Who are PHD?

We are experts in insulation.

From the Peak District to the peaks of the Himalayas – we can make what you need.

We make the lightest, warmest kit, with the very best goose down and cutting-edge fabrics.

And we make it all to order, in our workshop here in the UK.

 

Warmth to weight at the limit of possibilities

It started with a schoolboy in the 1950s.

Walking in the hills with no pack and no gear, Peter Hutchinson (the PH in PHD) loved the freedom…but ended up cold.

So making the lightest, warmest gear has always been at the heart of what we do.

 

A human connection

It’s a simple formula, so we didn’t change it.

In his climbing shop in the 1960s, Peter Hutchinson chatted to climbers about their climbs, and made the kit they needed.

That’s still how we do it today.

 

Designed & handmade to order, here in the UK

Everything is done in house.

That allows us to craft unique, customised pieces…and means we can keep a very close eye on each and every one of them.

 

PHD: only from PHD

We’re not in any shops.

That means no following trends, no hitting price-points, no pressure for a new-season range.

We just make everything the way it needs to be.

 

Tell us what you're doing, we'll keep you warm

It’s made to order, but we don’t expect you to design your kit from the ground up – after all, that’s what we do!

If we know the demands of your expedition, we can create gear to meet them.

 

Small is beautiful

No boardroom, no shareholders, just the freedom to create the best equipment we possibly can.

Built to a design, not a budget.

 

The very best insulation...

We’re free to create the best, so we use the lightest, loftiest goose down in the world.

It’s simply too rare for mass production, but not for us.

 

...and the very best fabrics

The strongest, the lightest, the best weather protection.

We constantly test and re-test to find the most high-performance fabrics possible.

 

We can help

We design and make everything, so we know the gear inside out.

If there’s anything you want to know, please just ask!

 

You are the R&D department

The testing and redesigning never stops.

Every summit, every trek, every race.

We read every single comment you send us, and feed it back into product development.

 

The world is our testing lab

PHD gear has equipped visitors to both poles and all the highest, coldest places in between.

That’s where we test our prototypes, how we constantly re-evaluate and develop.

More on our history
Our made to order philosophy
Our unique down insulation
Extraordinary stories from our clients