A couple of weeks ago I found myself reading a piece from a fellow blogger that asked the question as to whether there was bad gear. His argument seemed to be that there wasn’t (I go into this below) but many of the comments seemed to agree with me that, sadly, there is.

And this got me thinking …

The original piece seemed to be making two arguments. Firstly, the author argued, there is gear that doesn’t meet up to expectations because what has been bought actually has not been developed to meet the needs that the purchaser acquired them for. True, there are cases of people not really understanding what they are buying and therefore make a dud purchase. Hands up, I’ve probably done this myself. The second argument was that there is very cheap gear. You get what you pay for. Buy cheap gear and you can’t expect it to be durable. Well, I’m sure that there is some truth in that as well. But we’re talking about the margins here. In my experience there is bad gear around.

During the last year I wrote about three pieces of gear which I considered to be either poor or not up to the task that you would reasonably expect. The first two were both pieces of gear that were around the £200 mark. I still consider this to be expensive. For that much money I think I have reasonable expectations of quality. The third item was a computer product that — while a lot cheaper — simply didn’t really deliver what the outdoor community would want. I don’t want to go over the details of these again but it seems to me that, at least in the first two cases, the manufacturers were managing to combine both shoddy goods with dreadful customer service. The connection between the two is important. With even the best manufacturing systems a bad batch can occasionally get through and in these circumstances you should be able to expect prompt and efficient customer service, especially if the problem is with a premium priced product.

My first item was an expensive watch that exhibited a fault that I have previously experienced with the same brand, on a couple of occasions over five years or so. Thankfully, this was bought through a major high street dealer who was able to raise the problem for me. But even they had problems, especially when the company told them that it was way out of warranty on the day that it was bought. Several years ago, when I had the same fault, the goods were replaced without argument and I got the impression that everyone knew there was a fault. This time there seemed to be no commitment to a proper conversation with the retailer and the retailer was clearly getting annoyed. But as this was a major retailer they couldn’t be ignored. After a somewhat un-necessary gap the watch was replaced by a new model with lots of mutterings about changing the country of manufacture because of problems with the first batch. So, I got a result but I didn’t really feel — at any time in this set of communications — that there was any real sense of apology on offer and I was certainly not given the confidence that the problems would be dealt with  promptly.

The second problem was with a lightweight pair of walking trousers from a very reputable company who I have bought a lot from over the years, indeed, I’ve championed their products at various stages. Despite being an expensive product the build quality was very poor, and I’m not the only person to have noticed that. The seams, especially, do not seem to be that robust. I thought there might be a problem with fit as well and thought I may have bought the wrong size. So, unusually for me, I decided to purchase a second pair in a different size. The second pair — bought a year later — were just as shoddily made and the seams began to fall apart quite quickly. Both of these pair of trousers had relatively light use. I wore both on a TGO Challenge, but that was only for twelve days walking or so. In total neither pair had been used, in total, for more than twice this number of times. The second pair were unintentionally left behind in Scotland and so I’ve gone back to wearing pair one. These have seam that is coming apart and the outer fabric has torn rather too easily on a fence or something. I could send them back for repair — and may yet do. But a repair is not really going to deal with the large amount of bad stitching that can be found all over this product. I suppose I will grin and bear it, use these until they fall together and then quietly go and purchase replacements from another brand.

The customer service complaint comes in here as well. When I bought the second par I had a chat the the retailers about the problems. They expressed surprise as they’d not had any complaints in the past and the manufacturers had not informed them of any problems. There may have been some problem with an initial production batch but none since. As I’d dealt with this company for many years I was inclined to believe them. But as I began to wear the replacement pair it became quite obvious that the same problems existed — and again it is not just much that has noticed the same thing! There is a problem with this premium priced product and one which, seemingly, the manufacturer is not prepared to share with their retailer. The best that the retailer could suggest was that I sent the first pair back for repair.

Responsible Blogging

It is difficult dealing with these kind of complaints as a blogger. Firstly, you need to be sure that you are not at fault with the purchase in the first place. And secondly, you need to be able to have the clout to get manufacturers to treat you seriously. With the watch I did eventually mutter popular hill asking blog and bad publicity over the internet and I did get the impression that they logged this. But this makes me mad because that’s not how customer service should work.

