Cottage Manufacturers

[Tuckahoe]

The general feeling that is apparent on so many hiking/camping forums is that we should be supporting our cottage manufacturers and that we should not buy from the big commercial made in China companies. A post in another thread got me thinking about this point...

At what point is a manufacturer a cottage producer, rather than just a small or moderately sized company?

Must a cottage producer manufacture all of their product line in house by their own hands? How many people can they employ? How much can they farm out to either domestic or foreign production shops? One item from their line? Half?

And why should I give preference to a cottage manufacturer?

[Hill Ape]

I've always thought it was mostly because they are "one of us" If you can call on the telephone, the "ceo" of the companies answers, you know him on a first name basis, its a home line, and he makes whatever it is in his garage... it qualifies. In general though, I just look for quality gear that best suits my need.

[stranger]

Supporting cottage companies won't change the outdoor industry, we aren't a big enough market, if the market tripled...we still wouldn't have enough purchasing power to change anything in terms of how the larger companies operate. I won't say who told me this information, but he owns a major backpack company with over 1000 deals just in the United States.

But on the cottage companies, it's not as it always seems...for example Lightheart Gear has some of their stuff made in China, where as Western Mountaineering is still American made to my knowledge. Western would be a much larger operation than Lightheart however.

Also, believe it or not...the quality in those foreign factories are generally vastly superior to the quality coming out of US garages. Another time I was talking with a very VERY well known and loved backpack company about this and they basically said they couldn't compete with the quality and consistency coming out of competitors in Vietnam, just for some comparison.

So I would ask WHY do you support cottage companies? Is it political? Is it to support the little guys? Is it to buy American?

It's a complex question.

[Abela]

I think it is generally agreed that a cottage company stops being a cottage company when they start having resellers and/or sell their gear in big box stores.

Take for example Klymit. They started off with some sweet seed money, got their business going, got a ton more capital investment, pushed into the big box stores, started selling internationally, had the big bucks to have a booth at places like the Outdoor Retailer Conventions (something that most cottage companies cannot afford any more) and etcetera. In the eyes of many they stopped being a cottage company.

But let's also be realistic here... there are not very many USA companies that have gone from being cottage to big name.

Than you have companies like SMD that have for all intents and purposes meet the requirements, yet are still a cottage company. They have resellers here in America and a big retailer in Japan, and smaller retailers throughout Europe. Yet they only have two or three employees IIRC. It just seems hard to no longer categorize a company that has under a half-dozen people working for them as not a cottage company anymore.

[lush242000]

Buy what you enjoy. Most of the time I shop at REI or Walmart. Why? They have stores close to home and I prefer to visit a store rather than order online.


Sent from somewhere.

[Tuckahoe]

I've always thought it was mostly because they are "one of us" If you can call on the telephone, the "ceo" of the companies answers, you know him on a first name basis, its a home line, and he makes whatever it is in his garage... it qualifies. In general though, I just look for quality gear that best suits my need.

Supporting cottage companies won't change the outdoor industry, we aren't a big enough market, if the market tripled...we still wouldn't have enough purchasing power to change anything in terms of how the larger companies operate. I won't say who told me this information, but he owns a major backpack company with over 1000 deals just in the United States.

But on the cottage companies, it's not as it always seems...for example Lightheart Gear has some of their stuff made in China, where as Western Mountaineering is still American made to my knowledge. Western would be a much larger operation than Lightheart however.

Also, believe it or not...the quality in those foreign factories are generally vastly superior to the quality coming out of US garages. Another time I was talking with a very VERY well known and loved backpack company about this and they basically said they couldn't compete with the quality and consistency coming out of competitors in Vietnam, just for some comparison.

So I would ask WHY do you support cottage companies? Is it political? Is it to support the little guys? Is it to buy American?

It's a complex question.

I think that the two of you have expressed many of my sentiments.

