Growing Pains at Speer Hammocks

[NotToWorry]

Thanks to everyone who has expressed concern about what's happening lately at Speer Hammocks. We're just going thru some growing pains that are temporarilly affecting our ability to supply some of our most popular products.

We've swamped with orders and are having trouble keeping up---so rather than take money for orders we can't ship on a timely basis, we've made the dificult decision to remove some products from sale until we can secure a larger-volume manufacturing arrangement than our current in-house manufacturing. Currently we make all of our hammocks & accessories in our basement--it's a true mom & pop operation. But we simply can't keep up with the orders any more--guess that's a good problem to have! We're currently exploring options for additional manufacturing capacity. In the mean time, we apologize for any inconvenience and ask for your patience and understanding.

Speer Hammocks is committed to producing only the highest quality hammock gear possible. We are not interested in producing the kind of cheap low-quality gear that sometimes results from sweatshop mass production. We are currently investigating options for expanded manufacturing with like-minded groups. Because we're picky, it may take some time to secure the type of manufacturing we're looking for.

In the meantime, we will continue to offer our customers the products and services we can handle. We appreciate your patience. If anyone has any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me at: [email protected]

[Cannibal]

Thanks for the update Ed! :cool:

[Bags4266]

Wish ya luck, hope to see your tarps out some day in full force, they were sweet!

[OldnSlow]

Very glad its that, and not something more serious. Growth problems are things we all wish we had.

(PS I will work for green card, and food:D) We can discuss this at Hot Springs Hee Hee

[DocBurN]

Thats good news, i was affraid something bad was happening.. I dont have any tarp yet.. beside a 10$ poly-crap and decided to buy a SWTarp but was too late by a few days..

good luck!

[Hawk-eye]

Good problem to have these days ... best of luck in getting things the way you want them... looking forward to seeing the tarps available soon!

[questtrek]

Glad to see those products are not permanently gone. Great to hear your business is doing so well. :)

[Shug]

Glad to see the Winter Tarp will return!!!!!!
Shug

[PS]

Agree with everyone. Glad this is what it is and not something else. Good problems are the ones to have, but they're still problems! Hoping you'll discern the best solutions...
And boy am I glad I got my Winter Tarp already!

Best of luck Ed.

[Hooch]

Excellent decisions combined with Ed's commitment to excellence and the hammocking community makes this a great announcement to read. Thanks for the update, Ed, we look forward to the return of Speer's regular lineup of hammocking goodies. :D

[Knotty]

That's good news Ed.

Truly appreciate your focus on quality.

[TOB9595]

I just called to order some stuff.
Expansion is a PITA
Best wishes

Tom

[BurningCedar]

Good luck Ed! I've always enjoyed our interactions and know how seriously you value your integrity -- so I knew there would be positive reasons for the changes.

Its good news to me personally too since I finally got to see a Speer Winter Tarp in person this past weekend and got a bad case of the "I want one's".

Maybe in time for the next winter season......

[stormcrow]

Glad to hear that business is keeping you on your toes. I look forward to hearing how the expansion goes. I am doing the same (much smaller scale I am sure). I still have my SWT someone else can have it when they pry it from my cold dead hands! :scared::boggle:

~Stormcrow

[Hetairoi]

good to hear and good luck on your search for quality help!

[Trout]

In this economy, what a blessing. It's always encouraging when the little guy is getting his piece of the pie, as it were.

[tomsawyer222]

how about sub contracting some of the sewing out to some of the many good DIY people on hammock forums?there are alot of us hammockers in the NC SC VA TN area. It would be better then going thru someone like equinox or big agnes who dont really do hammocks you know?

[TeeDee]

I don't know whether this is a no-no or not, but....

The sewing quality of the JRB tarps we have is top notch. Really very good.

Now you and JRB are competitors, but the competition shouldn't keep both of you from using the same people to sew the products since I deem the competition to be friendly and the products of both are pretty distinct.

So, could you and JRB use the same sewing shop? I don't know how many sewing shops are left in the US since it seems that most have gone overseas.

