PSA: Initial ascent bags and accessories made in Taiwan

[Idaho4x4Bronco]

The issue with your argument sir is that nobody said that overseas products are inferior. Many of us use them especially from clothing brands.
In this specific case, initial ascents packs are more expensive than their American made competitors but their quality specifically their fit and finish is inferior to all of the major USA made pack brands. No research needed, I’ve owned and physically used all of them.
In fact IA used to be made in the USA and ive owned both versions of their packs, the difference in quality was negligible.

I just checked Stone's website and Kifaru's, some of their packs are more expensive than the most expensive IA pack I looked at.
Inferior fit and finish against other packs is subjective to your personal opinion though.

My IA pack is excellent, fits me perfectly, packs weight crazy good, and is built like a tank, in my opinion

I also don't see on the IA website where they're touting made in the USA. I don't understand why you felt the need to bash their brand and quality, but I think everyone gets it by now.

 

[Bachto]

I also don't see on the IA website where they're touting made in the USA. I don't understand why you felt the need to bash their brand and quality, but I think everyone gets it by now.

Everyone gets it but you... They were saying they USED to be all made in the USA and then one day weren't. Going and checking their site now is not relevent. I personally prefer USA made stuff but sometimes what I need most is made overseas and that's fine. People are upset because when they first came out they did say "made in the USA" and now they aren't. For some people that's a big deal.

Edit: I went and looked. You are right Kifaru is about $100 more now. It had been awhile since I looked at their packs.

 

[Macintosh]

…while charging prices of USA made goods…

If you want to make shit overseas more power to ya, but charging made in USA prices for imported shit…

If you’d rather pay made in USA prices for things produced overseas more power too ya

Exactly, if they were half price and said “now IMPORTED” good for them,

f you want to make shit overseas that’s fine but trying to hide it, making bullshit excuses, and not dropping your price loses my support.

Im sorry you had a bad experience with your pack. But I certainly understood these statements to explicitly say that USA made goods should be more expensive because they are inherently better quality, and that price is the only reason to produce overseas. And as you yourself pointed out thats not true—optics and apparel being your examples, not mine. Do you know WHY your apparel is from overseas and not made in the US? Well, despite the existence of a few successful US pack companies, packs have ALL of those same factors in play.
No one said this pack was better than an exo or that your experience isnt valid. I did not say that. What I said is that its factually incorrect to say that USA made goods should necessarily be more expensive, and that USA made goods are necessarily better quality. Your pack may be an example of where thats true, no argument from me there. My objection is to the general statement, because I think its simply false to say that across the board. The reason I bothered to say it is that its genuinely hard to get many products built in the US because there simply isnt the infrastructure to do it everywhere. It is entirely likely that this company started off trying to make their products in the US, and they COULDNT DO IT. So rather than give up and let their USA EMPLOYEES go, they elected to have their product made where they could find a factory to do it. I dont know that to be true, but that is actually very normal. It does not mean I like it or that I think its the way things should be, but they would have a lot of good company, and good quality company as well. Exo ended up buying the factory where they have their goods produced in order to make the arrangement work long-term. Not every company is in a position to buy another business or start and run a separate business on the side to have their products made…what do you suppose those companies do when they cannot find a place to have their goods made in the US? (You do know that VERY few companies in that space produce their own goods, right?)

Do you happen to know a lot of asian sew shop employees? I know a few. Your generalization is not universally correct.

Look, I think its great that you prefer to buy USA made. Im not trying to fault you for this or blame you for winding up with a pack you arent happy with. Its the vilifying of this company who doesnt seem to be marketing usa made at all that Im objecting to, because I know some of the reasons why they may very well have made that change, and as of the 2020’s most of them arent based on price.