Using Hill Ape's standard I tend to think that many of the folks that are making alcohol stoves are good examples of what cottage manufacturers are -- folks like Zelph, Tinny or Smokeeater. Another at the cottage end of is Hawk Vittles.

Stranger, I am glad that you used Lightheart Gear as an example, as I have always thought that Lightheart was an example of what cottage manufacturing could or should be. I have been under the Impression that Judy approached the enterprise as a business, which is where I think many of the cottage folks stumble especially as they become successful. They never learn to stop treating their work as a hobby.

One of the reasons I started this thread was that I often get the feeling that there is an automatic assumption that the little garage production guys are noble saints fighting against the big evil corporate big box guys. Its not an assumption that I hold.

[stranger]

Nah...they're there to make good products and most of all, make money. Hard to run a business when your not turning a decent profit. However I don't believe the bigger companies give a damn about cutting edge products.

Dana Design and Gregory both started at cottage companies, both became huge. ULA has been sold, so has Golite, REI bought Moss Tents, MSR bought Swift Tents. There are examples of cottage going big, perhaps not many as cottage products lack mass appeal - thus interest from larger companies.

ULA seems to be doing it right, but I would love to see their books, I wonder how much they clear per annum.

[1azarus]

i think the best test before buying from a cottage industry manufacturer is that they make as good or better gear for your purposes than a larger manufacturer and will provide as good or better service. a large percentage of what i hike with is made by a cottage industry because the gear passes that test -- to the point where comparable gear just isn't even available on the larger market. ...yes, i get good feelings from supporting the little guy, but that only works for me if the quality of product and design are superior. wow. i may actually be more excited about cottage industries than about hammocks. go figure.

[HeartFire]

I've always thought it was mostly because they are "one of us" If you can call on the telephone, the "ceo" of the companies answers, you know him on a first name basis, its a home line, and he makes whatever it is in his garage... it qualifies. In general though, I just look for quality gear that best suits my need.

The "CEO" isn't always a "HIM". In my case it's "HER"



This is an interesting topic, I started LightHeart Gear on a whim - I thought it would be fun to make a few tents here and there in my spare time. After all, I'm a nurse practitioner and know almost nothing about business (but I have been sewing all my life and and did go to design school). The tents took off faster than I could make them, hence the outsourcing to China - yes, when done right, the quality that can come out of a major sewing factory with all the best equipment and trained stitchers is better than what can be done on a single sewing machine in your garage. My basement soon filled with sewing machines that do different jobs, and as I got so much flack from hikers about 'made in China' I now opened a shop in Asheville and ALL production will be done here from now on - I still have a few tents from China in stock, but when they are sold out - ALL​ my products will be flying American Flags.

[Rasty]

The "CEO" isn't always a "HIM". In my case it's "HER"



This is an interesting topic, I started LightHeart Gear on a whim - I thought it would be fun to make a few tents here and there in my spare time. After all, I'm a nurse practitioner and know almost nothing about business (but I have been sewing all my life and and did go to design school). The tents took off faster than I could make them, hence the outsourcing to China - yes, when done right, the quality that can come out of a major sewing factory with all the best equipment and trained stitchers is better than what can be done on a single sewing machine in your garage. My basement soon filled with sewing machines that do different jobs, and as I got so much flack from hikers about 'made in China' I now opened a shop in Asheville and ALL production will be done here from now on - I still have a few tents from China in stock, but when they are sold out - ALL​ my products will be flying American Flags.

Thank you for bringing production home. Which production facility is easier to manage?

[moytoy]

The cottage industry is a Labor of love for profit and without the profit it's a hobby.

