I concur with this post. I’d want Marmot or Arc’Teryx if I was stranded on a snowy peak in Nepal. But I can afford neither.
MEC (in Canada) and REI both have dependable goods and are often backed by some serious quality guarantees. My girlfriend took a cycling jacket back to MEC that she’d been wearing for three years. She just wanted to find out if she could get the busted zipper replaced, and they just gave her a new jacket. Again, after three years of heavy-duty wear.
North Face has gotten… “meh.” (IMHO). They seem to be designing and putting they’re goods together for the fashion-wearing crown, which is okay I guess, but now I look at their goods as if it’s designed for ski-bunnies that want to look good, rather than for adventurers who don’t want to die in the cold.
Columbia I still find dependable and a good buy for the price point. I’ve had a pair of winter boots for years that are still going strong despite snowshoeing and winter caving in them.
Never had any Eddie Bauer stuff.