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Good News For Down Bag Owners
A few years ago one of my customers in Alaska told of an experience he had that really surprised me. He had flown his float plane from his home in Wasilla, Alaska to a remote lake to hunt sheep or goat. Having gotten a kill he returned to his plane. The weather that he experienced [...]
Why companies like TNF, Patagonia, and Columbia Sportswear will not come back to the USA for manufacturing production
I saw an advertisement from Patagonia for a “cagoule” that sells for $349.00 that is made in China. I make and have made a cagoule for at least 15 years and I sell it for $140.00 and it is made in the USA from materials that are also made in the USA. The Patagonia cagoule [...]
“The Best Insulation In The World”
The title of this newsletter is the headline on the Primaloft Company web site about their insulation also called “Primaloft this or that.” We do live in a free country, and they have freedom of speech, so they can say whatever they want about their product, even if it is not true. I have heard [...]
Advertising Is Everything When Selling A Product?
In the late 1970’s 3-M Corporation launched the Thinsulate product on the market with a massive advertising campaign. This original product was advertised as a thin but very warm insulating medium for use in outerwear and gloves. Then they introduced Thinsulate Liteloft for use in sleeping bags. They advertised extensively the Liteloft product as well.In [...]
Cold Feet?
Several years ago I was looking at the various boots sold into the hunting market. Non-hunters also buy these boots, and I read the published temperature ranges that were stated for the various boots. Several were listed for use in temperatures as cold as -100 degrees, most for -35 to -50 degrees. I called each [...]
When The Weather Is Cold I Pity The Fashion Minded!
The start of the winter of 2013 has been very severe. Here in Grand Junction at this writing, the temperature average for the month of December is 15.5 degrees. If it holds this way till the 31st of the month, Grand Junction will have had the coldest year since 1912. If that is the situation [...]
Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2014 Preview: Winter "Technical" Apparel (Emphasis Added)
The current winter season garments from some of the most prominent outerwear brands that are “phenomenally” warm outerwear are — I personally believe — garments that these companies have never used themselves in cold weather. If they did, they would not have made them. These garments that I am referring too are quilted with one [...]
Keeping Your Head Warm Does Not Mean Your Feet Will Be Warm
For at least 50 years we have been told if you want to keep your feet warm “wear a hat”. I say if you want to keep your head warm, aside from wearing a hat, keep your feet warm.I hunted for many years in the Fossil Ridge Wilderness area of Colorado which is located north [...]
Are You A Cold Sleeper?
Over the many years that I have been manufacturing sleeping bags one of the most common occurrences that has been presented to me by people interested in buying a new sleeping bag is their statement to me that they are “cold sleepers”. They ask what I have that will keep them warm under this or [...]
More Traceability Of Down
The North Face Company (TFN) is following what Patagonia is doing with their traceability of down, also from cradle to grave. Only TNF has taken it much further. They want to have, and I quote, a “Responsible Down Standard that addresses animal welfare and traceability and will implement it across its global supply chain next [...]