Originally Posted By Roocketman
You said all of the things that I would have said, if I had continued on with the discussion..... and a little more.

There is nothing wrong with a nice dream, but going beyond that, into business success is the hard part, and often an expensive part.


I don't want to be discouraging to anyone.... but I was doing part time bookkeeping for a small startup that failed miserably because the two guys focused on the wrong things and overran their budget, made decisions on a whim instead of basing them in the numbers and being conservative until the profit margins stabilized, and generally didn't really think about much other than the dream. It's easy to dream, harder to find money to start up, and while it's certainly easier to make down bags at home with a sewing machine than to make the product my company made, it's just as easy to invest a ton of time and money, burn yourself out and end up giving everything away then taking a loss on the taxes.

I want to again encourage the OP to think about it, a lot, and make the focus of the effort research first. If you still want to do it you can still do it and you'll do it better for having spent the time becoming knowledgeable about the product you want to make. I know that I would sooner buy a down bag from someone who knows more about down and its uses than me.

Also look at the quilt makers. Nunatuk is high end gear, all down, and customize each to the end user's needs/wants. They do very good business. When I manage to get the money, a quilt and jacket from them are near the top of my gear wish list. The other brand on my radar is Western Mountaineering -- if I ever do need a bag, and that would indeed have to be that I was going out in the dead of winter for me to switch back, I'd be getting one of their subzero models. I wouldn't be doing this based on what the companies say, either - I've seen examples of both brands in the hands of happy hikers. I'd love to have one of each. The quality is obvious the instant you pick one up.
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