Why oh why, why, why.....

[domigee]

do shops/manufacturers stop selling/making the stuff we got used to and worked perfectly???!!!

Ha, that was a short rant and I apologise but it made me feel better!

 

[Robo]

do shops/manufacturers stop selling/making the stuff we got used to and worked perfectly???!!!

Ha, that was a short rant and I apologise but it made me feel better!

Don’t get me started!!!!!

My favourite shirts, shoes, pants, socks are all no longer made!

Have to start from square one all over again........testing testing testing.....

 

[P Steeper]

I know! Or they change it so the fit is different or pockets smaller!

 

[TMcA]

I know! Or they change it so the fit is different or pockets smaller!

That's called "value engineering"....

So when you go back to buy the "same" product later, you may find your new purchase has smaller pockets, fewer belt loops, cheaper fabric, etc. It's the same design, it's got the same functionality, but it costs less to manufacture. Sorry about that...I feel your pain.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

Or it's not made as well. I've had a P38 can opener hanging off my keyring by a length of ball-chain since 1975. It's now disappeared (chain broke?) and the replacement one is much more crudely made

 

[Jeff Crawley]

That's called "value engineering"....

So when you go back to buy the "same" product later, you may find your new puchase has smaller pockets, fewer belt loops, cheaper fabric, etc. It's the same design, it's got the same functionality, but it costs less to manufacture. Sorry about that...I feel your pain.

Or they put it out to tender and accepted the lowest bid!

 

[nycwalking]

I know Pepperidge Farm stopped selling Date Pecan cookies. I’ve gained tons since!

I know in 2014, I was upset when my backpack purchased at REI said it had a built in whistle. I looked all over pack for silver noise maker.

Well, whilst on camino I found built in whistle: Orange. Orange is the new black, not the new silver.

 

[alaskadiver]

do shops/manufacturers stop selling/making the stuff we got used to and worked perfectly???!!!

Ha, that was a short rant and I apologise but it made me feel better!

REI does this to me all the time. They did away with my favorite REI Classic Sahara hiking pants and kept the version with a tiny pocket. Same thing with the wonderful REI tech t-shirts. Gone. Good thing I’d bought 2 pairs. This is in a 2 year span.

 

[KinkyOne]

I can feel your despair and sadness althought I haven't bought a new thing in 3 years. Yuppy!!! I'm not going to be lured into this thing so easily

 

[VNwalking]

Why?
Because.
Let me guess...hmmm...Could it possibly be about profits?

(I know it's no consolation, but this bugs the heck out of me, too, especially about shoes. Hence the cynical and snarky comment.)

 

[David]

I agree with all of the above!!! The trick with footwear is that when you get some that really fit and are just perfect - go back to that store and buy three more pairs and put them in the loft!!

 

[Stivandrer]

Totally agree. They don´t even make people like me anymore !!!

 

[Terri B]

I feel your pain. I've recently had the same issue with the socks I wore in 2016. Went to get a couple of new pair and the brand doesn't exist anymore. So now I have to trail some different brands while I train. Luckily I've got 6 months to decide on a pair.

 

[freeflyer123]

I agree with all of the above!!! The trick with footwear is that when you get some that really fit and are just perfect - go back to that store and buy three more pairs and put them in the loft!!

My problem is, I'd forget about them being in the loft when I needed them!

 

[t2andreo]

Learn to LOVE the internet. Often you can still find brands and styles out there that are the same as you knew. All is not lost until Amazon, Google and eBay cannot supply your needs...

Just sayin...

 

[MaineSally]

I know! Or they change it so the fit is different or pockets smaller!

Women's hiking pants never seem to have generous pockets for things like a
passport or credential, so I have resorted to wearing men's pants. I figure I'm not
out there to make a fashion statement so don't really care if the legs are a little baggy.

 

[KentuckyJay]

do shops/manufacturers stop selling/making the stuff we got used to and worked perfectly???!!!

Ha, that was a short rant and I apologise but it made me feel better!

It’s been said that the only person who likes change is a wet baby!

