pride of accomplishment

CORRECTION

Yesterday’s article ended with me stating that I reduced the price of the Muk Luks from $175.00 to $1500.00. Well the real price which is shown on the web site is $150.00 per pair.

SALE PRICES FOR SLEEPING BAGS

I have been scrutinizing my costing for my sleeping bags and cannot reduce the prices any further. Labor increases the first of the year and shipping cost increases also the first of the year hinder any further reductions.

What you do get when you buy a Wiggy’s bag regardless of the model or price is a “life time guarantee” as a starter. The materials are made in the USA. The fiberfill insulation that I use exclusively to make the Lamilite (Climashield) is only made in the USA. It is also the most expensive synthetic insulating material in the world, which is not difficult to be since there are no other synthetic insulations available. I use the YKK number 10 molded tooth zippers in all of my sleeping bags because it is not only the most expensive zipper you can buy for use in sleeping bags but it is far and away the strongest.

Wiggy’s bags can be laundered as often as one wants to wash them; every day of the week if you want in ANY washing machine (gentle cycle please) and can be dried in any dryer (fluff cycle please). My bags can be stored in their stuff sack for years without any damage if you chose to have one as an emergency sleeping bag.

Wiggy’s bags are the most accurately temperature rated sleeping bags ever made as well. When you purchase a sleeping bag and the tag says rated to zero degrees F (of course today the tag might have an “en” rating, not that anyone knows what it represents as far as temperature is concerned). However when you are using a Wiggy’s bag in a tent on a ground pad it will perform at the temperature it is rated for, zero or otherwise.

And finally for at least two years I have been contacted in one form or another but mostly by phone and from women wanting to know about the chemicals that are applied to the fabrics I use and very specifically fire retardant chemicals. I use PURE FINISHED FABRICS that do not have any chemicals applied to them. As for fire retardant chemicals to my surprise they have told me they are told by representative of rei that all of their bags are fire retardant treated. In all of my years in the sleeping bag business I never heard of any bags being fire retardant treated since synthetic insulated bags self-extinguish based on a study done in the 1950s or 60s by Coleman Company.

Then there is longevity with Wiggy’s bags; 20 to 30 years of use is not unusual. That means they are the most “sustainable” sleeping bags with the smallest “carbon foot print” that the outdoor industry likes to banter around.

Why anyone would want to waste their money on any of the “no sleep sleeping bags” available I question. For years from what I have been reading from companies that try to overcome the tariffs on their imports has been going on for years. So the end result is the degradation of the materials used to make almost all of their products. I did a video which can be seen on the web site of a North Face sleeping bag showing the very poor quality of the polyester fiberfill they are using as well as the atrocious sewing construction. Soon there will be a 25 percent greater tariff applied so I cannot imagine how much cheaper they can make these products.

Let me make something clear; I am a free trade advocate but you cannot fight city hall so to speak. Columbia Sportswear was interviewed for an article in today’s SBG online. They were complaining about the tariffs that will be going into effect shortly. I understand completely but something dawned on me as I discussed it with a customer. Columbia’s matriarch Gert Boyle was interviewed several years ago on a Portland Oregon TV station and she explained why even though she would like to come back to the USA for product it was not possible because materials were not available. We have enormous production capacity here so she was just giving lip service to the situation. She has to satisfy investors and throughout the outdoor industry there are a number of corporate investment organizations that have bought up a number of companies that have been built on production in Asia. These companies do not want any production in the USA because it will obviously reduce profits. If they have to work with the tariffs they will find some ways around them if possible. They will as I believe they have been doing for some time reduce the quality of the products they have been bringing into the USA but not lowering the prices accordingly.

I grew up you could say in the textile industry and in the 1960’s I was privileged to walk into several hundred factories, sewing operations, quilting operations, laminating operations batting making operations as well as dyeing and finishing plants to list a few. The most interesting for me were the sewing plants. I was shown materials that were incredible and as much as $100.00 per yard. The quality of finished product that these companies sold was the envy of the world. I think of Wiggy’s in those times as I believe my quality is equal to what existed. Unfortunately what the financial institutions of today want are products that have no room for pride of accomplishment. That is what the money managers in the USA want on store shelves, poor quality non-functioning products.

Wiggy’s products may not be less money but they are products that we at Wiggy’s take pride in making and that is why I say “life time guarantee”!!!