PSA: Initial ascent bags and accessories made in Taiwan

[IDVortex]

They gotta hike prices up to recoup what they spend in handouts to YouTube/Instagram influencers

And why they went over seas most likely.

 

[wowzers]

I think Mystery Ranch was the first to do this.

 

[Mike Islander]

I had a Stone Glacier pack that I really liked - that is until Exo Mountain Gear came out with its K4, which just works better for me. SG's customer service was exceptional four years ago. Not so much currently. I've been trying to buy a few of their rifle slings from them for more than a year with no success. Of the more than eight customer service representatives (and their supervisors) with whom I have spoken none have any information about this item. They don't know if or when they'll have it back in stock or when that might be or if they are even manufacturing it anymore. When they were under Kurt Racicot's ownership and they had a phone number for the business in Bozeman, you could actually get a straight answer to a curveball question like mine and feel confident it was accurate. I'm sticking with Exo until Steve Speck quits that grind.

In stock at midwayusa as of this posting.

 

[ianpadron]

This same story plays out constantly in the hunting industry.

My favorite is when companys use USA in their name, while selling nothing but overseas products, modern day snake oil salesmen. I think I'm seeing an Ad from one on this very page rn from a site sponsor

 

[7mm-08]

In stock at midwayusa as of this posting.

Thank you for this. I literally just ordered a half dozen, which will last me longer than the years I have ahead of me on this earth.

 

[Idaho4x4Bronco]

Am I missing something? I checked their website and didn't see anywhere where it says proudly made in the USA or over seas. Wasn't in their faq or anything I could find.
I could have missed it though.
Jake

 

[DylanC]

Yeah not seeing one thing on their website about material origin, at most they’ve stated publicly the frame is made here. I for one am always going to pick the USA made product. That being said it’s a bit of a stretch to assume they’re being dishonest on the origin of their nylon.

 

[Idaho4x4Bronco]

Yeah not seeing one thing on their website about material origin, at most they’ve stated publicly the frame is made here. I for one am always going to pick the USA made product. That being said it’s a bit of a stretch to assume they’re being dishonest on the origin of their nylon.

So I just reached out to them after writing my previous msg, and they said the soft good are overseas, frames made in Idaho.
I don't have an issue with it, nobody in America can sew like some other countries can, and it is an amazing pack IMO. Also had a lifetime warranty.

 

[Spence1875]

I will take my Japanese made Gen 5 4 runner over the American made Tacoma’s of the same vintage. They have better qc. Just because it is made here doesn’t make better quality or higher price. If you want to buy made in the USA for patriotic reasons good on you.

But I don’t think there is an American made shotgun that can compete with the Italian ones. German and Austrian glass is top shelf. Both cost more than US made equivalents.

Having been to Taiwan I can say they are great people and wow do they make some great whiskeys.

My 2 cents. Spence.

 

[StickSlingers]

This same story plays out constantly in the hunting industry.

My favorite is when companys use USA in their name, while selling nothing but overseas products, modern day snake oil salesmen. I think I'm seeing an Ad from one on this very page rn from a site sponsor

Tricer USA anyone?


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[StickSlingers]

So I just reached out to them after writing my previous msg, and they said the soft good are overseas, frames made in Idaho.
I don't have an issue with it, nobody in America can sew like some other countries can, and it is an amazing pack IMO. Also had a lifetime warranty.

Except whoever is sewing exo, stone, and kifaru lol


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[StickSlingers]

Am I missing something? I checked their website and didn't see anywhere where it says proudly made in the USA or over seas. Wasn't in their faq or anything I could find.
I could have missed it though.
Jake

They started out 100% made in USA and proudly advertised it, then quietly transitioned to overseas. Kinda shady. As many have said, not against made overseas products, we all use them. It’s trying to hide it or doing the bait and switch that loses me


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[StickSlingers]

They gotta hike prices up to recoup what they spend in handouts to YouTube/Instagram influencers

It’s actually funny you said this, the day i saw GRITTY pushing their packs i immediately looked at my bag to see where it was made. Dude is a pretty reliable indicator a company has sold out lol


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[Idaho4x4Bronco]

Except whoever is sewing exo, stone, and kifaru lol


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I suppose I should of been more specific, I was at work.
Some other countries sew extremely well, I personally don't have any issues with it. To each their own.

 

[jdyerg]

I was fortunate to have Speck fit me for my Exo pack last year. He mentioned to me that "said" company was going overseas. He also mentioned another popular high end hunting brand that is moving their production overseas soon. He wasn't dogging on them so much as he was that they have to move their production.

 

[StickSlingers]

I was fortunate to have Speck fit me for my Exo pack last year. He mentioned to me that "said" company was going overseas. He also mentioned another popular high end hunting brand that is moving their production overseas soon. He wasn't dogging on them so much as he was that they have to move their production.

I heard the same thing about said company that has been slowly moving things overseas. Bummer but definitely saw it coming


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[flyfisher117]

It’s actually funny you said this, the day i saw GRITTY pushing their packs i immediately looked at my bag to see where it was made. Dude is a pretty reliable indicator a company has sold out lol


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The day him and a few others drop Kifaru and immediately started pedaling IA it made me start questioning a lot. Some of those guys changed over night and the sales pitch stayed the same.

 

[StickSlingers]

The day him and a few others drop Kifaru and immediately started pedaling IA it made me start questioning a lot. Some of those guys changed over night and the sales pitch stayed the same.

