Nothing worse than dropping a ton of money on a product that disappoints.
Not that I’m getting burned all the time, aside from a boot outsole peel here, or a broken zipper there. Ofttimes my “issue” is something inherent to the product, just an occupational hazard of online shopping.
That green I loved on the screen is actually blue. The jacket is waterproof, as promised, but way thinner than I’d expected.
Buying straight from the store is an obvious immediate solution, but in order to investigate deeper claims in performance and design, it would be even better to actually test the gear, to see how it feels for a weekend.
Enter: Arc’teryx, and its new apparel test-drive service Gear Library.
The Vancouver-based adventure outlet makes a variety of high-performance outdoor gear, from ski backpacks to GORE-TEX jackets to trail running shoes. And none of it comes cheap. So this new initiative, which lets you borrow gear from one of its local shops (they’re in 10 American cities and eight Canadian cities) for four days to test out the product, is a huge win for thoughtful consumers in the outdoor space.
Simply head to the closest Arc’teryx outpost, choose from their local selection (generally pertaining to the area of the country), make a security deposit and take the products out for a spin. If handing your jackets back four days later gives you physical pain, well, you know you’re ready to spend some money.
To find an Arc’teryx store in your neighborhood, head here. And if you’re more of an “Add to Cart first, ask questions later” kind of guy, head on over here.
Images from Arc’teryx
If you buy through these links, InsideHook might earn a small share of the profits.
This article was featured in the InsideHook newsletter. Sign up now.