[SteelCut]

The "CEO" isn't always a "HIM". In my case it's "HER"

This is an interesting topic, I started LightHeart Gear on a whim - I thought it would be fun to make a few tents here and there in my spare time. After all, I'm a nurse practitioner and know almost nothing about business (but I have been sewing all my life and and did go to design school). The tents took off faster than I could make them, hence the outsourcing to China - yes, when done right, the quality that can come out of a major sewing factory with all the best equipment and trained stitchers is better than what can be done on a single sewing machine in your garage. My basement soon filled with sewing machines that do different jobs, and as I got so much flack from hikers about 'made in China' I now opened a shop in Asheville and ALL production will be done here from now on - I still have a few tents from China in stock, but when they are sold out - ALL​ my products will be flying American Flags.

HeartFire, I'm in Asheville. Does your shop have a showroom ?

[treesloth]

Nah...they're there to make good products and most of all, make money. Hard to run a business when your not turning a decent profit. However I don't believe the bigger companies give a damn about cutting edge products.

Dana Design and Gregory both started at cottage companies, both became huge. ULA has been sold, so has Golite, REI bought Moss Tents, MSR bought Swift Tents. There are examples of cottage going big, perhaps not many as cottage products lack mass appeal - thus interest from larger companies.

ULA seems to be doing it right, but I would love to see their books, I wonder how much they clear per annum.

I asked Joe Valesko recently to do a mod that another cottage manufacturer refused to do for me on my original order. He turned it down, citing being slammed with orders. I was very surprised to hear that he had about 30 peeps under his employ. Seems like he's doing it right as well.

[HeartFire]

SteelCut, You can always come and visit at the shop. Not much of a 'showroom' but I do have a tent set up in the office. - We're actually in Arden, off of Old Shoals rd near Airport Rd.

[HeartFire]

Thank you for bringing production home. Which production facility is easier to manage?

Well, it certainly was 'easier' to have them made in China, I didn't have to do a single thing - sent in my order, and a few months later got the shipment. Now, I have to 'go to work' everyday, manage the shop - I don't get to go hiking nearly as much as I used to, I have all sorts of added responsibilities - employees, etc, but it's fun and I'm not complaining.

[Coffee]

I was able to backpack about 25 days in total this year (so far) and one thing that really surprised me was how very few hikers seem to use cottage gear. I didn't keep track, but I'd say that at least 90% of backpackers I met had mainstream gear that could have been purchased somewhere like REI. I have a mix of cottage and mainstream gear but my most important gear (pack and tent) are cottage. It seems to me that if the small cottage manufacturers could get distribution they would sell much more gear. There's a huge difference between the popularity of cottage gear on a site like this and on the actual trails.

[Miner]

I buy many things from the cottage manufacturers because their stuff is lighter and more closely matches what I want then what I can buy at REI or other outfitters. Its got nothing to do with made in China or not. The biggest buyers of Cottage Manufacturers are people looking to go UL. You see more of their stuff amongst long trail thru-hikers and those who are obsessed with being UL or SUL. You don't see as as nearly as much of it on the AT as you do out west on the PCT or CDT.

As for what is a Cottage manufacturer. Its usually pretty obvious since they make all their gear onsite and don't have a large number of employees. During the summer season, they have a backlog of orders and can't ship what you ordered for a couple of weeks since they normally make it when you order since having a large inventory costs big money until it sells. Usually the owner/founder was involved with their initial designs and continues to be involved in that.

[yaduck9]

And why should I give preference to a cottage manufacturer?[/QUOTE]




In my humble opinion, one should first look to reputable cottage industries first, because they are the innovators. They drive the rest of the industry to produce better products, more diverse products.

Just my 02 cents.

[Mags]

I buy many things from the cottage manufacturers because their stuff is lighter and more closely matches what I want then what I can buy at REI or other outfitters.

That's why I buy cottage as well. Though, I must confess, I do try to buy American made goods when practical. That can sometimes be a factor in buying one manufacturer over another (not always)

[yellowsirocco]

I just buy whatever piece of gear fits my system best. Sometimes it is a place like REI and sometimes it is a cottage company. I have no sentiment about which I choose. If you are going with exotic fabrics and construction then you have to buy cottage, but I don't have any loyalty to them.