TIM MARSHALL NEEDS YOUR HELP

[Tim Marshall]

Angela,

thanx for the advice. I like what you sent me in PM and used it mostly as you had it. Yes i plagiarized it!

-Tim

[Angela Zukowski]

plagiarize away :)

[Anton S]

I think buying a domain would be prudent to use as a placeholder but at this point the website you have is fine. It needs more examples of gear with prices though I guess that will come with time.

A blog is a great way to attract customers, helps to show your thought processes and attention to detail and get them thinking about what they actually need.

[Thomas Burns]

Both the website and the quilt look great. (The temptation to call the quilt a Cuben Cwilt is overwhelming, but I won't. Oh, shoot. I just did. Sorry.)

Anyway, I'm drooling over Steve's quilt. What would you say, conservatively estimated, is the lowest temperature you'd want to sleep in in a down quilt with that loft? I assume that the outer materials don't weigh into the temperature rating, but I know little about these matters.

Stargazer

[Mike Hinsley]

My late two cents:

If you name a company based on what you sell today you'll run into problems tomorrow. I've been there :-(

It's better to think of a broader name that captures the type of things that you want to do.

Think of "Carphone Warehouse" – a UK Co. It was a great name when phones only came in cars….

[Tim Marshall]

I agree with what has been said. I am trying to find time between my full time job and making gear to work on the site, that time is very limited as i seam to favor nothing time first.

I agree that i don't want to narrow the field by going a route like "Tim's Quilts" which i really like as it is easy and that's what it is. However, tim makes other stuff so "Tim's Quilts Packs Tents Tarps and More" seems like a bit too long a name to me :).

I think the quilt is lofting at 2" which is about standard for 32*. However the VB effect of the cuben will push it lower for sure. At 40* Steve couldn't close it tightly as it was too hot. We'll have to see from his reports how low it will go.

In the next few months there will be 4 more Cuben Down Quilts getting tested. 2 of them in japan where humidity is much higher. This will help us know how the vb will affect performance in damp environments. IT will also help us know how well the cuben protects the down from moisture.

We have already revamped the footbox to reduce condensation. It will use a zipper and drawcord like my other quilts to improve ventilation.

I am currently working on the name of my site, name of my gear thing. It isn't easy for me that's for sure. I'd like to use fighting names for my gear; jab, uppercut, roundhouse… But i can't nail down a site name that combines the aggressiveness of fighting with the spartan nature of ultralight hiking. Still brain wrecking over that one.

I agree that i need to offer products with absolute pricing and offer custom work as a second option. I am working on it. It is hard to find the time to sew extra gear that nobody has ordered just to get pics for the site. Time is my enemy right now.

-Tim

[Jolly Green Giant]

You just summarized your name, "Spartan Outfitters" or "Spartan Custom Backpacking Gear"…or something along those lines.

You should have a contest for free gear :)

[Tim Marshall]

Yeah when i wrote that i was wondering if maybe there was something there. Gotta let it simmer. OF course i meant spartan as in minimal amount of extra stuff, but the dual use of the name also works well for UL.

-Tim

[b s]

I think you mentioned somewhere that you do some mma. How about "One Less Pound" taking from the mma clothing brand "One More Round".

[Tim Marshall]

yeah, that is along the line i have been leaning. Tying what is uniquely me with UL backpacking. I don't think any of the other gear makers have done any cage fighting, you never know. I'd like to face off in the cage with Ron Moak, he looks tough. I don't fight any more, i wish i did though, but it is definitely a part of who i am.

However, i am not a fan of "One More Round" stupid Matt Hughes. He blew it for me when he coached TUF the second time. As a former pastor i was appalled when he made his team read the story of ester. I'm all for the Jesus, but not using MMA or training as a national platform for pushing it on others.

Sorry rant.

-Tim

[BlackHatGuy]

"In the next few months there will be 4 more Cuben Down Quilts getting tested. 2 of them in japan where humidity is much higher. This will help us know how the vb will affect performance in damp environments. IT will also help us know how well the cuben protects the down from moisture."

And at least one tested as an underquilt in a hammock!

[BlackHatGuy]

"Yeah when i wrote that i was wondering if maybe there was something there. Gotta let it simmer. OF course i meant spartan as in minimal amount of extra stuff, but the dual use of the name also works well for UL."

FWIW, from a marketing perspective, you want to be careful of choosing a name that's meaningful to you, but perhaps not your audience/customers. I'm not saying what you're thinking of is not, just want to ensure you keep your potential customers, and what will appeal to them, in the front of your mind as you come up with a name and brand. Doing so makes your job of reaching and engaging/retaining those customers easier.

Take care,

Doug

[Joshua Gilbert]

If you went with "Spartan outdoors" or similar, you could name your products after ancient Greek military terms, IE: Hoplite (foot soldier), which has the advantage of having "lite" in the name. "Phalanx" might be a good name for a shelter, etc.