As a blogger you don’t get any better treatment than anyone else which means you have to be very persistent. I suspect that should a similar complaint have come from, say, a gear magazine things would have been dealt with more efficiently and decisively.

To write about these experiences is difficult because it requires consistency and persistence over time and many of us really don’t have the time to do that in the way that a professional journalist might.

The third example is interesting because of the more positive line that the company takes in relation to customers. This product didn’t do what I had wanted to do but I recognised that I kind of knew that when I bought it. But what this company does have is excellent customer service. They talk to their customers, explain their upgrade path and are genuinely interested in you helping them in their desire to create a better product. And as a result of their customer culture you are more happy to forgive problems and more patient in waiting for the development of the end product.

Hard Times and Better Value

I think it was a shame that my fellow blogger decided to write in the way that he did. Times are hard and many of us are having to be more discerning about gear purchases than perhaps we once were. Yes, we might still shell out money for an expensive product but we kind of have even more of a right to expect value for money and quality.

A Manifesto for Gear Manufacturers and Retailers

During the year I’d like to feel that things were changing.

Firstly, I’d like gear manufacturers to be a bit more honest in the pitch of their products. If they are building ‘down’ in quality then they really should be more careful about claims of quality and suitability.

Secondly, I’d like to see companies really committing themselves to improving customer care standards. Even the most unreasonable of us know that things go wrong sometimes but a good and positive reaction from a manufacturer makes us feel happier and more secure in our dealings with them.

Thirdly, and it goes without saying, that retailers have to be prepared to stand up for their customers, and this is the same whether we are talking about high street retailers or online retailers. I will only deal now with those who I know have a real commitment to their customer.

It is hard to write a bad review

You do see ‘bad’ reviews on the net but not that many really. It is hard for an ordinary punter to really go through a process of being fair yet thorough. Yes I know you will see reviews on sites which effectively say ‘crap’ but sometimes this doesn’t really help take a debate on.

Do Better …

Our economy is likely to be — at best— flat lining over the next few years. Walkers will have less disposable income and will necessarily be more cautious in their purchases. Companies, too, face hard times. Those who are not committed to good customer service may well find themselves in trouble and I would hate to see some of our famous names going to the wall. At the very least recent experiences suggest that some famous names have some work to do to live up to their hard earned reputations.

I may still write some hard-hitting reviews about these products but the professional and responsible person in me knows that I probably have to spend yet more time going through the complaint systems. As a punter, of course, I might just simply give up, never use these companies again, and just tell all of my friends.

There is bad gear out there. Despite it being difficult to deal with the blogging community should not make things even harder by suggesting that there isn’t.

Perhaps we need an internet hall of shame. I’m genuinely interested in how you think we can deal with bad manufacture, and sub standard customer service, through the online community.

Thoughts please!

I’d assumed that the titanium pegs would be the same as I’ve been using for years and which I reckon a lot of people use. But the pegs he turned up with were very different.

These are V shaped pegs but they are quite wide and very robust looking — I’m sure you could use them as a dangerous weapon if you were so disposed. The ‘head’ of the peg is also quite big and includes a very functional ‘lip’ with which to hold your guy rope or chord. Shove on of these in the ground and you really don’t see it going anywhere!

The proof is in the pudding, as they say, and Thursday was a very windy evening. My V shaped pegs didn’t even budge. I shall certainly always have 6 of these in my pack when the ground is wet and the conditions stormy.

You can buy these on a single basis, i.e. per peg or you can buy a pack of 6 like me. Individually the pegs sell at 3.99 and the pack of 6 cost £19.99. Each peg – although an absolute best — only weighs 13 grams.

Which reminds me. I haven’t paid for them yet !!! Better get back to the site.

Titanium V-Pegs, Backpackinglight.co.uk

Thanks to Roman — I’d not sen this before.

The Henry Shire’s Tarptent Stratospire 2 — dual vestibule, dual entry, inner tent — 1.1 Kilograms.

