sustainability

SUSTAINABILITY

This word that has permeated the outdoor industry for several years. Each of the companies that market their Chinese or otherwise Asian made products loves to say that they now are doing things that are sustainable. The raw materials that go into the finished products are sustainably acquired and the products are sustainable, ad-nausea.

As I see it ALL of these companies make products that are in and of themselves not sustainable. These companies come up with new better products in their own minds that are improvements over the previous year’s products, but they are only different in color. That could be an improvement I suppose. What I do accept is that these companies are making effort to sustain sales. In order to do that they need silver tongue devils doing the marketing of their products that I do believe do not live up to the ability to function as advertised.

As I have pointed out the shoe boot industry markets footwear that has built in obsolescence, as in the soles being molded so they cannot be replaced when worn out even if the upper is in good shape. The fabrics used for shirts and pants are either made with woven or knitted materials that utilize lighter weight yarns. Their durability is significantly shorter than garments made 5 years ago. More planned obsolescence in my opinion. The costs for these lighter weight fabrics is less but the selling prices are higher as well.

Other products that I know do not work as advertised are the shirts that claim to be made from fabrics that wick, however they are made from synthetic fibrous material that has no wicking capability. Then there are fabrics laced with insecticides that are supposed to prevent body odor, but when wetted by perspiration the chemicals leach into your skin killing the microbes while in the pores where they putrefy. All of what is claimed by these companies is “hype” to get people excited about the possibility of the fabrics being able to perform this way. By the way do you know why the advertising industry started using the word “hype”, it came from street people who were using hypodermic needles to get all “jacked” up in the 60’s and 70’s.

They shout from the roof tops how they can trace the down used in garments or sleeping bags back to the farms and maybe even the duck or goose who VOLUNTERIALLY donated his/her life in the theory that they will help you to stay warm. How is this sustaining the ducks or gooses lives? Obviously it isn’t.

When you think of a company that makes products that exhibit sustainability you have to think of Wiggy’s. Wiggy’s sleeping bags have been manufactured in the USA using USA made materials for 30 years and Wiggy’s has made many thousands of sleeping bags and probably 95% of them are still in use. That is sustainability of product. I personally never gave it much though since I have always chosen to buy personal products that had a long life expectancy and choose to make products that fit the same category. Also, note that of ALL the insulating mediums ever created the continuous filament fiber insulation used by Wiggy's to make Lamilite; Climashield has not peer, never has and never will unless it is cloned and I do not expect that to happen ever.

I have noticed on several of the web sites for major brands of outerwear that they have many products on sale. Probably because people have discovered that the small amount of insulating materials used in the “winter garments” do not keep people warm and word of mouth advertising will work against you as easily as it does for you.

As the most interesting man in the world says; "choose wisely my friend".