Sponsorships

[Tipi Walter]

Plus, imagine if you get a sponsorship and end up hating the product (after extended field testing, i.e. actual on-trail usage) but cannot give it a harsh review because of . . . your relationship . . . with . . . . wait for it . . . . your sponsor.

Several online websites are gear review websites whereby a company sends that person gear to test. (Btw, this is another peeve of mine and not directly related to sponsorship.) Why? Because that person uses it for 4 or 5 days and then writes the review!!! Insane. It takes a good year of hard use to really test a piece of gear.

[ldsailor]

Here's an interesting, related tidbit. I kept up a running dialog with a trekking pole supplier. I had some problems with their poles, and they kept sending me replacements (excellent customer service). The last poles they sent were fine, but I needed new tips after wearing them down on the Virginia rocks. We exchanged correspondence, and they seemed enthused by what I had been doing (LASH's - I'm not a thru hiker). Anyway, they sent me new carbon fiber trekking poles, and I promised to take pictures, so they can put them on their web site. I'm heading out for my next LASH in two weeks with the poles and my camera.

BTW. The company is a small importer/supplier. I doubt you would get that kind of response from a larger company. Maybe there is a lesson there. If you really want sponsorship, go with the smaller companies.

[Deadeye]

Here's an interesting, related tidbit. I kept up a running dialog with a trekking pole supplier. I had some problems with their poles, and they kept sending me replacements (excellent customer service). The last poles they sent were fine, but I needed new tips after wearing them down on the Virginia rocks. We exchanged correspondence, and they seemed enthused by what I had been doing (LASH's - I'm not a thru hiker). Anyway, they sent me new carbon fiber trekking poles, and I promised to take pictures, so they can put them on their web site. I'm heading out for my next LASH in two weeks with the poles and my camera.

Seems like great customer service, but perhaps a sub-par product. I don't think the former makes up for the latter.

Back on topic, I notice the OP seems to have disappeared.

[yaduck9]

Here's an interesting, related tidbit. I kept up a running dialog with a trekking pole supplier. I had some problems with their poles, and they kept sending me replacements (excellent customer service). The last poles they sent were fine, but I needed new tips after wearing them down on the Virginia rocks. We exchanged correspondence, and they seemed enthused by what I had been doing (LASH's - I'm not a thru hiker). Anyway, they sent me new carbon fiber trekking poles, and I promised to take pictures, so they can put them on their web site. I'm heading out for my next LASH in two weeks with the poles and my camera.

BTW. The company is a small importer/supplier. I doubt you would get that kind of response from a larger company. Maybe there is a lesson there. If you really want sponsorship, go with the smaller companies.

If I could "coat tail" on to this post;

The OP might want to do a search for the youtube videos of Will Wood. He started hiking first and then got a connection with a small company. Of course he had a successful track record first and a stream of successful vid's before being employed by Z packs.

The effort in creating Vid's may be a good way to hone your skills in "marketing" yourself and your team along with the education that hiking will pound into you.

If you had somehow created vids of the planning process and some bio's of your team ou would have generated some emotional buy in. You would have also provided some entertainment in exchange for coin.

Since it is august you still have time to go back and recreate some of the effort that you have already put in. Cameras are dirt cheap, creativity is everything.

[Ethesis]

If I could "coat tail" on to this post;

The OP might want to do a search for the youtube videos of Will Wood. He started hiking first and then got a connection with a small company. Of course he had a successful track record first and a stream of successful vid's before being employed by Z packs.

The effort in creating Vid's may be a good way to hone your skills in "marketing" yourself and your team along with the education that hiking will pound into you.

If you had somehow created vids of the planning process and some bio's of your team ou would have generated some emotional buy in. You would have also provided some entertainment in exchange for coin.

Since it is august you still have time to go back and recreate some of the effort that you have already put in. Cameras are dirt cheap, creativity is everything.

excellent advice.

I hope we hear from the op again.

