View Full Version : Prolite Gear
attrekker26
11-04-2007, 11:31
I am looking at buying my new osprey atmos 65 at prolite gear because of their sale price. Does anyone here have any experience with them and are they reliable or should i just buy it from one of my local outfitters or rei.
ATtrekker26
Very reliable. I bought a Montbell bag from them and it only took a couple days to receive it. Good company.
gearfreak
11-04-2007, 11:42
Good people. Just bought a Snow Peak Giga Power Ti stove there Friday. :cool:
Fiddleback
11-04-2007, 19:18
It's been awhile since my last purchase but I got good, fast service from them.
FB
sweetpeastu
11-04-2007, 19:57
I just bought the Aura 65 from them. They got it too me early and there was nothin wrong with it so I was happy :) I'd do business with em again.
Plus the color bag I picked was outastock. They're inventory was screwy and they called me to see if I wanted to other color or to cancel my order and then got it right out to me. I was impressed.
Dirtygaiters
11-04-2007, 20:47
I used to think Prolite Gear was the best online gear store out there with all their good prices, until I ordered an Icebreaker "sample" shirt on sale. When I received the shirt, I found that it had two small holes in the fabric. WTH? I contacted them but they told me sample items could not be returned. Nowhere on their site do they say that sample = factory seconds. That's not what sample means. I did get the shirt repaired by a professional seamstress for a few dollars, but I will always be leery of their sale items in the future and always try to look for the next best price at a store that hasn't sold me damaged items claiming them to be new.
gibsygoldtop
11-04-2007, 21:40
you may want to contact the outfitter at harpers ferry.
just friday i recieved my atmos 65 from them and paid 175 including shipping.
what a nice pack! i can't wait til this next weekend to get out with it.
Montana AT05
11-07-2007, 14:09
I live in the same town as them (Bozeman, MT). Good people. I buy stuff there all the time and chat with the owner about gear, hikes, work, etc. He's a genuine guy--very in to the outdoor community. As far as the person's experience with "samples" above--well somethings are not in control of the shop. Also, one bad experience is not the same as thousands (not that he was saying so).
But the gear selection there is good. The owner created Prolite in response to his own need for a true lightweight, quality, outdoor focused gear shop versus the larger brick and mortar stores that cater to backyard barbacuers (not that he, I or you have anything against backyard bbq's!!)
Running a retail store can be hard work. Think about that the next time you are in line to buy a coffee and you see the lady ahead of you clsping her sweatered poodle to her fur covered breast and arguing with the young, minimum wage earning, college-aged barista about how her Mocha-Java-Latte-Light-Tall-Short-Frappa-Scrappa-Chino had a "Pinch" of hazelnut versus the "Dash" she is used to getting in her favorite Merin County, CA coffee shop...:eek:
sweetpeastu
11-07-2007, 14:35
Uhhh yeah I have to be sympathetic to dirtygaiters. He makes a valid point about the website not making it known that sample mean't factory seconds. I'd be a bit leery too if I was sold something that was being passed off as new, but was actually a second and damaged to boot.
Not that Prolite Gear is/should be written off as completely disreputable because of it, but I understand being wary.
Montana AT05
11-07-2007, 14:53
Anytime you get something free or at discount (or labeled a sample) don't expect it to be perfect. Same goes for Health Care...
Dirtygaiters
11-07-2007, 16:27
The reason I wasn't leery was that I'd bought several sale items from them before and these were regular sales of new gear and the gear was actually new as promised when I got it.
Dirtygaiters
11-07-2007, 16:28
^ wow, that a run-on sentence if I've ever seen one!:eek:
sweetpeastu
11-07-2007, 18:00
The act of selling something at a discounted price does NOT in any way designate that it is/or could be damaged merchandise or of a lesser quality. I don't think most people would assume that is the case either. The idea that you can't expect a piece of sale merchandise to be of the same quality as something purchased at full price is silly--case in point, overstocks.
Montana, you seem awfuly eager to defend Prolite gear in the case given to us by Dirtygaiters. Either way, your notion that you can't expect something on sale to be in new condition sounds very much like a dishonest business practice to me. I'm glad you don't run any of the gear stores I shop at.
taildragger
11-07-2007, 18:42
It just had pit vents to aid in ventilation :D
WILLIAM HAYES
11-07-2007, 20:49
I have been a customer for several years top notch service and the staff are very responsive
Montana AT05
11-08-2007, 00:59
Relax Sweetpea. Sheesh.
I'm eager? Project much?
They do a good job. You disagree, fine. Not everyone is going to be pleased all the time.
Montana AT05
11-08-2007, 01:02
And Sweetpea...just how do you make people go from talking about samples to sale items?
If it's just a "sale" then yes, you should expect it to be in good condition. If it's a sale of SAMPLES, the buyer beware.
Standard practice.