 

[CWBuff]

A bit of a different merchandise but definitely on the same subject
We had just that type of luck with our cars
(all cars mentioned were bought brand new in the year specified)
I buy 2000 Mercury Cougar - (which I consider the BEST car I have ever had for so many reasons that appealed to me) - couple of years later the model is discontinued and then Mercury is phased out
Wife truly enjoyed her 1996 Pontiac Sunfire and subsequently 2004 GrandAm. Just as we started eyeing either G5 or G6 (more or less leaning towards the latter) - Pontiacs are gone in 2010
I get a 2006 Saturn VUE and... of course the Saturns are gone in same 2010 (I guess 'the selling point' - so many people were getting way over 100K on the speedometer and some were over 200K - is its own 'enemy' - if I have a good reliable car then WHY am I going to buy a new one?)
We own 2 Chevys now - the wife has a 2016 Cruze and I - a 2017 Malibu. Guess what? The Cruzes will be discontinued as of next year!
Actually the direction of the whole US Auto Industry that is hell-bent on stop making any sedans and stay with SUV and Trucks production only!!!!! Seriously?!?!?! At this point in my life I don't have anything to haul and would actually be completely content on a compact car (i.e. like the Cruze) come perhaps another 5-8 years.
I really do not want or need a 'monster' which will be eating gas (even if they make them more mpg-friendly chances are a smaller sedan would've obviously been even better) and wont be a s easy to park in some places...


Here ends my rant!

 

[Annette london]

I agree with all of the above!!! The trick with footwear is that when you get some that really fit and are just perfect - go back to that store and buy three more pairs and put them in the loft!!

That's exactly what I've done...
The boots that I bought in the Lake District....and at half price too were so comfortable ...I went back and bought another pair, still at half price too.

It was the same as "buy one, get one free"
This lot should see me out ...if I don't walk too many caminos that is!!

 

[Jeff Crawley]

That's exactly what I've done...
The boots that I bought in the Lake District....and at half price too were so comfortable ...I went back and bought another pair, still at half price too.

It was the same as "buy one, get one free"
This lot should see me out ...if I don't walk too many caminos that is!!

 

[Chris Gi]

do shops/manufacturers stop selling/making the stuff we got used to and worked perfectly???!!!

Ha, that was a short rant and I apologise but it made me feel better!

Like our favorite trail runners

 

[Former member 49149]

Women's hiking pants never seem to have generous pockets for things like a
passport or credential, so I have resorted to wearing men's pants. I figure I'm not
out there to make a fashion statement so don't really care if the legs are a little baggy.

Sally, I am on your team. On another thread, I saw a few times that some people don't understand convertible trousers. What is there to understand? You cannot understand a piece of cloth fashioned into a garment! Seriously!
@domigee, see what you started?! well done, amiga del camino!

 

[J F Gregory]

I am not ageist but, I am old and I don't like change. Yet my first pack was canvas on an wooden frame and I would not ever consider that again. My 1st Camino my pack 4.5 pounds dry and when everything added when loaded 18-20 pounds. My current pack weighs 2 pounds 14 oz. and fully loaded weighs 10.5 pounds and yes I learned how to pack differently with less, but more expensive clothes. Who would have thought?

 

[VNwalking]

Here ends my rant!

Thank you @CWBuff, for the reality check - and for curing my self-pity. It could be much worse than just shoes.

 

[CWBuff]

I saw a few times that some people don't understand convertible trousers. What is there to understand? You cannot understand a piece of cloth fashioned into a garment! Seriously!

LOOOOVE my convertible trousers!!!! Sadly they are practically on their last leg so I will have to buy a new pair and (as per the theme of this thread) dread the moment

 

[CWBuff]

Thank you @CWBuff, for the reality check - and for curing my self-pity. It could be much worse than just shoes.

No... its ALWAYS "The Shoes, MAN!"

 

[Former member 49149]

LOOOOVE my convertible trousers!!!! Sadly they are practically on their last leg so I will have to buy a new pair and (as per the theme of this thread) dread the moment

I am so lazy, my two good pairs are used on rotating basis, and my charity shop pair do for everyday use, except when I have to be presentable. They are so useful rain hail or shine. you know, I might dye one of them purple...
herewith, a version of a poem that I love too much, and am of the age to not care a whit what anyone has to say!

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple With a red hat that doesn't go, and doesn't suit me, And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter. I shall sit down on the pavement when I am tired, And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells, And run my stick along the public railings, And make up for the sobriety of my youth. I shall go out in my slippers in the rain And pick the flowers in other people's gardens, And learn to spit. You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat, And eat three pounds of sausages at a go, Or only bread and pickle for a week, And hoard pens and pencils and beer mats and things in boxes. But now we must have clothes that keep us dry, And pay our rent and not swear in the street, And set a good example for the children. We will have friends to dinner and read the papers. But maybe I ought to practise a little now? So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised, When suddenly I am old and start to wear purple!​

 

[CWBuff]

I just couldn't resist

She was a one-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple sausage eater

 

[VNwalking]

I shall sit down on the pavement when I am tired...

