letters and investigations

A PLEASANT TESTIMONIAL

Jerry, I received the custom Ducksback insulated poncho today. I went with the L3 insulation and OD green. You mention the price would be $150 whether it was L6 or L3. I think $150 is still a bargain for what I’m getting. And due to your conservative temp ratings, I’m glad I went with L3 in the end.

Thank you again for putting out what must be some of the most underrated products in the US.

Sincerely

Robert Richardson

The reason Robert paid the same price is because I had to make it for him custom. I do agree that some under rate my products, but others rave about them and I print all those raving testimonials, because I am vane and it boosts my ego.

Quetico Canoe Trip

Just returned from 10 days in the Quetico Wilderness park. I used the medium sized Radial stuff sack.
Loved it. It held a summer weight Wiggy's bag, liner coat and insulated head cover. The straps allowed me to compress the whole package down to about the size of a starter fireplace log the stores sell. Extremely important when you are carrying everything. in packs. I will be ordering the large size Radial stuff sack for Wiggy's 20F bag that I have.

– Alan DeBoom

Alan’s testimonial is a first for me to receive. It is about a compression stuff sack. I am partial to the radial style myself. Thank you, Alan.

THE GSA

As you know I reported to the GSA that we taxpayers were paying for trash “no sleep sleeping bags” coming from several companies producing these products outside of the USA that do not function as advertised one such company being snugpak. The complaint was started in July I believe, and I have yet to get a response. Therefore, it has left me with no choice but to write to the Commander in Chief otherwise known as the President of the United States of America. Maybe he can do something about this abhorrent situation. My letter was sent via overnight air on Monday, so I expect it will take two to three weeks for a response (I am going by the time frame it took for Reagan to respond to me). I will publish my letter and the response I get when it arrives.

SLEEPING BAGS

Each day I receive I think 6 or so online magazines like Sporting Goods Business or SNEWS the outdoor industry magazine and I see and sometimes read their articles which I occasionally republish and comment on. They talk about a multitude of garments or footwear products but almost never about sleeping bags. I have a theory as to why.

Many years ago when I was new to the camping part of the outdoor industry I learned that these companies and I am only referring to the more prominent brand names like north face, sierra designs, camp 7, alpine designs and a host of probably another 10 or 12 whose names I do not recall is that they preferred to make jackets versus sleeping bags. why, because every buyer of a sleeping bag is a jacket buyer, however, every buyer of a jacket is not a sleeping bag buyer. So, they kept on making sleeping bags and sold them as lose leader items.

Fifty years ago, these companies were selling as many down bags as they could make because it took 8 hours to make a bag it still does today. So, they started making Polar Guard bags because it was more a more expensive fiberfill than chopped staple fiber, but they used it the same way, quilting it. When it wasn’t working out for them, they tried several machinations of construction with the shingle construction being the one of choice, but it also took 8 hours to make a bag. They sold it for less because the Polar Guard was less costly than down, but they had to have the price spread big enough so people would buy the synthetic. Their shingled bag sold very well because it was cheap but there was no profit in it. Hence, they eventually moved production to China and after a few years I am sure the Chinese factory learned that they needed more money to make these shingled bags, so it ended, and it ended for everyone who was selling them.

So, the north face really went down hill with their sleeping bags as has every other company in the industry.

I am in business today because ALL the companies that existed at the time refused to “listen and learn” about polyester fiberfill and why one continuous filament was better than chopped staple than all others being used. The refused to “listen and learn” why lamination was the best method to use the continuous filament fiberfill. Maybe that is the reason Natick has also “refused to listen and learn”. If these famous brands didn’t go with what I was offering why should the Natick crowd after all they were the criteria to live by back, then.

The result that exists today is the fact that these other companies make fewer and fewer bags because they make less and less profit if at all with what they do make. They maintain the “image” of the great outdoors but that is all. The consumer who buys into these bags is experiencing the “image” of being out there but also freezing out there.

Maybe if they were making a profit selling sleeping bags more would be said about them in the trade publications and maybe the drastically low prices I see on the internet for them wouldn’t exist. 

NEWS FLASH TODAY I READ THAT WL GORE WILL BE CELEBRATING AT THE END OF THE MONTH I BELIEVE OCTOBER 28, 2019 THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIGGEST LIE EVER PERPETRATED ON AND IN THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY. IMAGINE 50 YEARS WHAT A HORRIBLE JOKE AND THE CONSUMER HAS TAKEN THE BRUNT OF THE RIP OFF BY PAYING FOR GARMENTS THAT CANNOT WORK AS ADVERTISED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!