I have never really snowboarded enough to invest in a full set of gear, pants,jackets, goggles etc. But Im doing some more this year, and I figure I might as well pull the trigger and invest some money.

 Can anyone reccomend some good brands, that are high on quality, but low on "brand power"?  I mean, Im not very good at snowboarding, I just enjoy it. So I'd feel like a tool decked out head to toe in a pretentious brand.

  Im not sure if my meaning is comming across clear or not, but if it is, any help is welcome

Do you mean that you don't want to stand out in a crowd and draw a lot of attention to yourself? Holden has a lot of neutral color stuff if that's the case, most of their stuff a little on the expensive side but they have good jackets and pants for under $200 each.

Oh I have no problem with attention... though I dont mind being non-descript. Ill just check out holden though

After looking up pretentious, I'm guessing you mean something along the lines of you don't want to look like you think that you're the best even if you're not? Holden stuff is definitely non-descript with their stuff not having a lot of branding or logos on it. 

holden is good stuff: muted colors, clean lines, and a distinct but not too in your face look (but yeah a little pricey)... holden stands out but not in a flashy way; more of a "hey that's holden stuff" kind of way (quality, good materials, a little on the slim-fit side of snowboard looks, it definitely has a recognizeable look but not in the way that airblaster is recognizeable)...

also check out cappel, ride, L1, volcom, bonfire, and 686... the new line from thirtytwo looks really clean this year.



[Edited by MelbaToasted on 10/26/2009 at 5:36 PM]

I've really started to like more subtle and cleaner looking stuff lately. I think I want to get 32 Cappa jacket or a Holden at the end of the season. I bought some Holden pants and I wear them in my house because they're so comfortable.