TGO Challenge? Don’t know. Summer camping – certainly!

My last pair of trusty X-Socks have now finally developed holes so big that they have had to be binned — walking is now taking place wearing Tecko merino socks. Worse still, I suppose, is that my current pair of Inov-8 Terrocs appear to be well and truly trashed. The soles have worn considerably and there are holes in the upper fabric  but the main problem is serious wear on the inside of the heel protector. I guess walking in constantly waterlogged conditions has taken its toll this year. The Terrocs were well and truly one the hill at the end of the TGO Challenge this year and they were new at the beginning. In the past a pair has seen me across Scotland, over the Pyrenees and everywhere else in between before buying a new pair the following Spring.

Next I contemplate my Icebreaker merino boxers, a very comfortable piece of kit. These now feature rather more ventilation than the designers bargained. Still, they remain comfortable and will no doubt keep me going until the holiday period.

Next I look at my walking poles, my trust aluminium Pacer Poles. These are now battered (almost) into submission. The base sections have no paint left on the at all and the upper sections are catching up quickly. These poles have been  bent so many times that one of them refuses to collapse telescopically any longer. I do sometimes wonder whether metal fatigue might suddenly catch up with me when my pole is supporting my Duomid is stormy weather!

And then there is the gear that has been left elsewhere. My Travel Tap water bottle is still somewhere with Peewiglet up north. And my Paramo Velez trousers have now probably been sold in some car boot sale by those nice people in Cannich. Still, an ordinary Evian bottle will do for winter and I;ve still got the first pair of Velez trousers, even through they might not be as comfortable.

Oh, and there’s my main pack which now has a gaping hole in the webbing of one side pocket and which seems to becoming un-stitched around the main pocket strap. But I guess it has probably got a few years left in it yet.

I know there is a danger that everything will collapse at the same time but I pride myself that I am taking the kind of decisive action in life that Silvio B seems incapable to take.

Not a good time to be running a gear business I guess!

eVent is under pressure on two fronts. Firstly, there are new m,aerials which while not as breathable are cheaper. Secondly, at the higher end of the scale Gore Tex is spending a lot of cash on promoting its new Active Shell fabric which is their most breathable yet.

eVent though remains a superb fabric. I am the proud owner of a Montane Quickfire jacket which is sadly no longer available. The minimalist Quickfire was very light and effective in bad weather. By some degree, this is the most breathable jacket I have ever owned. At its peak eVent was pushing Gore Tex hard and it seemed a shame to see it disappear.

However, this week I’ve seen my first reference to a new eVent material. Ron Bell — at Mountain Laurel Designs — has just announced the purchase of the new material on the MLD Facebook page. Ron is a man who thinks hard about materials and only uses those that perform to the very highest standards. According to Ron the new 3 layer eVent fabric that he has bought in is 10% lighter that its predecessor and even more breathable. Given the lightness and performance of the old eVent this new stuff must be very exciting (indeed Ron seems very excited by it).

I think Montane and Rab are still using eVent on mainstream products. This new development suggests that eVent will remain a serious consideration for lightweight hikers for some time in the future. I hope so.

My original review comments on the quality of the stitching on the trousers. I quickly found that others had many of the same issues. On the other hand, these are great trousers for the cooler UK months. The Velez trousers are significantly more comfortable than the heavier Cascadas and I’ve walked in them during quite hot days without any problems. They do work and are as good as any other Paramo Analogy rain wear.

I liked the cut of the legs of these trousers but the rest of the fit was not that good. The guys at Cunningham outdoor in Betws-y-Coed reckoned that it was always a good idea to buy a size bigger than you thought you needed. As I was preparing for a TGO crossing of Scotland — 2 weeks — I decided to buy a second pair. Across Scotland the trousers worked just as well, although in many ways this pair were too big as the previous pair might have been a title tight. I spent much of my time pulling the things up, trying to avoid what we technically call in the UK an ‘ohh.err misses Carry On moment”.

