Only from the Textile and Wool Acts
not from the labeling requirements of the Tariff Act, which applies to virtually all imported goods.
“(a) Marking of articles
Except as hereinafter provided, every article of foreign origin (or its container, as provided in subsection (b) hereof) imported into the United States shall be marked in a conspicuous place as legibly, indelibly, and permanently as the nature of the article (or container) will permit in such manner as to indicate to an ultimate purchaser in the United States the English name of the country of origin of the article. The Secretary of the Treasury may by regulations.”
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/19/1304
I thought this was pretty common knowledge. Why do you think everything at Walmart is marked “Made in China”? Certainly you didn’t think that was voluntary, did you?
The whole reason for this labeling requirement is to help purchasers make informed decisions about the products they are buying. There are very few exceptions, and certainly not one for PFDs.
Your last sentence…
strikes me as particularly ironic, and sad. That’s the worst part. If you make a quality product, there’s no reason to move your production to China. People will pay for quality, especially for a product like a PFD. I know a lot of people who routinely pay more for quality products made here, or at least elsewhere in the developed world. So do you, look around at all the US and European boatmakers and their prices.
The only reasons to move production to China involve racing to the bottom on price and quality.
I’m not saying I own nothing made in China… but I take the time to try and avoid it. I appreciate it when companies don’t try and make that as difficult as possible. YMMV.
Gee Thanks
I never thought of that.
Actually, I did research beforehand. Few, if any, companies break down exactly what models are made where… unless they are 100% from a given country. I knew that Astral’s site said they’d moved production to Asia, but it wasn’t clear how much, nor when. I also didn’t know which models would be in stock at the retailer – which turned out to be few. I thought I might find a Made in the US Astral… no way to know unless I checked.
So, to sum up, I was relying on the products to be correctly labeled, as the law in this country requires. I haven’t seen anyone come up with a good reason why Astral should be flouting that law, except I guess, because they are handsome.
Look, I get it, this is not the first time I’ve had a “Made in China” discussion on the Internet. Some people get really defensive when you suggest that maybe they shouldn’t buy Chinese products, because everything else is more expensive, and that means they can afford fewer toys. I get that. I understand it. You want what you want, so if that means some eight year old in China bathes in a river that glows in the dark from all the pollution, well, then I guess he should’ve thought of that before being born in China, right?
now, where is your kayak from
It could be China.
http://kayakdave.com/2013/02/16/kayaks-made-in-the-usa/
Kokatat
Drysuits made in U.S.A.
many of the company’s most popular pfds (MsFit Tour, Outfit Tour, Bahia, Maximus Prime etc. ) are made in China.
I really like this company. Just setting record straight.
Google ‘Kokatat pfds made in China’. See what comes up.
China
I am sick of crap from Communist china. Oppressed people whom I feel sorry for. US companies raced there to sell there products. To bad most of the time you can’t as the restrict any form of open trade. The copy and steal products and ideas, pollute the earth, and build their military which we will confront one day. I try to buy everything I can made in the USA to keep my fellow US citizens working.Trade is great but the USA is screwed by most of the world. Never ever heard a company brag about MADE in China or other third world country. I know other people have to live but we should not support or allow products that are made by people that work in horrible and sometimes deadly conditions. It could be death in a fire or death by working conditions years later. Companies like Walcrap would not agree to pay a penny towards inspectors for working conditions. They have all kinds of misleading ads like VW saying German engineering but the thing is made in Mexico, the shovel that says assembled in USA which mean a rivet in the handle. Everything should have a value % of origin. I mean these companies already have it in there books. Do I have things made in china yes but I avoid them when possible. If it is a choice between countries other than the US china is the last on the list. Reason we will confront them one day and it will be a military confrontation. Rather put my money towards payroll taxes in the USA for the defense of the USA and all the other things it goes to. I have a Solquist PDF made in Mexico after buying to Kokatats made in the USA that I was not comfortable in. Doubt we will confront Mexico any time soon. Still they need to up the game on the environment also. NAFTA was a job robbing agreement for the USA like Perot had said. To each there own but I like to hold and use products made in the USA. I have three Current Designs kayaks all made in the USA. Some of the CD yaks are made in china but they don’t tout it like there USA made boats clearly labeled on there site. Make your own choice but I would really like labeling to be better. I see clothes for sale for huge dollars like jeans. They have to sew 6 pants per hour which breaks down to 12 cents each from what I read. Now does it matter if the jeans cost say 60.00 or 60.30 cents? Companies are so damn greedy it sad. Walcrap pushes suppliers to get things made abroad for as little as one half of one percent. Wonder why we can’t get the economy going? Cheap is great till it hits your job or family. You get to a point where the cheap products hurts more than helps.