[Cranky Bear]

Ed, strange thing to make such great products that are in very high demand that you have to stop making them for the time being you don't see that a whole lot these days the way the economy is affecting everyone, so that says a lot about you and your products, now I only wish that I had gotten the SWT as well, but that will come in due time when you get things worked out! I also got your email and it worked great, THANKS!!!:D

CB

[warbonnetguy]

good luck ed

[Mule]

Ed, Best wishes and much success, and more time to hike. Sounds like a plan.
Mule

[DavidWa]

Thanks to everyone who has expressed concern about what's happening lately at Speer Hammocks. .. But we simply can't keep up with the orders any more--guess that's a good problem to have! .. [email protected]

I sometimes go to the frig to look for a snack, get annoyed because I can't see what I was looking for because there is so much food in the frig. Then I realize , I shouldn't be annoyed , I should feel blessed that I have food. Some folks look in the frig for a snack and can't find what they want because there is little or nothing in there.

So you betcha - Being swamped for orders is a good thing and the opposite of what was imagined was going on. Anyway, I mostly tried to imagine you had gone the ULA Brian F. route - cutting back to do other perhaps more relaxing things.
Ed - Hope to see ya at Trail Days.

D

[sclittlefield]

We are not interested in producing the kind of cheap low-quality gear that sometimes results from sweatshop mass production. We are currently investigating options for expanded manufacturing with like-minded groups. Because we're picky, it may take some time to secure the type of manufacturing we're looking for.

Excellent news! You had us all worried there for a bit. Good luck finding some quality stitchers in the US!

[Sailor]

Keep it up, Ed. It may be just an underquilt and one of millions of things made each day, but for me, it keeps me warm, I like it, I'm happy to have it and I'm glad someone made it just for me.

[NotToWorry]

Thanks to everyone for the supportive comments. The past few days have been very incouraging and hopefully soon we'll be back on track again. In the meantime, it's SPRING--get out & go camping! Happy Hammocking....Ed

[oldgringo]

Keep it up, Ed. It may be just an underquilt and one of millions of things made each day, but for me, it keeps me warm, I like it, I'm happy to have it and I'm glad someone made it just for me.

Well and eloquently put.

[Just Jeff]

Haha - it might be spring where YOU are Ed...but we're getting up to a foot of snow today! WOOHOO!! The "get out and go camping" part still rings true!

[Cannibal]

Haha - it might be spring where YOU are Ed...but we're getting up to a foot of snow today! WOOHOO!! The "get out and go camping" part still rings true!
This is a baby snow for March. Wait till the Annual May Blizzard. :scared::lol:

[animalcontrol]

best of luck to you Ed...
Life is way too short not to enjoy EVERY minute of it!

[Ed Lobby]

Glad everything is o.k. I made my first hammock after reading your book and I've always received top-notch quality from my gear orders.

[Shug]

I ordered some skeeter netting yesterday and I have already gotten a confirmation shipping e-mail. On its way. Always top notch service from Ed!!!!!!
Shug

[stevebo]

Good luck Ed! I love your hammocks and love the way you do business! You set the bar pretty high when it comes to quality and customer service !:)

[NotToWorry]

Good luck Ed! I love your hammocks and love the way you do business! You set the bar pretty high when it comes to quality and customer service !:)

Thanks to everyone for their encourging words and support--our efforts to transition to better manufacturing are going well, but will take some time.

One thing we've noticed in this business is that hammock buyers must be the most satisfied customers in the world! Not previously being experienced in dealing with customers before starting Speer Hammocks, we've been blown away with the overwhelingly postivite customer response--we're not familiar with any other consumer product where the customers are as happy with their purchases as hammock buyers are! It continues to be a source of great pleasure to me & Karen to be involved with such satisfied customers---how could we possibly live with ourselfs if we screwed that up with poor service or products? So we're stuck--as long as our customer response remains as postive as it has been, we've no option but to continue doing our part to earn their trust and respect. We love it! Hammocks are FUN!

[sir_n0thing]

Best Wishes to all at Speer!

I'm sure glad I got my SWT when I did! :)

[Bleemus]

You get em Ed. Time to reengineer the corporation! All the best to you in the future!