EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
the necessary equipment to stay safe while enjoying the great
outdoors. The company has been featured in numerous publications
such as Field & Stream, Outside, Time, National Geographic
and others.
VSSL has an office in Abbotsford, B.C., and a shipping
warehouse in Sumas, Wash. Approximately 80 percent of the
company’s customers are in the U.S. It sells a wide range of
gear for those looking to get away from it all – for just a few
days or longer hauls.
Essentially, there’s everything one needs in an emergency
container in a convenient ‘to carry’ eight-inch long, two-inch
diameter waterproof anodized aluminum case – capped with
an LED flashlight.
“VSSL is unique because it takes the minimal (but still
practical) form of important equipment and safely contains
those items in the handle of a nearly indestructible LED lantern,”
said Weimer. “Our customers are mostly outdoor, adventurer
types. We also get many customers in the snow industry.
We recently collaborated with Nitro on a snowboard
specific VSSL, and we find that a ton of outdoor-type people
extend their adventures into winter sports as well.”
The company has also partnered with Suunto to make a
compass ( for one end of the cylinder) that can withstand
Canada’s cold winters.
“It’s the first time in their 80-plus year history that they’ve
co-branded a compass,” said Weimer. “So critical contents
aside, having a navigational aid that can point you in the
right direction, regardless of temperature, is an essential part
of preparation.”
The prices for VSSL gear are quite reasonable, especially
if you take into consideration what the cost would be if you
tried to assemble a kit with the same quality components. It
could get into the hundreds of dollars quickly.
“And, considering that this product can essentially outlast
its owner, it’s practically free,” said Weimer.
“From a value/convenience perspective, we’re very reasonable.
We do all assembly at our office in Abbotsford. We could
save a lot of money if we sent everything overseas, but our
workforce is primarily youth with special needs, so we sacwww.
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Todd Weimer camping on Salt Spring Island
16 September 2018 | snowopsmag.com
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