September 25, 2015
Brendan's Adventures was kind enough to review our gear. You can read and watch the review here.
Our full response to his article and video is as follows:
Hi Brendan. I appreciate you putting this review up. You touched on a few important points which I thought I would reply to directly and give your audience an overview. I’ll be putting up your blog post on our website alongside our response so everyone can get a fair and transparent view of both sides.
Firstly, i’d like to point out that you received these garments in middle of November 2014. Myself and my team constantly chased you up every month and we were told it would happen in a few days due to your busy schedule - in which during you were purchasing/receiving other items and reviewing straight away (as seen from your Twitter feed). When you stopped replying to our emails, we chased you up on Twitter and you promised a publication which never came to fruition. Eventually, you removed us from your Twitter but yet we were persistent in getting a publication from you as promised. I believe that it was a poor way of conducting business from your end to fall short on your promises and that our constant chasing up had some impact.
Starting on your review/video, there are a few contradictions. In the start you mention how you can ‘hide stuff’ in our clothing (0:11)’. Later, you claim that they are not hidden. Soon after, you mention the benefits of pockets and I quote “pockets are gold (1:22)’. You even call those funny looking Vests “silly”. Later, you question how anyone needs these many pockets. You mention at 2:02 how pockets specifically help you in your field of travel photography and the “piece of mind” pockets allow - and then at the end you say that you wouldn’t pay for that ‘golden’ functionality? In the benefits section at the start you mention specifically how our clothing helps the like of photographers but at the end you say that you feel it doesn’t help you?
Next up, I would like to point out the comments which you made on our products, point by point. The pockets on the t-shirt. They are concealed. Like you mentioned, you can easily put $100 and an SD card in the lower zipped pocket without anyone knowing that there is something in that pocket. Moving onto point 2 - the reason is looks ‘frumpy’ is because you haven’t ironed it, as is clearly evident from this video. Any piece of clothing which you do not iron will not look nice on you. Period. As for styling, that is the whole point. We aren’t trying to aim this for the fashion-seeking person, it defeats the purpose of what we are trying to achieve. The idea is so no one knows what type of clothing that your wearing and so you can not be identified or noticed by X brand. Styling and fashion are a very personal choice, not everyone agrees on styling. We have went for a basic approach and given it the upper hand with functionality. Next, you mention the ‘types of pockets’ and the placement of these. Our garments aren’t made for photographers solely. They are made for everyone from air travel to cyclists to hiking to construction to the average Joe commuting into work. Lets take a look at cycling for example, cyclists will need access to some items within a hands reach (‘kangaroo’ pocket and/or the top shoulder pocket) and at a moments notice. If the pockets open from the inside as you suggested, this will be complex and not practical for anyone. The whole idea was to offer a combination of different sized pockets in different locations so it suits a wide variety of people. Moving onto the Jacket, this was sent to you on request by yourself. If you wanted something lighter for your market, we could have sent a Vest which would of suited South America best. Aside from this, it was a shame you didn’t show or feature the jacket especially as it can be used a sleeveless garment and has breathable properties.
Lastly, pricing. The comparisons which you made i.e. purchasing our garments VS a lens are not comparable at all. Our garments are at a very suitable price point for what your getting - you should know this as your a traveller and when you look at some of the airline baggage fees, you can easily make up your investment in a few trips and then save on money for your lifetime. In fact, we have some customers who do exactly this - they purchase our garments for the sole purpose of beating the airlines at their own game (baggage fees). You also compared our garment to another brand which is perfectly reasonable - I would suggest you take a look at our technical specification of our clothing VS that brand and tell us if it even comes close to it (breathability level, windproof, waterproof, functionality). Given your review, I believe you haven’t quite understood the product, who it’s aimed at and given it a fair and thorough chance.
Leave a comment
Comments will be approved before showing up.