Once Again, Patagonia=A+

[j44ke]

I had a outer shell I really liked. Material was hard-shell-ish except that it stretched. DNR finish, water proof breathable laminate, hood, snow/wind baffle around the waist. I basically lived in it for many winters. 12 I think. Might be 15. The other day I gave it a wash and the hood detached. A glued or bonded attachment, not stitched. So I figured well, can't fix that. My wife said send it back to Patagonia as a repair. So I did. Wrote a note that said here is my shell, the hood came off, bet you can't repair it, thanks for the 12 years though. They sent me an email that said nope we can't fix it but here's $100 off on a new shell. So I went to the store, tried on the shells and found one I liked but needed a different color. The sales people found one somewhere in the Patagoniverse, I paid for it with my discount + some shekels, and then it arrived today at my house, free shipping.

I would have bought the shell had they not given me $100 and even if they made me pay for shipping too.

[rwsaunders]

Jorn...your man is on the cover of FC this month.

Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard: How to save Planet Earth

[SlowPokePete]

Big fan here as well.

Many stories of being hooked up by this company over the past thirty years...

SPP

[rmplum]

I'm gonna add Timbuk2 to this A+ list of good people that deserve your business as well if that's cool.

My stepson was going to throw out a messenger bag from them that was perhaps 7-8 years old as the zipper was broken. I grabbed it, sent it to them asking if they could fix it and expecting/offering to pay for any costs. They fixed it for absolutely free and even covered the return shipping to me, the non-original owner with no receipt.

[dogrange]

I once bought a (pretty expensive) Patagonia wool sweater. It pilled up a fair amount, and I stopped by the store to ask about it and they said that that was unacceptable quality, and refunded my total purchase price. This was several months after purchase.

[bigbill]

I have some Patagonia shirts I take when I travel. Half an hour on a hanger and they're ready to go.

[sk_tle]

I never realised the founder of Patagonia had such a funny name!

[j44ke]

I never realised the founder of Patagonia had such a funny name!

He used to own a company with his name. They made climbing equipment, most famously hand-forged pitons for a type of climbing he later decided created too much damage to the rocks. He then designed removable protection - chocks and cams. His company, however, absorbed several body blows when climbing belts and other products were involved in accidents and the company was sued. Eventually he extracted the company from those suits, but it meant bankruptcy and the end of Chouinard Equipment. But it also meant that Patagonia was protected from the liability suits as it was then much more profitable than Chouinard. Once Chouinard Equipment cleared all its legal responsibilities, it was sold to the employees who worked there and renamed Black Diamond. I think in 1988 I bought a pair of Black Diamond winter climbing tights and they were kind of a revelation.

So as much as Chouinard has done for outdoor wares and ethical business models, he's responsible for inventing a lot of climbing equipment - both rock and ice - that still gets used today in some shape or form. And inventing it while climbing and testing it out on himself in Yosemite. Tough cookie.

[sk_tle]

Thanks for the history class Jorn.

[sk_tle]

For the record "chouinard" in french means literally someone, usually a child, who weep/sob a lot.

Looks quite the opposite to the real character.

[Matthew Strongin]

Good stuff, Jorn. I've got some stuff from patagonia that is fantastic and has stood the test of time. I also have some black diamond stuff I'm really happy with, particularly my rain jacket. I never knew about the connection between the companies. Very cool.

[Paul Jacobs]

He used to own a company with his name. They made climbing equipment, most famously hand-forged pitons for a type of climbing he later decided created too much damage to the rocks. He then designed removable protection - chocks and cams. His company, however, absorbed several body blows when climbing belts and other products were involved in accidents and the company was sued. Eventually he extracted the company from those suits, but it meant bankruptcy and the end of Chouinard Equipment. But it also meant that Patagonia was protected from the liability suits as it was then much more profitable than Chouinard. Once Chouinard Equipment cleared all its legal responsibilities, it was sold to the employees who worked there and renamed Black Diamond. I think in 1988 I bought a pair of Black Diamond winter climbing tights and they were kind of a revelation.

So as much as Chouinard has done for outdoor wares and ethical business models, he's responsible for inventing a lot of climbing equipment - both rock and ice - that still gets used today in some shape or form. And inventing it while climbing and testing it out on himself in Yosemite. Tough cookie.

Absolutely!

He was of course a leading climber himself in the 50s, 60s and later, which is when I first heard of him. Wikipedia says that it was his interest in falconry which got him into climbing. In recent years he has published on angling. I sometimes fish wearing a Patagonia hat.

[72gmc]

Years back, I came across his book on the shelves of a vacation home we were renting. I like it because it's about business, but it's not like other business books I've encountered.

[j44ke]

"Climbing belts"? Should be climbing harnesses.

I don't know how the liability works in climbing equipment these days. Back then it got so bad that the shop I worked at in the late 80's had a sign that said, "No I cannot show you how to use this" above all the chocks and cams and draws and harnesses hanging on the wall. It was the beginning of luxury adventure travel, and there were scary stories of people coming in with equipment lists required for various treks having never climbed before in their lives ....

[JoB]

Thanks for the history class Jorn.

If you're interested, there is an episode with him on the NPR podcast "How i built this". it's great.

[pdmtong]

Some years ago when the local Pata store opened YC came to speak. Amazing evening. I was well aware of his innovation and pedigree prior and hearing his conviction and direction in person was pretty special.

There is a calculus for them as to the repair cost /time versus discounting or swapping for new. I have had a few pieces for which I tell them "I love this piece and just do the best you can - doesn't have to be perfect repair - but if you can't do anything please send it back -as I really do not want a "new" one"

[Shoogs]

If you're interested, there is an episode with him on the NPR podcast "How i built this". it's great.

agreed, I've listened it multiple times.

[j44ke]

Patagonia Re-crafted Clothing.

This is not a new thing. There are people doing this locally on a small scale, but it is still kind of cool.

[sk_tle]

Patagonia Re-crafted Clothing.

This is not a new thing. There are people doing this locally on a small scale, but it is still kind of cool.

Well if you look at it in that case it is also small scale, just endorsed and sold through patagonia (which is good).

[j44ke]

There is a young woman locally (a Brooklyn "exile" she says) who builds new sweaters out of old machine-made sweaters that are too worn out to sell in charity or thrift shops. She also buys discarded clippings from makers in the garment district in NYC. The sweater patterns are similar to some of the t-shirts (though long sleeved) that Patagonia is selling, but more monochromatic - 10 or 12 half tones of black or all different reds with one section of another color. Really nice as a lot of the sweater pieces are from cheap cashmere sweaters that weren't built to last in the first place, so she probably creates a better made garment out of the leftovers.

Until my friend Nate got a real job teaching math in the international school in Prague, he made clothing from the leftover ends of bolts of fabric, sometimes hilariously recognizable if you watched the runway shows at the various fashion weeks. His clothing began as ultimate frisbee wear, but it later morphed into urban utility garments with stash pockets for documents or money, phone pockets and stretch panels so you could run or climb or whatever. His website is broken but still up, so you can still see a few things he made. http://www.groundcontrol.cz