It's not often that I endorse products or companies - whether it's photography equipment, accessories or clothing. Nor do I contact companies to promote their products - mainly because I'm sometimes sceptical as to their benefit for the end user. So, when I do endorse a product or company it's because I've purchased it with my own money and given it a good test before I mention it here. One such company is Buffalo Systems.

I've been a huge fan of Ben Fogle for many years - I not only enjoy his many TV programmes and talks, I also think his ethics are on the mark, too. So it came as a surprise when twelve months ago he announced on social media that he and business partner, James Sleater, had bought Buffalo - an outdoor clothing company based in Sheffield here in the UK - a real shift from the kind of things I associate with Ben doing. Buffalo is one of the few outdoor clothing companies still manufacturing in the UK and Ben, apparently, wants to reduce his travelling as he gets older and, as Buffalo is a brand he has used since the age of 13 for his many adventures, he thought it was a great opportunity for him going forward.

This peaked my interest because this time last year I was just about to embark on renewing all my outdoor winter clothing and I liked the idea of not only buying British but, being a true Yorkshireman, buying a product made in my very own county! Being an outdoors person I thought I knew all the high quality clothing brands in the industry and yet Buffalo was never on my radar! Yet, they supply the emergency services, mountain rescue, mountaineers and even the British Antarctic Survey with outdoor clothing since it was founded in 1979.

I was eager to know more because, unlike a lot of brands, they appear to be garments not only for activities but designed for those who have to stand in the cold for hours on end - a boon for photographers who regularly wait for the light in extreme winter conditions like I do. When I checked out their website I noticed that factory visits were welcomed and, as I didn't really know what to buy and what size I would need, I emailed them to arrange a visit. 

Upon arrrival I was greeted by Edward, an employee of many years, a real fan of the product and a credit to the company. Edward explained in detail about the way the insulation worked with a Pertex outer shell and fibre pile lining. What I found intruguing was that they recommend wearing their shirts (which are more like jackets and smocks) next to the skin - although Edward had a preference of wearing a thin base layer underneath. Nevertheless, this was music to my ears because previously I had worn many layers in countries such as Norway in winter, meaning my suitcase was always at its maximum weight whilst travelling.

After trying on a few garments for fit and practicality, I purchased the Mountain Shirt, Parka, Special 6 Trousers and a pair of Mitts. After this, Edward gave me a visit around the factory and even introduced me to the machinists that made the actual garments I purchased. It was a very pleasurable experience and one I can recommend if you live close enough. Of course, they have an online store and some of their garments can be purchased (sometimes cheaper) from other online stores as well.

This article is more of an endorsement than a review so I'm not planning on going through each garment in detail. However, there's quite a few good Youtube Videos online that I found useful before making my purchases. 

Last September (2025) was the first major test for this clothing when I visited the Faroe Islands. These stunning islands, situated between Scotland, Iceland and Norway, can be quite windy at times due to being in the mid-north Atlantic but most of the time I was kept cosy and warm just wearing a thin base layer and the Buffalo Mountain Shirt.

From the end of September through to the end of November, I run a group of workshops in Scotland consecutively and, during this period last year, I wore the Mountain shirt for the majority of the time and when it was particularly cold I would put on the Parka over the top of the Mountain Shirt. Bizarrely, these garments are not intended to repel rain but rather "stay warm while wet" rather than "stay completely dry". This doesn't mean you quickly get wet - far from it. Any water that does get through to your skin acts to conduct heat and keep you warm within the pile. Although effective when it happened, in most cases, I never really noticed any water ingress - particularly when I wore both the Mountain Shirt and Parka together - and it rained a lot!

The biggest test came in January this year when I ran a week-long workshop in Iceland. On occassions the wind was gale-force and temperatures occasionally fell below freezing and this was where I felt this system really shone. Wearing just a thin base layer, the Mountain Shirt and Parka - along with a wooly hat (made by my sister) and the Buffalo Mitts I was a very happy bunny indeed! Occassionally, I did use the built-in hood on the parka which funnels out in front of the face, eskimo-style. This was very useful when faced with sharp sand blowing up into the face when on those volcanic beaches!

For years, I've always worn a thin pair of gloves in extreme temperatures so that I can still use the controls of my camera - along with a thick pair of ski gloves to fit over the top when on the move but I've never been impressed by the touch ability of thin gloves when operating the camera and I find large outer gloves cumbersome. This is where the Buffalo mitts excel! Last winter I simply didn't wear any thin gloves but simply used the Buffalo mitts once I'd finished setting up the camera. The pile is incredible as it starts to warm up your hands and fingers immediately. So much so, I hardly used the rechargable hand warmers I'd taken specially to Iceland.

The final big test of the year was when I visited the Lofoten Islands in Norway in February. We had the most wonderful conditions I've ever experienced there but temperatures were as low as -18 degrees whilst out shooting the Northern Lights. This is when I decided to not only wear my trusty trio of Mountain Shirt, Parka and Mitts but also the Special 6 trousers. These trousers also have Buffalo's special pile incorporated into them and when we experienced the many snow blizzards, the snow just fell off the outer pertex layer.

Of course, no product is perfect and Buffalo is no exception in this regard. That said, the issues I've experienced are only minor niggles and observations. For instance, when I returned home after being out in the rain the first few times, I noticed that if I didn't allow the Mountain Shirt to air properley, the pile around the neck and wrist areas would still be wet the next day. This meant my neck and wrists would be slightly wet when I put the garment back on until my body heat dried the pile out. I also think the mitts should have some kind of small clip on them to allow you to clip them onto another garment. They are so light (a good thing!), that one of mine flew out of the back of my car boot on a windy day never to be seen again, so I had to purchase a replacement pair! 

As for observations; at the time I purchased the garments there was little colour choice (black or sage green) but more colours are becoming available a year on. My wife would like to see more brighter colours for the Mountain Shirt and Parkas like the gilet range as she thinks they're a little drab. I know they're not fashion items but a few more colour choices would be good.

So there you have it, a UK manufacturing success story due to a range of products that work very well indeed. Incidentally, TV crews have been filming Ben on this journey and is to be aired on Channel 5 in the UK soon.

Buffalo is a brand that I can highly recommend for any outdoor photographer and/or hiker, so if you're looking to buy some outdoor clothing for this coming winter you might want to take a look. I doubt you will be dissapointed and you'll be supporting British manufacturing at its finest.