Backcountry clearance: extra 10 to 20 percent off, and what to check first
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Backcountry’s clearance page is offering an extra 10 to 20 percent off select sale items. I checked the terms on their site on October 16. The offer runs from 12:01 am Mountain Time that day through 11:59 pm Mountain Time on October 19. After that, the extra cut is gone even if the item is still on sale. This is not the general Backcountry review. That one is still here: Backcountry review.
The discount is not on the sticker
Their terms say the extra discount applies in the cart. Full-price styles are excluded. It is not valid in a store. It is limited to stock on hand, and they can change or end it without notice. So a jacket that says 30 percent off on the product page may take another 10 or 20 percent only after you add it. If the cart does not drop, you are looking at a full-price item, or the extra cut does not cover that style.
The page I opened had 4,586 results. Women’s clothing was the biggest block, then hike and camp, men’s clothing, ski, and snowboard. The North Face, GOREWEAR, Columbia, prAna, Helly Hansen, and Dakine had the most items in the filter. That is a catalog, not a curated edit. A lot of it will be last season’s color in a size that already sold out in medium.
A few prices I actually saw
These were on the first page of the clearance. They will move. Do not treat them as a promise.
The North Face Hike Midlayer Full-Zip Top for kids was $45.50, down from $65, marked 30 percent off. Rose High Waist Pant for women was listed from $91 to $130, with a separate “buy 3 or more, save 20 percent” note. Outdoor Research Aspire 3L Jacket for women ran from about $124 to $260 depending on color, up to 50 percent off. Mountain Hardwear Powder Maven Parka for women was about $208 to $227, down from $378.99, and that one also carried a ski and snowboard sale tag ending October 31. The parka’s October 31 tag is a different promotion from the extra clearance cut that ends October 19. Read both lines before you assume the bigger number survives the weekend.
What I would buy, and what I would leave
I would use this for a piece I already know fits. A shell in a size I have worn. A kid’s midlayer, because kids grow out of them and a leftover color does not matter. I would not use it for a first pair of ski boots, or a helmet, or anything where the cheap size is the wrong size. Clearance is how shops dump the odd sizes. If the only pair left is a half size off, the discount is not a deal. It is a return waiting to happen.
Free shipping on the site was advertised at orders over $69. That is a separate banner, not part of the clearance terms. Returns are the part that matters more than the percent. Unused gear can come back within 90 days of delivery, with the tags and the box, for a refund to the original payment. Used, undamaged gear has 30 days, and that refund is store credit. Their mail label was $8.99, waived if you take store credit. Oversized items, they cited bikes, jump to $25. Kayaks and anything that ships freight do not use that label. And because this offer is online only, do not buy it in a store and expect the extra 10 to 20 percent. Their phone for the offer is 801-204-4655.
Before you pay
Add the item. Look at the cart total, not the product page. Confirm the extra percent is on that line. Confirm the size is the one you wear, not the one that is left. If you are unsure of the fit, leave the tags on until you know, because a worn return is store credit, not cash. The sale page splits the extra cut into a 20 percent group and a 10 percent group. Open the item you want and see which group it landed in. A 10 percent extra on an already-cheap hat is a few dollars. A 20 percent extra on a $300 parka is the one worth the cart check.
