About Blacks

Blacks sells camping, walking and climbing kit alongside clothing and footwear, under a name going back to a Greenock sailmaker. A Blacks discount code is worth more once you know who owns the labels on the shelf, because several belong to the shop's own parent.

House labels, and which brands are not

Blacks has belonged to JD Sports since a pre-pack sale in January 2012, in the same division as Millets and Go Outdoors. Peter Storm, Eurohike, Technicals and North Ridge are group labels, not independent makers, as are Go Outdoors names like OEX and Hi Gear, so comparing those compares one owner's range tiers. Berghaus and Brasher belong to Pentland and are genuinely third-party, as are Rab, Scarpa, Osprey and Montane.

What a waterproof rating does not tell you

Hydrostatic head is a static lab test of how tall a column of water the fabric holds. It says nothing about seams, zips or storm flaps, and kneeling or a loaded strap exerts far more pressure than the test. In warm or humid air there is barely a vapour gradient, so venting beats any breathability rating.

When a jacket leaks but the membrane is fine

The membrane is the waterproof barrier inside; the treatment on the outer face makes water bead and roll off. When that wears away the face fabric wets out, soaking up water and blocking vapour, so you go cold and clammy from the inside and blame a leak. Wash with a technical cleaner, never detergent or conditioner, then reactivate with heat per the label. Fluorocarbon-free treatments wear faster and need it oftener.

The sleeping bag figure women should read

Three figures come from the standard test. Comfort is the lowest temperature a standard woman sleeps well at; limit is for a standard man curled up; extreme is survival only and should never pick a bag. Women, and men who sleep cold, buy on comfort. The test assumes a decent mat too: a thin one crushes the insulation under you and voids the rating. Down fill power describes quality, fill weight quantity; warmth needs both.

Using a Blacks discount code

Enter the code at the basket and read the offer terms, since member pricing, student and award-scheme discounts and sitewide codes are generally exclusive rather than stackable. Because the sister fascias share buying and house brands, the same item often sits on all three at different prices.