Support the brands who support vehicle-based, overland, and outdoors adventure
Integrity. Merriam-Webster defines it as “a firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values”. While it seems straightforward by definition and is formative as we develop our world view, a lack of integrity continues to permeate the vehicle-based and outdoors space, the products brought to market, and how those products are introduced to consumers.
I’m not naïve to human nature and realized long ago many consumers typically base their purchase decision on cost of one product over another. When companies like ARB, KC HiLites, Dometic, and others offer products 2x-3x more expensive than a version that looks identical on Amazon, it can be hard to justify spending more when what appears to be something very similar is available for far less. However, there are a number of nuances associated with this example and it’s important to understand WHY this is never a good decision.
There’s an old adage, “Buy once, cry once” particularly when making purchase decisions for a vehicle that may be used for self-sufficient travel. This “rule of thumb” is especially true given how the products you use can be the difference between success and failure or even survival and death. I’ve heard countless stories of people who became stranded in remote wilderness because the gear they relied on was built using inferior materials, failing in the field and creating a risk to life and limb. In virtually every instance, the decision to choose cheaper product rather than the originally designed brand product was cause for failure. Of course, other causes such as lack of understanding of how to use the product before going on a journey is a consideration; however, the overwhelming cause is typically failure of product hence failure of the trip.
Getting back to the brands noted above, this is a shortlist of companies who spent a tremendous amount of money hiring engineers and designers to research and develop products that exceed requirements for adventurists when in the field. Those costs are built into what the end-consumer relies on to ensure success when it matters. Unfortunately, there are too many nefarious individuals and companies who have taken those designs, gone overseas to identify a manufacturer to “copy” those designs, then offer a cheaper alternative online via Amazon, Alibaba, Temu, and others. The result? A substantive economic impact – in the neighborhood of $500 billion annually – not to mention lost tax revenues and the impact to legitimate businesses.
Additionally, this theft of intellectual property creates a disservice to the brands who put in the time, money, and effort to create quality products we rely on. As an example, I attended SEMA in Las Vegas 15 years ago and was witness to an international “brand” that was shut down by U.S. Marshalls due to claims their products were direct rip-offs of product offered by American Expedition Vehicles – AEV. Less than a decade earlier, another U.S.-based company, 67 Designs, who developed and has continued to sell U.S.-made mounting solutions in Dallas, sold products to a customer who then went on to form a company named Bulletpoint, copy those designs, manufacture them in China, and resell them online via Amazon and on their website all while marketing them with an American flag. A federal lawsuit ensued in the state of Ohio over fraudulent use of 67 Designs’ intellectual property.
The point to all of this is cheaper does NOT always mean better and especially in the vehicle and outdoors space, is based around the copying of well-respected brands’ products then mass producing comparable product for pennies on the dollar in a nefarious attempt to confuse consumers for profit. Technology has made this far too easy and today’s major online retail platforms mostly ignore where products are sourced, who developed those products, and the intellectual property associated with those products.
My challenge to you is to consider the brands you purchase and take the time to learn their story before clicking “Add to Cart” before going on your next trip. You’d be surprised how a lack of integrity continues to permeate the online space with products that have diluted quality all in an effort to cash in on the hard work of the brands who care about the effort that went into developing them in the first place.
OutdoorX4 – Promoting responsible vehicle-based adventure travel and outdoors adventure
