Author Topic: Design faults and failures  (Read 3302 times)

vghikers

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Re: Design faults and failures
« Reply #15 on: 05:47:37, 15/10/19 »
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...Meindl Bhutans - boots that cost over £220 and which leaked at the toe end whilst I hiked the West Highland Way.

Bhutans for the WHW?  :o You're sure you didn't mean the Alps or the Eiger maybe?  :)

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Meindl NEVER recognise a fault with their boots these days

Increasingly common these days with many companies, not just walking goods.

hinch184

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Re: Design faults and failures
« Reply #16 on: 13:37:09, 15/10/19 »
For me the Berghaus Stormcloud has to be one of the biggest design failures, never have I been so wet from the inside, they claimed it was breathable!  :o



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ninthace

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Re: Design faults and failures
« Reply #17 on: 13:43:55, 15/10/19 »
For me the Berghaus Stormcloud has to be one of the biggest design failures, never have I been so wet from the inside, they claimed it was breathable!  :o



"PROTECTED WITH HYDROSHELL® - Our fully breathable and waterproof Hydroshell® fabric keeps you dry and protected when the weather turns."
  Lay it along a line stretched between two trees, guy out the cuffs and jacket corners and sit under it.  Works a treat!   :)
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hinch184

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Re: Design faults and failures
« Reply #18 on: 13:57:51, 15/10/19 »
  Lay it along a line stretched between two trees, guy out the cuffs and jacket corners and sit under it.  Works a treat!  :)


 ;D  Yeah that might be a better use for it! It went in exchange for an M.E with pit zips (I do tend to run hot regardless)

Man wae a dug

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Re: Design faults and failures
« Reply #19 on: 21:44:10, 15/10/19 »
I've got a head torch that requires 4 of the smallest, tiniest, teeny weeny, wee screws to be removed before you can change the batteries. I didn't envisage using it a great deal when I bought it so it wasn't something I picked up on, but surely one of those slidey clip things would have been a more practical choice for the battery compartment. ???


Need to add one of those to my shopping list methinks. :)
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pdstsp

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Re: Design faults and failures
« Reply #20 on: 22:16:37, 15/10/19 »
Bhutans for the WHW?  :o You're sure you didn't mean the Alps or the Eiger maybe?  :)

Increasingly common these days with many companies, not just walking goods.


 Interested to know why you don't consider Bhutans to be appropriate for UK walking?

vghikers

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Re: Design faults and failures
« Reply #21 on: 08:28:11, 16/10/19 »
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Interested to know why you don't consider Bhutans to be appropriate for UK walking?

In hindsight a little harsh perhaps, considering the clonking monsters you see bending the shelves in retailers, but our winter boots for moderate snow and ice weighed less than those.
For the WHW?. We walked the WHW in January with very light Montrails (~1000g). For most of the year trainers would be fine if only they had enough forefoot cushioning.

pdstsp

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Re: Design faults and failures
« Reply #22 on: 08:48:22, 16/10/19 »
Bhutans are my boot of choice at the moment, and I love them to bits! Agree they are not the lightest, but I have found them great quality (so not had any Mendl customer service issues thankfully).  Each to their own, I know.

sussamb

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Re: Design faults and failures
« Reply #23 on: 12:28:10, 16/10/19 »
Mine too, my first pair of leather boots for many years.  They replaced a pair of Salomon's which are now relegated to SAR call outs.  Must say I don't notice any difference in weight when they're on my feet, although I know they are heavier. Very happy with them, about 4 months so far O0
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WhitstableDave

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Re: Design faults and failures
« Reply #24 on: 16:43:53, 16/10/19 »

Interested to know why you don't consider Bhutans to be appropriate for UK walking?
Indeed, and I'd be interested to know why someone would question someone else's preferences. Except in demanding conditions, I always choose lightweight shoes over boots while my wife almost always chooses boots. My feet can get uncomfortably hot in all but cold weather while hers don't get hot even in summer - we're all different!

Anyway, back to the topic...  :)

I'm not sure about design faults, but I've found that manufacturing faults have worked in my favour more than once. I don't mind them at all!

For example, I returned two pairs of Salomon boots, four months apart, before adding about £20 to the second refund and getting (excellent) Scarpa boots instead. So, in effect, I had the Salomons for 8 months free of charge - not bad for the occasional discomfort of having soggy feet.

More recently, the soles of my Merrell shoes (the best walking shoes I'd ever owned) had worn almost flat. I was still deciding on a replacement when I noticed that the upper on one shoe had started to part company with the sole. So I tentatively asked in Cotswold Outdoor if the shoes were so worn out that fair wear and tear applied or not (which I was expecting). They gave me a full refund that I put towards a more expensive pair of Merrells. Again, months of use for free!  :)
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vghikers

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Re: Design faults and failures
« Reply #25 on: 18:21:38, 16/10/19 »
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I'd be interested to know why someone would question someone else's preferences.

It was merely a humorous quip to present a different viewpoint based on experience and (maybe) to make people think. A small attempt to counteract the decades of tired dogma by magazines and retailers implying that stiff heavy boots are necessary.
Many walkers here and elsewhere report blisters occasionally as if they were unavoidable. Since abandoning stiff boots over 20 years ago and using light flexible footwear (current Merrell Moabs with nice wide toeboxes), we've never had a single blister between us or even a hint of one, despite doing 20-odd mile days on occasion.

ninthace

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Re: Design faults and failures
« Reply #26 on: 18:30:12, 16/10/19 »
It was merely a humorous quip to present a different viewpoint based on experience and (maybe) to make people think. A small attempt to counteract the decades of tired dogma by magazines and retailers implying that stiff heavy boots are necessary.
Many walkers here and elsewhere report blisters occasionally as if they were unavoidable. Since abandoning stiff boots over 20 years ago and using light flexible footwear (current Merrell Moabs with nice wide toeboxes), we've never had a single blister between us or even a hint of one, despite doing 20-odd mile days on occasion.
I would suggest this is the wrong thread for this hoary old debate.
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vghikers

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Re: Design faults and failures
« Reply #27 on: 18:45:03, 16/10/19 »
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I would suggest this is the wrong thread for this hoary old debate.
You're right of course, but since no offence was intended, a response was necessary  :)

Here's a sort-of design fault: some Lowe Alpine packs with hipbelt pockets so tiny they won't hold anything (to speak of). I can't remember which one I tried a few years back, but of all my items, the only one that would fit in was a chapstick!. They just don't believe in them, I think they added them to some of their packs very grudgingly when other companies started doing it.

sussamb

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Re: Design faults and failures
« Reply #28 on: 21:32:12, 16/10/19 »
Maybe that was the case a while back, my LA 35L, bought 3 years ago, has a good sized pocket on the right, my newer 35:45L has huge pockets on both sides  O0
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pdstsp

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Re: Design faults and failures
« Reply #29 on: 09:24:21, 17/10/19 »
You're right of course, but since no offence was intended, a response was necessary  :)



Sorry VGhikers, I wasn't taking offence - just interested in your opinion! 




 

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