A few pieces of info on new or changing MLD Products:

1: We now have a steady stock of M55 fabric and it is now available in the bivys and quilts for order. It is a 10d X 10d .75 oz sq/yd ( That's the final weight and includes includes DWR coating.) It has a very high quality three pass DWR coating that will last a long time. I can't start to tell you about all the many samples of small denier fabrics we tested and pursued before selecting this one - this one is really really good and only one factory we know of in the world seems to get the DWR on small d greige produced this good.

2: We have enough of the M50 orange to a medium hand full of quilt liners- it's back up as a pull down option. We can only use it on the quilts liners - not the bivys or the quilts. It will not be restocked by us.

3: If you are not signed up to our facebook page, you may want to because some big announcements will happen over the next month or so...some of you already know what that might mean...

4: We are in the final stages of a new pack release BOOM!- The Exodus S - S stands for Suspension - be revolutionary it will.

5: We are back to our full super shop elf team and we are now seeing a slight drop in the wait times on some items. Some of the packs are shipping in under two weeks. Shelters are still taking a while but we project all orders will be under 8 weeks in one more week and then we should start dropping overall by one week each succeeding week. Thanks for your patient wait times. See facebook posting above for a hint toward a possible reward...

6: Our good quality Spinntex EXP is almost gone and we are only offering it in the UL Hammock Tarp and the Hex Hammock Tarp until it runs out. It was a great fabric used by many small gear companies and sold by thru-hiker.com and for it's time it was great but that time has passed. Cuben is much lighter and far more waterproof and lasts longer and is a better long term value. The fabric manufacturer of that certain spinnaker now has had recurring problems making it with a waterproofness usable for our purposes. We've sent back many rolls in the past few years and have seen other small gear companies suffer greatly when their supply ran dry for many months at a time. The last round that was produced was not good - under 250mm- and so we have decided to stop using it because we can no longer guarantee it's quality and/or availability. We would be surprised to see any other gear company using it much longer for these reasons. The little amount we have in stock is still the good stuff- it came from the last batch over 1yr ago that was good. We assume other mfgrs that are still offering it also have some left from that time and that they do rigorous testing on a suter tester of each roll like we do so those products should be OK too - We are not steering anyone away from them or their products- just the opposite- If there is a light 1oz sq/yd woven spinnaker silicone coating product out there you want - go for it now while you can still get it. For us- the cost/weight/durability/value matrix is not there anymore when there is the proven SilNylon and Cuben products available. Woven 1oz Spinnaker and Spinntex - You were there at the start of the LW revolution over ten years ago and we will remember you fondly.

I'm excited to hear about the M55...the DWR on the M50 wasn't very good...

Having had to delete a Facebook account due to security issues, I am very anti-Facebook. We keep being told how risky it is to use these "social" sites. Why can't you post the info on your own website instead?

Mary,

I'm sure he will, but hard to argue with Facebook's web traffic from a business standpoint.

Ryan

That's exactly how I feel. I don't like or trust the security. Last month it was announced that 51% of American's are signed up on Facebook, that's 49% of us that won't see Ron's/MLD's Facebook info.

yea, but by that logic, 51% will, and that's more than would see their website... (sorry, being an engineer there's few things I hate more than bad statistics...)

Actually I'd argue that since the 49% not signed up probably include lots of elderly/really young kids not online at all, the 51% is really even a higher percentage of active online users!

There is nothing in Facebook that says you have to use it like everybody else. You can only comprimise your personal information if you post it. Just use a generic email address and a false name and don't post any personal information on it if you are concerned about security.

Then you can just follow companies on other interests on it.

yea, but by that logic, 51% will, and that's more than would see their website... (sorry, being an engineer there's few things I hate more than bad statistics...)

Also sorry .... but having been long (very long) exposed to the use, misuse and abuse of statistics I can say with high confidence that very very many (most) simple statistics (i.e. xx% of _ ...) are bad statistics.

I read somewhere that 90% of all stats are made up.

