2024-11-15 ... EASY!! ... Black Fabric
American Woolen Company finished up some Batch 9, FullWeight Black Fabric on Tuesday, and Factory8 told me they'd be ready to receive it on Saturday (tomorrow).  Alex suggested we get a commercial trucking quote, rather than make the 7-hour round trip pickup ourselves.  Wendy, who handles shipping at AWC, said Old Dominion would have the Fabric here by Friday, for $350.  No-brainer.  

This morning at 9:30AM, right on time, the OD truck pulled up.  Alex and I started transferring the rolls of Fabric from the 18-wheeler into the little WeatherWool trailer.  A few minutes later, my nephew arrived, and so I stood by with my clipboard, checking off the piece numbers and jawboning with the trucker while the boys did the lifting.  Old-man style ... not too bad!

I'll be on the road about 6:30AM, headed for NYC's Garment District.  Black All-Around Jackets, Double Hoods, Hooded Jackets and Blankets coming up.  I did make the Black AAJs and Double Hoods available for pre-order on the website, partly because Lynx Pattern and Natural White were already there (already being made).  If you want a True Black Blanket or Hooded Jacket, please get in touch with me directly.

2024-11-14 ... Vision/Strategy ... Batches 10 and Innes-1 (Batch 11)
I just heard from Chargeurs that Batch 10 and Batch Innes-1 will be ready to ship next week.  That's a big jump!!  Taken together, these two Batches are far larger than anything we have previously processed at one time.  All of Batch 10 will become Denim.  Batch Innes-1 will be FullWeight, MidWeight and Whipcord Fabrics.  Except for the Blog, we haven't even mentioned Whipcord on this website.  But we'll be using Whipcord for pockets and some other components, AND we are testing Whipcord shirts.  More on that to come!

Further on the Denim ... The Denim Fabric is a little bit of a departure from our usual Hardcore Luxury in that it is not as weather-resistant as our FullWeight and MidWeight Fabrics.  On the other hand, it is probably more durable, although Denim is our only Fabric we've tested with an orbital sander.  Denim is expanding our Vision/Strategy, though, and this is really important.  Most of the people who have purchased our Denim Chore Coat are new to WeatherWool.  Of course every business loves new customers.  But I particularly love new Denim customers because these folks seem largely distinct from our usual customers.  As we've become more and more involved with wool and the wool industry, we've become real advocates.  And we hope the Denim can bring more people around to the wonders of wool, helping to support the Ranchers and everyone downstream.

2024-11-12 ... Couple of Things
Yesterday we had a long, wonderful visit from a customer.  But it turned ugly when he left, and his car had been stolen from in front of our house.  This was a professional job.  In broad daylight, in a very residential, suburban neighborhood, the thief/thieves were able to break into his car and get it started without any commotion, bypassing the alarm.  The car had been gone for an hour or so before our customer discovered the theft.  By that time, the thieves had made a bunch of attempts to use his credit cards (he'd left his wallet in a valise on the back seat).  The car was equipped with a locator, which was signaling from only a few miles away.  The policeman said most likely the locator was removed from the car and just sitting on the side of the road, and strongly advised us to NOT go there.  But we went anyway, and the officer was correct ... the car was not there.  This was a 2024 BMW, and I am guessing the car is already on a ship for export.  This is very distressing, and we feel we somehow let our customer down.

REDDIT is a very popular discussion forum on the web.  I only went there once when it seemed necessary for me to respond to something.  Cody just sent me a couple of links with some discussion about WeatherWool:

https://www.reddit.com/r/madeinusa/comments/1ez9e4j/south_shore_chore_coat_weatherwool/

https://www.reddit.com/r/BuyItForLife/comments/16kmbgz/weatherwool_vs_filson/

It throws me off balance a little bit that people are bandying WeatherWool.  Whenever I come across discussions of WeatherWool, the negatives are cost and availability.  Those would be my own negatives, too.  We'll never be low-priced, but we are working hard to increase availability!!

2024-11-10 ... Mountain Jacket/SkiJac
We're making a small number of Mountain Jackets/SkiJacs in Drab Green and Classic Brown.  If you want one, please mail me your color and size.  I don't think I'll offer these through the usual dedicated website page because this run is so small and there are already a lot of people interested.  I mailed the people on the "brown-list" yesterday and will mail the people on the "drab green list" shortly.

