During the long holiday, many “hikers” gathered for outdoor activities, making outdoor clothing a hot-selling item. Reporters found that there is currently no unified standard for outdoor gear in China. The standards of the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA) have not been implemented, and ordinary equipment can only meet textile national standards. In addition, each company sets its own standards, and labels are entirely in English, which leaves many consumers utterly baffled.
Wearing a waterproof jacket can still leave you drenched
“I bought a waterproof jacket online, but it has no real rainproof function. Even with light rain, it gets wet from the outside to the inside. If it’s heavy rain, I’d be completely soaked!” said Zhang Xin, a resident of the provincial capital and an outdoor sports enthusiast. “This time, I bought it online based on a friend’s recommendation, but I had this disappointing experience.”
What about buying from physical stores if there are quality issues with online purchases? Jiā Jiā, a resident of the provincial capital who often wears outdoor clothing, said, “The tags on clothes in stores are all in English—I can’t understand them. I can only listen to what the salesperson says, but I have no idea what material it is.”
Tags only list fabric composition and origin
Reporters then visited the Guoti Mall at the provincial capital’s stadium. Most domestic outdoor brand clothing tags only indicate the product’s fabric composition and place of origin, with no details on professional specifications.
Taking a men’s fleece jacket from a certain brand as an example, apart from the price tag, there were no other labels. When reporters checked the internal tag of the jacket, it only stated the fabric was “100% polyester.” There was no way to verify what kind of weather it was suitable for or how waterproof or breathable it was. The salesperson also “didn’t know anything,” only saying it was very warm.
At a large mall in the provincial capital, various imported outdoor clothing brands were displayed in rows. Some well-known brands’ waterproof jackets were priced around two thousand yuan, and their tags mostly only included warranty information, mostly in English. Reporters did not find any mention of the EU “CE” standard or the “UIAA” International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation. Staff said these products do not need to be “exported” and therefore do not require UIAA certification.
It is understood that the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA) has its own verification standards for outdoor sports products. Being verified means assurance of reliability, standardization, and user safety. Wang, a manager responsible for selling outdoor brands at a mall, said, “Tags are key to determining whether outdoor gear has the required functions. Proper product tags should include inner and outer fabric materials, waterproof index, function descriptions, and suitable environments. But in reality, outdoor brands mainly manufactured in Asian countries do not follow UIAA’s strict standards.”
Consumers are spending money without clear understanding
Reporters visited over ten outdoor clothing brand stores in the provincial capital and found that most brands basically refer to the “National Basic Safety Technical Code for Textile Products,” categorizing pants as “Class B (skin contact)” or “not skin contact” for clothes, dividing them into “Class C (non-contact).” Some well-known domestic brands also follow the “Knitted Casual Wear” standard. Compared with the “National Basic Safety Technical Code for Textile Products,” reporters found that apart from clauses on “water resistance, sweat resistance, and abrasion resistance,” there are no other technical requirements specific to outdoor clothing.
Currently, there are no laws or regulations regarding outdoor sports gear in China. Whether domestic or foreign brands manufactured domestically, there is no unified standard. Waterproof jackets costing several thousand yuan only meet the ‘knitted casual’ standard, leaving consumers to spend money without a clear understanding. Faced with this situation, Manager Wang expressed helplessness.