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

Elias,
Let's face it, buying a kayak is purely subjective.  It may be a top rated
boat by everyone else, but if you don't like the way it fits on you, then
all the ratings combined won't convince you.
You are right, it is difficult choosing the right kayak. And even when you
go to a symposium and try out 10 or 15 different boats, your favorite there
will feel much different after having spent a day or two paddling around in
it.

No offense taken on the email...but just FYI, I speak from having owned a
Sears Hillary tent for about 9 years - I got much life out of it, but as I
progressed in tenting areas, discovered that I was way beyond it's design
capabilities.  Sure, there are those that buy the latest greatest and have
absolutely no idea what it's designed for; but the hard truth is good tents
are not cheap.

REI made tents are solid middle-ground tents, but are not made to withstand
the rigors of a mountaineering tent, and lack the 'extras' of the
mountaineering tents. (ie-triple stitched seams, do not have same waterproof
treatment, etc.)

If anyone is interested, the new teepee tents are fantastic.  Several makes
of those; they are very wind resistant, and boast lots of interior room.
They are a single-wall, but have good ventilation for warm weather.

"Things that make you go hmmmmmm....."
Scott Simpson
Anchorage Alaska

"There is always one more thing you can do to influence any situation"
Lt. Gen Harold Moore, USA (Ret)
----- Original Message -----
From: "Elias Ross" <op_elias_ross_at_yahoo.com>
To: "sc" <sc_at_gci.net>; <paddlewise_at_paddlewise.net>; "Evan Dallas"
<Evan_Dallas_at_notes.ntrs.com>
Cc: <alvazquez_at_kayakguide.com>
Sent: Thursday, March 07, 2002 3:10 PM
Subject: 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.
>
>
> Try FREE Yahoo! Mail - the world's greatest free email!
> http://mail.yahoo.com/
***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed
here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire
responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author.
Submissions:     PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net
Subscriptions:   PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************