I found a glossary of terms for your perusal at this URL:
http://members.tripod.com/s_van_dorst/Ancient_Warfare/Greece/greek_glossary.html

Hope that helps.

[Tom Caldwell]

I'm not too crazy about the fighting names, it doesn't seem like it fits a super light and dainty quilt. Just don't name them after snakes! I'm sick of snake names for sporting goods!

A lot of names are weird to me. Big Agnes names are hard to remember which model is what. Cat's Meow is a stupid name, IMO. I like the Marmot gaseous names, like Helium, Hydrogen, etc… The Western names like Megalite and Ultralite are pretty easy to remember names and have good rings to them. Feathered Friends names are neat and go with their theme, but it is hard to remember which model is which. Just a few thoughts.

[george carr]

How about "Marshall Arts", where "we smackdown the weight of your gear". "I'm Tim Marshall and I'll knock that weight off your back".

Good luck with a name, but in the end if you're turning out high quality stuff you could call it crud and people will buy it.

[Luke Schmidt]

I took a look at the website, looks cool. Marketing seems to be very visual so the more pictures you put up the better. Who knows I might be looking at a custom pack one of these days.
Good luck.
Luke

[Henry Blake]

I think it's great that so many UL'ers have chimed in to help you. I'll bet there's enough talent on this site that if we all put our minds together, we can get things functioning pretty well for you. That would be a fun joint project to sound off on various issues that become of concern for you. There has to be talent in just about any field of expertise where it's needed.

As far as a name goes, how about "Spartan Specialties", or "Spartan Specialty Gear", or "Spartan Custom Gear", or "Spartan Gear" with a motto, "Custom Mods Our Specialty".

Good luck.

[Tim Marshall]

I am over thinking this whole process and agree that if the gear is good the name doesn't have to be. I do like the knocking pounds off your back thing, funny.

I'd love to turn all the WORK over to the BPL collective hive mind, then i could just sew and design gear, easy. The problem is, i'm a control freak.

I think i just need to go hiking, beyond that i should stop thinking so much, it's hard on the joints.

-Tim

[Tim Marshall]

I'd still consider fighting Ron Moak, or maybe a 2 v 1 match with Ron Bell and GVP!

-Tim

[BlackHatGuy]

"I am over thinking this whole process and agree that if the gear is good the name doesn't have to be."

Just remember that there are literally thousands of companies who made great stuff, but either went out of business or the great stuff didn't sell. Great gear is only a part of the equation — the vastly significant part, of course — but not the only one. Again, FWIW.

Take care,

Doug

[Mike Hinsley]

Spartan Lite
"Hike Smart. Hike Light"

[Tim Marshall]

"Just remember that there are literally thousands of companies who made great stuff, but either went out of business or the great stuff didn't sell. Great gear is only a part of the equation — the vastly significant part, of course — but not the only one. Again, FWIW."

But not very many of them that make UL gear. There are so few sources for UL stuff that it seems less likely to happen. However, i think of moonbow, hardly ever hear of people using them and they make some very unique pieces of kit.

What is bad with them? The name? the gear? Why don't we hear much about what they make and how can i avoid the same issues?

-Tim

[BlackHatGuy]

Tim,

A few ideas, FWIW. Your cuben fiber quilt is rather unusual, yes? I don't know of anyone else who sells them. You should send the outdoor media a pitch (Backpacker, Outside, etc., and even non traditional media that cater to a, shall we say, richer crowd). I'd be happy to help you draft such a pitch, it's part of what I do for my job. An article or mention in such a publication could bring business your way.

Include your pitch to anyone doing blogs on outdoor equipment, searching for such things shouldn't be too hard.

Also pitch outdoor-themed radio shows and podcasts and do interviews about your product – you can do such interviews from your home, you need not travel.

Perhaps you make a quilt gratis to some high-speed, very high-vis outdoor guy who trumpets it (think the Marmot athletes kinda thing).

[bit deleted since I was talking out my fourth point of contact (for you paratroopers)].

Okay, back to you Tim. You're already doing some things very well, like staying engaged on this forum. I assume you're doing the same thing on other outdoor forums. If not, you should start.

It's all about buzz, really. Get your name out there and keep your already high quality, and you'll get business. And always be thinking, let your mind go where it will. I'll bet you could make some high quality quilts with a (your favorite football team here) logo on the front and sell a ton. Football fans spend crazy amounts of money on their stuff. Maybe not, the point is, as your business begins to grow, think outside the box. Boxes are for shipping stuff, not for thinking.

As an option, perhaps you can get into selling cuben fiber quilt kits. You send the materials and pattern to someone who wants to sew it themselves. You still make a profit.

Etc. etc. You get my drift.

Sometimes people limit themselves. Sometimes people WANT to limit themselves because they want to have a life outside their business. It's all a balancing act. Figure out what balance you want and go from there.

Hope this was helpful.

Doug

[William Puckett]

Steve Regenold "The Gear Junkie" is a Minneapolis person. You might contact him for thoughts/feedback.

[Tim Marshall]

Not sure i know who that is.

-Tim

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