Dave, I would think it isn't wise to question the integrity of folks you have never met. No relationships have been hidden. Yes, Scott has contributed to the SO blog. Why ? Well, as a company we believe in helping our customers have successful adventures and success in whatever pursuit they desire. It feels good giving a customer an opportunity to pursue their desires. During the course of the blog writing we became friends. We encouraged him from day one to write elsewhere (which he is now doing). Scott has used a lot of high end packs and we wanted honest feedback from him. We have a small business relationship with Ed, but it really is pretty minimal. We trust we will get honest feedback from Ed and he did give us honest feedback in his limited time. I have great respect for Ed's knowledge and experience. Nathan and I believe the pack is fairly different from what is available. We wanted to get some feedback from a broader group, that has a lot of experience as well to make sure our experiences were similar so we make the best product we can. These folks have used a lot of gear, from other manufacturers and are not afraid to give us criticism. This will help us build the best product possible. Now before you go throwing any more stones, look at the other relationships and so called gear experts and endorsements around other manufacturers. As Nathan stated, the blog writers are not paid. The pack feedback is also un paid.
