Mountain Project: Forum: Did Mountain Hardwear rip me off?

By GLD
Feb 5, 2013

I've never seen a MH sleeping bag zipper that did work. They're notorious and I've probably seen well over 10 of various models that did.

On the plus side an old jacket of theirs works wonderfully still.

George G wrote:

I bought a Monkey Grid Fleece jacket($160!) from MH in November 2012. On the first day, the threads from the zipper flap stitching get caught, pull out, and are cut by the zipper. Within a week the little plastic thing on the end of the zipper breaks off. Within a month the elastic waist drawstring comes detaches. This is poor craft. I have an MH Alchemy soft shell that is going strong after 10 years. Something has slipped. I don't feel inspired to pay for shipping so they can send me another faulty product. I wont likely buy MH again unless I hear they have stepped up their game.

FLAG

By skitch
From Heaven
Feb 9, 2013

I won an urban climber raffle that consisted of 4 Mtnhard wear items (pack, sleeping bag, soft shell and fleece). I was super stoked about it until I actually received the items, the quality of every item was so bad I sold all of it on eBay for less than half of retail. I have only purchased a couple mtn hard wear items since, a pair of winter wander pants that still look good (2 years old) that the zipper quit working on and a wool sweater that itches like a porcupine. I almost exclusively buy Patagonia for my climbing clothes, partly cause they fit better than most brands but also cause I know that they will refund or swap anything I buy from them. For tents I try to buy from REI cause all tents today are garbage or too expensive for me & I know they will replace it, which ill take advantage of if I feel it's legit, like who thin the first few months of use.

FLAG

By Ben Beckerich
From saint helens, oregon
Feb 9, 2013

George G wrote:

I think a lot of these companies have gotten too big for their britches in the last ten years. Mountain Hardware being just one of them. Marmot being another. Just in the last year I have had the stitching fall out of two pairs of Marmot gloves, the thumbs literally fell off after a few uses! and a pair of rain paints that delaminated after one season. I need quality products, not a company that will constantly replace faulty ones until I get tired of mailing them back. From now on I am sticking with US/Canada made smaller operations. Westcomb, Melanzana, Verve climbing, Western Mountaineering, for example.

There's no magic bullet. We've got some pretty high-priced local companies claiming to be the solution to the multinational corporation problem in gear... These guys tend to be absolutely terrible about warranty claims. I never did take up any of my complaints with Cilogear, for instance, because after reading uncountable accounts of horrendous customer service, I just put my Cilo gear on ebay and sold out for what I could.

It's a crap shoot. I suspect Columbia Sportswear's Mountain Hardwear buyout probably coincides with some of these issues of the last couple years. I don't know when that happened, just a guess. I recently had some Hydras leak on me.. my customer service experience was annoying, but they basically stood by the product.. I just have to cover shipping to them to get a new pair (and be without the gloves during the interim).

FLAG

By IamDman
Feb 13, 2013

I had some mountain hardware products a while ago, and the quality was below my standards. The customer service sucked. I don't use their gear anymore, there are better options out there.

FLAG

By Russ Walling
From www.FishProducts.com
Feb 13, 2013

UPDATE from page one post!!!

CustServ at MH stuck to their story about me and my Jeri_Curl ruining the rain jacket. They kept the jacket, and I kept my suave looks. I still need a new rain jacket and you can be sure it won't be from MH. Maybe something from Cabellas at 1/3rd the cost and in digital desert camo would be the ticket.

FLAG

Home - Destinations - iPhone/Android - Gyms - Partners - Forum - Photos - Deals - What's New
	ADVANCED