5 ms·

Oh man, this. It makes me gravitate towards companies that keep selling the same product, year after year. Much as I don't like some things about LL Bean, I c

Oh man, this. It makes me gravitate towards companies that keep selling the same product, year after year. Much as I don't like some things about LL Bean, I can go buy some duck boots or riverdriver shirts or flannel from them, and know what I'm getting, because they haven't changed the design in decades. Otherwise, you've got to find something you like, and buy six of them to stockpile.

jtbayly 8y ago
Except that even companies like this occasionally redesign something and leave the same name on it.
greedo 8y ago
Clothing styles change so much that trying to maintain a consistent wardrobe is almost impossible. Just look at blue jeans. I used to buy some from Eddie Bauer, they were thick, durable and lasted forever. Now you try to find those, and the denim is notably thinner, the stitching less robust, etc. Same with their line of polo shirts; these are now much thinner than a decade ago.
- iamben 8y ago
  Some stuff is pretty timeless. Especially with sneakers. Vans, Chucks, Air Max, Superstars - all remained in fashion (and sometimes on trend) for the last 20+ years.
  - greedo 8y ago
    How has the quality fared over that period?
    - iamben 8y ago
      Totally my opinion and anecdotally, but up and down. Certainly with Nike sometimes a win, sometimes you're like "really?" Vans and Chucks seem consistently similar - I wear through a pair in about 8 months, I buy a new pair. Same shoe, same colours, same size.
- ghaff 8y ago
  Just yesterday I was complaining about the decreased quality (and warranty policies) at REI. And I've found the same thing at Lands End. Increasingly it's all basically the same stuff made in China for lowest cost. There are exceptions but we're mostly conditioned to pay less and accept stuff that just doesn't last very well.
  - JoeAltmaier 8y ago
    15 years ago I bought an Army-surplus jacket - Gore-Tex lining, vented, inside weatherproof pockets, wonderful. It finally wore out, and I went back and bought another one. Its junk. The seam tape started shelling off the first day, its hanging in tatters. The pockets came unstuck and flap around inside the jacket. No more liners; its not even very water-resistant.
  - gowld 8y ago
    If your Lands End product wears out, exchange it for a new one, for free.
  - saltcured 8y ago
    I was thinking about this the other day in a campground, noticing the frayed collar on a favorite REI hiking shirt I must have bought in about 2004. They have definitely made the fabric thinner in recent years as well as sometimes changing the style in unhelpful ways. But, these thinner fabrics do also perform quite well in hot sun. They just don't have the same durability. I also thought of my down-filled mummy sleeping bag in the tent, which is c. 1985 and proudly made in China by the Swan company. It works great after all these years, only a little stained by iron oxide and having lost a drawstring from the hood. My father bought a matching pair as a set, and I inherited the other half from my brother, so my wife and I can zip them together and have a cozy sack for two. Modern bags may have a bit more loft and pack a little bit smaller, but not enough to want to replace these. When breaking camp, I noticed my c. 2013 tent had sheared off an attachment point between the rain fly and the poles. I may try to fix it with some of that crazy tent-repair tape, as I did when it went for a tumble in high winds once. But, I think back to some old tents my family purchased around the same time as my sleeping bag, and am glad to have this amazingly light weight tent instead. Those old ones have probably lost their waterproofing to rot, but their fiberglass poles were so heavy I'd never want to drag it somewhere again. Shoes on the other hand are a disappointment. I have watched the average life span of hiking shoes decrease rapidly.

jtbayly 8y ago

Except that even companies like this occasionally redesign something and leave the same name on it.

greedo 8y ago

Clothing styles change so much that trying to maintain a consistent wardrobe is almost impossible. Just look at blue jeans. I used to buy some from Eddie Bauer, they were thick, durable and lasted forever. Now you try to find those, and the denim is notably thinner, the stitching less robust, etc. Same with their line of polo shirts; these are now much thinner than a decade ago.

iamben 8y ago
Some stuff is pretty timeless. Especially with sneakers. Vans, Chucks, Air Max, Superstars - all remained in fashion (and sometimes on trend) for the last 20+ years.
- greedo 8y ago
  How has the quality fared over that period?
  - iamben 8y ago
    Totally my opinion and anecdotally, but up and down. Certainly with Nike sometimes a win, sometimes you're like "really?" Vans and Chucks seem consistently similar - I wear through a pair in about 8 months, I buy a new pair. Same shoe, same colours, same size.
ghaff 8y ago
Just yesterday I was complaining about the decreased quality (and warranty policies) at REI. And I've found the same thing at Lands End. Increasingly it's all basically the same stuff made in China for lowest cost. There are exceptions but we're mostly conditioned to pay less and accept stuff that just doesn't last very well.
- JoeAltmaier 8y ago
  15 years ago I bought an Army-surplus jacket - Gore-Tex lining, vented, inside weatherproof pockets, wonderful. It finally wore out, and I went back and bought another one. Its junk. The seam tape started shelling off the first day, its hanging in tatters. The pockets came unstuck and flap around inside the jacket. No more liners; its not even very water-resistant.
- gowld 8y ago
  If your Lands End product wears out, exchange it for a new one, for free.
- saltcured 8y ago
  I was thinking about this the other day in a campground, noticing the frayed collar on a favorite REI hiking shirt I must have bought in about 2004. They have definitely made the fabric thinner in recent years as well as sometimes changing the style in unhelpful ways. But, these thinner fabrics do also perform quite well in hot sun. They just don't have the same durability. I also thought of my down-filled mummy sleeping bag in the tent, which is c. 1985 and proudly made in China by the Swan company. It works great after all these years, only a little stained by iron oxide and having lost a drawstring from the hood. My father bought a matching pair as a set, and I inherited the other half from my brother, so my wife and I can zip them together and have a cozy sack for two. Modern bags may have a bit more loft and pack a little bit smaller, but not enough to want to replace these. When breaking camp, I noticed my c. 2013 tent had sheared off an attachment point between the rain fly and the poles. I may try to fix it with some of that crazy tent-repair tape, as I did when it went for a tumble in high winds once. But, I think back to some old tents my family purchased around the same time as my sleeping bag, and am glad to have this amazingly light weight tent instead. Those old ones have probably lost their waterproofing to rot, but their fiberglass poles were so heavy I'd never want to drag it somewhere again. Shoes on the other hand are a disappointment. I have watched the average life span of hiking shoes decrease rapidly.