Well if it failed on a camping trip and I was within a one year warranty, I would probably return it. With the knapsack I purchased though, I think in retrospect that my implicit expectations of the product were unreasonable. Nothing lasts forever.
Pst: the recommended care instructions aren’t necessarily accurate. They overdo the dry cleaning recommendations for example. Gifted:
Does Darn Tough make a big deal out of its care instructions? Or is it just the usual fine print? If it’s the latter, I would deweight it. Heck if they are white socks I’d say they should be able withstand 5 years of hot water washes (though I would wash them in cold - it’s fine).
When I buy a piece of gear with a lifetime warranty, I assume two things:
If there’s a manufacturing or design defect, I can return it at any time
Lifetime is the expected lifetime of the object. If I get 3-5 years of solid use from a pair of hiking boots, that’s a full lifetime and I got my money’s worth.
and on every sock model page, they’ve got a section detailing the care instructions.
The only confounding thing is their unconditional warranty where they will exchange them if they get burned in the campfire, ripped up by bears, wear holes in them, etc… including washing them incorrectly.
I sent in my Osprey backpack for repairs - completly my fault, I had stored it in an attic known to have rats - and they declined to charge me, even though I was willing to pay. I’ve had Merrel boots replaced under lifetime warrantee.
Guess which brands I am going to stick with?
In the first case, it was my fault, entirely, for my choice of storage, but they still followed through on their promise. The last major hiking trip I did, out of eight of us, seven were using Osprey packs. I was using the repaired one.
It was like an advert, except we were not all perfectly toned, tanned and photogenic.
(We also - almost all of us, had Salomon shoes. Another great brand)
If I had known they expected the socks to require special laundering, that would contribute to my NOT buying them. Not an advantage IMO.
Just thought of one instance in which I have to admit I was a dick. Back in the day, Sears Craftsman had a no questions asked liftetime guarantee. When I was a firt time homeowner, I bought a lot of Sears Craftsman tools - including a straight handled round tip shovel. Well, I beat the hell out of that shovel - and it’s many replacements, such as using it essentially as a prybar when digging up stumps. Gee, what a surprise when the wood handle only bent so far before breaking!
But I brought at least 2-3 broken shovels in for replacements. I don’t know what kind of records they kept, or whether they were phasing out the warranty, but finally, around the 4th time or so, they gave me a nicer fiberglass handled shovel and said they wouldn’t give me any more replacements. Still have it 25 years later, and it remains my favorite go to gardening tool. Amazing how long something will last if you don’t just assume you can get a free replacement!
