Damien Gildea wrote:AlpineAffinity wrote: ... You'd think with names like ...
Names don't mean much, other than marketing. Andy himself has written a tale, somewhere out there in the blogosphere, about how when he was at Berghaus the recommendations and input on gear that he made either got ignored or mangled by the time the product was actually made. By the time the accountants and marketing department have had their way with things, it's amazing any good gear gets out there at all. Small, tailored / custom / craft - type manufacturers may seem the answer, but their QC is not always up to scratch, nor their customer service and inventory/delivery etc. Some, like CCW, manage to get by OK over time. Others, like WildThings, change to something else, which may not be to everyone's taste.
Patagonia? All their marketing tells us how great something is then the next year they can it or change it, often not for the better. Word is they're dumping all their (so-called) proprietary fabrics to step into line with Gore etc. If true, does that mean all the stuff they've said these last years was not really true?
Yeah, funny stuff. It's all about money. I heard that if they change colors, names, etc, basically the product, just a bit, then they don't have to pay taxes/tariffs on the stuff as its imported into the US. Something like that, anyway.
Having worked a bit in the industry(REI), I noticed that every year, the product is supposed to be that much better, ie,
this one is the ultimate jacket, whether it be the dead bird stuff, patagucch, REI, etc. etc. New material, new this, new that, supposedly equals the best. Gets a bit nauseating after awhile.
And Pataguch? yeah, more of the same. While I like their stuff, I have to chuckle now that they're going back, (at least in part, as some I believe, will still be their H2No product), to Gore. Chouinard used to say Gore was a scam, as "no product breathes," except of course, his.