Why Is Everyone Wearing Outdoor Jackets Now? A Personal Take.

First, let me be honest: these trends—no matter if it’s outdoor jackets, sneakers, or streetwear—are, to a large extent, driven by capital and social media hype. A few years ago it was all about limited-edition sneakers and branded hoodies. Now it’s shell jackets. Same story.

I’ve been into hiking for years, and I do know a thing or two about outdoor gear. From what I see, people who wear technical jackets in the city fall into roughly two groups:

1. People who actually love the outdoors and wear their gear every day—like me. I hike often, so I naturally have several shell jackets. They’re functional, easy to throw on, and I don’t overthink it.
2. People who don’t do any outdoor activities at all but want to look like they do. I’m not saying they’re the majority, but they’re definitely out there. One of my close friends recently got into a grad school and saw influencers pushing the “outdoor look” online. He went straight to the store and bought an Arc’teryx Futurelight jacket at full price. I asked him, “Are you planning to hike anytime soon?” He said, “Nah, just looks cool.” I told him he could’ve saved a ton by getting it through a trusted reseller, but hey, he’s got money to spend. The next time we met—boom—he’s wearing a brand-new Macai jacket, again at full price. So to all the rich bros out there: is this how you really do it?

Back in 2018, when I first got into hiking, brands like Arc’teryx, Marmot, and Kailas were still niche. They weren’t popular with the general public—only people who really hiked even knew about them. Arc’teryx was much cheaper then too, like 500$+ less than now, no joke. I got my first one on Black Friday from an overseas deal. It was an older model, and I saved up for it by working at Starbucks. That jacket cost me about 300$—maybe pocket change for some, but it meant a lot to me. When I wore it into the mountains, I felt grounded. That’s where shell jackets belong—in the wilderness, among peaks and trails—not as streetwear flexes or pickup tools.

Because of this recent hype, we now see:

• Fake products everywhere
• Insane markups
• Constant stock shortages

For those of us who genuinely love the outdoors, it’s frustrating.

And here’s one last thing:
If you’ve bought into the outdoor trend, and that led you to actually get out there—go hiking, explore nature, even fall in love with it—then congratulations. You’ve found a much deeper meaning behind that shell jacket.

If that’s you, feel free to reach out. I’d be more than happy to share everything I’ve learned from my years outdoors—no gatekeeping here.