foul weather gear that does not work

ABOUT GRUNDÉNS

Carl A. Grundén began producing traditional waterproof oilskins in 1911 for the fishermen of the North Sea in Grundsund, Sweden. Material shortages during World War I forced the company to close but in 1926 Grundéns Regnklader AB was founded and has been producing quality gear ever since. Today, the brand operates globally from Boras, Sweden and Poulsbo, Washington

I have seen ads for Grudens foul weather gear products for years. What I now know about this company is that the current management of the company has never been on a boat in foul weather conditions. The reason I know this is because they this year of 2019 they are manufacturing goretex foul weather gear. The following article is reprinted from the snews publication of July 8, 2019.

POULSBO, WASHINGTON (July 2, 2019) – Grundéns, producer of the world’s best fishing foul weather gear, today announces a new, rugged line of fishing rain gear in partnership with Gore-Tex®. 3 jackets and 2 bibs, all designed with specific fishing features and utilizing Gore-Tex’s® proprietary waterproof breathable technology, will provide exceptional wet weather protection to anglers in a variety of climates. Available to Grundéns top dealers and on Grundens.com in Fall 2019, the line will be widely available at all retailers in Spring of 2020.

You have been around since 1911 and goretex has been around since 1975(?) and now you are finally starting to use the stuff even though there is ample physical evidence that goretex does not work in the manner that gore advertises it, which is that it is waterproof and breathable. If it actually did perform that function why didn’t you start using it 40 years ago?

“Gore-Tex® is synonymous with waterproof breathable protection and the Guaranteed to Keep You Dry™promise. By combining our years of experience building apparel for one of the toughest jobs on the planet with their membrane technology, we’ve created an exceptional line of products,” says David Mellon, CEO of Grundéns. “All five styles are designed and built for a specific use and users will find that they are more rugged than what is currently offered for fishing and offer better performance than anything Grundéns has ever produced. There is a style and feature set that will appeal to nearly all anglers and we know our customers will be stoked with this line of products.”

David you just do not like your customers. You want to steal money from them under the guise of selling them a product, just like the snake oil salesman who went around the United States selling potions in the 1800s. Not only does the goretex not keep you dry when it rains on land it has even less chance of keeping you dry when you are on a boat. I do not care if it is for recreational purposes or as a worker on a fishing boat. I owned a boat and sailed for 6 years and when you are on a boat on the water you are going to get wet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So you David are apparently willing to sell your customers a product that does not work, and I’ll bet you have never been on a boat otherwise you would know that you always get wet on a boat. Goretex in writing is synonymous with waterproof breathable protection but in reality goretex is synonymous with getting wet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Wake up man you are doing something that is not in your customers’ best interest so it is not in the best interest of the company. Yes your customers will be stoked against you when they do not experience “guaranteed to stay dry”. And one more thing if these goretex products are better than anything Grundens has ever produced that does no say much about what Grundens has been producing since 1911.

The flagship products are the new Buoy X Gore-Tex® Jacket and Bib. Utilizing Gore-Tex® 3-layer laminate, the 150-denier face fabric is treated with C6 DWR for maximum water beading performance and avoids wet-out that can be created by contamination from oil, blood or fish slime. The result is the burliest Gore-Tex® garments ever produced for the fishing industry. The jacket includes neoprene shingled cuffs in the sleeves, dual zippered storage pockets, and a kill switch anchor among other fishing-centric features. The jacket will be available in three colors in sizes from small to 3XL and retail for $479. The bibs utilize Grundéns famous adjustable suspenders, a Grundéns removable belt, and water diversion system at the front lower closure. Available in two colors in sizes from small to 3XL, the bibs will retail for $449.

DWR stands for durable water repellency and it is not and never has been. After a sort while it breaks down so you will experience all of the wetting out situation that all garments made with goretex has when the dwr disappears on the lighter weight nylons laminated to the goretex membrane. Pretty pricy garments! Hell of a rip off in my opinion. The other garments that they have are made with lighter weight fabrics but the prices are not cheap.

According to Director of Product Design Curtis Graves, “Grundéns is the newest Gore-Tex® brand in fishing and our rainwear is super rugged and burly. Nobody else’s can compare. We have every confidence that when customers get their hands on these products, they’ll be exceptionally happy and won’t return to anything less rugged.”

Curtis I have every confidence that the rainwear you have created will NOT function any differently than all of the rest of the industry that uses goretex or the knock offs which is to say they do not function as bobby gore has told you.Now you should get on a boat and find out for your- self how dry you do not stay in one of your garments. Also hasn’t anyone in the employ of Grundens ever purchased a goretex garment from some other brand in all these years? And if so then you or they would have learned that it is the biggest lie ever perpetrated in/on the textile industry. I wish I was a fly on the wall of David’s office to know what gore offered you to suddenly agree to use the stuff after not using it for the past 40 years!!!

I did get a call from the sales manager, I called him and he said it was name recognition that caused them to go with goretex not if it worked or not.

ALSO SEEN IN SNEWS

REI Co-op on Monday notified its merchants that the co-op will resume orders with Giro, Bell, CamelBak, Blackburn and Camp Chef on the news that the brands’ parent company, Vista Outdoor, has secured a buyer for Savage Arms.

Vista Outdoor I believe is a venture capital firm. Because rei does not sell fire arms they don’t want to deal with any company that does. So in order for Vista to sell the other brands they own they chose to sell the Savage Arms division. Since I sell hunters rei would not want to buy Wiggy’s bags, not that I have any interest in selling them. They would probably want me to get fire retardant treated materials for them. Of course that could only happen if I were to pursue trying to sell them. Please note how the venture capital firms work, the bend to these companies because they do not have a backbone. They could just tell rei; you don’t buy guns from us to begin with so what is your problem (of which they have many I believe at rei).

You now have an idea of how venture capital firms work, it’s the money baby!!!!!