[ldsailor]

Seems like great customer service, but perhaps a sub-par product. I don't think the former makes up for the latter.

Yes, you are probably right. The good news is they know it and are moving to a better product. By the way, the original trekking poles cost $30. The problem I was having is I couldn't collapse only one of the two poles. They sent another pair and the same thing happened - one would not collapse. The third set worked great, and I only had wear and tear over 500 miles in Virginia. We'll see how the carbon fiber poles work when I hike Pennsylvania in a couple of weeks.

[yaduck9]

When did "sponsor me to hike because I'm too cheap" become a thing? Spreading like wildfire.

y'know..........I believe that you asked me to explain my crabbiness at some point in the past

AND now we have this post. Kinda ironical

[tour-kid]

I have a brewery and I'll sponsor you. I'll donate a keg if you carry it the entire way. If you quit, I'm gonna need some cash...

[Last Call]

Where is the compassion & sympathy for this "newbie" only wanting to learn from the "old Masters" here? Good grief, they ask a simple request to be sponsored for their adventure & get blasted....well I for one, would be more than happy to contribute, who knows, this thing could turn out epic!

[Traveler]

"I bet I can get people to consume an impressive level of time and effort responding to a single idiotic post"

And thats how Harold Zumquat was able to win the $3.00 beer bet at Stogies Pub.

[Tipi Walter]

Where is the compassion & sympathy for this "newbie" only wanting to learn from the "old Masters" here? Good grief, they ask a simple request to be sponsored for their adventure & get blasted....well I for one, would be more than happy to contribute, who knows, this thing could turn out epic!

In mountaineering circles the word "Epic" is NOT a trip description anyone wants to hear. It usually means falling into a crevasse or freezing to death or getting frost bite or losing digits or getting rescued.

[Elaikases]

Well. He is still at one post, no responses to this thread. Looks like it was fire and forget.

[Smithereens]

I have a bunch of backpacks and tents. They are still good.

Tell ya what, pick out what you want and I'll let you have it in exchange for mowing my yard this summer. You can even use my mower and gas!

[Smithereens]

BTW, that's how I got my first car. A 1971 Beetle.

[yaduck9]

WB is also a really good place to troll people if we're feeling astute.
I asked questions just to see what the answers might be for my own amusement... beware post #1.

This could have been as entertaining as that Ben kid who had how many gear reviews, advice columns and other tidbits on his upcoming triple crown or whatever long before he had even completed his first day hike.


I think you guys might've already spoiled everyone's fun.

O man you crack me up!

do you feel amused when folks fork over 14.99
AND whats this with the FREE marketing!!
you are a funny guy

[capehiker]

This could have been as entertaining as that Ben kid who had how many gear reviews, advice columns and other tidbits on his upcoming triple crown or whatever long before he had even completed his first day hike.

Ah, yes. The young lad who had local sponsorships but didn't know how to layer clothing and his first thru hike was going to be the CDT.

[Pale Horse]

Ah, yes. The young lad who had local sponsorships but didn't know how to layer clothing and his first thru hike was going to be the CDT.

Now I'm intrigued. Link to Ben's posts please.

[Just Bill]

O man you crack me up!

do you feel amused when folks fork over 14.99
AND whats this with the FREE marketing!!
you are a funny guy

https://whiteblaze.net/forum/showthr...48-I-am-a-Liar

[MtDoraDave]

Jeff Alt wrote a book about his thru-hike, A walk for Sunshine. He got some sponsorship and raised 10K for the home where his disabled brother was living. I believe that's how he got the sponsorships; he wasn't just asking for free stuff so he could go hike, he was trying to raise money for someone else; doing something for someone else; becoming a charity, not seeking it.

In the back of his book, he offers advice to others seeking to do as he did. This may help the OP, it may not. I don't have the book anymore to tell you what it said as it was lent to me and returned already.

[bstiffler]

Are companies so desperate for spokespeople that they'll just take any random person doing an activity? Man I guess I did it wrong on my last time out.