Is Backcountry Legit? Honest Reviews To Consider Before Buying

Wondering whether or not Backcountry is a legit company and if you should purchase from them?

If you’re an outdoors enthusiast like us, always on the hunt for the best deals on clothing and gear, then you’ve probably heard of Backcountry.com. But often the bargains seem too good to be true and it can make people wary about buying.

In this post, we will put your mind at ease proving that Backcountry is indeed a legit site, discuss some pros and cons, and answer some FAQs about the company.

The opinions in this post are 100% our own.

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Is Backcountry A Legit Site?

Yes! Established in 1996, Backcountry is a legitimate outdoor apparel and equipment online retailer, and they’ve been in business for over 20 years.

Personally, Mike and I have placed orders from Backcountry many times and we’ve only had positive experiences. It’s pretty much our go-to store whenever we’re preparing for an excursion.

Although Backcountry has an overall review score of 2 1/2 stars – which is pretty low – I think the majority of people who write bad reviews online are just mad customers. And unfortunately, mad customers tend to have a louder voice than happy customers.

You can view happy customer comments and experiences on their Instagram and Facebook pages.

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Shopping With Backcountry: Pros

We have been shopping with Backcountry for several years now and below are some of the main reasons we keep coming back and recommending them.

✔️ Big Selection of Outdoor Gear + Clothes

Backcountry offers the most amazing selection of outdoor clothing and gear for any activity you can think of, be it hiking, camping, snowboarding, climbing, surfing, or yoga – they even sell dog gear for your furry adventure buddies.

They sell apparel for men, women, and children and carry a wide range of top-rated brands, such as Patagonia, The North Face, Salomon, Helly Hansen, and Canada Goose. Even their namesake brand, Backcountry, is really good quality and trendy.

✔️ Fast Shipping

When it comes to shipping, Backcountry can ship really fast, but it depends on how much you want to pay for shipping. Economy Shipping takes 5-10 business days, and Standard Shipping takes 4-6 business days to arrive from the shipment date, but Next Day Air Orders have a guaranteed next-day delivery.

Just keep in mind that Next Day Air Orders must be placed by 12:00 pm MST (Backcountry is based in Utah) to guarantee delivery the next day.
Orders placed before 3:00 pm MST are usually shipped out on the same day.

And as you can see from my personal screenshot below, you will receive an email confirmation of your order with a tracking number, along with delivery updates.

✔️ Affordable & Frequent Discounts

One of the main reasons why we shop at Backcountry is because of the incredible discounts. On any given day, Backcountry is usually more affordable than other outdoor activity retailers, but it’s their frequent sales that really make the difference.

Backcountry often has site-wide sales of up to 70% off on select styles or brands.
We also highly recommend signing up for their mailing list and following them on social media, this way you can keep on top of any flash sales or discount codes.

You should also keep an eye on their end-of-season deals. For instance, you could find heavily discounted ski jackets while they are trying to clear out their winter stock.

✔️ Good Customer Service

For some reason, many of the Backcountry reviews online complain about poor customer service, but we couldn’t disagree more!

Backcountry has designated “Gearheads” that will help you with any shopping inquiry. The Gearheads are more than your average customer service reps, they are outdoor enthusiasts in their own right and will offer advice based on their personal experiences with the retail items.

You can contact the Gearheads by phone or through online chat. Once you’ve initiated a conversation, you can also reach them by their personal email.

Look at the screenshots below to see just exactly how helpful, cheerful, and human the Gearheads are:

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Shopping With Backcountry: Cons

Any company, no matter how large or small or how long they’ve been in business, is bound to have a few cons. Based on our experience with Backcountry here are the 2 main cons we’ve identified.

✔️Shipping Charges For Returns

In order to return an item with Backcountry, you will have to print a pre-paid UPS shipping label at the value of $6.99. This is available to all eligible U.S. customers and the label can be generated from your Order History.

But in most cases, this return shipping charge will then be deducted from your refund.

