwax stuff everywhere here, every outdoor shop has his
products. Before I emigrated I worked in the Peak District and joined
the Mountain Rescue group. Unfortunately I wasn't there long enough
to do many missions but it was them that got me interested in search
dog work and buffalo shirts!

My search dog found several avalanche victims and went on many
mountain searches out here. She died of cancer two years ago but the
buffalo shirt is still going strong.

It is quite amusing to see buffalo shirts have not changed, even the
same old colours - what's with that - did you buy up the fabric
factory and dye twenty years ago?! But no problem, I agree totally,
why change a good thing!

Anyway, I seem to have got a bit carried away with my note here. The
other reason for writing is that I would like to purchase a Belay
Jacket and I wanted to ask the best way to do that. I will be home at
my parents house in May for a week and thought the best way would be
to have one of your suppliers send it there and I can pick it up. I
hope the sizing is correct and everything as I won't have time to
exchange it. As we are traveling by train I don't think we will be
near any suppliers or stockists. Can you recommend a supplier to
order from or should I just blindly pick?

Thanks for a great product,

Lynn Bickerton Chan

By Email 4th April 2008

Hi Adam

Just thought I would let you know that I finished the Iditarod cycle race in alsaka. I ended up 8 th doing it in 3 days and 23 hours, which I was quite pleased with for a first attempt. I was leading in the early stages but had some mechanicals which set me back a little. As usual temps were pretty cold. However the Buffalo clothes worked really well. In the pic attached it was -40C and although it was chilly whilst I was moving I didn't need to put my down jacket. The Buffalo was enough to keep me going. It's a shame you don't make a sock system however as I did suffer from frostbite and on my return to the UK spent a week in hospital. Luckily my feet are pretty much back to normal, I haven't had to have anything amputated, just lost the feeling in the end of my big and little toes.

The only thing I could think of to improve the jacket is some sort of Camelbak pouch. At those temps I needed to wear my camelbak inside the jacket to stop it from freezing and it made the jacket a little tight and the arms short full (and this was with only a small water bladder). It also meant I had to wear a thermal under the buffalo otherwise the pack would have had to be against my skin which was a bit uncomfortable. Some sort of inner pouch would be cool and maybe a way of getting a little extra room in the back panel.

Cheers

James

Hi Adam

Here are a couple of pics from my big trip to Bolivia last year, with Illimani (6462m) the final objective. It was -10oC on top, and by the way the ropes are moving you can tell there was a significant wind chill on top of that. My Buffalo served me faithfully throughout the trip, which included one other 6000er, and two other training peaks above 5000m. Please feel free to use these for promotional purposes. Bolivia is great training for Scottish winter conditions!!

All the best

Martin

By Email 4th March 2008

Hi All

I was out the other day (2nd March 2008) for one of the classic Scottish mountain rounds, the traverse of Bidean nam Bian, starting with the challenging approach over Beinn Fhada. The mountain weather forecast was for frequent snow showers merging to blizzard conditions at times, and a severe wind chill of -20oC. I wore my buffalo as per usual, next to the skin for the round, and I was as warm as toast all day, apart from my hands while trying to stuff down a sandwich at the summit cairn from my spindrift filled sack. We were rewarded with breaks in the weather, revealing dramatic snow filled corries, huge cornices developing in the gale force north westerly, and distant views to snowy peaks. Down to the Clachaig for a pint of real ale, before our pickup arrived, we were buzzing!

I always wear my buffalo shirt in winter, and have taken it to Nepal, Peru, Caucases, and last year to Bolivia. Although now on my second shirt, the first one lasted for over 10 years, I have absolute confidence in its ability to cope with extremely cold windy weather, and even when saturated with rain, the moisture wicks away downwards leaving the skin dry and warm. It is unarguably the best bit of winter kit I possess, and wouldn't swap it for a fancy £300 goretex. Even after all this time I am still amazed at the buffalo systems near magical properties, when you finger the width of the material there seems to be nothing there. But it works, and works very well in all weathers. Thanks for a great invention.

