Crazy! All of the tents and packs are 50% off MSRP, Shangri-la, All the Jam's

Edited by KalebC on 04/18/2012 23:21:54 MDT.

Thanks for the heads-up. Just picked up a Jam & 3 season quilt.

so what the heck is going on with GoLite these days??? are they going out of business? Seems like they are having some really cheap prices, is the gear lower quality these days?

AH! If only I needed another Jam!

perhaps the new(er than my old Jam's) hip-belt style would make another 50L pack worth it?

They're making it sound like these are the new prices. Just how I'm reading it. 50% off MSRP.

Wait a second! that's 50% off of "suggested retail", not the usual price that they advertise is already 20-30% off of said "suggested retail" price!

Should we form a deal-hungry lynch mob now? Get 'Em! ;)

Well the tents are considerably cheaper. Look at the SL3, it's marked down $100... ;)

any way to avoid the 9.95 shipping on a 7oz item?

I would buy an SL5 for car camping but the wife would kill me :-)

Crap I am torn. I'm not trying to hijack this thread, but I just bought my first summer bag, a Dreamwalker 250 (http://www.exped.com/exped/web/exped_homepage_na.nsf/0/7D94FFC505712754C12579A0003BEB00?opendocument). Sleeping in a 15F bag in the Smokies summer humidity is like being in a sauna :). I noticed the Ultralight 1+ 800 Down bag (http://www.golite.com/UltraLite-800-Fill-1-Season-Quilt-Regular-P46823.aspx)is a bit cheaper. Any opinions guys?
The Dreamwalker is 6oz lighter, has a true hood, but is rated less at 45F (vs 40F) and more expensive (paid $180 shipped)

Wow, looks like some great deals. I was almost ready to buy a Jacks R Better Hudson River Quilt. However the Golite 3 season quilt is now $80 cheaper. They look very similar. The Golite is about 3 ounces heavier but is also rated at 20 degrees verses the Hudson River at 25-30 degrees. Would you guys go for the Golite at $80 cheaper? If they where closer in price I would probably choose Jacks R Better.

I'll also be picking up a new Jam for the wife.

I have the 1+ season quilt, bought during a similar sale last spring. For the price, hard to go wrong. Construction quality is pretty good, loft is good, temp rating is accurate in my experience. A little heavy, but the weight to volume ratio of the 3 season is better. Part of the weight is WPB fabric around footbox and at collar, intended to provide some splash protection (so you might be able to save the weight of a bivy if you use a small tarp.

Maybe they need to pay their taxes.Need a quick cash flow increase.
Terry

>"Maybe they need to pay their taxes.Need a quick cash flow increase."

I'd guess clearing out old inventory at a time when folks are gearing up for summer and cottage makers have 6-8 week lead times on new orders. Maybe the "50% off retail" has replaced the 40% coupon codes they used to have all the time?

GoLite appear to be struggling with their direct business model a couple of months in. They dropped their prices significantly when they went direct, and said that they wouldn't rely on large scale sales going forwards. Yet week after week they run another price-cutting promotion.

I've been into their Pearl St, Boulder store a few times. This is expensive real estate, it's massively oversized for what they need, and I've never seen more than a handful of customers browsing. That's a serious drain on cashflow. Online, they are competing with other brands that run regular discounts through web-based retailers. Customers have become attuned to paying less than full retail, and GoLite's 'Suggested retail' price listed below the current price is, well, a bit cheesy. Resorting to price competition should be the last resort.

The unpredictability means those of us who don't have to buy right now will just wait for another price cut. And anyone who bought at the standard price in the last two months is getting a dose of buyer's remorse.

I hope they figure it out and stay in business. Their weekly change of pricing seems very reactive and smacks of desperation.

I am so glad I waited till today. I was about to pull the trigger on the Jam pack on Monday but I was so busy I couldn't get to it. I just saved a few bucks on this pack!

You may be right, Stuart. One the other hand, a few months ago I bought a merino piece from the Patagonia website when they were having a similar 50% off sale. And I'd be surprised if Patagonia was struggling.

Living here in the sticks, I didn't even realize Golite had retail stores. Maybe Golite considers flagship stores to be a form of advertising, rather than a source of significant sales?

It seems like Golite's product profile ought to be successful: affordable, light enough for many, available off the rack.

I agree with Stuart - some items look interesting to buy, but who is going to when they have just kept dropping prices. Who is waiting for the 75% off sale???

And re: patagonia 50% off - they do this every year as a spring clearance sale, so it is not indicative of their financial position or desperation.

Also something I noticed with the SL tents, they are now two pieces, flysheet and nest-floor. So I guess the nest and floor are one piece now. But they don't sell them separately, so I wonder how to replace one of the pieces? Do you have to buy the whole tent? I guess its just like any other tent now.

GoLite stopped selling floors altogether. Other than the occasional model that they find buried in their warehouse and list on the clearance closet, buyers are out of luck. And yes, you have to buy the nest along with the fly. It's simple for the first-time buyer and the less particular customer, but frustrating for those of us who want individual components. I bought the SL1 around New Year's expecting to be able to buy a floor later. After countless hours trying to track one down, I gave up in disgust and sold my SL1 on to a friend.

im not sure if they are doing any more of these, but when i posted a review to their website, they sent me a code for an extra 20% off. it still works to give an extra 20% off their sale prices, even on clearance stuff.