Ordering Outdoor Gear by Catalog: How to Buy Packs, Boots, and Technical Clothing by Mail

The outdoor gear industry was built substantially on catalog selling. For decades before the internet, hikers, climbers, hunters, and paddlers ordered technical equipment from specialty catalogs that served customers in regions with no local outdoor retailer. That tradition persists, and the skills developed for reading those catalogs accurately still matter when buying technical gear without handling it first.

Outdoor gear presents one of the more demanding cases in catalog shopping because fit, weight, and material behavior under real conditions matter enormously and are difficult to convey in a photograph or description. A backpack that looks ideal in a catalog and fits poorly in the field is worse than useless on a three-day trip. Getting catalog purchases of technical outdoor gear right requires developing some specific reading skills and understanding the return and exchange policies that make the risk manageable.

Reading technical specifications accurately

Outdoor gear catalogs from established specialty companies tend to be more specification-dense than general consumer catalogs, and understanding the specifications is the foundation of making good remote purchases. Several categories of spec are particularly useful:

Weight. For items you carry on your body — packs, sleeping bags, tents, clothing layers — catalog weight listings are usually reliable when from established specialty brands, but the conditions matter. A sleeping bag listed at two pounds may be listed without its stuff sack, without the bag liner, or in a specific configuration that does not match how you will carry it. Check whether listed weights are “packaged weight” or “component weight” and account for the difference.

Temperature ratings. Sleeping bag temperature ratings use an industry standard (EN/ISO 23537) that is more useful than older manufacturer-specific ratings, but they still require calibration to individual physiology. The “comfort” rating assumes a standard adult female in a relaxed posture; the “limit” rating assumes a standard adult male. Cold sleepers should add a margin below the comfort rating; warm sleepers have more latitude.

Fabric specifications. Technical outdoor clothing listings often include denier weight, thread count, water column pressure ratings for waterproof fabrics, and breathability ratings. These numbers are meaningful if you know what to compare them to. A 20,000mm water column rating indicates more waterproofing than a 10,000mm rating. A 20,000 g/m²/24h breathability figure indicates more vapor transmission than a 10,000 figure. If you are unsure how a specification compares to products you know, look for catalog listings that offer direct comparisons or call the company’s customer service line, which for established outdoor specialty companies is typically staffed by people who know the products.

Sizing packs by mail

Backpack sizing is one of the trickier challenges in catalog outdoor gear buying, because pack fit depends on torso length, not height, and most general consumers do not know their torso length. The torso measurement for backpack sizing is taken from the C7 vertebra (the prominent bone at the base of the neck when you tilt your head forward) to the top of the iliac crest (the top of your hip bones). This measurement determines what size back panel and hipbelt a pack should have, and an accurate measurement is the single most important factor in ordering a pack that will actually carry comfortably.

Most established outdoor catalog companies publish sizing guides that walk through this measurement and match the result to pack size categories. Taking the measurement with a flexible tape and a second person to assist is straightforward. Packs in the wrong size category — even by a single size — transfer load poorly, cause hip and shoulder discomfort, and make long days significantly harder than they need to be.

Some companies offer multiple hipbelt sizes separately from the pack, which allows fine-tuning for buyers whose torso length and hip circumference fall in different size categories. This is worth asking about before ordering if you have had fitting issues with previous packs.

Buying boots by catalog

Boot sizing by mail is complicated by the fact that foot shape, volume, and width vary significantly among individuals, and most boot manufacturers produce their lasts in a relatively narrow range of widths. Measuring foot length in centimeters gives you a more precise starting point than US sizes alone, since US shoe sizes are not standardized across manufacturers. Most outdoor boot manufacturers provide a size conversion chart and recommend ordering a half-size up from your street shoe size, since hiking boots are typically worn with thicker socks.

The more important variable is volume and width. Narrow feet in a medium-width boot will slide forward on descents, putting pressure on the toenails. Wide feet in a narrow last will cause blistering and lateral instability. Some manufacturers produce the same model in multiple widths; others do not. Catalog listings that specify the last width and volume category (low, medium, high) give you more to work with than those that list only size.

Return policies for boots matter more than for most gear categories. Breaking in boots before committing to them fully is not always possible through catalog ordering. The best outdoor catalog companies allow returns of lightly tried-on boots within a meaningful window — thirty to sixty days — so that you can wear them indoors for a few evenings before deciding.

Technical clothing and layering systems

Technical outdoor clothing is sized by fit preference as much as by body dimension. Base layers that function as thermal management are typically worn close to the skin; mid layers are worn over base layers with room for air. Knowing the specific fit preference of a garment — whether the catalog describes it as “athletic fit,” “standard fit,” or “relaxed fit” — and comparing it to what you know about that manufacturer’s sizing will help you order correctly.

Layering compatibility is worth thinking about before ordering individual pieces from multiple manufacturers. Some hardshell jacket designs do not accommodate mid-layer hoods easily. Some insulation pieces are cut for a range of activity levels that does not match the hardshell over them. Catalog companies that sell full layering systems from their own product lines make this easier; mixing pieces from different makers requires some research into how the cuts interact.

Managing returns efficiently

Even with careful size research, returns on technical gear happen. The return policy of the catalog company you are buying from should be understood before you order, not after. Key questions: what is the return window, is the item required to be unworn or can it be lightly tested, who pays return shipping, and what is the exchange process for sizing issues. Companies with generous, customer-oriented return policies on gear tend to be the established specialty companies that have built their businesses on long-term customer relationships rather than one-time transactions.