Companies That Care

Its nice to know that there are still companies out there that not only make excellent products, but also still care about their greatest assets, their customers. This is the story of our experience with Katadyn and Optimus, sister companies that make, in my opinion, some of the greatest outdoor equipment available. In the summer of 2004, I bought the Optimus Nova backpacking stove from Kirkham's Outdoor products in Salt Lake City, UT (shown on the left). The Nova was slightly more expensive than some of the other options but there were a few facts that persuaded me to buy it. First off the stove, when held in hand feels solid, sturdy and well built, generally a good sign. Another factor was that the stove is compatible with just about every type of fuel available - white gas, kerosene, gasoline, diesel, even jet fuel (I haven't tried that one yet, but everything else - yes). The final selling factor, which the associate at Kirkham's informed me of, was that Optimus has unparalleled customer service and an excellent warranty policy. He told me of a former customer who had broken his stove and Optimus replaced with no hassle, I was sold. Simply put, I bought, what I felt was, the best available product because in my mind, when one buys the best and takes care of it, no need will come up to buy another one. When Leah and I left in January of 2008 for our bike tour we took the Nova with us and it proved to be an indispensable asset to our trip. Having the Nova provides us with the opportunity to be completely self sufficient, not having to rely on the availability of restaurants and also providing us with the ability to cook much healthier meals than are available in most areas of Central America. After 2 months on the road, while doing some routine maintenance on the Nova in Belize I sheared the bolt that connects the burner to the stand while tightening it. As soon as we came to a town with an Internet cafe I looked up the Optimus customer service email address in Sweden and the Katadyn affiliate in the US and sent them a message telling them of my situation, and our need for the Nova. I, of course, didn't have my receipt or of proof of purchase or anything of the sort and I was a little worried about it. Nonetheless, I received a personal response from both Optimus of Sweden and Katadyn of the US on the next business day telling me to send them the address where they could send the new stove, just like that! I gave Sarah of Katadyn my mom's address in the states and the brand new stove was there within a week, I couldn't believe it. From that point on, I decided that Optimus and Katadyn are companies definitely worth supporting.

At about this same time, we were traveling with a fellow bike tourist that we had met along the way. He was carrying the Katadyn Pocket water filter. Before Leah and I had left we had decided that we would mostly be buying water and using a Steripen (a UV light water filter) for emergencies when clean water was not available. After traveling for a bit we realized that this was not the most efficient or best option for several reasons. While the Steripen is certainly a good product for what it is intended for, overnighters and day hikes, we found that we were needing it more often than we had anticipated. Some of the drawbacks we found were the constant need of batteries and the ability to only filter one liter at a time. We also found that buying water was expensive, not always available when we needed it, and a generally wasteful form of plastic goods, something neither of us are fond of. Isai, our companion, had no need to buy water ever, or batteries. People are almost always willing to give him water out of their taps and the Katadyn Pocket was the perfect solution. There are certainly cheaper water filters out there than the Pocket, but like the Nova, there are a few factors that set it apart. For one, again like the Nova, you hold it in your hand and you feel as though it will never break. It is made of stainless steel very durable plastic, it is heavier than some of the others out there, another sign of durability. The Pocket has a very simple design that makes it easy for anyone to clean and maintain. One of the reasons for its weight is the size of the ceramic filter inside. The filter is larger than most others allowing it filter up to 12,000 gallons before needing replacement, not to mention that the pores of the filter are smaller than most, meaning you get cleaner water, filtering out particles and microorganisms that some others do not. In my mind, all of these factors add up to the fact that this is the best water filter on the market and lets face it, when you are drinking water from a filter day in and day out and lots of it, while biking in Central American heat and humidity, you want to to have faith in your filter. After weighing all of these factors, Leah and I decided to go for it and order the Pocket filter, we also felt that it would be the last filter we would ever have to buy. We had it delivered to my mom's house and she sent both the Nova and the Pocket to us in Managua, Nicaragua.

After receiving them we knew we had made the right choice with the Pocket. We didn't ever have to worry about whether there would be a store with either batteries or water where we were headed, it was nice. Unfortunately, however, after only three weeks of traveling with our new stove and water filter we got robbed in a little town in Costa Rica and both the stove and the water filter were gone. We were devastated, we were no longer self sufficient, we had to eat cold meals and rely on restaurants meaning we weren't able to eat as healthily or as cheaply as we had been in the past. We also resorted to drinking water out of the taps, only after asking the locals if it was safe first, of course. This lasted for a couple of weeks until we were scheduled to go back to the states for a hiatus in our travels and I decided to appeal to Optimus and Katadyn for help in our current situation. I emailed them telling them our whole story and I asked them if there was anything they would be willing to do to help us out so that we wouldn't have to buy the Nova and the Pocket at retail price again. I again received a personal response from the same Sarah as before, informing me that she would speak with the VP Director of Sales and find out what they could do. A little while later she replied offering both the Pocket and the Nova to us at the wholesale cost, which in the end saved us the equivalent of the retail price of the Nova. We of course gratefully accepted their offer and although we are currently on hiatus from our bike tour for a couple months, we are still enjoying the use of our stove and water filter on our backpacking adventures here in the Northwest and looking forward to using them when we resume our journey in Central and South America.

We would like Optimus and Katadyn to know that we are very grateful of their service, generosity and their outstanding products and warranties. Needless to say, Leah and I are now lifelong loyal customers.

Thank you,
David & Leah Gibbarts