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Re:Surprising Findings About How People Actually Buy Clothes... by greedo on Monday June 18, 2018 @08:25AM (#17337673)
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.
Re:Surprising Findings About How People Actually Buy Clothes... by ghaff on Monday June 18, 2018 @10:03AM (#17338310)
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.
Re:Surprising Findings About How People Actually Buy Clothes... by saltcured on Tuesday June 19, 2018 @03:09PM (#17349450)
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.

Re:Surprising Findings About How People Actually Buy Clothes... by tjr225 on Tuesday June 26, 2018 @11:51PM (#17405641)
I hope you find this comment, but I am an engineer over at REI. Just wanted to thank you for being a customer.
Re:Surprising Findings About How People Actually Buy Clothes... by JoeAltmaier on Monday June 18, 2018 @10:14AM (#17338391)
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.

Re:Surprising Findings About How People Actually Buy Clothes... by gowld on Monday June 18, 2018 @04:27PM (#17341428)
If your Lands End product wears out, exchange it for a new one, for free.
Re:Surprising Findings About How People Actually Buy Clothes... by iamben on Monday June 18, 2018 @10:00AM (#17338285)
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.
Re:Surprising Findings About How People Actually Buy Clothes... by greedo on Monday June 18, 2018 @04:31PM (#17341467)
How has the quality fared over that period?
Re:Surprising Findings About How People Actually Buy Clothes... by iamben on Monday June 18, 2018 @06:48PM (#17342249)
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.