2024-11-08 ... MOUNTAIN MEN TRAPPING IN WOOL
(Following from yesterday’s entry, below.)  Our Lynx Pattern did get considerable airtime last night on TV's Mountain Men.  We are definitely happy about this because it’s purely merit-based, because the show is seen by about a million people weekly, and because we really like Ivy, Bret, Mike (all wore WeatherWool last night) and others involved with the show.

One of the things we frequently wonder about is how to present ourselves.   We’ve always been in something of a no-man’s-land because our Hardcore Luxury approach is unusual.  Our products are definitely compatible with city, restaurant, church, professional settings.   But especially before the introduction of our 100% Wool Denim, our Fabrics offered weather-resistance that would seldom be appreciated by the typical person who mostly shuttles from modern shelter to modern shelter, and rarely experiences significant exposure to severe weather.

Although I’ve never surveyed our customers, I do communicate with many of them.  My perception is that our customer base is changing.  We don’t intend to change, at least not significantly.   When I started WeatherWool, I never really thought about being nearly the advocate for wool that I’ve become.   Five years ago, I don’t think I would have chosen to get involved with Denim (ours is 100% Wool Denim), because it does not offer the Hardcore weather-resistance of our FullWeight and MidWeight Jacquard Fabrics.  But I hoped that the many lovers of typical cotton denim would be intrigued, and give wool a try.  And compared to typical denim, our Denim (sorry for high-handed use of capital D) is Hardcore Luxury.  So far, it really does seem that our Chore Coat, our first Denim product, is attracting many first-time customers, and is helping to change thinking about wool.

Until the introduction of Denim, the great majority of our customers have been hunters, campers, backpackers, bushcrafters.  And I think that is still true.  But now, largely because of the Denim, people write/say things like I DON’T GO INTO THE WOODS AT ALL, BUT I’M REALLY INTERESTED IN YOUR PRODUCTS.   And even better, I DON’T GO INTO THE WOODS AT ALL, BUT THE CHORE COAT IS PERFECT FOR MY LIFESTYLE, AND MY FRIENDS ARE VERY INTERESTED.

Since we started the company, we’ve deliberately avoided presenting ourselves as a hunting brand.  Partly because we aren’t specifically a hunting-brand, but also because we did not want to deter prospective non-hunters.   Hunting is definitely more widely accepted now than ten years ago, but at the same time, we still don’t want to present that way because we are certainly not so limited.  And if hunting disturbs some people, that ain’t nothing compared to trapping.  But last night on TV, WeatherWool was seen by a million people in trapping and hunting situations.  I guess the people who are offended by hunting and trapping wouldn’t be watching Mountain Men in the first place.  But, with respect to the way that we’ve tried to present ourselves, it is kind of funny.  And it is maybe ironic, too.  The people offended by hunting and trapping are almost invariably lovers of Nature.  Generally armchair-lovers of Nature, but lovers nevertheless.  (Quick detour into the intersection of outdoor activities.  Most people who fish don’t hunt.  But the great majority of hunters are also anglers.   Most hunters are not trappers.  But the great majority of trappers also hunt and fish.)  The irony is that the Nature-lovers who view hunting and trapping unfavorably don’t realize that (serious) hunters, and trappers in particular, have the deepest understanding and love of animals and Nature in general.

I think it would still be too-heavy a lift for us to feature photos of Bret and Ivy with a “double” of wolverines (two wolverines trapped at once in the same spot), as shown last night on TV.  But in ten years?

THANKS to Ivy and Bret and Mike!!

2024-11-07 ... MOUNTAIN MEN TONIGHT
WeatherWool on tube tonight?  Probably!

Mountain Men … we’ve provided wool to the cast of History Channel’s Mountain Men for several years. We’ve gotten to know some of the people in front of and behind the camera, and it’s been a lot of fun.  I’ve just updated this website’s Mountain Men page with some new info and links to our recently-released video interviews with Mountain Man Josh Kirk and Cameraman Brad Veis.

TV folks can get free clothing and gear from any maker, so it’s a great compliment that our wool has appeared so often on TV.  We have provided free wool to some TV folks, but never paid them.  And some have purchased without us even knowing the wool was headed for TV.  Big brands will pay big bucks to get their products on tube.

A few hours ago Bret Bohn wrote me that he and Ivy O’Guinn, his wife, will be on tonight’s new episode of Mountain Men at 9PM Eastern on History.  I think Mike Horstman will also be featured tonight.  Mike, Bret and Ivy are all Alaskans.  I don’t think Bret would have written me if he and Ivy wouldn’t be seen in WeatherWool – they don’t always wear our stuff.   And I don’t know what Mike will be wearing.

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