Re: [Paddlewise] Hit by a Waterspout in the Everglades!!! - Tent test

--- sc <sc_at_gci.net> wrote:
> I cannot leave out the point of quality here either. "You always get what
> you pay for".  Let's face it, the only thing protecting you from the
> environment, when out adventuring, is your tent (at least where I live,

I don't want to offend anyone either, and this is not supposed to address
Scott Simpson personally.  I've seen a lot of people go for expensive
products, because there is a lot of blind faith in brand literature
(marketing), and often the expense is driven (justified) by a desire to
show off and compete with peers.

I think there are a lot of excellent, cheap alternatives one should always
consider.  No one mentioned REI, Coleman, Kelty, or Eureka! (who makes
tents for the military.)  Maybe no one wanted to appear cheap in front of
peers.

For kayaking, I have never seen true objective and comprehensive kayak
reviews online, outside of Sea Kayaker magazine.  Sea Kayaker magazine has
stability information, resistance information, true measured weight and
dimensions.  People say "This kayak is really fast" or "tracks really well"
or "it's really tippy" in their reviews (on say paddling.net) but how does
that help you make an informed decision?  People who also review their own
boat tend to say "This boat is 9.5 out of 10" even though they've only
tried one or two boats!  A lot of what influences kayak companies is often
the demand of consumers, who I believe have mistaken perceptions (or no
idea) about design.

Sea Kayaker magazine only chooses to (or can?) review one or two boats an
issue, when there are tens of new designs every year.  You really need to
collect all the issues of the magazine to make use of this information. 
There is no year-end buying guide.

I don't know how anybody really chooses a boat, except by paddling it for a
few minutes at a kayak convention, or borrowing one from a friend.  There
is a dearth of (useful) information.

I hope I'm not stating the obvious.  Maybe someone has an idea of how to
react to kayak marketing and keeping the "consumer" informed.


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