Your ZPacks Arc Blast Customizations – (or other UL/MYOG packs)

Bob, yeah I can see why you’d say that, but if that’s the case, I think it would be flawed logic.

Right now EE has a wait of 14-16 weeks and people are still placing orders left and right.

Now I think the way you laid out your ideal future model for them would be great… I just don’t know that it will end up working that way.

I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

But I am not so sure that its just .5% that wants custom options. Even if so, wouldn’t that .5% of extremely happy vocal customers create a lot of residual business? I know that’s what happened in my case, at least.

All I know is that the bad taste left in my mouth right now isn’t really what any company should want from customers who have been really into their stuff, either way.

Sounds like a business opportunity for someone.

No doubt it helps to have a bunch of super-satisfied, competent, respected “influencers” who get on the ‘net and hike with their friends and cultivate the meme.

It’ll be interesting a year from now to see what effect it’s had.

I don’t follow this stuff closely, but regards to EE I noticed that very recently they did a couple hundred quilts for Massdrop which were also branded Massdrop, with stock sizes and no customization, so perhaps this is the wave of the future as ‘our’ cottage folks gain market. I hope they can keep it all Stateside.

I think Bob nailed it. It is business and as such they need to maximize return on investment/effort while not compromising on quality. Customizations just slow production down and one can only imagine how much effort was spent in the back and forth with the customer trying to nail down the details, much less the hassle of addressing the enevitable customizations that “aren’t what I asked for/imagined they would be/don’t work like I thought they would”.

I also don’t think a comparison with EE is quite fair…they don’t really customize the design, but simply offer a choice of materials which are pretty much identical except for color and don’t affect the construction process.

Yeah, the loss of the ability to customize the pack stinks, but like I said before its kinda awesome that they were ever willing to make pretty much any modification requested. And let’s not forget that ZPacks packs rock pretty hard dead stock. I also hope, as Bob imagined, that someday a “custom shop” is a possibility.

This understandable change in operation will not deter me from doing business in the future.

JCH, I agree that with EE the basic design (pattern) is not customized, but they offer such a variety of shell materials and colors and ‘weather striping’ (or whatever the exact term for that is) and ‘stuffing’ and sizes that the permutation of combinations and made-to-order nature of the end product make it, in essence, a custom piece of gear in that sense.

Granted, not the same as packs with different pockets, straps, panels, etc… which require some ‘engineering’ considerations.

I just got the feeling that the Massdrop thing was a test run. And I’m not trying to start a rumor or stir the muck… simple musing of some internet schmuck. I bend over and await my swift kick from Tim M.

@ Adam,

The customizations you have on that first pack are almost exactly what I wanted on mine, and for those very reasons you mentioned. Nice!

Of course, now you can’t get another one like that.

To add insult to injury with my own AB, the only “customization” I wanted that I actually could get was a hydration sleeve. Now, that’s a standard option for some of their other packs, like the Zero, but not the AB. Even though I picked it off the site menu, adding that made it a “non-returnable custom order.” Ironic, huh? Okay, I was told that and understood that before I ordered. But I had no idea how poorly designed the outside of the pack would be.

So, I gambled on it and I lost. I would have returned it right away after seeing its flaws in action but of course I couldn’t. For the price that it will end up costing me to adapt it to what I need, I should have just done a custom pack from the start.

Pissed? Yes, I am. I learned a very expensive lesson. I have other off the shelf gear from them I like and use. But I won’t touch another pack from them. Ever. In fact, I wouldn’t touch a tarp or tent or anything expensive or important that might need any adjusting at all from them.

Now, I should add that someone mentioned Borah Gear above and their Massdrop thing.

I recently had two bivies done by Borah and I received fantastic customer service from them. I got just the customizations I wanted in both regular and bug bivy, quickly, easily, inexpensively, with great communication and solid suggestions on how to achieve what I wanted. Borah has model customer service as far as my own experience goes. I certainly hope that never changes as they grow.