Martin Hulme

By Email 21st December 2007

Hi,

I am just needing to retire my mountain shirt after 16 years of loyal service.  It is the most impressive item of clothing I have ever owned and I will be replacing it with another one.

During its long lifetime it has been used as my primary winter cycle jacket (typically October to March) for things such as expeditions in the Scottish hills, Trailquest and Long Distance events as well as during my daily cycle to work - which over the past years has ranged from a 4 mile to a 25 mile daily round trip as I moved around the country from Cambridgeshire, to Northern Scotland, to Wiltshire, Lincolnshire and now South Wales. 

When I bought the shirt I had a full head of hair - I am now a confirmed 'slap-head'.  It has been drenched completely through many, many times, covered in snow, encrusted with salt from dried sweat and has slid down the road a number of times when I have crashed my bike whilst wearing it and its performance has remained unaffected. Its a little faded now as you can imagine and has lost some of the pile from inside at the front as a result of riding motion but continues to be the warmest thing I possess. 

During its long lifetime it has impressed a number of people with its versatility and the fact that I always wear it against my skin regardless of the severity of the weather and I know has generated a number of follow-on sales and new converts.

Thank you for persisting with this item and retaining its originality as other make's designs and colours have come and gone.

Yours,

Neil Smith

Lincolnshire (at weekends) Wales (Monday to Friday)

By Email 12 November 2007

Hi,

I just thought I'd write in and thank you guys for producing such a great system!

I do ecological surveying for a living, and found myself surveying birds in Sutherland this summer. Although I was going to be effectively nocturnal (with survey sessions at sunrise and sunset), I had expected conditions to be suitable for the kit I would use for surveying, say black grouse in spring.

Unfortunately, although conditions started out fine, the Icelandic jetstream decided to head south for the summer, and brought extreme conditions. Although it rained six weeks solid (with little respite), my biggest concern was the low temperature throughout the night, coupled with high wind. My existing kit just wasn't designed for this (and, having previously worked in practical ecological management, I was used to being more active also!).

So, after asking around, Buffalo seemed to be the name that came up repeatedly, and offered the perfect solution. I ended up wearing the Mountain Shirt all summer (lol!). It was perfect. The vents allowed for me to hike out up the hills and through the bogs (challenging terrain at the best of times - worse at night in extreme weather!). I was then able to close up and sit in relative comfort (thanks to the hood - essential). If rain became far too heavy, I could always throw on my existing lightweight waterproof jacket for half an hour or whatever.

In the end, I was able to cope with the extreme weather far better than the birds, alas.

Certainly, I couldn't have gotten through my summer of bird surveying in Sutherland without the Mountain Shirt! Best and most versatile piece of outdoors kit I've ever purchased.

Cheers!

Chris

Via email 11.07.06

Hi

In Sept 05 my employers moved to a new building with fewer car parking spacies which meant car sharing, parking fees,bus or cycling. As a keen cyclist I did not want to use existing kit I had as it was not high viz. So after an extensive web search I contacted Buffalo about their Teclite Cycling Top.

It seemed to fit all my requirements and in particular I was looking for one garment that was warm, windproof and waterproof. They advised me that it would be good down to about freezing and may require a thermal base layer underneath for colder temperatures.

I have used the top since end Sept05 and stopped at the end of May06. This top is brilliant. It does all the above. My ride is about 5 miles and involves cycling home at 20.00. The last winter was b..... cold but after a couple of minutes warm as toast. It is superb for communting in all weathers 0 - 10C. Although it does get a bit warm above this when we have the odd mild winters day.

If you are going to commute buy this it is worth it.

thanks for a great piece of kit

Graham

thanks

Via email 29.06.06

Hi,
I have just come back off a three month expedition to the Arctic where I took along one of your Ladies Mountain Shirts, and can honestly say it was the best bit of kit I had. I wore it everyday for the entire expedition, and it didn't let me down, being brilliant in the -20 degree temperatures of March, and the rather soggy wet days of June. It was more than a little grimy when I got it home, but after a good wash it's good as new and ready for the next trip.

Many thanks for a fantastic product,

Sally Staton