Stio

[MakersTeleMark]

I'm just worried the founder does the same thing again.
Starts a great company, grows it and sells it to an equity firm.
Firm takes over, quality drops to drop sales and the company shuts down.
I hope this is not a repeat.

That's called how to retire from a small business comfortably.

[babybear]

I like the one jkt I have from them and the quality is good for sure. Ugh the owner steve is suuuch a jerk tho. Even his friends describe him as an asshole lol

[buttahflake]

This thread is so much fail.
Laps for all

[nutmegchoi]

This thread is so much fail.
Laps for all

Missed me?

[axebiker]

This thread is so much fail.

Why's that?

[Core Shot]

I'm just worried the founder does the same thing again.
Starts a great company, grows it and sells it to an equity firm.
Firm takes over, quality drops to drop sales and the company shuts down.
I hope this is not a repeat.

Maybe not.
If he is comfortable from the Cloudveil sale money, odds are he is doing this out of passion and pride.
Looks like he tried to buy it back.
Also, he is smart to be lean and mean with Stio. Keep it simple, have fun, make good product and live a less stressful life.

http://www.inc.com/magazine/20050801/case-study.html

http://www.theactivetimes.com/cloudv...-apparel-brand



Stephen Sullivan co-founded Cloudveil back in 1997, and for 13 years helped grow the climbing and skiing apparel company from a back-of-napkin sketch into a global brand with distribution in 40 countries.

As part of that growth, Cloudveil went through a series of ownership changes, first to Sport Brands International (the parent company of FILA) and later to Spyder. Sullivan stayed on at the helm, trying to buy the brand back but Spyder sold Cloudveil to a private equity group in 2010, and now he’s starting over with a brand new company.

With his 18-month non-compete clause satisfied, Sullivan recently announced the launch of “Stio,” a technical and lifestyle mountain apparel brand debuting this fall. Don’t expect to see the product show up at your local gear shop anytime soon, though. While Cloudveil sold through as many as 500 domestic specialty outdoor retailers, Stio will sell through just one brick-and-mortar shop to start—its own flagship store in Jackson, WY—and will primarily pursue a consumer-direct e-commerce and catalog strategy.

[Core Shot]

FYI, sign up for an account - I got a 10% off coupon. That was useable on an item that was already 15% off.

Today I got a 15% coupon since I have not ordered in a while. I expect that will also apply to sale items.

Good stuff if you pick and choose and buy clearance, etc.

[iriponsnow]

I've got a Stio deal (full disclosure). The only thing I have to suggest is that more svelte peeps start buying. They don't do full runs in smaller sizes.

That said, stuff is top shelf.

[alpinevibes]

Stio gear is on par with the other big guys as far as quality in my experience. Prices are pretty steep on the retail side, and frankly, on the pro side as well. As far as comparing it to Cloudveil, the better stuff from early in CV's lifecycle would be akin to today's Stio. "New" CV stuff (post Spyder, post bankruptcy) was absolute rubbish.

I'm about 50/50 as far as making a choice between Stio and Patagonia. It really comes down to features and colors. That said, Patagonia's warranty is unbeatable.

Same here. Quality and price between Stio and Patagonia is pretty similar with prodeals. Patagonia's quality is still pretty good, but some of their offering's aren't as good. I really like Stio's mix, and their casual clothes. I'll continue to buy their stuff and support the brand unless things change.

[nutmegchoi]

So I finally got to try new jacket and pants today.

The weather was mixture of everything.
Started cloudy, sun came out, snowed a bit, sun came out again, snowed some more and ended with cloud.
Range of low to high 20's.

I was wearing thinnest base layer I have (Stoic) with short sleeve tshirt.
I didn't wear as much because of the weather forecast portrayed 10F higher than it was.

Jacket and pants kept me warm, dry and comfortable all day.
I don't get cold easily, so my problem is overheating.
I tend to sweat a lot, but these combo kept me dry the whole time.
I don't know how it's possible, but Dermizax really is breathable!
It keeps the heat in and the moisture out.

Fit was great.
It allowed me to move around with no restrictions or discomfort.
It really was nice to have little bitty flexibility I got from Dermizax that Gore Tex couldn't offer.
I especially enjoyed little extra room around knees since I hear knee pads all the time.
I'm 5'3" with 28" inseam, so most pants are couple inches too long.
But Women's Environ Pants (M with 30" inseam) were perfect for me.





Waterproof was insane.
Water had no business getting through this fabric.



Now the downside.

I wear BOA snowboard boots.
Where the dial locates made small tear on my brand new $365 pants (on first day!).
I only got one on the left side, but I can see it might happen on the right as well.
I don't mind little holes and tears here and there.
But it concerns me that I already got one on my first day trying.
I don't want the rip to get any bigger or get out of control.
Now this might be just Dermizax's durability issue.
Since the fabric is so thin, maybe it's not as sturdy?
I did some research on Dermizax's durability, but couldn't find much.
(This fabric seems more popular in Europe than N. America)
Anyone else has the same issue?
I'm going to contact Stio's customer service on this matter.
I don't want refund or exchange.
Mainly I want them to know this issue and want to make sure there'll be repair option if this hole gets bigger or something.



