Ripstop Repairs vs Boulder Mountain Repair

Where to start…

Busy day. Little Debbie from Rockn’ and Jamn’ gave me a big smile, do you know she was Yelped as being “the nicest lady I've ever met”. Patagonia showed up a little early so we had to scramble. Marcus picked up his new custom stuff on his way over to Switzerland. Fabrizio just got back from Alaska and needs a bunch of mods. Summer is always a breath of fresh air. The BRC dropped off a bunch or pad covers. (shout out to Tony for the libations…) Not a bad morning for an asshole hermit.

Stich
Fifty percent of what customers?

Contract repairs? Short run manufacturing? Design and Product Development? Somebody I’m helping with a start-up? Guides? Some of the big companies that realize a week before the trade show that their samples from Asia are FUBAR’d and need to be fixed yesterday? Do you have any idea WTF I do here??

I have a repairs studio downstairs (where I make problems go away) and a design studio upstairs (where I make dreams come true).

I never suggested that you throw your gear into a “black hole and hoping for the best”. I’ve clearly stated several times that you should take it back to a retailer and/or the manufacturer. They have customer service people that get paid to answer your phone calls, return your e-mails, answer your questions, blow sunshine up your butt, ship, receive, bill, whatever…

Frances Fierst
That must have been a couple years ago. I’ve got less and less time for custom projects but I’m glad you were happy with the sewing. Thanks.

Frank PMS
youtube.com/watch?v=cieFmcO…

Nick Wilder
Those must have been adventure travel pants with the zip-off legs. Those are a PITA and we no longer work on those. Try the tailoring shop next door to Walnut Café.

Hank Caylor
Why bother starting your own shop. Fixing other peoples old dirty backpacks is not as glamorous as it sounds. Why not work at Ripstop? Start tomorrow! I’m pretty busy and could use the help. If you want to entertain customers, that’s cool too. We could make some lemonade and give neck massages while they wait. You could answer the phone get caught up on e-mails. But remember, you are paid on a piece-rate and only get paid for the repairs that you finish. When can you start?

Oh, and don’t forget that the person in the window set’s the prices and basically controls the work-flow and cash-flow. Plus, I’ve got financial obligations and mouths to feed.

Tony B
It sure sounds simple enough. The only problem is that you never know what the next repair is going to be so you need every kind of webbing and buckle in every color and width, a wide variety of fabrics, threads, coatings, Gore-Tex, down, etc…

Mark E. Dixon
“If you adjust your expectations, and approach the transaction as if you were requesting a favor from a stranger, you will probably end up a lot happier.”

Wow, that’s beautiful…

Stich
You have to trust that there are systems in place. Take it to the store or send it to the manufacturer. Don’t make this more complicated than it really needs to be.

Tony B
You can probably get an old sewing machine at a yard sale for $50. Light machines are full of plastic parts. Heavy machines are full of metal parts. Get one you can just barely lift. The simpler the better. Take it to Wallace Vacuum & Sewing Chalet to be oiled and tuned up. You can still get parts for popular brands (Singer) and may need a beefier throat plate and feed dogs for heavier sewing. Be sure to ask about larger needles (size 20 and up). Most fabric stores have a section in the back corner with heavier duty stuff.

We only use 100% nylon size #69 thread on packs, all closing seams are 2 rows of sewing and usually another row on the binding tape.

Dental floss makes bomber thread for hand sewing. The waxed variety is easier to use. Plus the mint makes your Crazy Creek smell better. I give away bobbins of thread that are too old to use but still have value in a first-aid kit. Pro Tip: Instead of buying a thimble to push a needle through several layers of fabric and webbing, you can wrap a bunch of layers of cotton tape around your pointer to do the same thing.

Dave Swink
“My take is that Ripstop is what it is. They don't pretend to be otherwise.”

Wow, hold me.

Will S
This guy needs a hug.

Newton
Does anybody else hear the common theme? High quality, low prices.
Be careful what you say about “special snowflakes”. (It’s been kinda quiet up in Vail recently.)

Dave Swink
I remember before the Bush Era when we had this thing called “trust”. That’s when people said they were going to do something and they did it. Ripstop doesn’t really do “verification”. The local people who can just roll in and not be all stressed are typically happier that people that drive 3 hours and need a lot of reassurance and “verification”. If you are long distance and nervous and have lots of questions and don’t trust anybody and are heavily medicated, please send your stuff to Rainy Pass in Seattle. (Be sure to send lots of pictures and e-mail them at least 2 or 3 times a day) Ripstop Repairs is not accepting boxes at this time.

