I often have a go at folk in the outdoor trade, mostly store buyers for being lame and distributors for not trying hard enough if the frequent rebutals to my criticism are to be used as a measure.
Tomorrow I’m being presented with evidence for the defence, I’m off to innov_ex 2011 on Tuesday and Wednesday, but I’m breaking my journey in Kendal and spending the day with a familiar company who assure me that I’ve got it all wrong.
So, I’m away but I’ll be back with information overload.
Is a distributor really just a scabby dusty industrial unit full of cardboard boxes with a clock-watching ned pulling packages in and out of courier vans?
Is the UK outdoor industry embracing the power of the internet? Some are, some have their fingers in their ears while going Lalalalalala…. I’ll be watching for who’s shifting in their seats on Tuesday.
Which of the truly wacky designs I’ve seen will win the innovation prize on Wednesday? I know the ones I’m liking already
More soon. Unless the weather’s really good when I come back, in which case it’s screw you hippy, I’m off.
How about asking them why so many manufacturers and distributors in the UK make / supply / a much more limited selection of wimmin’s kit than blokes, and when they do do stuff, tend to concentrate on low end / ‘fashion’ end stuff?
One of the eternal questions.
One shop told me they sell a 50/50 split between genders, one manufacturer told me they sell 90/10 mens to wummins.
I just don’t know.
Ach Kate got there before me.
I know it has a lot to do with the whole economic argument of they will only make/put on the shelf what they can sell. So if we can’t buy it of course we will look for alternatives within the male kit available which really isn’t fit for purpose mostly due to the fit.
That brings me on to the second point you can chib them about – where the hell do most manufacturers get their measurements for making their sizes up????? Even if you are fortunate to be the “standard size” the variation in what fits is phenomenal. I know that hill/mountain kit aint the worst as my recent foray into cycling kit has had me in hysterics at the sizes given.
Have fun friend and we shall defo have to do cuppas on your return
Some manufacturer’s vary the fit according to the purpose of the garment, Patagonia for instance have a ‘form fitting’, ‘slim fit’, standard fit’ and ‘relaxed fit’. North face have something similar. Before I buy something off the internet i usually have a look on the mmanufacturer’s website to see what they say.
Being a large chap certain manufacturer’s will not fit me even at XXL (step forward Haglofs) yet a Berghaus or Patagonia XL (standard fit) will usually fit fine.
The great thing is that brands like these (even Patagonia) are not fashionable anymore and will end up being heavily discounted regardless of how good their kit is.
For example I just got a Patagonia nano puff pullover for £60 reduced from £140
I have returned…
Sizing is indeed often split into groups but “end user group” (can you tell I’ll been a a trade do), which I think is a damd good idea.
Turns out that the sizing models and the gradients between sizes are a closely guarded secret. Get the gaps between sizes right and you catch more customers or something.
Wummin + outdoors kit? The innovation prize was won by another woman today, and rightly so. More on that soon.