Earliest Rohan memories

February 15, 2009 Rohan Flashback 3 comments

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In the beginning there was the 1970’s…

A darker decade than the previous 60’s but non-the-less hopeful. Lacking the colour and the creativity of pop art art hippy culture. Struggling to change. It was this thirst for change that was the greatest driver in the creation of Rohan Designs.

The UK outdoor clothing market, like most markets at the time, was slow to change. The walkers wardrobe was either the clothes they stood up in or breeches made from wool or cotton and cotton jackets over jumpers and wool shirts. Nothing wrong with that but they took days to dry and remember the itch. Quick drying and lightweight had still to come. Style was a dirty word.
Jackets changed first with groundbreaking garments such as G&H Cagjak and the Helly Hanson Neoprene and coated PVC jacket to name a couple. The market still clung to cotton jackets such from Blacks – a great garment bomb proof. Over the head with the big centre cargo pocket any colour just so long as it was orange. Slowly things on the jacket front started to change with the use of the new coated fabrics. In fact this was the point that the industry left the protection factor resting on the fabric itself and moved towards what actually coated the fibre or fabric. We are still in this area of discovery. Rucksack change quicker powered by the interesting dynamic between Karrimor and early Berghaus. Leg wear was still in the wilderness – trousers who thought about them. Very few before Rohan.

If you would like to read more about this period with regard to the British Outdoor Scene take a look at an in-depth record of the equipment movers and shakers for the years in question by Mike Pars ons and Mary Rose. Invisible of Everest : Innovation and the Gear Makers (2003) The British Outdoor Trade between 1960 and 1990. A great read.

So I invite your own memories of the British outdoor scene before the early 1970’s. Pictures, places, your memories, walks, climbs, expeditions any thing that you would like to share. Let’s set the scene and don’t forget to tell us about your early outdoor clothing.
What did you wear on the hills and dales before you found Rohan?

Come on think hard it will come to you.

Sarah Howcroft

photo credit to AP photo/polydor

3 Comments

Glenda George says:

04/05/2009 at 03:09

Sometime in the very early 1980s, a man called Robert bought a pair of Rohan Bags in light olive colour. (Sadly cannot remember if this was the colour Rohan called them and the catalogues have long bitten the dust.) He liked them so much he found himself wearing them all the time. Obviously he needed more than one pair! So began a period of intense Rohanitis.

In a different part of the UK, at around the same time, a woman called Glenda saw an advert for Rohan Bags and was impressed with the fact that they made different ones to fit women! Not a common occurrence in outdoor gear back then. An order went off in the post.

And then….shortly thereafter…another love affair began, not only that with Rohan but with each other. These two people met, clicked and, in November 1984, got married, kitted head to toe in Rohan gear!

Until a couple of years ago we still possessed the bulk of the many, many Rohan garments we purchased from Rohan in the 80’s. As an unfortunate result of the passing years, we have both changed size, ever so slightly. The garments, though worn almost continuously for nearly a decade, remained in great condition and many have passed on to younger siblings, our son, or, even very recently, to our outdoor-mad nieces. They probably didn’t realise the vintage nature of their clothing; they just knew that others thought they were cool in some unusually designed garments.

Robert still possesses an old Action Jacket (at last relegated to gardening) and Pampas jacket. And, more importantly still wears his Rohan Salopettes circa 1986. These saw heavy duty use throughout the 80s and 90s for back country skiing trips and, after a couple of years of rest in the back of the wardrobe, have more recently come out of retirement to still be favoured wear for winter hiking and fishing for trout on chilly lochs in the hills. We both still find our old Wild Vests excellent protection against the chill winds that can fly round Scotland at any time of the year.

The Bags, Hot Bags (these two we possessed in just about every colour available) Action Jackets, Pampas, Savannah, Olfios, Wild Vests, Jekylls and Hydes, The Striders, Superstriders, Spyders (or were they spelled Spiders? -and I’ve probably not remembered them all off the top of my head) not to forget the Dunova base layers: so many garments did we purchase in a very few short years that it is quite possible the only people who wore more Rohan than us were the Howcrofts themselves. For our “honeymoon treat”, immediately after marrying in the morning, we visited a Rohan roadshow and bought even more items in Rohan’s excellent sales!

Such an addiction could never have come about if the garments’ design, materials and overall performance had not been utterly sublime.
Bob Lloyde says:

07/03/2009 at 05:39

I used to be a customer of Rohan in the early days back in Skipton. Great to see they are keeping up with the times and the internet revolution. Well done Rohan I will be back for my next pair of Bags soon
Sally Wigmore says:

02/03/2009 at 04:07

Many thanks to the Rohan Team for the super week-end events at Low Wood.
Wonderful talks and pictures with ‘real’ people, who know that there is so much more than just what we see.
And, to be reminded of all those garments that I’ve grown out of, handed on or down.
Thank you for making us, the customer, feel important and listened to.
Finally…. congratualtions on this new site!