interesting testimonials

SEVERAL TESTIMONIALS THAT HAVE COME AS A RESULT OF THE LATEST NEWS LETTER.

Jerry

Achieving excellent results in the colder than usual temps in South Alabama! I work outside most of the night. Temps are low 20s and even in the teens, and will be for another week.

I'm using the socks with an un-insulated pair of work books. My feet stay dry and warm.

Don

Jerry

Another excellent information laden newsletter!

I was showing a fellow outdoorsman last evening, who is an avid hunter, my Lamilite socks, then jacket liner, on to mittens, Ducksback rain gear, double sleeping bag, etc.The point was to alleviate his often felt body dampness & hiking out to a stand then being still for hours.

Yep he has tons of down and goretex from his life time of hunting. I suspect more miserable days than he related too.

Dave

Hi Jerry,

I’ve been following your commentaries on dry/wet feet, and I just read this one from the fellow who comments on the army’s wet feet situation in VN.

I spent two years in VN (67/69) with SF and while I never operated in the Delta, we almost daily forded streams and waded across paddies in II and III Corps. It was pretty common knowledge at the time that the way to avoid foot problems was to wear the jungle boots WITHOUT socks, and to wear the jungle fatigues WITHOUT any underwear. The boots had drain eyelets and both the boots and the fatigues dried pretty quickly once you got out of the actual water. The other important thing was to take advantage of every opportunity when the tactical situation allowed it to “air out” by taking off the fatigues and boots getting sun/fresh air on your body (lots of guys carried a pair of gym shorts and flip flops in their rucksack to wear during those “air out” opportunities).

I have (and enjoy) your fishnets, chukka boots, several pairs of your Lamilite socks and Sunwalkers in my pack boots, but for hot, tropical weather conditions the best option, in my experience, is to go without any socks or underwear.

John

I have a close friend who spent one years as a point in VN and he also told me he stopped wearing underwear, they may have served together as Don was also a Ranger I think during the same time period.

Hello Jerry,

It’s obvious to you and me now... that goretex and aerobic activity don't go well together. I've noticed this anytime I wear it biking, hiking, hunting, fishing, kayaking, skiing, etc...But since everyone around me doing the same activities has it on and swears it works...I ignored the obvious too. Truth is... maybe it does not work for any activity. I do like a goretex glove temporarily when its winter and I know my hands are going to get wet.

If you can somehow (maybe one by one) convert people and get more of your product out there...Wow... it would change things and people would be happier doing outdoor activities and probably do them longer. I am selling all my gore tex stuff and I'm going to spread the word about your products. If I can help in any other way please let me know. Anyway... I found this online and thought I'd share it with you.

“Breathability” measurements don’t have an industry standard
“There’s no FDA for breathability.” Gore was the first to develop breathable fabric (in 1978) and says the most reliable measure of this ability is one put out by the Hohenstein institute, but competing companies use a variety of other measures.

I guess they do not realize the woven fabrics which have been in use for thousands of years were doing what goretex has yet today, allow moisture to move through it while still a vapor which translates vapor permeability or as they like to say breathable material. The hoho institute is home to people whom I am beginning to believe are hopelessly either ignorant or stupid.

Of course their method of testing is supposed to be the best?

Thanks,

Ken

Hello Jerry,

I just wanted to follow up with you. I did as you recommended and left all my goretex at home today including the boots. It was about 10 degrees warmer but still only in the high teens and I was completely warm and comfortable. The boots I wore were just plain non- insulated and non-treated vibram sole leather boots. I could feel everything breathe when I did get hot from the climb up the mountain to where I hunt. Thanks for all the advice and making a great product!

Ken

It is very gratifying for me to get responses from people as it tells me they are reading what I write. What I find out from many of the responders is information about how well my products work in conditions that I am not necessarily knowledgeable of. Much of the new information I hope is beneficial to other users of Wiggy products.

Considering the emphasis I have placed on footwear suggests that “maybe” someone of authority at one of these large shoe manufacturing companies will take notice of what I like to think of as former customer’s think of the boots they did purchase that proved not to perform as advertised while Wiggy’s Lamilite boots do perform as advertised.

I have made the effort and still do stating the importance of keeping your feet healthy and when out in the bush warm and dry. If they are not warm that tells me they are not dry and the person experiencing this situation is in a world of hurt and if the person does not get them warm the situation can be life threatening. It is also important to know the limits of the footwear you are wearing. Wiggy’s boots and socks are generally good for a low temperature of 0 degrees, but to go colder to say -30 degrees the over boots are very necessary. I speak from a number of years of personal experience, not hearsay.

At one time years ago when I first started working with companies in the outdoor industry they were mostly skiwear firms. I started skiing at the time and I met and skied with many of the people who were my customers, they were all for the most part actively using what they were selling. Even today if you go to Aspen Colorado you may very well encounter Klaus Obermeyer owner of the skiwear company that sports his name, he is maybe 93 or 94 years of age and still quite good. That is no longer the case since these firms have been consolidated into holding companies and the holders think leaving their offices is an outing. So much for people in the industry using the products they sell. This is probably the reason they do not know how poorly the products perform regardless of course of the test results they receive from companies like the hoho company who charges them huge sums of money for their bogus expertise and bogus results.

When I started selling to companies that made camping equipment over and above sleeping bags they used all of the products they made. What is interesting about this is the fact that they all went with the first branded continuous filament product trade named Polar Guard and they used those bags to learn that the moisture problem that down bags or clothing for that matter have did not happen. But down was more expensive so they kept the lie going. In the meantime as I was told back in the 1970’s Polar Guard bags were about 65 percent of bag sales. Today Wiggy’s Lamilite/Climashield sleeping bags are probably 85 percent of all high quality synthetic bags sold in the USA. The balance or 15 percent are a mix of down and chopped staple fiberfill bags.

I always make an effort to actually use what I put my name on before I put it on the web site to sell. Of course I also have Marc Taylor who owns the Wiggy’s Alaska store using the products in an environment that I do not ever see these days. He is younger and a much more active hunter than I am these days.

For the record, if any of you who read my articles have an experience that you would like to share with my audience, please take the time to write, I appreciate receiving your account and I also know that the audience does as well.

Many thanks to Don, Daveand Ken