A month or so ago I was preparing for another week in Scotland. The weather forecast was dreadful and so I dug out the Velez trousers. Inspecting them I noticed that the stitching was coming apart in exactly the same place as it had on the first pair. These had done precisely 18 days walking. To be fair some of these days involved clambering over deer fences and such. But I’m sure the fences weren’t the problem.

My ‘dilemma’ came about at the end of the recent trip. The weather was absolutely dreadful and two of us swam down Glen Afric, picked up the car and hydroplaned into Cannich and the Slater’s Arms. the two of us were so wet that we decided to change in the pub. I hung my Velez trousers up on a hook by the door. When we left I picked up my pack and forgot all about the trousers. By the time I realised what I had done we were well on our way South. I phoned the Slater’s Arms three times and yes they had the trousers. I told them I’d pay a decent sum to have them posted back but the trousers have never arrived and I guess I’ll never see them again.

So, what to do now. Do I get the first pair repaired and put up with the fit or do I try a second pair? Or do I go for something else?

These are fine trousers in terms of performance on the hill. But they should be more robust than they are. It’s not the lighter external fabric that is the problem but the stitching which is very fine and which features a very narrow seam — far too delicate for walking trousers.

Some of suggested that Paramo’s quality control is not as good as it once was, or as good as it should be. But they are very convenient in wet weather.

To replace or not? What would you lot do?

I have no real moral message of any of this; it is a logical development in a more network and connected world. But I do know what I value personally and wonder whether it is time for us to be much clearer about what we are?

Staring from today my bog home page carries details of this blog’s Review Policy. Other bloggers may want to consider doing something similar, but these are my reasons.

I have met a lot of grab people since I have ben blogging. Some of them have been in business and some of them are my friends, but I’ve been careful to use these properly.

For example, I have a long friendship with Bob Cartwright at backpacking light.co.uk. Bob often gives me little bits of kits to play with. He has sometimes given me prototypes of things. Occasionally I talk about them online but I have only ever reviewed stuff from Bob that I have bought with my own cash. To codify this my policy makes it clear that I only review goods that I have used in the field or books that I have actually read. My ‘Living With …” reviews aim to reflect on a prolonged period of usage, something that I think is particularly valued by readers.

Now, I’m not an angel. I do sometimes get sent goods which I then review. By my new policy will ensure that I am very explicit about when this has happened. By far most of the kit and books that I have reviewed have been bought by myself, and that is how things will stay.

During the last week I have talked to a small number of people I know in the industry, who produce or distribute specialist products. I’ve asked them about this whole issue; I wondered whether I’d got this completely wrong. But their responses were interesting.

Unanimously they agreed with me. They thought my views of their products had more validity because I had bought them myself. They were all of the view that this independence meant more to them promotionally than any number of freebie posts.

I was not only heartened by this but thought I should share it. Interestingly, these are all people in innovative, small companies, who are close to the outdoor community — as opposed to big multi-national companies. Their views were very genuine I thank them for it – you know who you are

So, quality and integrity counts especially to those niche companies many of us want to promote because they fill gaps and make damn good products.

These comments led me to create my review policy. They helped me through the smoke thrown up by a new type of hybrid blog, which is written by enthusiasts but which has an un-ashamed commercial edge.

Now, I don’t thin there is anything wrong with these hybrids. They are inevitable. And why shouldn’t somebody seek to become gal personality with, say, the aim of developing a new career? All of this is fine by me, so log as they are clear about what they are doing. An honourable mention here must be given to my friend Phil Turner who’s blogging has led him into new fields including guide book writing. Phil’s blog has become more and more commercial but he acknowledges this and is now setting up a new venture that will be a real hybrid that is very different to where he started.

I wish more people would be so clear about what they were doing. There are, for example, people writing directly to outdoor manufactures requesting gear to review. Their letters map all kinds of claims about readership, their influence in the online community and so on. Now I don’t know about you but I think knowledge of this would change the way I thought about their work. Maybe I would still read it but I’d be more critical (in the good sense of the word). I also know of outdoor people with impressive experiences who have casually reviewed stuff that they have been sent trough the post. These products have not been used in the field and yet a casual buyer might attach real weight to the views of an experienced adventurer.

