the benefit of good fortune

GETTING LUCKY

I know that Wiggy’s has experienced some lucky activity. It has come in the way of the products that we produce.

I was lucky when companies that existed in the late 60’s and so on chose not to listen and learn about fiberfill for insulation for use in sleeping bags. Of course, the insulation I am referring to is continuous filament fiber. The result of their stupidity with regards to choosing not to learn eventually led me to start making sleeping bags in the manner which I showed them. It was a lucky break for me and now Wiggy’s is the largest sleeping bag manufacturer in the world. Of course, these companies have helped me along the way by making “no sleep sleeping bags” so Wiggy’s is the only one that actually makes sleeping bags.

That said I want to speak about a product that was not a creation of mine or anyone else in the employ of Wiggy’s that has become an incredibly well sold item. It is the waders.

Probably 30 years ago I received a call from a guy living in Pennsylvania who hunted in Alaska. He told me he wanted something that was light in weight that he could put on over his boots versus taking rubberized waders that weighed 5 pounds each that he had to remove his boots to put on to cross streams. He described what he wanted and I made 3 pair for him. One pair for him and the other two for his hunting partners. When he returned he called and said they worked great, my thinking was if 3 men were happy why not 3000.

It turns out ot wasn’t so easy to make a good durable product. I tried light weight fabrics that would get holes in them from the pebbles shooting through the water in streams in Alaska moving at 7 knots. Needless say we had many returns, but I kept trying by looking for fabric that would last. The process took several years. Why so long, because sometimes the fabric lasted and then it became a problem. Each time I would go back to the drawing board so to speat. My problem was always looking for a light- weight fabric that was to light.

Finally after many years I settled on the fabric we presently use and have used for several years. It is not the lightest but the strongest fabric. The total weight of the waders went from 10 ounces per pair to 14 ounces per pair. Some people want the lightest they can get, but not from Wiggy’s.

Sales of the waders has moved from people going to Alaska to people crossing streams hiking all over the lower 48 and it includes women as well.

So Wiggy’s got lucky because we made a product for a guy who was the creator, not me, that has proven to be an excellent product. Sales are not seasonal but all year long and for this I am very grateful.

ARCTIC PARKAS AND BIBS

Sales of these products are very steady. I think there are people out there who are preparing for the up coming winter. Once they are gone there will no longer any made.