If you're here, you're looking to see some photo examples of wear & tear....and you're in luck! Scroll down to see different images from actual customer warranty situations, with captions under each photo describing the defect.

As a reminder, wear & tear is exactly as it sounds: damage incurred during normal and intended use of the product that has rendered the garment unwearable or significantly hindered the expected performance of the garment.

Note: This does not mean the garment will look like new after many months of hard use. We expect our customers to wear our gear well and often, and this will understandably take a toll on any sewn garment. Some visible wear is expected.

^ This is an example of rip in the fabric on a TREWth Bib. This exact rip is the result of a large amount of friction applied to a small area of the fabric - and after speaking with the customer, it became clear that they had taken a pretty big fall onto their butt and slid on ice for a distance. Because it is the direct result of wearing the bibs, and not from a preexisting defect, this issue is considered wear & tear.

 

^ This is a prime example of wear & tear right here. This happened on the cuff of a pair of Chariot Bibs and the fabric you're seeing is a close-up on the SuperFabric we use to reinforce the kick patches on all of our pants and bibs. While it is very strong, it is not invincible - and the most common issues on these cuffs stem from ski or snowboard edges slicing through fabric or from someone wearing their bottoms baggy and walking on the cuffs. 

 

^ This one is a bit tricky: while there is evidence of a tear along the seam here, we found that the entire rip was caused by the open pit zip getting caught on a branch and tearing the Cosmic Jacket arm. The tear began near the pit zip, and then hit the arm stitching and followed the path of least resistance. At first glance this may seem like a manufacturing defect, but after more time looking it became clear that this was in fact a wear & tear issue. The customer was responsible for the cost, although we split the cost with him because the jacket was pretty much brand new...until he ran into that tree...

 

^ This example is similar to the one before it, as these Capow Bibs were torn well away from the cuff but the tear extended over to the cuff stitching where it continued to damage the bibs. This is an example of wear & tear, despite stitching coming undone in the process.

 

^ What you're seeing here is the rear end of a TREWth Bib. These bibs are relatively new, although the customer just started taking up snowboarding and spent a solid week sliding down a very icy slope on their butt. Despite our gear being strong, this sort of use and abuse will almost always cause some sort of wearing on our fabrics - and in this case, the wearing has begun to show the beginnings of some tearing. This is wear & tear, but luckily some DIY patching made it an easy and affordable fix!

 

^ A small hole in the Capow Bib leg. The customer was not sure how this came to be, but this would be classified as a wear & tear issue.

 

^ Another example of a pretty extreme case of SuperFabric wearing on a Capow Bib. The extent of the damage makes it hard to say for sure what caused all of the holes and marks, but many of the holes look to have started out as slices (from ski/board edges or something sharp) and then they were exacerbated by getting caught on buckles, being exposed to friction from the inside of boots, or just being worn hard in the backcountry. This is wear & tear! The reality is that skiing and snowboarding present a very rugged environment for outerwear, especially the cuffs on pants and bibs, and there will always be some marking and damage over time - regardless of how strong the cuff material reinforcement is. *The best bet to maintaining your bottoms for the longest life is to wear them at the right length (don't wear super baggy or walk on them), be cognizant of hitting your feet together or clashing your ski edges on your boots, and rolling up your cuffs while hiking so that they don't get caught while touring, bootpacking, or using crampons.*

 

Thanks for tuning in! This is in no way a comprehensive list of wear & tear examples, but rather a collection of some of the most common issues we see. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us at warranty@trewgear.com. We're always here to help!