Yes. Done that. By the side of the road in the dirt. And no-one was bothered. Isn't the camino wonderful?

Haven't gotten around to wearing purple. Or spitting. But terrible shirts, yes. And not at all because the manufacturer changed the model on me. But just 'cause.
It's just the d**m shoes that they keep messing up.

 

[alaskadiver]

Women's hiking pants never seem to have generous pockets for things like a
passport or credential, so I have resorted to wearing men's pants. I figure I'm not
out there to make a fashion statement so don't really care if the legs are a little baggy.

I’ve tried men’s hiking pants and they have a huge baggy area in the crotch zone for parts and pieces that I don’t have they are way too baggy and look ridiculous on me. This is why I wear a short skirt for hiking the Camino. Here in Alaska I can wear hiking pants with small pockets as I don’t carry anything in the except chapstick.
I know-1st World problems. But hey, I chose to live in the 1st World so these are my problems. I’m grateful.

 

[Lyndale]

What's wrong with PURPLE? I wear purple all the time. Oh, wait, I'm already old!

 

[MaineSally]

M

I’ve tried men’s hiking pants and they have a huge baggy area in the crotch zone for parts and pieces that I don’t have they are way to baggy and look ridiculous on me. This is why I wear a shirt skirt for hiking the Camino. Here in Alaska I can wear hiking pants with small pockets as I don’t carry anything in the except chapstick.
I know-1st World problems. But hey, I chose to live in the 1st World so these are my problems. I’m grateful.
[/QUOTE
No doubt some might have looked at me in SJPDP and thought, "What a sad looking peregrina." By Astorga the men's small pants absolutely consumed me, but I was able to find a pair of women's pants at the market there with ample pockets. At my age, it's all about the pockets and functionality. If I'm going for a fashion statement I may just put my brightly colored buff around my neck. Move over Minnie Pearl and Phyllis Diller!

 

[Robo]

A bit of a different merchandise but definitely on the same subject
We had just that type of luck with our cars
(all cars mentioned were bought brand new in the year specified)
I buy 2000 Mercury Cougar - (which I consider the BEST car I have ever had for so many reasons that appealed to me) - couple of years later the model is discontinued and then Mercury is phased out
Wife truly enjoyed her 1996 Pontiac Sunfire and subsequently 2004 GrandAm. Just as we started eyeing either G5 or G6 (more or less leaning towards the latter) - Pontiacs are gone in 2010
I get a 2006 Saturn VUE and... of course the Saturns are gone in same 2010 (I guess 'the selling point' - so many people were getting way over 100K on the speedometer and some were over 200K - is its own 'enemy' - if I have a good reliable car then WHY am I going to buy a new one?)
We own 2 Chevys now - the wife has a 2016 Cruze and I - a 2017 Malibu. Guess what? The Cruzes will be discontinued as of next year!
Actually the direction of the whole US Auto Industry that is hell-bent on stop making any sedans and stay with SUV and Trucks production only!!!!! Seriously?!?!?! At this point in my life I don't have anything to haul and would actually be completely content on a compact car (i.e. like the Cruze) come perhaps another 5-8 years.
I really do not want or need a 'monster' which will be eating gas (even if they make them more mpg-friendly chances are a smaller sedan would've obviously been even better) and wont be a s easy to park in some places...


Here ends my rant!

Ah that one is easy. I've had the same car for 20 years!
Given the Australian climate they don't rust
And it only have 220,000 kms on the clock

 

[P Steeper]

I feel your pain. I've recently had the same issue with the socks

My washing machine keeps taking my best hiking socks! The expensive ones!

 

[firstshirt]

Or it's not made as well. I've had a P38 can opener hanging off my keyring by a length of ball-chain since 1975. It's now disappeared (chain broke?) and the replacement one is much more crudely made

I have stopped bothering with the P38 as most cans don't have the lip on them any longer. Great little opener.

 

[IngridF]

Women's hiking pants never seem to have generous pockets for things like a
passport or credential, so I have resorted to wearing men's pants. I figure I'm not
out there to make a fashion statement so don't really care if the legs are a little baggy.

just did the same yesterday. got the pockets I wanted! Hey am already wearing mens hiking shoes, need wide toe box.