Why do I want to see more honesty? Well, you can see what goes wrong in the software world.

There are many blogs that now focus on computer platforms, especially with Apple macs, iphone, iPads and so on. Some of these have been going for some time and some of them I have been reading for years. But increasingly I find less and less to read. Far too much of the content comes from the press release. It soon become clear that a piece promote features but is unable to offer any real insight into the use of the product.

Anyone can see what is happening here but a real knowledge of a product can reveal a slipshod approach to serious reviews. I recently read a review, in a major title, of a software program I rely on. Because I have a good knowledge of the product I knew that the reviewer had only spent a little time with hit. He really didn’t appreciate what the program was. He compared it with programs that on the face of it seemed similar but in reality are light years away. The program I take about is not cheap and some of the competitors are. This review will sit on the web for ever and gives a very unfair overview of what is a sophisticated product developed by a small and innovative company. This is not an unusual experience I’m afraid. I’m sure the company will be OK as it has many supporters but it is the potential consumer that looses out here because they have received duff information from an apparently authoritative source.

Personally, I don’t want to see the same developing here. But, to repeat myself, I have seen stuff online that I consider to be dodgy!

The world is a wonderfully diverse place and bloggers will want to produce things in their own way. Fine. But maybe we should all be clearer about our exposure to the commercial world.

For many blogger the occasional freebie is a nice perk and that’s fair enough. It is nice that they benefit occasionally as a result of their work. But when companies are showering hundreds of pounds at someone then that is very different.

There’s one other thing I’ve discovered this week that might be worth thinking of.

I find personally that the more commercial a blog becomes the less interested I am in it. I find myself switching off and reading them less and less. I’ve discovered I’m not alone in this. So, if you’re choosing the commercial hybrid route plan your campaign carefully!

Fight your own fight and blog your own blog. But think about a review policy. Let people know what they are dealing with.

From reading the debate generated by my post I’m pleased to see that most people have many of the same thoughts and worries that I do. The Outdoor blogging world has given many people access to a different kind of gear review, one which often looks at the long term use of an item — something that is more difficult for magazines to do. But I may not have expressed myself very well and there may be people who misconstrued what I thought I was saying. So, I thought I’d expand a little. Of course, bloggers should keep reviewing gear, sharing their excitement of new kit and new techniques and so on. But the Gore Tex experience has really made me think, so much so that I’ll expand a bit.

The Gore Tex Blogger Summit is not simply a meeting, it is a major event involving a major investment from Gore Tex. The event starts on Friday afternoon with a flight into Munich with the flight being paid for by Gore Tex.  Friday concludes with dinner at a hotel. Saturday starts with a visit to a Gore plant, presentations on Gore products, a question and answer session and then lunch. In mid afternoon the Summit moves into the open where participants can play with the gear I guess. It might rain but it might not but the experience will be limited in terms of field trials. Dinner and a fin evening seems to be scheduled for out in the open but there is the a coach back to the hotel for the evening. On Sunday there is a shuttle back to the airport.

I come from a background of public service and the public sector where financial interests have to be declared and I often think about things in these terms. As a local authority councillor, by law, I had to declare financial interests and financial gifts, including gifts in kind. Good practice here requires people to declare not only the marginal cost of their ‘gift’ but to calculate and declare a proper assessment of financial value.

Gore’s programme involves flights, coach travel, two nights in a hotel, food and other hospitality costs. There will be a chance to meet Gore’s athletes, presumably who is sponsored by the company and of course that costs as well. While it is difficult to work out the costs of such a weekend I would be declaring this at around the €500-600 mark.

Fot this I would get a very convivial weekend I’m sure. Would I really learn more about Gore’s products? I doubt it. So, why are Gore prepared to spend such a lot of money on little old me?

Well, let’s be clear that Gore are not prepared to invest in us because we are hyper critical. It is more likely to be the case that we are seen as soft touches. We will go back and wax lyrically about the product. Gore’s PR departments can point people to these comments and Google searches will show up blogger writing as well. Some will declare their interests properly while others will not. Some have suggested this is nonsense, that it is quite clear to anyone who knows what they are talking about what kind of involvement you have had with a product. But that is just plain naive. This is not how the business and the promotion industry know how things work. Ultra lightweight blogger are not a big portion of the market — but their blogs and views will cary a lot of weight amongst casual outdoor market which, of course, dwarfs us small band of eccentric enthusiasts.

