I've been offline for a few days and missed some of the bashing and the comments directed at Aron. This has happened several times before and I'm getting tired of it. Some people were banned over this last event and we'll ban more if any debates get beyond civil and into attacks on ANYONE, whether staff or member.
Between Ryan, Aron, Darin,and me, we've got 150-200 hours a month making this site run right and I'm not about to let a few loud mouths take it over. It's a place for EVERYONE to share ideas in a helpful manner and I take that very seriously. I'm not pouring my blood, sweat, and tears into making a platform for a few haters. It's for everyone to enjoy and when it's not enjoyable, some people are going packing and it won't be us. That has been our vision since the beginning and is one reason for Rokslide's success.
Wanted to say a few things for the record on Aron and any of his gear advice. We've been questioned if our and his gear reviews are unbiased and if Aron can be trusted as he works for Kifaru (would he be more trustworthy if he worked for Kmart???)
I met Aron in January 2012 as Rokslide was forming and knew nothing about him. In the last 18 months, I've spent a hundreds of hours on the phone with him and that many emails. I'd like to say a few things about him
1) He knows more about gear than 100 of us put together. He's bought, traded, worked for, been given, found, borrowed, maybe even stole
, about all of it out there. It's no accident that he's working for one of the top pack/gear manufacturers in the world. His opinion is sought after from many of the leading gear manufacturers in the industry. Trust me, he tones it down on here on how much he really knows about backpacking. If you know more about gear than him, send me an application at [email protected] and maybe we can get you on staff.
2) Is he biased? At the 2013 SHOT show, he handed me a camera and a list of booths to visit and interview. Now I handle all the contracts with our sponsors, so I know who's paying the bills around here. I also know who the competitors to Aron's paycheck are. Pay attention here, especially if you're a hater: Aron wanted me interviewing his competitors like Eberlestock, Mystery Ranch, etc. Why? Because he wants Rokslide to be a place where all can gather and find what they want and need. Is he biased, of course! You would be too if you had any brain cells operating above a third grade level and handled IN THE FIELD all the gear he has. He's already spent more days afield than most people will all year. He knows what works and what doesn't but has the guts to tell people about it and all sides of it. If you'll take five minutes to read some of his threads on a variety of subjects you will see he always explains the benefits, upsides, downsides of any product he's asked about (even if he uses something else). Which leads me to the next point.
3) How many guys at Aron's level do you see giving out their personal cell on the www? I've seen him do it dozens of times on here and other forums to people he doesn't even know. I have to phone conference with Aron several times a week and I often start calling around 6:30 AM just to reach him. More often than not he's on a call with someone with gear questions that really benefit him in no way. Why? Cause the guy likes gear and likes to share that knowledge with others. He's on the phone more hours in one day than most of us are in a week. All about gear and helping companies and people which has helped thousands of people on here.
Keep this in mind if you get on here to subtly or not-so subtly bash on his integrity, motivations, whatever. We welcome CIVIL debate with facts, but I won't put up with haters using the platform we're killing ourselves to provide.
Aron did not put me up to this, he doesn't even know I'm posting.
If you've got a beef with any of this and can't stay civil, let me know know at [email protected] so I can ban you now. It will save time so we can get back to talking and learning about gear and hunting.
Between Ryan, Aron, Darin,and me, we've got 150-200 hours a month making this site run right and I'm not about to let a few loud mouths take it over. It's a place for EVERYONE to share ideas in a helpful manner and I take that very seriously. I'm not pouring my blood, sweat, and tears into making a platform for a few haters. It's for everyone to enjoy and when it's not enjoyable, some people are going packing and it won't be us. That has been our vision since the beginning and is one reason for Rokslide's success.
Wanted to say a few things for the record on Aron and any of his gear advice. We've been questioned if our and his gear reviews are unbiased and if Aron can be trusted as he works for Kifaru (would he be more trustworthy if he worked for Kmart???)
I met Aron in January 2012 as Rokslide was forming and knew nothing about him. In the last 18 months, I've spent a hundreds of hours on the phone with him and that many emails. I'd like to say a few things about him
1) He knows more about gear than 100 of us put together. He's bought, traded, worked for, been given, found, borrowed, maybe even stole
, about all of it out there. It's no accident that he's working for one of the top pack/gear manufacturers in the world. His opinion is sought after from many of the leading gear manufacturers in the industry. Trust me, he tones it down on here on how much he really knows about backpacking. If you know more about gear than him, send me an application at [email protected] and maybe we can get you on staff. 2) Is he biased? At the 2013 SHOT show, he handed me a camera and a list of booths to visit and interview. Now I handle all the contracts with our sponsors, so I know who's paying the bills around here. I also know who the competitors to Aron's paycheck are. Pay attention here, especially if you're a hater: Aron wanted me interviewing his competitors like Eberlestock, Mystery Ranch, etc. Why? Because he wants Rokslide to be a place where all can gather and find what they want and need. Is he biased, of course! You would be too if you had any brain cells operating above a third grade level and handled IN THE FIELD all the gear he has. He's already spent more days afield than most people will all year. He knows what works and what doesn't but has the guts to tell people about it and all sides of it. If you'll take five minutes to read some of his threads on a variety of subjects you will see he always explains the benefits, upsides, downsides of any product he's asked about (even if he uses something else). Which leads me to the next point.
3) How many guys at Aron's level do you see giving out their personal cell on the www? I've seen him do it dozens of times on here and other forums to people he doesn't even know. I have to phone conference with Aron several times a week and I often start calling around 6:30 AM just to reach him. More often than not he's on a call with someone with gear questions that really benefit him in no way. Why? Cause the guy likes gear and likes to share that knowledge with others. He's on the phone more hours in one day than most of us are in a week. All about gear and helping companies and people which has helped thousands of people on here.
Keep this in mind if you get on here to subtly or not-so subtly bash on his integrity, motivations, whatever. We welcome CIVIL debate with facts, but I won't put up with haters using the platform we're killing ourselves to provide.
Aron did not put me up to this, he doesn't even know I'm posting.
If you've got a beef with any of this and can't stay civil, let me know know at [email protected] so I can ban you now. It will save time so we can get back to talking and learning about gear and hunting.