It’s understandable that customers would get disgruntled about losing $7. However, this return policy can change on a case-by-case basis. If you’re a loyal customer and have a good relationship with your assigned Gearhead, Backcountry will likely cover your return costs.

Check out the screenshot of my email below:

✔️Limited Availability Outside The U.S. & Canada

Backcountry mainly operates within the United States and Canada, but it does ship to some other countries around the world such as Australia, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Brazil, Bahamas, Jamaica, and Hong Kong. To view the full list of countries Backcountry can ship to, click here.

However, Backcountry does not ship to Europe (apart from Monaco and Liechtenstein) and different nations may apply additional import taxes and tariffs which Backcountry has no control over.

Furthermore, not all items available for shipment in the U.S. and Canada will be available in other countries. People from all over the world read our blog and I have received some annoyed comments from readers who wanted to purchase our same equipment or clothing but couldn’t.

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Backcountry Reviews: Is Backcountry A Scam?

No, you may rest assured that Backcountry is not a scam! Like I said before, Mike and I order from Backcountry frequently, whether it’s for a hiking excursion in Hawaii or snowshoeing in Colorado.

Here are some happy customer reviews:

“Great customer service! I bought some shoes as a gift for my daughter and she wanted to exchange them for a different color. It was over 60 days after the original purchase, but they let me exchange them since my daughter hadn’t worn them except to try them on.”

“They have very good quality outdoor, athletic type clothing. They contacted me with a very personal email to check on my order and make sure I was happy with it. And I think everything I bought was a sale item! They won me over with that email and I will purchase from them again.”

“Backcountry always has what I am looking for in outdoor gear. Willing to match anyone’s prices and in most cases offer free shipping. If something must be returned they are easy to communicate with and make exchanges quickly. The staff is knowledgeable and helpful when questions arise.”

“Backcountry got me fully suited for my first outdoor adventures and has been a valuable resource ever since!“

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FAQs About Backcountry

We hope you feel more comfortable about placing an order with Backcountry after reading this post so far and learning about our personal experiences with the company. But just in case we left anything out, here are some additional FAQs about Backcountry:

How long does it take Backcountry to ship?

As mentioned earlier, the Backcountry shipping times really depend on the shipping rates you’re willing to pay. Shipping times can range from 5-10 business days (Economy Shipping) to next-day delivery (Next Day Air Orders).

Keep in mind you will receive free Standard Shipping (4-6 business days) on any order over $50.

Is Backcountry an American company?

Yes, Backcountry was founded in Park City, Utah. Today, Park City remains the company’s headquarters with U.S. distribution centers in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Christiansburg, Virginia.

Although Backcountry is branching out with a Motorsports HQ in Portland, Oregon, and international offices in Costa Rica and Germany.

Is Backcountry good with returns?

Yes, Backcountry offers a very flexible and accommodating returns policy.

New, unused gear can be returned at any time, there is no window of time you need to stay within in order to return a new item. Backcountry only asks that you return your new, unused items in their original packaging and with tags on.

Backcountry also offers returns on used or damaged goods as long as they are returned within 30 days of delivery. If you return an item because it was faulty or didn’t meet your expectations, you return it and receive store credit in your online Backcountry account.

And if you have any questions, the friendly Gearheads will be happy to help you. Take a look at my email below:

Is Backcountry a good company to work for?

Yes and no… From reading employee reviews on Glassdoor and Indeed, the company culture and values are great, but certain managers are seriously lacking in leadership skills.

On average, Backcountry employees give their leadership a C+ grade. However, Backcountry does offer their employees incredible discounts on all their gear and one whole month of “adventure leave”. So if some internal management issues were fixed, it would probably be an awesome company to work for.

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Conclusion: Is Backcountry Legit?

After reading this post, what do you think?

We can testify that Backcountry is 100% legit. We have been very happy with the quality of the clothing and equipment we’ve purchased in the last couple of years. And aside from the amazing bargains, we really appreciate the personal customer support – you actually get to talk to real, caring people!