Zpacks Challenger jacket issues & warranty

[avi sito]

I’ve own a Zpacks Challenger jacket & rain pants for the past four years and found out that the fabric layers are separating from one another in three or four places. This is more evident in the shoulders, I guess where the pack sits, but also in the back of the hood & some areas of the sleeves. Some of the patches are 2 inch in diameter. The material is wrinkled kind of all over, but I don’t mind it, unless it doesn’t do its job. I barely use this jacket – 2~3 weeks of summer trekking a year with probably  2 to 3 days of rain on average there. I take good care of all my equipment, dry it, fold it, etc.

So I approached Zpacks support with this issue and was a bit surprised by their response. They offered a $50 discount towards the Zpacks Vertice jacket. Their website states a 2 year limited warranty.

So…. am I too naïve to expect more of them? I’ve had numerous cases where manufacturers immediately replaced a defected product of mine. Is this common practice with UL gear?

Has anyone seen similar issues with the Challenger jacket as well? Is this a known issue?

Should I expect the same from the Vertice jacket? (It is not cheap)

[JCH]

Unfortunate, but I’m not surprised a small “cottage” manufacurer like ZPacks can’t (or won’t) offer the same type of replacement warranty that a larger corporation like Cascade does.

[Matt]

I think Z-Packs offer is quite generous.  My gosh, you’ve owned and used the product for four years.  I feel your pain, but I think ZPacks has more than held up their end of the bargain.  Just my $.02.

[Ralph Burgess]

I agree with Matt.   I think 4 years moderate use for an ultralight jacket – something that’s external and exposed to abrasion – is the expected lifetime of the product.   I’m a heavier user, and I’d be expecting to replace this kind of gear in more like 3 seasons.  The whole point of ultralight gear is that it isn’t 5-times over-engineered.   You know you have to treat it a bit more carefully, you don’t expect it to last a decade, and in return you can get a pack that weighs 20lb instead of 40lb.   That’s what we’re asking for from ultralight cottage manufacturers, you can’t get upset if that’s what they deliver.   If everyone tried to return ultralight gear like this, they’d either go out of business, or they’d have to start making much more robust mainstream heavier gear.

[JP]

I would be disappointed in the jacket/material and wouldn’t buy again.

But I also think it’s a good offer from Zpacks, not great but good.

Try to think about it from there side too. It’s hard for them to take everyone for there word, especially how there business has grown over the years.

[Jeff M.]

I agree with JP.  I’d be disappointed with the product for the amount of use and wouldn’t buy a replacement from them, but after 4 years Zpack’s response is pretty much what I would expect.

[avi sito]

yeah – and given some of the competition out there with a growing number of UL jackets for ~$300 or less, some with large manufacturers, I figure I could do better. And probably get a longer-term warranty of sort.

(I see numerous ~150gr jackets nowadays)

[Brad Rogers]

It may not be the best UL jacket out there but the OR Helium is backed by OR’s outstanding warranty.

I had a similar issue some years ago where my MLD eVent rain mitts delaminated.  They were several years old but hadn’t been used much and I don’t feel like they should have delaminated.  I didn’t even contact MLD as I felt like they were a couple of years old and they wouldn’t warranty them anyways.  I ended up with a pair of Extremities Toughbags in Gore-Tex – an ounce heavier but are still going strong.

 

 

 

[BlackHatGuy]

“I ended up with a pair of Extremities Toughbags in Gore-Tex – an ounce heavier but are still going strong.”

Love these things. I bought two pair years ago, and have never needed to use the second pair. And I use them all winter long.

[Author]

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