...the making of tents....??!!

....I am pondering this as I sit on the 28th floor of an ultra-modern hotel overlooking Guangzhou, China. There must be people somewhere in the States that make, (or even try to), their own tents as a hobby in the garage etc. on an ancient sewing machine, and are interested in kicking off a new innovative QUALITY item project to be proud of, orientated at the US market......I am a Brit and will be over there in the autumn, fall for those of you that do not speak English correctly. (That's a joke, haha)...Surrounded by 1.2 BILLION people and factories turning out NASTY, less than mediocre products, I really despair. Before you all retreat, instantly wary of those from foreign shores, I am not asking anyone for a financial investment, just checking in the blue yonder if the right person is out there, someone proud of what they do, and with an unyielding attitude.."seek and ye shall find" ?.

I'm not xenophobic, but I do know there's a pretty big list to choose from of cottage industry tents made in the US. I own some of the foreign made tents and am very happy with the years of service they've provided and the price point I purchased them at. You might be a few decades behind the venture capital opportunities, but good luck.

There are a number of people in North America--and elsewhere--who do just that, selling their products on the internet rather than in stores (avoiding the necessity of a 40% retail markup). Most of my gear comes from such "cottage industries," which is where most innovative and truly lightweight gear is found. Some of these manufacturers have gone beyond the "cottage industry" stage and have become mainstream. Many sell their products overseas (especially in Europe and Australasia) as well as in the US.

Even such mainstream outfits as The North Face started in someone's basement!

..thanks for the info and responses, 40% ? I am in China, 40% is no-where near what the mark-ups are by the time it gets to us in the west. Anyway, I hope someone spots my request and I find someone that wants to sink their teeth, sewing machine and spare room in the garage into something new and not seen before......!!

You may have missed the point of the last 2 post, there already is a glut of guys making tents out of their garages here in the US.
http://www.tarptent.com/index.html
http://www.zpacks.com
http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/index.php
http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/tarps/WildOasis.html
http://www.hyperlitemountaingear.com
To name a few

...yes, thanks for that. I was aware of them, but as I mentioned, mine is a new unprecedented idea, and I am looking for the right person interested in getting in on the ground floor, not someone already established.

Show it to us...

"Show it to us."

Spoken like a true citizen of Missouri.

Ah... the pitch for the buy-in. You'd have made a better impression pondering on a remote mountain rather than the 28th floor.
Some of your background backpacking in the wilderness, that allowed you to test and perfect your design(s), was more appropriate for this venue. Love Bill's comment. Missouri's nickname is the "Show Me" state if you didn't get the reference.
Without your C.V. in the wilderness, that's the best thing to do. Give us a design synopsis or a drawing and if it has merit, someone may just jump on board. If not, all smoke and mirrors.

Unfortunately there are so many scams and such running every day that even the most legitimate can seem less than honest. In this day and age people want to see something tangible before they part with the money they work hard to earn.

......all valid points....yes, we have gotten to the interesting point, "show us what it is"....well, hardly am I going to publish on a public forum an unprecedented idea that is still not patented? Suffice to say, two Chinese manufacturers were quite congratulatory yesterday when I outlined a manufacturing query orientated at my idea...( got to be damned careful with them too for certain, they would copy it given half a chance) ...! (careful Bluefish, I am a die-hard fisherman).Just to re-iterate, I do NOT need any funding from anyone.

I was thinking of this the other day after I read your initial post. This seems along the lines of what you're seeking.

Should be able to get you heading in the right direction? Good luck!

http://www.idea4invention.com/


.

If you've applied for a patent you're as protected as you'll ever be.

You know, you haven't even told us what problem we have with our tents that you've solved, much less told us how, and you've declined to show us, yet you want our help making them?

I need a bit more inspiration.

....I have not come across any problems with your tents, I have found a way of making a certain product MUCH simpler and better.It is related to recreational camping with vehicles, weight does not matter much here in this specific concept. By the way, in SE Asia, copyright to them means "we have a right to copy" haha.