Gorpcore Brands: What Gorpcore Means and Who Does It Best

The best gorpcore brands are the ones that make real outdoor gear first: Arc'teryx and its city line Veilance, Salomon, Hoka, The North Face, Goldwin, Klattermusen and Nanga, joined by the labels that translate that gear for the street, such as nanamica, The North Face Purple Label, Gramicci, Merrell 1TRL, Nike ACG and Descente Allterrain. Gorpcore is the style of wearing hiking and climbing kit (shell jackets, fleeces, trail shoes, climbing pants) in everyday life, and the brands that started on the mountain are still the ones that do it best.

What gorpcore means and where the word came from

The term was coined by the writer Jason Chen in a 2017 piece for The Cut, New York magazine's fashion site. It built on "normcore", and the "gorp" half is the American word for trail mix. You will often read that gorp stands for "good ol' raisins and peanuts"; that is a popular story, but most references treat it as a backronym rather than the real origin. Chen's use was a little teasing at first: he was describing city people dressing like they were about to hike. The joke stuck, and the look became one of the biggest menswear shifts of the following decade.

What makes something gorpcore is less the logo than the function. Waterproof shells, technical fabrics, fleece, down, gusseted climbing trousers and grippy trail soles all count. The appeal is that the clothes are built to work, last and handle weather, which is a fair argument for wearing them on a commute as well as a ridge.

Gorpcore jackets: the heavy hitters

Arc'teryx and Veilance

Arc'teryx is the brand most people think of first. Its shells are made for climbers and skiers, and the details (clean taping, precise hoods, the bird logo) made them a status piece in cities. Veilance, launched by Arc'teryx in 2009, takes the same technical fabrics into minimal, tailored shapes with no loud branding. If you want the Arc'teryx build without the hiking look, Veilance is the answer.

The North Face and Purple Label

The North Face gives you the Nuptse puffer and the classic shells, the backbone of the look for decades. The North Face Purple Label is a separate line made in Japan by nanamica under Goldwin, which holds The North Face licence there. Expect calmer colours, mountain parkas and city-friendly fabrics.

Goldwin and nanamica

Goldwin began in 1950 in Toyama Prefecture as a knitwear maker, moved into sportswear and became one of Japan's biggest outdoor companies. Its own line is technical, beautifully made and quiet in style. nanamica, founded in Tokyo in 2003 by Eiichiro Homma, who came from Goldwin's outdoor division, is known for GORE-TEX coats and sailing-inspired jackets that look as good with chinos as on a boat.

Klattermusen

Klattermusen started in the Swedish mountain village of Åre and grew from a mountaineer's small workshop in the 1970s into serious, materials-led mountain gear. It is one of the deepest gorpcore ranges we compare, from shells and insulated jackets to packs.

Descente Allterrain and Nanga

Descente Allterrain is best known for Mizusawa Down: jackets made at Descente's Mizusawa factory in Iwate, Japan, with heat-bonded baffles instead of stitched seams so rain cannot creep in through the needle holes. Nanga comes from Maibara in Shiga Prefecture, began sewing sleeping bags in 1988 and moved into down jackets in the 2000s. If you want warmth with real outdoor credentials, these two are the specialists.

Gorpcore shoes

Footwear is where most people start, because a trail shoe works with almost anything.

• Salomon. The XT-6 was built for Salomon's elite trail runners in the early 2010s and crossed into fashion later that decade. It is the defining gorpcore shoe; read our Salomon XT-6 guide for sizing and colourways.
• Hoka. Founded in 2009 in Annecy, France, by two former Salomon staff, Hoka made the maximal, thick-soled runner normal. Its trail models wear well with wide trousers.
• norda. A Montreal trail brand with seamless Dyneema uppers on Vibram soles. Expensive, light and very hard-wearing, with a clean look.
• Merrell 1TRL. Merrell's premium line, reworking archive hiking designs and slip-ons like the Hydro Moc in better materials.
• Nike ACG. "All Conditions Gear", Nike's outdoor line since 1989, with trail shoes and technical clothing that lean more street than summit.

Browse every trail-ready pair on men's sneakers.

Gorpcore pants

Gramicci is the name here. Mike Graham, a Yosemite climber, started it in California in 1982, and his two ideas still define the pant: a diamond-shaped gusset in the crotch for full movement and a webbing belt you can tighten with one hand. Gramicci's pants and shorts are relaxed, tough and work with almost any top. Beyond Gramicci, look for nylon hiking trousers, convertible cargo pants and fleece-lined shells from the brands above in men's trousers.

How to wear gorpcore without looking like you are going up a mountain

The trick is mixing one or two technical pieces with normal clothes, not wearing a full kit.

• One hero piece. A shell jacket or a down jacket over jeans, a plain tee and leather or canvas shoes. Let it be the only technical thing.
• Trail shoes with everything else. A pair of XT-6s with wide trousers or straight jeans is the easiest gorpcore outfit there is.
• Quiet colours for the city. Black, olive, navy and stone look deliberate. Save bright orange for actual weather, or use one bright piece against neutrals.
• Mix in tailoring or workwear. A Veilance or nanamica coat over a shirt and trousers, or a fleece under a Carhartt WIP chore jacket, pulls the look away from the trailhead.
• Fit matters. Relaxed, not baggy-on-baggy. Wide Gramicci pants want a shorter jacket; a long parka wants slimmer legs.

For the Japanese side of this look, from Goldwin and nanamica to the labels that layer technical pieces with workwear, see our guide to Japanese streetwear brands.

Compare prices before you buy

Gorpcore gear is expensive and sells out by size and colour, and the same jacket or shoe is often priced differently from shop to shop. On Kounter Kulture every product shows each shop's price and which sizes it has in stock. Start with men's jackets or the trail shoes above, or go straight to a brand page and filter by your size.

Questions people ask

What does gorpcore mean?

Gorpcore is wearing outdoor and hiking clothing, such as shell jackets, fleeces, trail shoes and climbing pants, as everyday streetwear. The name joins "gorp", American slang for trail mix, with "normcore".

Who started gorpcore?

The word was coined by writer Jason Chen in The Cut in 2017. The style itself grew from people wearing outdoor brands like The North Face, Arc'teryx and Salomon in cities.

What shoes are gorpcore?

Trail running and hiking shoes: the Salomon XT-6, Hoka's trail models, norda, Merrell 1TRL and Nike ACG are the usual picks.

Is gorpcore still in style?

It has moved from trend to staple. Technical shells and trail shoes are now a normal part of menswear, which is why the quieter brands like Veilance, Goldwin and nanamica keep growing.

What pants go with gorpcore?

Climbing pants with a gusseted crotch, like Gramicci's, nylon hiking trousers, cargo pants, or simply relaxed jeans with a trail shoe.