Beware of Counterfeit Gear

On April 6th, 2011 The Chicago Tribune posted an article about a man in Skokie selling over $250000 worth of sports apparel that he counterfeited himself and sold from his own shop front. No dark alleys, no great deals in his garage. Daylight, storefront fakery. That is a lot of money that being made at the expense of others.

I know, I know, you may be saying, “Hey, it’s all good and I’m saving money.” Well, in some areas, the fake gear can serve the purpose as Erik Fearn notes in this star online article. If you can get by the moral obligation, maybe the down will do you fine… I mean, what’s the difference with fleece? Maybe nothing. In South America I’ve come across several professional looking jackets (supposedly name brand) with “Gore-Tex” hangtags (some with correct spelling on the labels, some without). Now if you’re expecting waterproof and breath-ability get ready for disappointment. 

Don’t expect to save a ton of money either. Everything that I saw was priced between $50-$150 for rain and winter jackets and $90 to 200 for backpacks. Why so much? We’re not talking about cheap imitations, we’re talking about branded gear with fancy hangtags that could pass for the real thing… at least in looks. They leverage the fact that they look pretty good on first inspection and that it bears a name brand.

You can find everything from sleeping bags to outer wear to backpacks to climbing gear… Yes, that’s where it gets nasty. That’s where it gets dangerous. Many have probably heard about Petzl’s problem of imitation gear. In February of this year (2011) Petzl encountered exact duplicates of several of its products, down to the same design, color and logo. Exact duplicates, except for the strength.

For years they have encountered copies which had their logo, but this is the first time that they have encountered exact duplicates of ascenders, carabiners and Rescue pulleys. On the above link, they say, “An end-user will not be able to tell the difference between these counterfeits and authentic Petzl products”. Their gear isn’t made for fashion… it’s made to save lives. The Chinese knock-offs don’t handle the same stress levels and after looking at the photos on the above link, Do you want to save a couple bucks or a couple of bumps?

What can you do? 

• Know the manufacturer’s product line. Petzl’s problem is more of an exception. Most knock offs borrow the brand, but their products look different or have different names. I came across a Deuter ACLANTIC (Christian Lechelmayr, International Sales Area Manager for Deuter says they don’t produce a model with that name). I also came across a Trans Alpine (yes, it is a real model name) but with a 55 liter capacity (they only make up to 30L).
• Buy from a reputable dealer. Go online and find out who the official distributors are. All gear (unless bought through closeouts) should be sold through distributors listed on their website.
• Examine the stitching and labels. Often the labels or stitching are clearly of inferior quality. Several times I’ve come across spelling mistakes in the labels and hangtags. 
• Watch out for online auctions. This is pretty standard, but do your research. Who is selling this? Why? Where did he get it? Is it a realistic deal? 
• Contact the manufacturer with photos. They will be happy to help you out and know their product lines. (Deuter told me that their hangtags were completely different).

The Real Deuter Trans Alpine (unlike the copy to the right)

I  might have bought a pack if the name was different, but blatant counterfeiting just doesn’t float my moral boat. Although these photos are of deuter branded packs, I encountered in the same store counterfeits of the North Face, Lowe Alpine, and more.

After speaking with a worker there I found out that your only safe bet is Doite (a chilean company), High sierra, and some Columbia gear (that will stick out by price). The rest are just copies.

That said, there are some local Bolivian brands that produce decent quality clothing for a very low price! The quality is the same but because they don’t borrow the logo, you should be able to save a lot more money.