We don’t like to call our products ‘indestructible’ just because they aren’t. The Titanic springs to mind – everything can be demolished, with the right amount of force. Or bad luck.
For almost every product that is ever made counts that it does not break when it is on the shelf. Thing break when you are on assignment and even more likely when a bit abused. You can use a simple and cheap photo backpack for years when you are careful or never use it at all. Expensive backpacks are better built with better fabrics, better quality control and even better warranty and so you may expect these products to be better. Even then…
On the road / off the road
Things can break. By accident or by use. And as we see what kind of trips our ambassadors make, we are not surprised if such an accident happens. Hauling the gear in and out of helicopters. Dragging your backpack on a dog-sled through Finland. Throwing it on board of a RIB to Svalbard beach. Putting it down in the penguin guano on Churchill island or chasing Polar bears on Wrangel Island – these are the conditions where you have to trust your gear and the packaging.
It did not happen yet, that satellite phone call.
We have a strict quality control, use first-class materials and with the craftsmanship in our factory, we are confident to get you a pack that will withstand those travels and expeditions. But you never know. And that is why we have made our precautions.
Saved by the shoemaker?
Part of the design process is the ‘what if’ question. What if something breaks loose? This is where our KISS* ideology kicks in: if something is simple, you can fix it by simple means with simple tools and simple materials. And we are quite sure that if you need a repair or quick fix, even if it’s in India on a Tiger trip, in Tibet looking for Snow Leopards or in London Zoo to get a nice picture of a baboon, you are able to find somebody at a reasonable distance with a sewing machine or just a needle and thread who can fix your backpack. Every village has it’s shoemaker and within short notice you can continue your trip to the end of the world.
Fixing things is becoming an ancient job – we have to rethink design in a way that repair is possible. If you have a Hasselblad from the sixties and it is broken it probably can be fixed. If you have a Nikon or Canon from 1995 you are out of luck most of the times. And if you have a camera that is just 7 years old, fixing is impossible of just too expensive.
When you are back home from such a trip, we will sort out how to help you for your next trip.
*KISS means Keep It Simple, Stupid. Simplicity means reliability. Simplicity means easier to repair. Simplicity means ease of mind.