BDergay
Is that the fiberfill WOODS of Canada bag that’s been here for 3 years? You had me pulling this place apart looking for a red bag. I’ve got a black bag with a red lining (the draft tube goes on the inside) that is probably yours. Please pick it up before I give it to some homeless guy. The zipper is an antique Talon coil and it would be way too expensive to replace. We dug around in our parts bin and found an old slider (NOS) that works.

Stich
I’m not really into house cats and I’ve never scratched anyone for no reason.
Some people like (want/ need) dogs that jump up all over you and lick your face and won’t leave you alone. That’s not me. I’m more of a Border Collie/ Heeler mix. I’m back in the corner under the coffee table. I see you before you see me. I’m not going to bite you, but I’m not going to lick you either. I guess you could say I’m indifferent. I can see how that might frustrate people who need verification.

Mia
Realize means; “to comprehend completely or correctly”. I would agree that you don’t realize anything about me.

haha! The distillation of Ripstop....took a while getting here but worth the wait.

There is a long continuum from touchy-feely to indifferent to outright hostile customer service. You definitely strike me as indifferent and use the word to describe yourself as well. Not something to be all that proud of, but all sorts of people are in love with their own "I don't give a shit" flags that they sewed together over the years.

When you have a piece of gear and you won't return phone calls, e-mails, or smoke signals about its status then the transaction falls apart. If you live in Boulder, great, you can waste the time on making umpteen million attempts to drop by and talk to someone (certainly not the per piece sewers, since they are not paid to handle customers).

Make all of the funny responses you want to obfuscate this. Your "system" is a PITA to deal with on the communication side. Period. So when all goes well, great. But when stuff gets lost, something gets confused, etc. watch out.

I just thought of a solution to anyone walking in that can't get any service. Pull out a five and say, "Five bucks if you talk to me."

alley jim wrote:Hank Caylor Why bother starting your own shop. Fixing other peoples old dirty backpacks is not as glamorous as it sounds. Why not work at Ripstop? Start tomorrow! I’m pretty busy and could use the help. If you want to entertain customers, that’s cool too. We could make some lemonade and give neck massages while they wait. You could answer the phone get caught up on e-mails. But remember, you are paid on a piece-rate and only get paid for the repairs that you finish. When can you start?

No way jim, I'm an Electrical Contractor in Golden and business is a boomin'! I think I still owe you 10bux tho..

Stich wrote: I just thought of a solution to anyone walking in that can't get any service. Pull out a five and say, "Five bucks if you talk to me."

I got a better one. Bring a coat hanger with you and take that little retarded weiner dog hostage. "Get yer ass out here and provide some basic communication or the hanger goes up Rascal's ass and he gets roasted on a spit over my 350 4 barrel in the parking lot. I gotta a tank full of gas and a cooler full of PBR, let's get this BBQ rollin', son. Now who brung the chips?"

Oh Will S.......

Rascal is super sweet and we simply could not harm him, plus he belongs to the great folk next door at R&R..........

But I like the coat hanger idea.......

I'd never do that Princess, I actually love dogs.

But there's always the military tactics from our little Panama adventure...get some giant JBLs, point em at the compound, crank up some Slayer or industrial thrash metal to vol 12 and deafen them/drive them insane until they relent...I guess that only works if A. They don't like thrash, and B. They're not already a mental case (which seems to be a 50/50 proposition with this stellar example of a businessman).

Wow, I just stumbled upon the perfect opportunity to rip-on Ripstop Repairs. As much as I’d like to, I just can’t. Because Ripstop is my end-all-be-all when it comes to honoring the ‘reuse’ in the reduce, reuse, and recycle concept. And on top of their high-quality repairs, this shop does offer the grittiest customer experience in-town, consistently. Why would I ever knock that?

Jim has single-handedly breathed new life into my favorite gear (that no gear manufacturer would mess with); he re-enforced the bottom of my 15-year-old Lowe Alpine pack. And he has patched and re-patched a few pairs of my pants and gaiters, so they're 'good to go' for yet another season. I even prefer the functionality of the simple “big dumb bag” by Boulder Design (his company) over my super-pricey Timbuktu messenger bag.

Jim knows his craft - there is no doubt about that. And his prices are more than reasonable.

And sure, he does have a maddening side, I don’t dispute that. But I just chalk-up Jim's zany ways as part of the unique pretty-please-work-on-my-gear customer service experience enjoyed at Ripstop.

