Re: Stephensons?

Bill makes some great points. There are a lot of "cottage industry" gear makers. Many only sell on the Internet because big stores either can't or won't carry their gear, often because they can't make enough of it to stock a chain like REI. Many make UL gear like the under one pound pack that isn't for everyone.

Reviews have to be taken with a grain of salt. Sometimes people give bad reviews to gear they don't really know much about. I've seen reviews where it seemed the reviewer didn't know how to use the product, so it gets a bad review from them. Sometimes you just get a lemon. I badmouth my Optimus Nova because it clogged up and the pump broke the first time I used it and Brunton never got back to me about it after I emailed them. Other people love it, but I've got nothing good to say about it.

Like Bill said, just because you don't like something, doesn't mean it isn't perfect for someone else. I've seen people with cheap gear and most of the time, it really doesn't matter. They aren't going to Denali, aren't going to out in 100 mph winds and aren't walking through Nepal, so a cheap tent from Brand X or a cheap pack or stove or whatever might suit them fine.

Not everyone has the time, money or interest in testing every piece of gear around, then buying the most expensive, most durable or most anything else. I sure don't. Knocking Kelty or TNF is a hobby for some people. It's like knocking REI-go shop somewhere else. Sure I probably know almost as much or more than most of their salespeople. I used to work in retail. No one know everything, some people know nothing. Is that frustrating? Sure, but that's life, get over it.