:)

"Also sorry .... but having been long (very long) exposed to the use, misuse and abuse of statistics I can say with high confidence that very very many (most) simple statistics (i.e. xx% of _ ...) are bad statistics."


"Most statistics and quotes posted on the web are made up."---Abraham Lincoln

"In fact 43.921% of statistics posted on the web are made up." --- U.S. Grant

Edited by oware on 06/29/2011 15:00:45 MDT.

Opps, I used that word FxxxBxxx - From now on I will use the code word "PlaceNook" so the responses will not run 90% comments on visceral feelings about "PlaceNook" and only 10% about the core content of the OP anyway?

But in reply to anyone who does not like "PlaceNook". We only wanted to let some folks know about the opportunity to get more info on our gear and maybe win Free Gear.

As was suggested in an above post, we encourage anyone with security concerns to create a dedicated email account not using your real info for the sole purpose of creating a PlaceNook account based on that email and then do not add any accurate real personal info on PlaceNook then you can safely surf all over PlaceNook for lots of info from many many companies.

The wide range of various tools available at different online social sites can not all be replicated easily at any point source retail site- like our website- it can not be done so any suggestion that it can is a little off the mark tech speaking.

Please God Help Me Now- let's stop talking about PlaceNook in this thread. Thanks. I have to check my PlaceNook account.
------------

Any old stories about woven silicone coated Spinnaker? Did you know there were three main variations of this fabric sold throughout the cottage world from about 2002- 2006 and then it settled into one weight that almost everyone used? Did you know that Ryan/BPL was one of- if not the- very first to use it or at least popularize it? Any stories from those years of your extreme shelters tales under woven spinnaker- did you worry it would rip apart? -It didn't.... Anyone buying/using it back that far was in unchartered territory!

Hi Ron

Yeah, I got some spinnaker from Dim Poly in about 2002-2003, and made this tent about then. It was the second UL summer tent I made around then. Awful noisy in the wind!

It worked OK though.

Cheers

@GregF,

Oh, great suggestion.... tell everybody to falsify their personal information.

You need to do some research on Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 1001.

Providing false information on website registrations make you subject to fine, imprisonment, or both.

(totally off-topic, sorry MLD... but telling others to violate the law is not what you/greg should be doing)

And, I do agree... offering "free gear" should be done via your website, or done via a special promotion where anybody is able to access said promotion w/o purchase or membership. Just saying.

Than again, it is your business and you can do whatever you bloody well please so long as you are within the letter of the law, eh!! :-D

"Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 1001." Meh!

Yeah Ron, I want an MLD Weekly Gazette hand delivered to my doorstep with the latest gear updates, new shelter rumors, material changes, give away notices, in-shop mishaps, and cottage industry gossip. I am after all a Luddite.

This guy
knows what it's really about.

I'm pretty sure 18 U.S.C. § 1001 just refers to false statements made to federal officials.

@JohnA

I am in Canada so I am not familiar with that law but when I get some time I will definately check out that law. Just to be clear what you are suggesting is that anyone on this website who didn't their full first and last names is subject to fine and/or imprisonment.

If this is true it seems like a ridiculously opressive law that essentially eliminates privacy on the Web. In Canada as far as I am aware there is no requirement to provide real names or personal information when filling out web site forms. There are financial fraud laws that for things like online banking but certainly not for something as generic as facebook.

Sorry to derail the thread. (I was just trying to be helpful)

Not to get technical about this... far from what BPL is about... but when a website requires you to enter your "real name" such as what FB does (ToS: Section 4.a) and you fail to do so you have committed a federal offense (it is considered an 'electronic fraud') and therefore it becomes pursuant to Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 1001. I only know this because I own several large social community websites and it we have to use it on an all to regular basis to file federal claims we are required by law to file. Sucks. Lots of paperwork, and man-hours that could be invested in other things.


Anyway, back to MLD goodies... :)

Got an ETA on more eVENT coming in Ron, so we can start buying some eVENT bivys??

They're right, above. This was how they nailed the online bully/stalker Mom whose harassment caused a teenager to commit suicide.