eating crow

MORE INFORMATION PERTAINING TO YESTERDAYS ARTICLE

But first a response from yesterdays, article.

“It would be nice if the Wiggy’s wearing public could somehow pressure at least one of these companies.”

My response was they basically are immune to being embarrassed to do something positive.

And a testimonial.

Hi.

My brother is a "Wiggy's Man". He has many of your products and always talks about how good they are. When we vacation in Utah we pass through Grand Junction and always comment that we should stop. However, we are usually passing through on a Sunday. The praise. For Christmas he gave our mother, two brothers and me your jacket liners. I had an old unlined canvas jacket that I had never worn. I thought, "what the heck" I'll wear it under that while doing barn chores. I was amazed at how warm it kept me, even during the -30 weather we had. I hope to purchase one of your sleeping bags soon as the one I have is a huge puffy thing that is impossible to wash properly.

LINDA

I wrote back that I would meet her at the factory the next time she came through G.J. on a Sunday.

MUKLUKS AND MY EXPERIENCE WHEN I WAS LOST

For those of you who have read my story of getting lost you read that when I came to stream’s I chose to walk straight through them. For those who haven’t read the story you should.

What I know today about the mukluks capability to keep feet warm even when wet I did not know then but did experience the results of wearing mukluks that had water in them, and not having cold feet.

The year was 1995 and the location was hunting camp at 12,000 feet and the time of year was November 5^th third season, above Gunnison, Colorado. The ambient air temperature at that elevation was that year in the -20 degrees F range.

When I realized I was lost I was at 12,500 feet. To find my way back to were we had tied our horses I had to cross streams. As I say in the story, I chose to go straight through them as they were only a few inches deep. I knew water would probably get into the mukluks, but my choice was made based on not trying to jump from rock to rock and falling into the stream. I never found the horses.

In the mukluks I was wearing thick wool rag socks and foam padded hiking boots. Both were saturated when I took them off back at base camp.

Crossing the stream’s, the water was able to get into the mukluks through the seam that held the sole to the upper. The material used for the outer of the mukluk was waterproof as was the lining. When I took off the mukluks, then I realized there was water in them. I also noted that both the socks and boots were saturated. What I was not aware of was the reality that the socks and boots were saturated before I walked into the first stream. They were saturated from the sweat that had been coming out of my feet for the day and a half before entering the first stream.

As I said when I took off my mukluks there was water in them in a liquid state. In retrospect the temperature was -20 degrees F with some wind chill pushing it down to maybe -50 degrees F since the wind was blowing at times 40 or 50 mph.

The only heat in the mukluks was from my feet. That should tell you how efficient the Lamilite insulation is. You would think since it was so cold the water in the mukluks would have been in a state of ice. Regardless of all the other articles of clothing I was wearing that I have written about, if not for the mukluks keeping my feet warm there is no doubt in my mind that Rudy would have found a frozen body. When your feet freeze you ultimately stop walking and if in a similar environment as I was wherever you stop that is where the search and rescue people will find you.

Today as I am writing about my experience with my mukluks I gave thought to the fact that when I got involved in the outdoor industry the men who started the companies in the late 50’s and early 60’s came about making products that they needed to either improve what was available to them at the time or they created products that did not exist. The point is they were actively doing things in the outdoors. Today the guys who run the businesses that serve outdoor enthusiasts live in offices and their experience in the outdoors is when they leave their house get into their car and go to the office and then reverse the process.

I know that I am by myself as the only person in the outdoor industry who has ever really gotten lost. I am sure many would have liked it if I was never found. The experience has had rewards for me because I learned about my products and have made an effort to give advice to customers and potential customers based upon my experiences, however I never ever discount the experiences related to me by my customers which I gladly share with my customers.

How many of you out their wear steel toed boots? Chances are and I am sure of this, you have cold feet, starting with your toes. It is not possible to make a mukluk with a steel toe but, if you have the Wiggy’s mukluks or over boots you will not any longer have cold feet. We have the original mukluk and over boots and now I have both that are fire retardant, made with Nomex and FR and Lamilite/Climashield. This is important for ALL oil field workers and in the military where they must have guys working the flight line. The requirement I am told is FR and steel toed boots. So, they can wear my FR mukluk’s over their steel toed boots.

Maybe as time goes by those who think of themselves as makers of insulated products will have a eureka moment and realize that the most important aspect of any insulating medium is how well it deals with moisture. Of course, when all is said and done, they will have no choice but to accept continuous filament fiberfill trade named Climashield as the only product that can perform in this manner. They will also have no choice but to realize the proper method for using it, to its maximum advantage is to laminate it as I do in making the Lamilite.

When this happens the military and the boot manufacturers will have to eat crow.