We’ve read the reviews on the web for Backcountry.com and summarize the results below:

Universal Ranking

Peak Score: 45 (out of 100)
User Rating: 1.9 stars 
Expert Rating 3 stars

Learn more about Peak Score and Ratings.

Pros & Cons

Reasons to buy:

User Reviews

  • Easy returns
  • Terrific shipping – free 2 day shipping for $50+ purchases
  • Their prices are great
  • They go above and beyond to satisfy customers
  • Their “gearheads” are typically more knowledgeable than REI employees, although like REI, they can still be hit or miss.

Expert Reviews

  • They rewrite a lot of the product descriptions they get from manufacturers to make them more accurate and useful for the customer
  • It’s a bit of a shock how quickly they ship items
  • One of the most in-depth and educational online retailers
  • Their community of customers who write reviews on the site is the best

Reasons NOT to buy:

User Reviews

  • They decided to “off themselves” and destroy their reputation by threatening litigation against small businesses who used the term “backcountry”.
  • They could communicate better when customer credit cards are declined
  • Items never shipped
  • The wrong product is sometimes shipped
  • It seems their customer service has become less accommodating recently. Where they previously had “Nordstrom” level service, they now leave their customer to fend on their own more.
  • Expect to be sent to the manufacturer to deal with any warranty problems, even if your purchase was made within their one-year return window.

Expert Reviews

  • Their so-called trademark is narrow and descriptive. The idea that they would try and prevent other companies from using the word “backcountry” is offensive, abusive, and reason enough to never shop there again.

Summary:

Backcountry.com used to be one of the most popular online retailers of clothing and gear for outdoor activities. However, now they are known for suing small businesses for using the descriptive term “backcountry”.

Product Updates:

In 2015, TSG Consumer Partners (a private equity firm) purchased Backcountry.com from Liberty Media.

Media: