fake news and a new product

TV Blanket testimonial

We've had the Wiggy's TV blanket for many years in the cold weather of Maine.

It is very light weight and used year round (Maine summer nights can be cool). It is, however, in the winter that it serves us best.

Several years ago, a storm knocked out power to much of northern Maine. We had recently moved to a new home that did not have a wood stove. By using the blanket as advertised (an insulator), the warmth was comforting.

We use an old military wool blanket in combination to the Wiggy's insulating TV blanket during the cold Maine winters, year after year.

It captures body heat like nothing else and costs a fraction of what quality down costs, while being tiny, thin and easily packable.

With temperatures sometimes reaching lower than -20 F, this blanket is a staple for us.

– Peter Hyatt, Maine USA

Peter thank you!

NOW FOR THE FAKE NEWS

For all of the years that I have been working in the fiberfill for insulation purposes industry selling to skiwear manufacturers, snowmobile suit manufacturers, children’s snow suit manufacturers, general outerwear manufacturers as well as hand-wear manufacturers and now to consumers who buy my finished products I have seen all manner of stories in magazines that serve to give information to the consumers what I now can call “fake news”!

The people who are considered reporters or journalists employed by magazines such as Backpacker, Outside or Specialty Fabrics Review come to mind, but there are several others that are only published on the internet such as SNEWS and some I have previously noted report fake news.

Reporters in my opinion should upon hearing from either the fabric manufacturer or product manufacturer about the performance quality of what they are being told actually does perform in the manner as represented. These so called reporters categorically do not do that. The reporters who preceded the current crop as far back as I can remember when I started manufacturing sleeping bags in 1975 when I owned Olam Outdoor Sports Products never did try to report factual information about the products available at that time. Just like today they never tried any of the products themselves. Had they the chances are the articles they wrote would have been diametrically opposed to the articles they did write.

Many of the companies advertised in the publications so the writers were told I believe to say good things about the various products, so as not to cause the companies to stop advertising. Larry Amkraut was a contributing reporter for Backpacker magazine at one time and was asked to write a review of my Ultra-Light model sleeping bag. He did and submitted it to the editor who paid him a kill fee and never published it. Why (?) good question. It was by no means a review that stated my bag was the best he ever used, but was just an okay review ending with; if what I say about its longevity of the insulation staying lofty only time will tell. The insulation was the original Lamilite made with Polar Guard continuous filament fiberfill. At that time I was no longer advertising in Backpacker because until then they would never write about my products and still haven't.

The point being not a one of the reporters in the employ of these publications has ever written the truth about any of the materials or finished products made from those materials.Therefore, what we have available to us is “fake news”.

Can you imagine if a reporter interviewing Bobby Gore way back when the company started selling their material, asked Bobby for proof or better yet asked for a garment so they could test it, and now what the article would say. But would the reporter have actually written the truth? No, because while I do believe the reporters back then probably did try the garments and did discover that W/P was B/S. But their bosses at the publications did not want to lose the advertising revenue, so “mums the word”.

Yesterday I was reading I believe on the SNEWS magazine web site about a company that is now making stretchable down garments; WOW. If you put on a down jacket and you stretch the down garment will actually stretch with your movements as the down collapses where the pressure is applied to it. The reporter just published what they were told. This constitutes and qualifies as “fake news” in my opinion.

There is an old expression that you should never forget; “believe only one half of what you see and none of what you read in publications such as magazines”.

Fake news is a mainstay in the outdoor business. Fabric makers pull their information out of thin air and those considered manufacturers which in most cases they aren’t just suck up what is left in the thin air while keeping their heads in the clouds.

I am still waiting for but one company of the many I have challenged to contact me so they can come to Grand Junction Colorado and prove to me what they are saying is true. Until such time I will consider what they say is “fake news”!

NEW PRODUCT- POGGIE

The new product is the poggie or bicycle handle bar warmer. the exterior is the DUCKSBACK fabric and the interior is the L-6 Lamilite insulation. In order to make it very user friendly to put on your handle bar I have placed a zipper on it and to secure it there is a draw cord to tighten it around the steering colum. The cost is $96.00 per set. photos will be on the web site. I am quite sure these will prove to be the warmest poggies on the market and as with all Wiggy's Lamilite products water is not a negative factor if the get wet. They will be on the web site sometime this week.