[wbs]

[Allison]

Lots of companies use fabric made in the US. Just something else to look for. I just got my Leatherman tool back from Leatherman. A part broke on it, it was one week door to door to get it repaired by them for free.

[Allison]

Shout out for Rack N Road, 80th and Aurora. Used to be Ski Rack Sports, they just changed their name. Great folks, great service. They have used racks there too in case the one I have for sale won't fit on your car.

[hshires]

Just FYI - Tarptent is small but somewhere above "iitty bitty" and all our products are designed and manufactured in the US with all US materials, except the YKK zipper tabs. US manufacturing and materials add significantly to production costs (and is the reason we haven't gone retail) but, if you care, there are still high-quality outdoor products made here. Henry Shires Tarptent

[JimK]

What Henry did not mention is that his new Rainbow tent is manufactured right here in Seattle. A floorless Squall is my summer tent and I really like the new Rainbow.

[Dante]

Heck even Filson makes some stuff offshore now. The CEO said "the majority of the new Lodge collection of fancier fabrics is made in Hong Kong because 'no serious investments have been made in fabric mills in the U.S. for 20 years.'" OTOH, he says they still make 85% of there stuff here in the USA (mostly in Seattle). LINK I love Patagucci. Their "baggies" shorts last forever - I have a couple pair that are over 10 years old, and my first pair were way over 10 years old ('82 to mid-90s) when I got too fat for them. I have some of their luggage that I have had since 1990.

[Quark]

Willliams' reasoning for the Lodge line being made overseas makes sense. The original Filson still exists, with the high-quality outdoor wear still being made at the shop locally. The customer loyalty for Filson is very strong, and reaches the globe. I bet they're keeping their fingers crossed that Filson doesn't go the way of Eddie Bauer. I'm looking forward to thier line of women's outdoor wear. I have a pair of waxed tinpants (men's) and they fit well enough, and I looked damn fine in them, but the baggie-ness of the cut inhibited movement, so I did quit wearing them for working (now I'm too fat for them ).

[Dante]

[longhair27]

I disagree that TNF only makes crap as some have alluded to here. Way back in the mid 80's I bought a Mirco Stretch Fleece Zip-T at the Berkley TNF outlet store for half off (regular price about $90) and that thang was impeccably sewn, it was definetly high quality complete with French seams. I wore it for over a decade, but it got ripped off in the laundry so I replaced with another from LL Bean (retail $45) and the lycra cuff ripped out after just two months of wear! I couldn't get my $$$ refunded because it sustained a burn-hole in the other sleeve. Sometimes U really do get what U pay for. Another item is TNF last year came out with an excellent Solo Tent - Particle 13 which Thee design is an exact copy (pole structure) of Moss's famous 4-Season Outland solo Tent. The Particle 13 is only a 3-Season, but it's three poles go thru continous sleeves (= not only the fabric is under tension but more importantly the poles are too) and thus creates two ridges for and aft. In fact, I'd wager to bet I could use this Tent here in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in March-thru-May on snowpack due to it's inherently strong pole structure . The vestibule is tiny but the interior space is quite large. Lastly, TNF's Expedition classic Tents are still some of Industry's best designs after 20+ years, i.e., the VE-25 which started it all and a friend loves his Mountain 24. As far as Customer Service is, my personal experience with MSR locally has been nothing less than stellar! I've had good and bad experiences with Cascade Designs however. And of course REI, who can beat them?

[LostandFound]

My philosophy is "you get what you pay for". (most of the time). Filson, Arcteryx, REI, Mountain hardwear, MSR, these companies and others all give you 100% satisfaction guarantee. They may be more expensive up front but if you price it out year by year for the life of the item, it will be much cheaper than having to buy a new item that is cheaper to start every couple of years.

[Allison]

Zappos.com I ordered shoes from them on Saturday, and got them today. Free shipping in both directions in case you need to return. Very impressive.

[banzaimf]

My issue with TNF (as well as MANY other brands) is that they have great gear, and crappy gear. Unless you know exactly what you are looking for/at, you are taking a crapshoot as to the product. I love my Mountain 25, but I wouldn't buy any of their mid range jackets.

[seawallrunner]

I love my patagonia jackets and I love my patagonia pants. About the pants - one of my patagonia jackets became delaminated recently and I sent it back to California with a little note asking for a repair or a replacement. They sent me back a gift card instead, with the original full price of the item. I had bought the jacket sometime in the mid-90s, so I took the gift card to the Patagonia store on 2nd in Seattle near the Market and bought their softshell Guide Pants. I love the pants! they stretch, they are water resistant and keep me warm and dry during skiing. What more could I ask for? (ok, lower prices...the pants cost more than the gift card value, but I'm not complaining) I admire Patagonia because they stand by their guarantee. I have two of their jackets in my closet - whenever something went a little wrong, there was a friendly customer service person I could talk with on the phone or by email. Thanks to their high-quality materials and my diligent care of my outdoor gear, I suspect I'll be wearing these items - and be warm and dry - until I'm in my 90s

[Magellan]

I love patagucci for the quality. I have stuff I bought there in '98. Except the things I rammed my iceaxe through, it's all perfect. I am looking for their spring catalog to drool over.

[Moleman]

Sony bought out the digital camera department of Konica-Minolta a while back. Last summer, my Minolta A1 started having occasional problems with the CCD -- viewfinder/screen would transform into pink streaks, which went away if you turned the camera off, then on again. Two weeks ago, turning on/off didn't have any effect. I found a message on another chatgroup saying that a person had contacted Sony about a repair, and found a link to a Sony webpage which said they would take care of it. The next day, my camera was en route to El Paso, at their expense; they fixed it the day they got it, and returned it to me. Free of charge to me. I liked that. I might even buy a Sony camera with the Minolta anti-shake technology, some day.