It's Washington spring break for schools, so as is ritual, I am traveling to look at colleges for my son. The good news is, I have wifi and can log in here and see what is happening. I want to thank those of you who continue to support us through our online store. This morning, I woke to a repeat customer's order and I was so thankful that we have gained your confidence in our products. As we continue to develop products for work-at-height, outdoor, and the overland market I hope you all feel you can let us know what we do right, what we need to improve on, and what we do wrong, especially. We are a small company dedicated to our customers, and we appreciate your feedback always. Send any inquiries, thoughts, poems, or feedback to info@lastusbag(dot)com. We all appreciate it greatly!

Incidentally, I'm in Bozeman, MT and it is dumping an inch or two. Nothing more beautiful than Bozeman in the spring...

Will

Last week we were exhibiting at AWEA O&M in Coronado. This is a special event where we have the unique opportunity to sit with the folks that use our products, learn from their experience, and come back to set some revision strategy ahead. A common theme we hear constantly is that we need to increase the longevity of the products in the field.I do not disagree. In fact, I applaud this concern as responsible and the right direction for us all. 

During the show, we illustrated some key features on our products for future builds that will allow for a lifespan increase on the products. How are we doing this? Technology... To date, most bags are made from vinyl or canvas, two excellent fabrics that work well enough and hold their own. The problem is that in the environments we are asking them to work in they can fail too often. Not their fault, rather ours for not pushing the envelope in higher grades of material. Over the last 8 months we have been working with Honeywell on developing a fabric based on the Spectra UHMWPE material that is highly puncture and abrasion resistant, while being incredibly light and "10x stronger than steel." That last part might be hyperbole, but not really. This material is incredibly strong and provides significant challenge in the manufacturing process, yet added into a heavy haul lift bag we see dramatically improved performance and longevity in the field. Couple that with bases and waterproof liners that that can be replaced when worn or damaged, and the incremental cost to keep in the field over time is significantly lower than replacing the whole bag.

Yes, it comes at a price! Due to the cost of raw materials and labor, these new products will be a bit elevated over today's offering, yet the ROI on this is so obvious anyone will realize the benefit. We are excited to be launching this shortly and look forward to seeing you put it to work in the field...

Wow, been a while yet again. I used to be so diligent about posting here, now not so much. I am working to be more punctual and attentive, however...

New things have been happening at LUSB. We continue to develop a new ERP system to help the back end, have a new plant manager in Greg Pokvitis,and the front has some new faces as well in Grizel Esquivel. Overall, we are expanding our resources rapidly to meet new demands and also develop our own product to better serve the industrial market and consumers. We'll be at AWEA O&M in February 26-28th, and then at various shows through spring and summer, including Overland Expo, NWOR, ORNGA, Boy Scouts Annual Meeting, etc. Lots happening with many new products to speak of, but never enough time to get the word out properly... That needs to change!

Maisy is almost 9 months old now and settling down a bit. For those who didn't know, we brought on a shop dog to make life more hectic and it worked to perfection. She barks at the most annoying pitch ever and can't help herself when someone new comes by, or someone familiar for that matter, or when a bird flies by, or a pile of snow is next to her, or... You get the picture. Puppies are a lot of work...