 

[t2andreo]

I’ve tried men’s hiking pants and they have a huge baggy area in the crotch zone for parts and pieces that I don’t have they are way too baggy and look ridiculous on me. This is why I wear a short skirt for hiking the Camino. Here in Alaska I can wear hiking pants with small pockets as I don’t carry anything in the except chapstick.
I know-1st World problems. But hey, I chose to live in the 1st World so these are my problems. I’m grateful.

For what it is worth, even as a stocky guy, the crotch on ALL pants eventually sag on me. I think it is my prominent belly that forces all pants down...

I even fashioned a suspender system to connect my web pants belt to my rucksack waist belt to help hold my pants up. It actually works... go figure... However, the crotch sag is here to stay...

 

[koilife]

I agree with all of the above!!! The trick with footwear is that when you get some that really fit and are just perfect - go back to that store and buy three more pairs and put them in the loft!!

I did that a couple years ago with my favorite backpacking shirts, but both pairs in storage seemed to have shrunk around the midriff when I tried them on this spring . . . I don't recall "self-shrinking fabric" as a feature on advertisement. Very disappointing.

 

[Just Karin]

Hence the cynical and snarky comment.)

I love the word ‘snarky’

 

[Jeff Crawley]

I have stopped bothering with the P38 as most cans don't have the lip on them any longer. Great little opener.

It seldom got used (SAK opener is better) but I liked it for the memories. Has the US mainly gone over to just ring pull cans then?

*pop quiz for the outdoors savvy - where was the "P38" can opener invented?

 

[Deputy Dan]

I've learned to be thrifty and in the process far less choosey. I shop the second-had stores where selection is limited and the odds of finding the same item again at ANY time in the future are less than slim. But it's surprising the stuff (hot items just a couple of years ago!) in fantastic condition that's discarded, and I can get it for pennies on the dollar compared to new! Though I do draw the line at shoes and now tend to have at least two pair of my favorites - bought new - near the front door at all times.

 

[Richmond Gardner]

do shops/manufacturers stop selling/making the stuff we got used to and worked perfectly???!!!

Ha, that was a short rant and I apologise but it made me feel better!

In a word “yes”. Worse yet, they will tinker with the design, change manufacturers and then sell it as the same item you purchased several years ago. Drives me crazy So, you’re not crazy and I am glad you feel better.

 

[Deputy Dan]

I did that a couple years ago with my favorite backpacking shirts, but both pairs in storage seemed to have shrunk around the midriff when I tried them on this spring . . . I don't recall "self-shrinking fabric" as a feature on advertisement. Very disappointing.

I don't have the problem with shirts as I usually get them "roomy". But I've got a suit that I now only wear for weddings and funerals and I fear it will shrink to next to nothing the ways it's going. And leather belts - who'd have thought they could, let alone would, shrink just hanging in the closet!

 

[Ray J]

Or it's not made as well. I've had a P38 can opener hanging off my keyring by a length of ball-chain since 1975. It's now disappeared (chain broke?) and the replacement one is much more crudely made

That's why I always hit sites like eBay and etsy (I'm sure there are others) to see if I can get the vintage stuff.

 

[Former member 49149]

I love the word ‘snarky’

Interesting. I thought it was a local word, ie local to where I grew up. As I doubt eitherof you have ever heard of ny town, I am clearly wrong., A dear old friend wa soften heard to say: I could be wrong, I remember I was, once before... but maybe I am thinking of sark. Maybe indeed. So what is that then? Aren’t words a treat? And I am not being sarky!

 

[SSojourn]

It’s been said that the only person who likes change is a wet baby!

Funny

 

[Jeff Crawley]

Interesting. I thought it was a local word, ie local to where I grew up. As I doubt eitherof you have ever heard of ny town, I am clearly wrong., A dear old friend wa soften heard to say: I could be wrong, I remember I was, once before... but maybe I am thinking of sark. Maybe indeed. So what is that then? Aren’t words a treat? And I am not being sarky!

We'd certainly say "sarky" (ie sarcastic) in England - (YDMV - your dialect may vary)!

 

[firstshirt]

It seldom got used (SAK opener is better) but I liked it for the memories. Has the US mainly gone over to just ring pull cans then?

*pop quiz for the outdoors savvy - where was the "P38" can opener invented?

Many pull tabs but mostly they have tops to fit the "no sharp edges" type crank openers

 

[JillGat]

Especially women's clothes and gear. They start out functional and apparently get customer feedback that they aren't flattering or cute enough, so they cute-ify them. They make them tighter, shorter, pockets smaller, etc. We're talking HIKING clothes. Stay in town if you need to look so cute (thanks for giving me an opportunity to rant about this again).