This is right side.
No holes yet, but left some marks.





Summery.

Pros:

Great fit
Keeps you warm, dry and comfortable.
Some flexibility
No restrictions over movements
Plenty of storage pockets

Cons:

Price
Questionable durability
Unknown future of the company

[nutmegchoi]

I also have Gore Trx Patagonia set.
My money is on Stio.
(Even with the hole)

[billyk]

That hole is not a good sign, especially since it seems to be from normal wear & tear contact with your boot. I'd expect further issues. Maybe you should put patches inside the garment on both legs at the same spot as a preventive measure.

[nutmegchoi]

That hole is not a good sign, especially since it seems to be from normal wear & tear contact with your boot. I'd expect further issues. Maybe you should put patches inside the garment on both legs at the same spot as a preventive measure.

I sent an email to Stio's customer service with pictures.
I'm hoping they'll offer me patch work.
Otherwise, I'll find something to reinforce inside.

[nutmegchoi]

I'd switch to Skiing.

Good suggestion and I would love to be able to ski as well.
But that might take some years to catch up...

[nutmegchoi]

Heard back from Stio:

"Hi!

Thank you so much for giving us some feedback on your experience with the Women's Environ Pant. We are more than happy to exchange those for you or you can return them for a full refund. If you choose to exchange them please check out our website to see what we have in stock and send us your original order number. You also have the option of holding on to these pants and exchanging them next Fall 2017 when we come out with our new inventory. Let me know how you would like to proceed."

It's not the answer I looked for, but I guess this is as good as it gets.
Exchanging them to another pair to see if I can avoid the same issue.

[Tye 1on]

Heck even a piece of Gorilla tape will make a big difference.

[nutmegchoi]

Heck even a piece of Gorilla tape will make a big difference.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking to do.
Just taps inside where BOA dial lays.
Some alteration involves, but I'm 99% happy with the pants.
I'll do some work to make it 100%.

[LightRanger]

I had a set of Ernesto Snowboard Products (that'll take some people back) Dermizax gear back in the day. Great fabric, generally. Brand was awesome too. Pretty sure my dad still uses the jacket to beat around the house working in the rain.

[nutmegchoi]

I had a set of Ernesto Snowboard Products (that'll take some people back) Dermizax gear back in the day. Great fabric, generally. Brand was awesome too. Pretty sure my dad still uses the jacket to beat around the house working in the rain.

I didn't know Dermizax was around that long.
I thought it was new technology.

Second email from Stio.
Now I'm completely sold.

"Hi!

Can you please send over your order confirmation. You can wear the pants until they become available next Fall 2017. Would you like to do that or would you like me to reach out to our repair team to see if they can repair it? This does typically take about four weeks. Or you can return them for a full refund. Please let me know how you would like to proceed."

[Harry]

This thread is so much fail.

Why's that?

Buttflake posted in it.....

[Skidog]

I didn't know Dermizax was around that long.
I thought it was new technology.

Second email from Stio.
Now I'm completely sold.

"Hi!

Can you please send over your order confirmation. You can wear the pants until they become available next Fall 2017. Would you like to do that or would you like me to reach out to our repair team to see if they can repair it? This does typically take about four weeks. Or you can return them for a full refund. Please let me know how you would like to proceed."

Good custy service. Wear pants with clear patch and return for new again next season.

[nutmegchoi]

Good custy service. Wear pants with clear patch and return for new again next season.

Great customer service I would say.
They literally gave me any options I want.
Now I'm just hoping the company will last long.

[nutmegchoi]

Stio has end of winter 30% off sale.
Patagonia also going to have upto 50% off starts Feb 16-23 online, in stores and outlets.

[nutmegchoi]

Year ago I purchased two Environ pants.
One got a small tear on the first day and the other got some unexpected wear.
I contacted customer service to see if there’s any repair option and they told me to return for exchange or refund.
They even suggested to keep them for the rest of season and exchange with the next year items or get refunded if I don’t want them anymore.
I kept the emails we exchanged and wasn’t quite confident about their promises.
A year later when I contacted them back, they delivered.
They sent me the return shipping label, put two colors I wanted aside and sent me two pairs with refund form and return label if I change my mind.
I’ve dealt with some good customer services, but this is next level!
Because of this experience, now I am a royal customer who will return over and over.

[galibier_numero_un]

I like the one jkt I have from them and the quality is good for sure. Ugh the owner steve is suuuch a jerk tho. Even his friends describe him as an asshole lol

So, opposite personality from MiCol at Freeride Systems.

... Thom