I may be over-egging this but I would like to see a more set of honest relationships grow up between the industry and the online world. As a humble hack, blogging in the back bedroom, it is rather flattering for Gore to acknowledge me as ” … an exclusively selected opinion leader” and anyone who has worked with marketing companies knows what this means. Gore are not interested in my objectiveness but they do know that there is a readership out there than can be influenced. I know from my web stats that many people find they way here after googling a product name — they are not simply regular readers.

It may be that this kind of event may be time limited, that it will run its course as all advertising campaigns do. But there is maybe a better way that the industry can go while learning from the software industry.

The computer and software industry has for some time used the concept of evangelists. Large companies like Microsoft employ very talented people to be, for example, public sector evangelists. These are knowledgeable people, often inspirational leaders, who are there to think laterally, help with serve and product development and to generally promote their company as innovative and imaginative. Some evangelists have a strong pubic image, like Vince Serf one of the “founders of the internet” who works for Google. Microsoft has architectual evangelists, and infrastructure evangelists as well as those who are well known as innovators and creative thinkers in public services.

But it’s not just the large companies that take this approach. Many specialist software company use evangelists to great effect. One of my favourite pieces of software is produced by an innovative German company Devon Technologies. Devon employs an evangelist who blogs about not only the products but the uses that various users put them to. He acts as a kind of online catalyst and broker of views and experiences.

Is not something for the outdoor industry to consider, recruiting evangelists who spread the word and enthuse about goods but who everyone knows have a formal relationship with the company?

For my money this would make a big difference and would be more honest, and honourable way forward.

I couldn’t do the Gore Tex blogging thing. I’d have to put a note on any posts to the effect that I had received financial support to the value of £500 or more.

No, there’s thought. How would that effect the way people saw this humble blog. Nope, it’s not the kind of thing I am prepared to do!

Shelter

Mountain Laurel Designs, Duomid — cuben fibre.

Now very much in the tried and tested category. On this trip I shall be using it with a single MLD bug nest — thanks to Colin Ibbotson. This should give me a bit more room to move than my MLD Soul Bivy.

Pack

ULA Conduit — now known as the CDT. This is a frameless pack that I’ve used for the last six years or so. Showing a little wear now but still the most comfortable, lightweight, pack I’ve ever carried

Sleep

Neoair inflatable mat — short length.

The sleeping bag will be my trust PHD Minimus bag which weighs under 500 grams.

Cooking

MSR titanium pot, 1.5 litres.

Caldera Cone alcohol system, custom designed for the MSR pot.

2 * Japanese  folding plates and 2  * titanium sporks.

2 * MSR titanium mugs.

2 litre, wide top opening platypus.

Firelighting steel

Footwear

Inov-8 Terocs 330

E socks trekking lite or trekking lite extreme.

Poles

Pacer Poles, aluminium.

Baselayers

Smartwool shirt and Ice Breaker boxers.

Waterproof

Montane Quickfire eVent jacket.

Clothes

Montane Dynamo mid layer

Paramo Warm weather shirt

Paramo Merapai trousers

Paramo Velez Trousers — dependent on weather forecast.

Travel Tap water bottle.

Lowe Alpine sun cap.

Paramo wind cap.

Montane wind shirt (optional)

Tech

Suunto Core watch.

iPhone 4, with Routebudy software and 1:50K maps.

Misc

Most of the usual stuff, toilet trowels, mini first aid kits,etc.

The final clothing coice will be dependent on weather btu as we’re using a car we will be able to take a wider selection than usual from which to make the final choice of gear.

That’s it I think, unless I’ve forgotten something.

If I’m a littel vague that’s because most of the stuff is permanently in the rucksack or left over from the last trip. As for base weights, I’m not sure what it is but it will probably come on udner 5 kilograms

So, time for a new one. The big question? What colour should I go for?