GoLite has lowered their prices, again, on some items in their clearence closet. It seems to be mostly clothing & sleeping bags, maybe quilts. Their Bitterroot 13oz/850 fill down jacket is now $199 plus shipping.

Men's Jam pack for $69.00.

http://www.golite.com/Ms-Jam--P739.aspx

I picked up a wind shirt, and a synthetic vest since Backwoods.com cancelled my patagonia vest order...

I have never seen a sale like this before.. It keeps going, and going, and going... With that said, I am sure they are upsetting all their retailers..

so what's this telling us? Either not enough people are buying or they had a lot of stock (because not enough people buying) ?

I got a Jam and a Peak weeks ago in this sale, at least they not lowered the prices any more. Used the Peak for a trip to Panama this week, removable hipbelt did good on the flight and refitted for some long walks.

Something is gong on there.

Go to rei.com and search on "golite": zero results

campmor.com: 15 items (10 are on "hot deals" closeout)

backcountry.com: 23 items and all but a couple on sale

moosejaw.com: about 75 items and all but 4 are on closeout.

Perhaps they are going to do direct marketing, or maybe they are close to losing the farm.

If I were going to start up a new company, I wouldn't bother with dealers and would sell directly to the consumer with a Web store. I wouldn't be surprised to see GoLite head that direction. They have enough brand exposure, a retail web site, and all the support folk in place. Having a lot of dealers means a big cash flow and lots of support/sales folk, not to mention the middle man discounts.

Golite has a factory store here in Fort Collins, one in Boulder, a couple in Denver, and I think even one in Idaho. I'm pretty sure they're going to a direct sale model. From what I've heard from the employees, they're just trying to get rid of old inventory to make room for the new spring product line.

Definitely not going under. They are in the process of building a new store in Trust Fund, oops, that was supposed to say Boulder.

"If I were going to start up a new company, I wouldn't bother with dealers and would sell directly to the consumer with a Web store. "

... yes if free postage and free returns, like Backcountryedge does, so folks are willing to take a risk. If you don't have a store to try things out its challenging without free postage both ways.

Hopefully they'll start offering international postage. Pretty poor that they don't, IMO

The issue with international shipping is that someone has to bear the risk of the goods aren't acceptable and the cost to post items back. Shipping, import duty, tax and handling fees for applying the duty+tax means it can become more expensive than bulk shipping and have replacements handled by local in-country dealers who hold stock. So GoLite would need to setup sell-direct equivalents in other countries otherwise it become unworkable and probably run at a loss.

GoLite have accounced a "revamped" pack line and in UK this is producing a similar sale price point to the USA Golite's own website sale. Pity, I'm waiting for the sale to end as I have in UK an unused Peak which was too small for my gear.

Nigel,

How do you like the GoLite Peak? It doesn't seem to get good reviews in these forums.

Mike

I wanted a Jam2. I got with an order with a Jam which was primarily my need but Golite's postage prices adds $1 to add the Peak to the order.


The Peak is worth the reduced price, but not higher price they called the MSRP. I use it as a daysack and traveling bag, used it this last week.

The hipbelt digs in but that might just be my manly beer curves :( the buckles at the front seem fitted wrong pressing inwards, so if you load is light to not need the hipbelt its fine. Comfy excluding the hipbelt and roomy for daysack, and I use on airlines as my only carry-on and pull out a 16L daysack of my in-flight gear needs, from inside the Peak's lidless open top helps with that and place the Peak anywhere overhead and the daysack under my seat. I hiked home from the airport 2 hours wearing the hipbelt, it helped keep the pack off my bag for cooling. The frameless design requires the pack to be FULL otherwise the hipbelt and loosening the shoulder straps to get the pack leaning off your back makes the pack concertina back onto your pack so you need enough contents to be stretching the pack into shape and I used the underside clips and the side compression straps to reduce the size of the pack to aid making it hold its shape.


This now gives me 4 sacks a 16L soft daysack I carry inside to use for small needs at destination, a 16L more rigid daysack Black Diamond Magnum, the 40L Peak and the 50L Jam.

Actual carrying camping gear, I plan on using the Jam, I found the 40L Peak a bit too tight when adding food and water and a bit of insulation clothing and the hipbelt is not as comfy when carrying loads for a long time, 50L Jam will be good enough I hope, I'm downsizing from a 70L framed pack when my tent was 2Kg, stove 1.5Kg, etc.