Educating Gear Shop Owners

“Went into a Gear store in Colorado Springs yesterday that proudly points out they have been in business since 1968....and asked if they carried Sil Tarps....

The OWNER asked..Whats a Sil Tarp? None of his experienced employees knew either, Ditto when I asked about a Hennessey Hammock...

After the educational Process was completed, I told them of this site, and suggested some light reading....LOL”

“I know a little shop in Lexington that could benefit from that class...is there a correspondence course? LOL! I have given up hope on them. They have gotten in there once-yearly gear shipment so it's probably too late for this year anyway.”

“LOL. I could see that happening with some of the employees at local outfitters.

But it'd never happen at REI. Their sales staff actually know what they're talking about. At least at the flagship store.”

“about 20% of our REIs employees know about the gear they sell (or don't).”

“Not surprising. The REI I'm talking about is the Seattle flagship store. Guess they'd be pretty redfaced if the staff at its home base didn't look good.”

“these REIs used to be better. in the last couple of years, they hired some new folks, though.”

“The last time I was *an outfitter* in Columbus, OH I saw they had a Sil-Tarp on display. When I asked who made it (I didn't see any tags) none of the three salespersons in the immediate area could tell me...and none liked the idea of a tarp, anyways.

I walked out of there feeling *more informed* than them.”

“What does Sil stand for?”

“silicone. The tarps are silicone impreganted.”

“You know this happens everywhere anymore-
Try a Home Depot-all retail stores seem to be shooting for bodies to fill shelves and take money.”

“The first question I ask when looking at backpacking gear is.

"So, do you backpack or camp much?"
If the answer is no then I tell the salesperson "Thanks, I'll find you if I need you."”

“HPM - Even that question is not fool-proof. One clerk, who claimed to have been to Mt LeConte, swore that it was impossible to have a fire (for cooking) up there at that altitude because there was not enough oxygen.”

“I don't believe anything is fool proof.

Never underestimate the ingeunity of fools.

Pretty funny though. Madman and I had some fool tell us in the Amicalola Falls parking lot that when we got to the top of Springer Mt. we needed to start boiling water immediately before our white gas stoves quit working. Cause ANY fool knows that WG stoves won't work under 2500 feet.

Say What?
Step away from the pack, we're here to help.”

“When I was looking at new packs to buy the salesman recomended a certain brand because he had 3 of them and loved them. When I asked him where he has been hiking he said that he had never been hiking! that he just owned backpacks for car trips. I then told him that he didnt really know if that was a good pack then.”

“I was looking at Feathered Friends sleeping bags at a local outfitter because I wanted to see what the PTFE fabric was like compared to Dryloft. The tag was missing from one of the bags that I was pretty sure was PTFE so I asked the first salesperson I saw what kind of shell it was. He didn’t know and got someone else who didn’t know. They got the department manager who said it looked like a rip-stop fabric to him and that he’d have to check the catalogue - he didn’t have one handy though. I asked if they could just take the bag down for me so I could check the label. “Oh” I say, “this is the regular PTFE. This bag over here is the PTFE-lite. Notice the difference?” They didn’t even thank me for the help.”

“What is PTFE?”

“Yep, if you want to find out what they really know, get chatty with them. Works every time.”

“PTFE is Polytetrafluoroethylene and is used as part of the laminated shell on FF bags. It repels water. I am trying to decide which I lust for more, a FF PTFE bag or a WM Dryloft bag.”