Samples sound as though they'd be less than new to me.
nitewalker
11-08-2007, 09:00
i agreee with sweet pea on this one. if im going to buy something from an online store i expect it too be just as good as the full price product not an inferior product. the color or sizes may vary but not the integrity of the product..put it this way if i wanted 2nd rate product i will go to the local flea market or yard sale or salvation army etc... sure,if im going to buy a rain product from them and when i get it the thing has a hole in the jacketor the fabric is worn im going to expect some compensation. if they will not back up the faulty merchandise than why even risk a purchase like that..not me, i will stay with what is guaranteed new.. most companies will guarantee their products against wear and workmanship. my ems poles are going to be fixed by ems at no charge. the kicker is i have owned them about 6 yrs now. they owe me nothing on the poles but they stand behind the fix or replace motto.....this is just my own opinion so you do what you gotta do..................peace out, nitewalker
nitewalker
11-08-2007, 09:02
i agreee with sweet pea on this one. if im going to buy something from an online store i expect it too be just as good as the full price product not an inferior product. the color or sizes may vary but not the integrity of the product..put it this way if i wanted 2nd rate product i will go to the local flea market or yard sale or salvation army etc... sure,if im going to buy a rain product from them and when i get it the thing has a hole in the jacketor the fabric is worn im going to expect some compensation. if they will not back up the faulty merchandise than why even risk a purchase like that..not me, i will stay with what is guaranteed new.. most companies will guarantee their products against wear and workmanship. my ems poles are going to be fixed by ems at no charge. the kicker is i have owned them about 6 yrs now. they owe me nothing on the poles but they stand behind the fix or replace motto.....this is just my own opinion so you do what you gotta do..................peace out, nitewalker
and the samples also better have decent quality ...;)
sweetpeastu
11-08-2007, 10:37
Anytime you get something free or at discount (or labeled a sample) don't expect it to be perfect. Same goes for Health Care...
speaks for itself don't ya think. And no I NEVER at any time said I was disappointed with Prolite Gear or thought that they didn't do a good job of getting my stuff to me, in fact, if you read my earlier post I said I was impressed. I simply took issue with your unrelenting defense of them in the very specific example supplied by dirtygaiters. That is all :)
sweetpeastu
11-08-2007, 10:40
also, Montana, if you were specifically referring to a "sample sale" you should have said so. Yes, I would tend to agree that that does imply that the buyer accepts some risk, but you never specifically stated that you were referring to a "sample sale" you were talking about something on "discount (or labeled sample)"...I emphsize your use of the word or....
eragon921
11-10-2007, 13:41
I have to agree with Montana. I also live in the same area as Bozeman, MT and quite enjoy ProLite and it's proprietor. One thing people should know about ProLite is that as they are one of the biggest UltraLight sales companies out there and as the sponsor a lot of people and events that push the limit of weight saving, they receive a lot of new product samples to test. If they post SAMPLE gear for sale, people should understand that it may have been tested by them prior to sale, thus the cheaper prices. The same guy that owns ProLite owns the BackpackingLight Magazine and lots of those samples for sale are the ones that may be reviewed in the magazine.
It's up to the purchaser whether or not to buy sample gear. Just keep in mind, you get what you pay for. If brand new, perfect condition gear is what you're looking for, then don't buy sample items.
Fiddleback
11-10-2007, 21:14
...The same guy that owns ProLite owns the BackpackingLight Magazine...
I may be behind the times...and I don't know either guy personally but...
The last I heard, ProLite Gear is owned by Craig Delger whereas it's Ryan Jordan that's behind BackpackingLight Magazine.
Come to think about it, I've never seen the two of 'em together...:-? :D
FB
Dirtygaiters
11-13-2007, 13:40
...If they post SAMPLE gear for sale, people should understand that it may have been tested by them prior to sale, thus the cheaper prices...
It's up to the purchaser whether or not to buy sample gear. Just keep in mind, you get what you pay for. If brand new, perfect condition gear is what you're looking for, then don't buy sample items.
Hey man, all I'm saying is I bought a shirt marked sample and it had holes in it. Nowhere on their site do they say that sample items = damaged goods, and nowhere in the listing for the shirt I bought did it say that "This shirt has holes in it." Nowhere. Hell, I expect better disclosure from the common eBay seller than that!!! Count me in the boat of people unfamiliar with the term "sample" as meaning "buy at own risk." I have NEVER heard sample used this way. That's what the term "seconds" is for. To me, "sample" means just that: a sample item that the manufacturer sent to a retailer earlier than the rest of the shipment...hell, I'm not a clothing retailer, what do I know? How am I supposed to know all this jargon if they don't post explanations on their site?
I'd like to think that I take risks when I buy things from random eBay sellers, not when I buy from an established online store that has treated me well in the past (yes I used to really love buying things from Prolite Gear because they tend to have good prices and expedient shipping). So if "sample" really does mean "buy at own risk," then I'm really disappointed in Prolite Gear.