Yeah there’s really only a few guys left i trust anymore. Makes you appreciate the smaller guys giving honest reviews


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[Macintosh]

Agree 100% that “selling” made in usa while manufacturing overseas, is lame.

But the assumptions of “dont give me a foreign made product at usa made prices” is misguided.

The assumption that made in usa is inherently better quality is utter horse hooey. It is simply false. It COULD BE better, it also COULD BE much worse. It has absolutely nothing to do with location, it has everything to do with the individual company, the individual manufacturer, and the oversight and qc they put into it. If you want high quality sewn goods, outside the usa virtually NO company turns to usa manufacturers for that, for a lot of reasons. And plenty of those places have exceptionally good quality products made elsewhere. To think that just because a product is made outside the USA means you are getting an objectively inferior product is simply false.

Also, the assumption that its cheaper to build overseas is also totally false. Some places for sure it is. Other places for sure it is not. But skilled labor and modern factories command a premium regardless of where they are located. If you are picturing a dingy sweatshop with kids working long hours to make your backpack, you are very likely sadly misinformed. “Overseas” is a big place and making a generalization like that guarantees you are wrong much of the time. Add in tarriffs—many of which have been in olace for decades—and the cost of that product goes up significantly. Backpacks have had a 17.5% tariff coming into the US for many decades, just for instance. There were some new exemptions to this as of a few years ago, but suffice to say many overseas outdoor products have very high tariffs, 15-30+%.

Also lots of reasons to manufacture in the US for us. Being a short drive or plane flight away and speaking the language are big reasons, as its the direct oversight, clear communication, that makes a big difference in quality, and only very large companies can afford to have employees embedded in foreign factories for this. BUT there are other reasons why most companies produce overseas that have absolutely nothing to do with price. Usa has limited manufacturing infrastructure available. Simply finding a sew shop is not a given, especially in large swaths of the country. Finding one that is specialized in the type of product (ie backpacks) AND has the capacity to take small-run seasonal productions on your schedule is near impossible. Tons of companies find that in order to grow they have little choice but to manufacture where most of that manufacturing industry is located—and that aint the USA.

I am not saying to not buy made in the US. And I agree that positioning your brand as made in USA while manufacturing overseas is supremely lame. But if you’re going to get worked up over it, at least do some research and dont misrepresent what you’re pissed about.

 

[StickSlingers]

Agree 100% that “selling” made in usa while manufacturing overseas, is lame.

But the assumptions of “dont give me a foreign made product at usa made prices” is misguided.

The assumption that made in usa is inherently better quality is utter horse hooey. It is simply false. It COULD BE better, it also COULD BE much worse. It has absolutely nothing to do with location, it has everything to do with the individual company, the individual manufacturer, and the oversight and qc they put into it. If you want high quality sewn goods, outside the usa virtually NO company turns to usa manufacturers for that, for a lot of reasons. And plenty of those places have exceptionally good quality products made elsewhere. To think that just because a product is made outside the USA means you are getting an objectively inferior product is simply false.

Also, the assumption that its cheaper to build overseas is also totally false. Some places for sure it is. Other places for sure it is not. But skilled labor and modern factories command a premium regardless of where they are located. If you are picturing a dingy sweatshop with kids working long hours to make your backpack, you are very likely sadly misinformed. “Overseas” is a big place and making a generalization like that guarantees you are wrong much of the time. Add in tarriffs—many of which have been in olace for decades—and the cost of that product goes up significantly. Backpacks have had a 17.5% tariff coming into the US for many decades, just for instance. There were some new exemptions to this as of a few years ago, but suffice to say many overseas outdoor products have very high tariffs, 15-30+%.

Also lots of reasons to manufacture in the US for us. Being a short drive or plane flight away and speaking the language are big reasons, as its the direct oversight, clear communication, that makes a big difference in quality, and only very large companies can afford to have employees embedded in foreign factories for this. BUT there are other reasons why most companies produce overseas that have absolutely nothing to do with price. Usa has limited manufacturing infrastructure available. Simply finding a sew shop is not a given, especially in large swaths of the country. Finding one that is specialized in the type of product (ie backpacks) AND has the capacity to take small-run seasonal productions on your schedule is near impossible. Tons of companies find that in order to grow they have little choice but to manufacture where most of that manufacturing industry is located—and that aint the USA.

I am not saying to not buy made in the US. And I agree that positioning your brand as made in USA while manufacturing overseas is supremely lame. But if you’re going to get worked up over it, at least do some research and dont misrepresent what you’re pissed about.

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.

Its funny i keep hearing about Americas sub par quality but in virtually every example ive used in my life they are superior except for clothing, optics, and electronics.
My favorite form of debate is when someone tells me and everyone else we shouldn’t believe what we’re seeing in real time with our own eyes because they read a bunch of articles to the contrary, or paid $200,000 to major in foreign trade economics.

But yes, the quality of life for seamstresses in SE Asia is world renowned. And it probably cost initial ascent MORE money to make things overseas, they just ship it across the world for the quality and the kindness of their hearts.
How misguided of me to make a post based on fact and physical evidence, when i could have run it through chat GBT and taken someone else’s word for it.

If i didn’t know any better Macintosh I’d say you worked for initial ascent! But hey if not, I’m sure they are hiring in Taiwan far superior to working in the states i hear


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