Here is a video from a start-up I work with. My shop starts at about 2 minutes in. It really doesn't look that scary.

kickstarter.com/projects/20…

beth bennett wrote:i hesitate to add my 2 cents worth but here goes: i've always had great work from ripstop. no you don't get it back the next day and jim can be brusque but i wouldn't characterize him as rude. what i look for is quality workmanship and i have always gotten that for what i considered a great price.

Gotta bump dat!

Props to Jim,
My dog took a chunk outa my down hoody. I dropped it off at ripstop and came back after the required duration and couldn't believe they made it look like new. I can't tell where the original damage was after the repair, no shit.

Ya just have to go there in person, later in the day, and don't carry an attitude; these guys are wizards at what they do but they're not there to hold your hand.
Cheers

Is Ripstop Repairs still in business? I recently stopped-by during biz hours to find the door locked. RR website says hours are 10-6 M-F. Piece of paper hanging on door said they open at noon. Phone line is disconnected and has been for days.

Jim was on a trip, fishing I think. They are back open now.

I picked up my Cilogear pack with new side/bottom panels, tightened up seams & strap attachments. It looks good for another couple of years!

I have no experience with Boulder Mountain Repair, but I had a terrible experience with Ripstop Repairs.

Some time ago, I needed a pack fixed so I went to the Ripstop Repairs website where it told me to print out a form as well as gave me an estimated cost for the repair. This looked good to me and I sent my pack in to get it fixed. I waited about three weeks and didn't hear anything back from them, so I first sent them an email and didn't receive a reply back, so I got a little concerned, so I tried to call them, but got a message that "the mailbox was full."

Another week went by, so I dropped by their shop to pick up my pack. When I got there some jerk told me that he didn't know anything about my pack, and that they only do work for "authorized outdoor companies." I told the old grump there that he should change his website if this is true, and walked out and promised never to do business with them again.

Stay clear of Ripstop Repairs. I have sent many items to Rainy Pass Repairs in Seattle and they do a great job, and they are great to work with. I gave Ripstop a try since they are local, but will never go back.

We just started a mail-in repair service after doing some local repairs. We design and build packs, but have realized that there is a high demand for pack and gear repairs. We are a small & friendly two person operation. Check out our gear repair page on our website and don't hesitate to contact us with any questions! We'll get back to you asap!

valentichbags.com/gear-repair

I just had a zipper slider replaced at Boulder Mountain Repair. The owner (Don?) was a little brusque, but rude would be an overstatement. He had it done in 3 minutes and charged $10. Very happy with the transaction.

Had some work done at Ripstop Repairs a few months ago. I felt the guy who appeared to be in charge and handled the check-in was abrupt and borderline rude. When I dropped in to pick up my pack after the week they'd quoted me, I was told it wasn't done and would be "at least another week, maybe a little longer." I asked how I could confirm it was ready for pickup, and I was told I'd just have to drop by as they "don't have time for calls". The resulting work was good enough, but not great.

Hey Jim-- what beer would you like? I'm bringing a bag in this month.

Stopped in to Ripstop Repairs with a puffy that had ice tool holes covered by duct tape in the sleeves and front. They sent me packing because the jacket was dirty and the tape adhesive needed to be cleaned off before they would consider repairing it. Not friendly.
Instead of going home with the jacket I took it over to Boulder Mountain Repair and they fixed it up without any push back. Pretty friendly guy. No problem with the duct tape or grimy jacket. They even cleaned it. Pretty cool.
Call me crazy but I am more likely to go back to Boulder Mountain Repair because the work is good and the environment is friendly.

I just had some repairs done by Boulder Mt Repair with good results and a good experience. They were friendly and professional, understood the issues and gave me options, did one repair on-the-spot and the other in about 10 days, and all for a reasonable cost. Thumbs up from me.

I used Bare Boulder in Lafayette Colorado and was VERY impressed. The were EXTREMELY nice and accommodating, had my stuff repaired in less than a week, and even had really competitive prices. I would HIGHLY suggest using them over Boulder Mountain repair and Ripstop. They have a fast turn around time, are nice to you when you walk in, and have a warranty on all of their repairs. Oh, and the quality was awesome. I needed a tear repaired, a couple seams sealed and a new waterproof zipper put in. The quality of their work was awesome and I will definitely be going back for my summer stuff.

BARE BOULDER Design & Repair
Professional Design, Development, Prototyping & Repair of Technical Gear, Bags, Leather Goods & More..
WWW.BAREBOULDER.COM
PH: 303-955-1884
409 South Public RD Unit C
Lafayette, CO 80026