Fashion fans, rejoice: a new series of Springwatch starts tomorrow. Yes, you heard that right, “fashion fans”, because Chris Packham — he of the knockout collection of all-weather, brightly coloured puffer jackets, shells and fleeces by brands such as Mountain Equipment, plus the odd hiking jacket by the Japanese designer Junya Watanabe — has unwittingly become a style pin-up for a new generation of fortysomething men. And all this while pointing at some owl poo.
You’ve probably heard of gorpcore — coined by the American writer Jason Chen in 2017 — aka the great outdoors look for urban dwellers. “It’s uber-functional and outdoorsy clothes made for wet-weather walks in somewhere like the Peak District,” says Joseph Furness, assistant editor at Esquire magazine. And the gorpcore bit? “Good old raisins and peanuts,” he says. “Gorp refers to the nuts and dried fruit you eat on a hike while wearing these clothes.” Basically it’s American for trail mix.
As with all trends, Gen Z were first to fully embrace it, but now the look has suddenly, and inexplicably, caught on with middle-aged blokes and dads. Head to the school gates on a weekday and you can’t move for men in fishing vests and ACG fleeces.
“They’re all over it,” says Paul Toner, deputy editor at 10 Men Magazine. “Rucksacks with karabiners, Gore-Tex trainers and a million and one waterproof jackets — you would think some of these dads were off to climb Kilimanjaro at 8.37 on a Monday morning, not just dropping off the kids.”
The clothes are specialist and techy: rainproof jackets by outdoor brands such as Arc’teryx and Columbia; backpacks by Salomon worn with Asics trainers; fleeces come care of Snow Peak and Patagonia. Serious gorpcore fans shop at sites like thisthingofours.co.uk and outsidersstore.com for hard-to-find imports.
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And now it’s no longer saved for the young, the dad crowd can’t get enough. How else to explain the hike in outdoor clothing sales at places like John Lewis? The retailer reports that sales of Salomon trail runners have doubled this past year, and brands like The North Face and Rohan have become bestsellers. Similarly, at gooutdoors.co.uk — long a go-to for all things outdoor pursuits — searches for “cagoules for men” are up 22 per cent year on year. With a cord-pull here and a Velcro-fastening there, these all-weather “wardrobe wingmen” speak directly to that inner mountaineer — and they’re fuelling some serious shopping.
Yet it’s waterproof trousers rather than jackets that have had a serious uptick in sales, according to the high-street camping and hiking specialist Mountain Warehouse. Also known as warts — possibly fashion’s most unfortunate diminutive — waterproof trousers have become the default trouser choice of just about every dad, everywhere. Even in the office. The Teslas of the middle-aged man’s wardrobe are reliable, urbane and have still very much “got it”. What man of a certain age hasn’t been seduced by the promise of an elasticated hem and multiple pockets? Yes, they come with a lot of pockets. “The more pockets, the better,” Toner says. “A man always needs to keep his meat thermometer handy.”
Toner credits TV’s middle-aged gorp influencers — see the aforementioned Packham plus Countryfile’s Matt Baker (spot that Snaefell jacket by 66 North, natch) — with helping the look to go mainstream. “Let’s be honest here, your average dad isn’t buying a brightly coloured stormproof jacket because he’s off hiking anytime soon,” he says. “He’s buying it because it looks good. This is basically middle-aged men dressing like Chris Packham.” See also Hamza Yassin of Animal Park (eagle-eyed dads may spot a North Face fleece or two) and even the brilliant Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse in Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing — for gorpcore fans, their outdoor gear is exceptional.
Note, this isn’t about catwalks or influencers, it’s about gear that does stuff: protective stuff, stuff that keeps you warm and dry. It’s about technical fabrics and all the serious science behind them that speaks directly to a dad brain. It’s also great for bragging down the pub. “By the way, Brian, did I mention the seams on this waterproof jacket are just like those worn by Tenzing Norgay on Everest?”
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• Sunglasses, £305, District Vision, mrporter.com
• Jacket, £450, arcteryx.com
• Fuji Speed 2 trainers, £160, asics.com