not enough consumer support
Unfortunately, the majority of the consumer population does not feel as you do so the economic reality is that few companies can survive the pressures to be price competitive while maintaining quality. Patronizing Walmart by the millions has probably done more harm to communities and the US economy than any other factor save the mortgage meltdown of 2008. We have seen the demise in recent years of several quality US made niche manufacturers in our sport, like Novorca paddles and Bughead tuiliks – just not enough people willing to pay for that kind of value. We are fortunate that companies like Kokatat and the Canadian made Feathercraft folding kayaks still manage to survive offering top of the line products and customer service, but they tread a fine line economically with increasing pressure from knock off brands produced offshore.
It is possible to find some reasonably prices non-China import kayaks. Venture kayaks (the mid-priced rotomold division of P & H) were still being made in the UK, as far as I know.
Animas
Have you seen the state of the Animas river lately?
I may have to boycott everything “Made In The USA.”.
ok bigmouth
People have told you repeatedly that
PFDs are exempt from that requirement. Someone even took the trouble to find and post a link for your lazy ass. So if you still think it’s illegal, why don’t you put on your attorney suit and file against Astral and every other manufacturer who is exempt from the requirement.
THEN you can come back and offer your prickish judgement of people trying to help you.
My Kokatat…
…a Bahia Tour, clearly states “Made in China” on it.
Even if it claimed to be made in USA, I’d be wondering where the zippers, buckles, reflective tape, foam, fabric, straps, etc. we’re all made.
Now let’s be fair
I pegged him right iff as a self righteous prick who realizes, at least subconsciously, haranguing store clerks is a pretty ineffective form of environmental activism and was reaching out for the anonymous acknowledgment of other Eco-simpletons to bolster a flagging sense of self worth in his shallow personality.
Amazing how his profile of me is so far off yet I nailed his in one post.
I call BS on his claim Astral is the cause of oriental Opie Taylor’s swimming in glowing green rivers. I grew up on the shores of Lake Erie in the 70’s and used to race my friends to the chain link fence that ran thru the middle of Love Canal so don’t blow any smoke up my azz about the sins of Chinese manufacturers.
Free libenter homines id quod volunt credunt.
To the point though, I wasn’t really trying to be helpful.
if you own a car
you are supporting a foreign economy. It’s just the way trade has evolved.
Do other countries have human rights issues and environmental issues? Absolutely. Are there other countries that carry our products or use them in their products that could take the same view of us? Sure.
The part people miss is what global trade has brought us, including cost and quality. But that’s cool, as you rightly say, to each their own. What bothers me is people (not you) condemning others out of their own ignorant and ill-informed perspectives.
so you’re ok w/ a little starvation
and mistreatment. But not as much as the awful next guy. Got it.
well you handled it better than I did
your post regarding the likely origins of the materials that make up a given PFD nailed it.
I had to smile at your Lake Erie reference. I’m old enough to remember when the lake was a running joke.
I do…
…if it’s Taylor’s Yorkshire Gold tea.
And been repeatedly wrong…
PFDs are except from the TEXTILE labeling law. Not from the Tariff Act. I don’t know how much plainer I can say it. I even quoted the relevant passage. Either you are being intentionally obtuse, or you are genuinely numb in the skull.
Walk into any random store in this country. Pick up an item. Turn it over. It will be labeled with its Country of Origin ( unless it is lumber, or a very few other exceptions ). I find it amazing that you grew to be adult ( sort-of ) without noticing this.
And to the aged seaman, I did not harangue anyone in the store. I simply pointed out the issue, she agreed with me, was equally surprised, and planned to bring it to her management’s attention. Also, do you have any concept of why the Love Canal, and the flaming Cuyahoga, and the acid rain scare are NOT news items anymore? Probably not.
Unsure if this was directly to me…
specifically, or just a general note.
I have an Eddyline, made in Washington, two Chesapeake Light Crafts ( kits from Maryland obviously, final assembly elsewhere ), and a made-in-China Point 65N. They fooled me on that last one, I thought it was made in Sweden… and it’s for sale.
And for the record, two Werner paddles from Washington, and one each Grey Owl and Quessy from Canada, plus a shop-built greenland paddle of unknown provenance.
I try. YMMV.