products that do not perform

WHY SLEEPING BAGS FROM OTHER COMPANIES DO NOT PERFORM

On Friday I read an article in the Sporting Goods Business online magazine about new adaptations on backpacks to hold toddlers from the Kelty Company; they were very interesting and I think will work well. As I read further into the article the individual that headed the “team” that created these adaptions also over saw their sleeping bag program. There was a picture of a person maybe 30 years old at best.

Since I know the guys who own the company I wrote to them asking about the individual’s background in the field of sleeping bags particularly insulations. Their response was a complete surprise when each wrote back they did not know of the individual. A product developer and “team” leader unknown to the owners of the company was astounding. So at their request I sent them the link to the SGB web site. They responded that it was a mistake to note the individual as a product developer of sleeping bags as it was someone else’s responsibility.

I then stated it did not matter since the other person about the same age did not have any knowledge of insulation either.

The problem Kelty, Sierra Designs, Marmot, Mountain Hardwear, North Face., etc. have is simple they in total; do not have any employees that have knowledge of “insulation”!!! There is but one synthetic insulation and that is continuous filament fiber. Each of the companies mentioned has the so called sleeping bags they sell made in Asia and there is no manufacturing of continuous filament fiber in Asia. It is only made in the USA and to use it in Asia they would have to ship it there. Therefore, they use what is available to them and that is the cheapest chopped staple that can be bought. Then each company dreams up a name for their product, something catchy like Mountain Hardwear has done calling their chopped staple fiberfill “lamina”. Of course some people might think it is the same as Lamilite, but it definitely is not Lamilite.

As I see it many if not all of the large corporations employ people with really either very little knowledge of materials or none at all. These corporate executives are delusional in thinking these employees will create financially successful products. Note the key word is “financial” so it does not have to work. That is what I have surmised with respect to Kelty as far as their sleeping bag products are concerned. I also think these owners seem to run the company as absentee managers based upon the fact that they were unaware of an important “team” leader.

As I view the many stories that are publicized about the wonderful characteristics of the new fabrics it gives me pause to wonder if these corporate managers really believe their own stories. If they do they are delusional. With respect to the Asian made sleeping bags with chopped staple fiberfill, there is a 40 year or longer history of sleeping bags made with this form of fiberfill not performing versus a longer period of time demonstrating that continuous filament fiberfill does perform. I alone have been at it for almost 40 years between my original company Olam and now Wiggy’s.

I also believe that these companies believe they have to have sleeping bags to show since they are associated as outdoor industry companies, but I believe they are lose leader products. Please note that companies like North Face etc. are clothing companies more so than anything else these days and that has been the case for quite a while.

Recently I have written about companies that delude themselves into thinking that an additive blended with polyester fiber and then made into yarn that is knitted into pullovers like long sleeve T-shirts are excellent base layer garments. They theorize that sweat will migrate through the close knit materials and out leaving your skin surface dry so you will be either cool or warm. When I view their products on their web sites all I see are close knit garments that are supposed to function like fishnets. They are delusional to think that is the case. However these garments are in a number of cases made from merino wool so they ultimately are purchased to be worn as sporty tops and not as a technical base layer garment.

Back in the late 1960’s and early 70’s I was lucky to have a dear friend who was importing sweaters from Scotland so I had a collection of cashmere crew neck and turtle neck pullovers that today would be called “base layers”. Soft as merino wool is it is not quite cashmere and I never thought of wearing them as a base layer when I was skiing.

WEATHER

I was reading the Farmer’s Almanac prediction of a cold winter from the Montana Canadian border south to Colorado and then to the east coast to include the southern region. They suggest a return to what were normal winters of years ago. Me, I believe we are cooling down and the winter may start earlier and last longer, but time will tell.

In any event for those of you who chose to get into the elements you want to be sure that what you wear are garments that do not retain moisture. That means starting with fishnets which allows perspiration to move from your skin surface. Then loose fitting layers of clothing and I prefer woven fabrics that are not restricting of movement that will also not absorb and retain moisture. ALL of the base layers that are available with all of their machinations have one thing in common, THEY ALL RESTRICT THE MOVEMENT OF MOISTURE FROM SKIN SURFACES. The end result is moisture buildup against your skin surface and a chill.

I am of the opinion that the corporate executives from all of these companies that market base layers are as delusional as the corporate executives who market chopped staple fiberfill sleeping bags. The other commonality of these corporate executives is that they have NEVER used what their company sells. In this manner if asked if their stuff works they can answer without lying that they don’t know because they never used the stuff.

When I started in the business ALL of the owners of the companies actually were the designers and in many cases the one who put the original product together. They then took the product into the field to give it ago. From this point if needed they modified their original until they had it right! The end result was simple, they knew it worked because they took pride in what they made and did not have any reservations about stating they knew it worked. That attitude is long gone from the industry.

The youth of the industry are basically people who are uneducated about materials and otherwise believe ALL of the lies that have preceded them and they have yet to question these lies. If they do they would probably be fired.

It is obviously warm now but winter will be here before you know it.