Big Industry and Cuben

[wirerat123]

Right now the only mass manufacturing of cuben that I know of is the Granite Gear dry Sac's and they are wonderfully awesome. They weren't cheap but super light and very well made. But even the people at REI whom I spoke to haden't heard of cuben yet and were excited to see the dry sac's and amazed about how light they were. But it's kinda like we were talking about in the Packa thread that does cuben really have enough appeal to the weekend warrior or the once a year packer that the big companies are going to make enough profit from it that its worth it for them to make. I wonder if mass producing Cuben would make the products more expensive or cheaper cause of mass production. Only time will tell.

If it goes this route, then at first, there will be a big price mark up. If it shows decent enough profit, then they'll work toward really mass producing them, and costs will go down over time, but much more slowly because as the wealthier get their gear, the sales will drop, and once all the gotta have it now crowd get theirs, they will have to drop pricing over time to appeal to a broader range of people and actually make sales.

Remember when a 4lb tent would cost you $400? I do, 4lb tents were unheard of! Everyone wanted a 4lb tent, but you never saw them on the trail except on a very rare occasion, outfitters didn't even keep them in stock. Now you can get a sub 3lb tent for $150 or less if you shop around. Nowadays you can get shelter and a sleeping bag that weigh around 4lbs for $400 lol. Only because once the people with the financial stability got theirs, they had no choice but to drop prices into our price range.

[wirerat123]

while I have facts to back this up...I wonder about the capacity of Cubic Tech to produce enough material to support mass manufacturing...
From my personal expirences with them, I doubt it.

Believe me, if there is profit from investing in more equipment to ramp up production, you'd better believe they will do it in short order. Just watch over time. It's catching on slowly but surely, they'll improve production technique and such, then invest in more equipment to support the increasing desire for cuben. Beauty of that is, the pricing for cuben will drop in the process. It'll take time, but it will happen.

There is a lot to gain for the industry if they begin to adopt cuben as the ultralight standard and over time get it into everyone's hands. Super light weights on trail make hiking more appealing to a larger group of people. There are more hikers today than there ever was, because rather than having to carry 50+lbs on trail for a weekend you can do it under 30lbs and not break your bank or your back. This has been an ongoing process since I've been hiking. Getting lighter weights to the masses, and making it affordable. Only problem is it's a VERY slow process for us poor folk hehe.

So I just make my own gear! Sub 20lb for less than $200! lol.

[WV]

while I have no facts to back this up...I wonder about the capacity of Cubic Tech to produce enough material to support mass manufacturing...
From my personal expirences with them, I doubt it.

I recall (circa 1983) telling a retired engineer about the wonderful Kevlar kite lines I was using, and he replied that there were high molecular weight polyethylene fibers that were even better. I was incredulous. Nobody in the kite-flying community had heard of them. Now Spectra is the standard for stunt kite lines.

I expect Cubic Tech will expand to meet the need, but I also expect that in 20 years (or much sooner) we'll have competing materials, not just products. Where will we see them first? Probably being used by sailmakers - the biggest industry that sees a use for a new material will be the one that creates a demand for it.

[Hetairoi]

I also expect that in 20 years (or much sooner) we'll have competing materials, not just products.

I'm holding out for Force Field technology

I noticed several vendors using cuben for all sorts of things (tarps, tents, packs, even underquilts ) at Trail Days. It's a niche within a niche, but it's getting more popular.

[R00K]

I'm holding out for Force Field technology

+1 for force fields!

[KerMegan]

I must comment also that the durability of Cuben under abusive wear (family camping, toddlers, etc) has not yet been documented; to the best of my knowledge it has mostly been adopted by folks with an eye to protect and preserve their gear investment. this may be the factor that keeps it out of the massively mainstream camping community.
Just a thought, KM (who is not waiting for force fields but thinks they would be nifty; depending on the size of the generator..)

[ohski]

If it does happen it's going to be made more for the mountaineering crowd if I had my guess where the largest weight savings will be realized. Plus those folks think $2000 for a base camp tent, and $1200 for their approach camp tent is no big deal lol.

I don't see someone spending $600+ to replace their Hubba Hubba with a cuben version to shave 6 ounces.
Plus it's a good point about buying the fabric, shipping it to Asia, then a change in production technique. If they do, they will likely set up shop with a US production facility to make the small production amount they will likely need to produce.

I'm sure at least a couple of Mass Market companies will test the waters.

Me either... since I got mine for $259 shipped last fall from REI...

Ski