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August 2009
August 7, 2009
THE OUTDOOR RETAILER TRADE SHOW
The Outdoor Retailer Trade
Show is an exhibition of almost all companies that
sell to outdoor retail, hunting or general camping
stores. The attendees are from the hunting, climbing
or general sporting goods stores. Wiggy’s has
not attended as an exhibitor since the show has been
in Salt Lake City, Utah. The reason I went to the show
as an exhibitor this year was to introduce Wiggy’s
bags to the retail stores. I was pleasantly surprised
by the reception I received, almost all who visited
the booth had prior knowledge of the company and its
products. Over the course of the next 12 months Wiggy’s
bags will become available all over the country through
local retail outdoor and hunting shops.
While at the show I attended
a symposium that was supposed to explain the newest
take on a standardized method of testing sleeping bags
that could be universal. One should always be careful
when they hear “standard or universal methods”.
The speaker was Elizabeth McCullough the director (I
believe) of the Institute for Environmental Research
Kansas State University located in Manhattan, KS, that
is where the copper manikin is that is used for testing
and coming up with the “clo” value for
sleeping bags. The basic subject she was trying to
explain was the European EN 13537 sleeping bag standard.
This standard came into effect on January 1st 2005.
I guess all of the makers of sleeping bags located
in Europe must abide by this standard. What I learned
from her talk was the simple fact that she disagreed
for the most part with the standard. She was quite
clear that much of the standard did not make any sense
which I strongly concur with. However, she avoided
the fact that the clo ratings she promotes at KSU do
not make any more sense than the European standard
does.
Prior to the symposium I went to the greatest source
information there is; the internet.
Just type in EN 13537 and a huge amount of information
will appear. What you will see often is the following
disclaimer; “Despite this extensive testing,
temperature ratings remain subjective and should only
be used as a guide. Quality of clothing, differing
ages, ground temperature, whether or not a sleeping
mat is used is all external factors which may affect
the rating of sleeping bag.”
This European rating system has as much value as the
clo value ratings; which have no value. Her discussion is my opinion
was “gibberish”.
With it all one quite large camping equipment retail
chain has made it clear to their suppliers; Wiggy’s is not one of them;
that they will not buy their sleeping bags unless they carry tags showing how
the bags are rated on the European system. When they have dissatisfied customers
maybe they will wake up to reality.
NEW CONTINUOUS FILAMENT FIBERFILL
In 1968 Celanese Corp. introduced continuous filament
fiberfill to the jacket and sleeping bag industries
and called it Polarguard. I was the sales director
of the company that actually made the Polarguard for
the Celanese Corp. We experimented with the machinery
and came up with a straight line construction. Up until
that point we only made a cross lap construction. Upon
reviewing the new concept we decided we did not have
a product that had any value so we cast it aside and
ever since continuous filament fiberfill has been made
as a cross lap product. It is the only method of manufacture
that will allow the product to be made in a variety
of thicknesses.
Now a company has introduced
their “new” straight line construction
of a continuous filament fiberfill product. One medium
size retail chain picked up on the product for sleeping
bags that they have made for the stores in China I
believe and now a major marketer of sleeping bags has
adopted it for a series of bags. One even rated for
use as cold as -40 degrees F (a pipe dream).
INFINITY: The quality of being infinite or having
no limit; boundless. Source: The Universal Oxford Dictionary.
The name of this “new” continuous
filament fiberfill product is trade named “Infinity”.
In my humble opinion it is a contradiction. Maybe I
am wrong but it seems to me that the name of a technical
product might possibly represent some aspect of the
product. As an example Lamilite, I called my insulation
Lamilite because it is a laminated product and it is
light; LAMI-LITE. Referencing a product with the term “infinity” suggests
longevity at a minimum. This “new” continuous
filament fiberfill product does not in my humble opinion
meet the definition of an item that could carry the
name “infinity”. I do not for one moment
believe that the one thickness that is being made to
the best of my knowledge will perform adequately in
any sleeping bag rated below + 40 degrees F. I know
and one must trust me here that the resilience of the
fiber has been compromised due to the resin boding
process it is put through and repeated stuffing into
a stuff sack will ultimately damage the fibers ability
to ever come back to its original loft which
is not much (maybe 3/8th inch) to begin with.
Once again we see lots of
advertising dollars being spent to promote what I consider
a bogus product. What I always fail to understand is
what some companies have against the people who buy
the products they make either as a finished product
or as a component used in the finished product. Don’t
they like their customers nor have any respect for
them? Apparently not! After all it is the consumers
who are putting out their hard earned dollars for a
product. If the manufacturer does not know whether
or not the end item will perform, why has the manufacturer
placed it on the market in the first place? If the
component maker also does not know if the component
being offered does not work why is the component maker
offering it to the manufacturer? Again my opinion is
that neither one cares if the product works or not,
only that they make a sale and they like to trade on
their name as being prominent in their respective fields.
Where is their integrity (?) it does not exist!
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