I blame growing up in Wyoming for a lot of things, but particularly for my love of good outerwear and gear. I think my parents’ love for the same hasn’t helped much, either.
I particularly have a strong affinity for Patagonia gear, it lasts literally forever (and if it doesn’t they’ll repair or replace it for life). I liked Patagonia decades before Patagonia was cool, and subsequently became known as “Patagucci”. Their tech gear is, simply, often the best. And not just that pullover that everyone (including me) and their dog has. Even though I don’t do any mountaineering, I wear their clothes hiking, biking, running, and traveling. And to work on Fridays.
And no, my dog does not have a Patagonia pullover, but it has been a topic of conversation…never say never (and, hey Patagonia, ever thought about dog wear?).
But alas, Patagonia is not inexpensive. Which results in one of my most important tenets of outerwear shopping: never buy Patagonia at full price. So where can you find great deals on technical outerwear? Not just Patagonia, but technical North Face pieces, Arc’teryx, Marmot, Cloudveil, and Mountain Hardware too.
Moosejaw has a really wide selection of apparel and gear. Free shipping for +$49, and they offer a rewards program though I’ve never really taken advantage of that. They usually have past season colors and styles at a decent discount, along with their outlet section. Moosejaw tends to be the last place I look for something when I’m on the hunt for a good deal, but there is no good reason for that! Sometimes you can really get great deals here.
Similar to Moosejaw, they almost always have nearly all last season colors and styles on sale. They also have an “outlet” section with really deep discounts. Backcountry also seems to have some trendier items (e.g., I saw a Free People cardigan on there). I find that Backcountry has a bit faster shipping (free 2-day shipping for +$50) than Moosejaw, but popular items get sold out much, much faster. Their website is definitely the easiest to navigate and browse.
Sierra Trading Post doesn’t often have much Patagonia, but they have a wealth of other technical gear, including great deals on bike and triathlon stuff. While neither Backcountry or Moosejaw have frequent coupon codes (I notice them a few times a year), Sierra Trading Post has at least a coupon a week, sometimes coupled with free or discount shipping. Sierra Trading Post also has all kinds of stuff for the home, too.
In addition to these three sites, which are my “go-to” sites, Patagonia also has some great online sales about 2-3 times per year. They usually start with 30% off and then eventually there is an increase to 50%. Unfortunately, stuff gets picked over pretty quickly so if you are really looking for something, snag it when you can. If you have the “that would be nice to have but I don’t need it item” it’s worth waiting to see if you can get that additional discount. Because Patagonia at 50% off is even better.
So if you are looking for that new piece of insulation (which you may or may not need), or a new fleece for a hiking trip (one can never have enough fleeces), check out these sites to see if you can snag a great piece for less!
[Nope, not affiliate links, I just like outwear and particularly fleece jackets a little too much and thought I’d pass on my favorite sites].
