Gear Stories For Your Consideration
* A young couple came in early in the spring and while looking around the store mentioned that a sleeping pad that they had purchased at OAR did not hold air while they were camping in the Thorofare.
* A very active woman stopped by a few weeks ago wanting to return a pair of trail running shoes that had failed her in the mountains. She had purchased them in the spring of 2019, had fallen once not long after purchasing them, put them aside for a number of months and then decided to try them out again. She was in the mountains, hiking with a pack in highly technical rocky terrain, when she lost her footing and slid down a ravine. The pictures of her bumps, bruises and significant scratches to hands, hips, arms and legs were heartbreaking. It took a long time for her to heal.
* A woman came into the store not long after we made the change over to hunting season gear. We had little at that time to offer this lady in terms of womens hunting gear but she picked out a pair of hunting pants and brought them to the counter. When she asked if they were a good brand we began to talk. They were unlined cotton hunting pants and this lady was planning on wearing them during a hunt in the mountains in November.
There’s a lot of unpack in these three stories but we’re going to try:
1. We always inflate sleeping pads and let them sit for a while to check that they do indeed hold air. If they don’t hold air we don’t put them in the store. Did we miss something with the young couple out in the Thorofare? Did it hold air while sitting against a wall at the store but not hold air once someone lay on it? Did it hold air when we sold it and then something happened to the pad once the couple had made their purchase? Obviously we don’t know for sure but we ended up giving them a store credit for the price of the sleeping pad because one way or another the pad had failed them and we made the decision to take the responsibility for that because………...because it felt like the right thing to do.
2. If something fails at your house no biggie, right? But if a piece of gear fails out in the field the repercussions can range from annoying to catastrophic. Did the couple try the sleeping pad out before they took it out in the field? No they didn’t. Thankfully not a huge deal aside from an uncomfortable night or two, but we highly recommend that you check the condition and functionality of ALL of your gear (new stuff you buy, used stuff you buy, and stuff you’ve owned forever) before you head out, just to be sure that it is still in good condition and still works the way it is supposed to. We also have a story about one young man and his two small children who ended up sleeping in their truck in the Big Horns one night because they had brought their tent but forgotten to bring the poles………..
3. The trail shoes that the woman purchased at OAR were a pair of Montrail shoes – a well known and respected brand – and the shoes were in excellent condition. However, the tread was not an aggressive tread, and that particular pair of shoes would have been more appropriate for groomed, soft, non-technical trails (think BLM – or Beck Lake). They did not have the support or more aggressive tread needed for rocky mountain trails. Our hearts broke to see the pictures of the bruises, the scrapes, the cuts, the deep scratches as this lady lost her footing and slid a very long way down a ravine.
When she brought the shoes back into the store they were in poor condition, and she wanted to know if we would buy them back from her. After a year and a half of her owning these shoes the answer sadly was no.
4. The woman who was ISO hunting pants was obviously new to hunting, and we were very glad to have a chance to speak with her and get a better sense of what she needed out there. Yes they were a good brand. But they were unlined. Cotton. Neither of those factors would have served her well in the mountains on a hunting trip in November, and we told her that and told her why. In effect, we talked this woman out of buying a pair of pants that she had wanted to buy.
What should you take away from these stories?
* Inspect your gear – test your gear – new and old – BEFORE you go out. To make sure it’s all working, all in good condition, and all parts are accounted for
* Do some research before you purchase, so you have a better idea of exactly what kind of performance you need in a piece of gear.
* We won’t lie to you. Not ever. Certainly not to sell you something. The lady and her cotton pants was not the first time we had talked someone out of buying something at OAR. If we think that you and a piece of gear are a bad fit, we’ll tell you. That’s just the way we roll.
* Don’t be afraid to ask questions. We know a lot of stuff about a lot of stuff. But we don’t know everything about everything. My background is adventure racing, mountain biking, trail running. Ask too much about fly fishing and you’ll get a straight up blank stare. If we know the answer we’ll tell you. If we can look it up we’ll look it up. If we can’t find an answer we’ll suggest another outdoor store or experienced person in the community that can help.
Finally we hear very often how much someone has enjoyed a piece of gear they got from us. Those stories make our day every time we hear them. But it’s also important for us to hear the stories when things DON’T go so well.
Those kinds of stories keep us grounded – mindful of what we already know but are fearful of forgetting sometimes in the business of trying to make a living – that people DEPEND on the gear they purchase from us to serve them well out in the field.
We’ll always keep trying to do good. We’ll always keep trying to do better. You keep talking to us and letting us know what you need. Be smart, be prepared and stay safe out there guys.