A RECAPOF 2023

A RECAP OF 2023

Sleeping bag sales have led the way.

People all over this country and Canada have been the primary buyers. Sales in Europe have been okay but if their economy were better, I expect sales would have been better.

People have learned that the Wiggy bags simply outperform the no sleep sleeping bags that are sold at retail. More and more of my customers come from referrals. So, I am very grateful for the word-of-mouth sales.

That said I want to talk about two other products whose sales have accelerated. Waders and fishnets.

In 2003 I believe a hunter from Pennsylvania called and said he wanted a product that did not exist. What he described was the waders. I made 3 pairs for him and his partners. They were tired of taking their boots off putting on their heavy waders crossing the stream and then reversing the procedure while hunting in Alaska. Three or four weeks went by, and he called me ecstatic how well they worked. I figured if 3 pairs worked maybe three thousand would work.

Sales were slow for about 10 years and then they started to pick up and in the past three years the market for them has exploded. Not a day goes by when we don’t get orders.

Now for the fishnets. I knew about them before I went sailing in 1974. When I started Wiggy’s in 1988 I knew I was going to make them. The man that told me about them made the fishnet fabric. I believe I started making them in 1989. Sales for the first 15 years were slower than the waders. But I am unrelenting in promoting them, bringing forth all of their performance capability. Then the tide started to turn, and sales started to pick up. I attribute a significant reason is customer promotion. Again, you cannot beat word of mouth advertising.

I have been getting more and more calls from people really interested in them and are looking for more information which I gladly give them. I am happy to say they then become customers.

The product that I have not fully explained is the second layer mesh top. When the body is working hard it has to cool. The method for the body to cool is to send moisture as a vapor out of our pores and the fishnets do not hinder this process, this vapor travels through the mesh away from the body and is a spacer keeping the third layer away if it happens to absorb the moisture and cool it to become in a liquid state. You do not want this moisture touching your skin surface. The second layer mesh prevents this from happening.

My personal recommendation is that you wear a lose fitting button up shirt as I do. With loose fitting clothing your movements are not hindered, and those same movements will force the moist vapor out of your clothing too.

I do not recommend wearing any fleece because it will absolutely trap the vapor and will allow it to be converted to a liquid state and it is a knitted fabric so it will cling. Regardless, what Polartec claims is nonsense. All fleece regardless of price is the same. Bad news product.

WISHING ONE AND ALL A HAPPY NEW YEAR