First published in Issue 124 of Singletrack Magazine, this Salsa Blackborow was reviewed as part of…
We’ve just heard that Hamish Hamilton, the man who invented Pertex, and founded Buffalo (of jacket fame), has died. As yet, we’ve not seen an official obituary – just an announcement by Buffalo on social media – and the internet is a little scarce on information about the life and times of the man whose creations changed the face of outdoor gear.
It is a sad day at Buffalo as we learn of the death of our founder Hamish Hamilton. Inventor, climber, yachtsman and genuine outdoor lover.
Buffalo Systems Instagram
Hamish who died yesterday was the inventor of Pertex and the Vango Force Ten tent both of which revolutionised the outdoor industry.
Hamish originated the Buffalo Double P System Clothing and Sleeping Bag range which was such a unique concept.
We will miss him immensely and our hearts go out to his family Trudi, Nick and Kate.
It is often quoted but never truer than now, “We will ne’er see his like again”.
I know that many of you have fond memories of Buffalo jackets, and lots of us are still using them to this day, so I figured you might enjoy a space to share your recollections of Buffalo assisted adventures. They’re still made in Sheffield – a fact I only just discovered, but which perhaps explains why something that feels like an intrinsic part of my outdoor history here in the UK draws blank stares from my American husband.
In the late 1970s mountaineer Hamish Hamilton, already with the legendary Force 10 tent design behind him, began thinking about sleeping bags. Being discontented with the bags and clothing he had been using in winter in the Scottish highlands, he became intrigued by how the indigenous people of the Arctic Circle kept warm, utilising animal hide with the fur on the inside. By reversing the hide so that the tips of the fur were in contact with the skin, they found that moisture laden air was able to circulate and escape through the porous hide. Even in heavy rain, and after vigorous exercise, their skin remained dry and safe from freezing as the fur’s properties ensured water was removed quickly from the garment. This interested Hamish as unlike other outdoor designers, Hamish was concerned with comfort from the inside rather than waterproofness from the outside.
Buffalo Systems Website
Here are my Buffalo memories:
My dad always cycled to work, and I think it would have been some time in the late 1980s that he got his first Buffalo. It was a game changer for someone commuting in all weathers, and living a very outdoors life in something of a frost pocket. There aren’t many photos of my childhood that don’t include some sort of manual labour, or a woodpile, or a dog walk, and my dad is wearing a Buffalo in many. I’m pretty sure this picture of me on stilts has me wearing one I’d poached from my dad that day – or maybe it’s a copy? It doesn’t have the classic kangaroo pouch layout. If you lived an outdoorsy life in the UK around the same time, I suspect you have a similar collection of photos somewhere. There was one jacket that got ruined with Deep Heat and lanolin, after an open water swim misadventure (Deep Heat and lanolin are not as effective as an actual wetsuit!) that saw me bundled up into my dad’s Buffalo and hugged by a group of adults in an attempt to warm me up. Eventually they put me in a sauna! The Buffalo was sadly for ever more scented of Deep Heat, and slightly greasy on the inside.
These days, I have a giant Buffalo that’s really way too big for me, except it’s the only jacket I’ve got that fits over my oversized flannel shirts. Putting it on, the rustle of the fabric and the feel of the inner fleece liner always takes me back to my childhood, and I half expect the smell of Deep Heat to come wafting out.
A staple of the UK outdoor wardrobe, fabric technology may have moved on in many ways, but the Buffalo will always have a certain place in my heart. I doubt I’m the only one, so as we bid farewell to Hamish Hamilton, head to the comments to show your appreciation for his creations.
Mag Features
all the ARTICLES fROM
The Magazine →
Join us
Full Subscriber Benefits
From unlimited access to content to discounts and offers on gear and services. All full membership comes with unlimited digital access & ad free website
Digital
Access all our digital benefits
- Full access to members’ content, digital back issues & new app issues
- Ad free website
- Merch discounts.
- Access to 1000’s of retail discounts
- Downloads, GPX, PDFs, iBooks
Print & Digital
Access all our digital benefits & print mag
- Full access to members’ content, digital back issues & new app issues.
- Printed mag delivered 6x/year
- Ad free website
- Merch & 1000’s or retail discounts
- Downloads, GPX, PDFs, iBooks
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.