 

[BryanandJoan]

I have walked for many years always carrying everything I needed, tent, food etc, etc. Very early on I discovered a particular brand of double sock which ensured that I never ever had a blister and I of course told everybody just how good they were. When I decided to do the Camino fairly late in life the first thing on the list of course was a new pair of this brand of sock. Unfortunately they had been "improved" and caused me to suffer horrendous blisters. On speaking to several others I got nothing but bad revues. In fact nobody had a good word for them! In a vain attempt to be helpful I wrote to the company concerned explaining the problem and hoping they could sort it and recover their good name. Imagine my surprise to get a curt letter almost threatening legal action!?!?!? As I'm 80 odd I decided not to pursue it but felt somewhat aggrieved I can tell you.

 

[JillGat]

Wright socks?

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Wrong socks?

 

[BryanandJoan]

Wright socks?

No a British brand, not Bridgedale.

 

[JillGat]

Sally, I am on your team. On another thread, I saw a few times that some people don't understand convertible trousers. What is there to understand? You cannot understand a piece of cloth fashioned into a garment! Seriously!
@domigee, see what you started?! well done, amiga del camino!

That was me. There's nothing wrong with convertible pants if they work for you. I don't understand the need for them, because I wear shorts all the time and then my long underwear if it gets too cold. I have a lightweight dress for anything more formal than hiking. Convertible pants strike me as a tourist cliche. I'm sure my outfit is even worse, but it doesn't mean I can't judge everybody else.
Does it?

 

[JillGat]

A bit of a different merchandise but definitely on the same subject
We had just that type of luck with our cars
(all cars mentioned were bought brand new in the year specified)
I buy 2000 Mercury Cougar - (which I consider the BEST car I have ever had for so many reasons that appealed to me) - couple of years later the model is discontinued and then Mercury is phased out
Wife truly enjoyed her 1996 Pontiac Sunfire and subsequently 2004 GrandAm. Just as we started eyeing either G5 or G6 (more or less leaning towards the latter) - Pontiacs are gone in 2010
I get a 2006 Saturn VUE and... of course the Saturns are gone in same 2010 (I guess 'the selling point' - so many people were getting way over 100K on the speedometer and some were over 200K - is its own 'enemy' - if I have a good reliable car then WHY am I going to buy a new one?)
We own 2 Chevys now - the wife has a 2016 Cruze and I - a 2017 Malibu. Guess what? The Cruzes will be discontinued as of next year!
Actually the direction of the whole US Auto Industry that is hell-bent on stop making any sedans and stay with SUV and Trucks production only!!!!! Seriously?!?!?! At this point in my life I don't have anything to haul and would actually be completely content on a compact car (i.e. like the Cruze) come perhaps another 5-8 years.
I really do not want or need a 'monster' which will be eating gas (even if they make them more mpg-friendly chances are a smaller sedan would've obviously been even better) and wont be a s easy to park in some places...


Here ends my rant!

This is what motorcycles are for!

 

[Walter or Carol]

Had this happen with a favorite tennis shoe - by the time it wore out, could no longer get one like it. A small sliver of hope, however....sometimes you can find an old favorite item on eBay!

 

[t2andreo]

Re: History of the P38, okay I cheated... Anyway, for anyone interested, here it is...

The P-38, developed in 1942,cs a small can opener that was issued in the canned field rations of the United States Armed Forces from World War II to the 1980s. Originally designed for and distributed in the K-ration, it was later included in the C-ration. As of 2017, it is still in production and sold on a worldwide market.

There you have it...

 

[VNwalking]

This is what motorcycles are for!

And models are never discontinued?
Wow. Stability at last.

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Re: History of the P38, okay I cheated... Anyway, for anyone interested, here it is...

The P-38, developed in 1942,cs a small can opener that was issued in the canned field rations of the United States Armed Forces from World War II to the 1980s. Originally designed for and distributed in the K-ration, it was later included in the C-ration. As of 2017, it is still in production and sold on a worldwide market.

There you have it...

Cost about 1$ .

 

[JillGat]

And models are never discontinued?
Wow. Stability at last.

Hah. My street bike is a 2006 Honda 599. Although it is a tremendously popular moto in Europe (called the Honda Hornet there), it was only imported into the US in 2004 and 2006. So my motorcycle is rare here, which makes it even more beautiful to me.

 

[JillGat]

Cost about 1$ .View attachment 53432

When I lived in Jamaica, I was surprised to see everybody opening cans with machetes. Turns out the only can openers available there are dull and badly designed, so a large knife is the best they have.