a wonderful letter

A WONDERFUL LETTER

Dear Jerry, I have enough of your gear that I could start a small store, but seriously I wanted you to know something, I had bought my first sleeping bag from you over 12 years ago and have written to you about my adventures all over the world with your sleeping bag and jackets etc. But I wanted to update you on the use of your equipment. I go with different companies down to South America especially Chili and Peru on expeditions regarding ancient ruins and Mummies. I have been on 12 of these trips and they are ruling and can be very, very cold. That is what brought me to you in the first place is through a friend who had your gear and was the only one in the group that stayed warm over several nights, so I bought one. I have since upgraded to the "FTRSS Hunter Antarctic" which is the standard that all should be measured by. The main reason for this letter is that on my last trip, every single person in our team of 36 people had purchased the same bag from you and all because of what they heard from me and saw how my bag performed! I had also bought your Parka which has always kept me warm and dry. I again wanted to let you know that you’re sleeping bag ALWAYS works and keeps you warm and dry. Sincerely John

John your letter made my weekend. Many thanks.

For the past two years sales of these Hunter Antarctic bag and Hunter Ultima Thule bags has skyrocketed. Another reason why we do not want to make parkas which would cut into our sleeping bag production.

In the early years of Wiggy’s we had slow sales during the summer months because we were competing with the well-known brands but come winter our sales grew because we were the only company making cold weather bags. But over the years our summer sales have developed to the point we produce all bags 12 months a year. Of course, we have been helped enormously by people like John and so, so many others over the years.

There is no amount of money that can be applied to word-of-mouth advertising.

TESTING THE CRUSHING SYNTHETIC INSULATION

A reader sent me a link to the following article by Stephen Seeber for the backpacking light organization. I looked through it as it is quite lengthy, and I was not wearing chest waders.

Gear Testing & Research

By the Numbers: Crushing It – How Bad is Thermal Degradation in Synthetic Insulation?

By the numbers, he has a volume of numbers and as is always with someone like this guy after all is said and done, he says nothing. But some 15-year old’s who read this stuff will read it and gain no knowledge. This is the way things are today.

Over the years that I have been in the business a number of guys have written books about insulations and how to dress and as far as I know they are never quoted, and so it will go with this guy.

What I find interesting is that all of these commentators have never made a single product, but they know or think they know what will or will not work.