I just wanted to share this here so that everyone is aware of what to expect from Golite customer service. I thought at one time they actually included scrap material with new tents?

My request:

"Hi, I have a new Shangri-La 3 (2010 model, green) which I somehow put a small 1/4 inch rip in. Could I obtain a few pieces of matching green silnylon fabric for repair?"

Golite response:

"I am sorry but we do not have any spare pieces of material or any patch kits. We recommend you use the repair kits offered by McNett (www.mcnett.com)."

Not surprised. Thanks for sharing.

Sounds to me like they answered your question and gave an alternate solution. My guess is that the scraps are in Asia somewhere.

A couple years ago I sent in a hoody that the reflective material was peeling on. The item was no longer in production and they credited my debit card for the full retail value of the item. I would have been perfectly happy with a credit to use on their Web store, which is a significant difference in cost to GoLite. I've worked in retial-oriented businesses all my life and I was astounded by the service. I did spend the refund with them just on principle.

I asked them if I could buy a hipbelt buckle for an Odyssey as a spare after reading a disastrous report of one failing in the middle of nowhere . They sent me a free one and I got it in 2 days and it is a better design. Snaps much tighter.

If it's just a 1/4" rip, can't you repair it without any additional material? Perhaps you could sew it shut, or use a bit of seam seal material to bond it shut.

FWIW, some of the thermarest repair kits come with bits of material in a huge range of colors. You might be able to find something close and use that.

Alternatively, can you snip a little scrap of fabric off of your tent elsewhere? Perhaps there is a little bit extra seam allowance somewhere? Or an unneeded hang loop?

In general, I've had pretty good customer experiences with GoLite. The only small exception has been a current small issue where I bought some shirts using the 40% off National Trails Day coupon. They ended up being too small. I wanted to get some larger replacement shirts in the mail ASAP, so I asked if they could sell me the correct size using the now expired coupon and I would return these ones. They said no, so I had to mail in my shirts for an exchange. Kinda sucks because I'm in Canada so that means an additional few weeks of waiting while these shirts are in the mail back to them. All of this could have been avoided if the measurements of the shirt where as GoLite claimed.

Edited by dandydan on 07/14/2010 14:53:55 MDT.

To be fair, I've purchased tents from REI, Big Agnes, etc. and none has ever included extra swatches of material for potential repair.

OTOH, when buying inflatable sleeping pads -- yeah, those do come with a repair kit customarily.

So no, I don't think Golite is out of the ordinary here. And besides, they did offer up a helpful alternative for you.

Edited by ben2world on 07/14/2010 15:44:13 MDT.

****To be fair, I've purchased tents from REI, Big Agnes, etc. and none has ever included extra swatches of material for potential repair.****

I thought you only purchased cottage gear?

Why would you think that? Depending on needs and wants, my gear closet has both UL and non-UL (but lightweight) gear. :)

"but why should we wreck our brains thinking up ways to bend backwards to order from the likes of REI -- when we can get true UL gear direct from cottage gear makers who spend so much risk and time and effort servicing us, the UL crowd?"

Not unusual at all...
Several years ago I tested the heat resistance of a particular fabric by moving a still hot stove into it.
That wasn't exactly what I intended to do but I learned that the fabric was not meant to be some sort of fire blanket.
Anyway since I had access to the importer for that particular brand (not Golite) of tent , I asked if there was a chance of getting a matching piece of fabric.
Well, no chance . Not for the importer, never mind for poor old me.
Oddly McNett was also their suggestion to me.
Franco
If , on the other hand you are a TT customer, I do have some spare bits...

For the new ones here, Ben used to have a "sticky" called "My tent, this week"
It kept us entertained for a few years.

Not to go off on too much of a tangent... but when I want true UL gear, I look outside REI. But nowhere does that imply that all I ever want or use are "true UL gear". Rich needs to brush up on his logic -- or lack thereof.

I don't see a problem with their reply, perfectly normal.

@Dirtbag, how about you relax and do somewhere else? You didn't see the "Trolls not welcome" sign at the entry?