Outdoor Research Reviews

Our company has a Pro account that I recently renewed. Started getting notifications that it was about to expire even though we'd just renewed it within the past half year. Sent an inquiry asking for help and got a quick response in about two hours from someone saying they couldn't discuss the account since my email wasn't linked to it. Sent another message through the account holder's email the following day. After three days with zero response, I followed up again. Two weeks later and still nothing. Now it's been almost a month total and we just got an automated expiration notice. Their phone line only offers a recorded message directing you to email them, which apparently gets ignored. They literally have one thing to do and they're failing at it. Incredibly aggravating.

I've got several OR items in my collection and absolutely love them. They really do back their stuff when problems pop up and handle things the right way.

Purchased a jacket from their European location eight years ago. Hadn't worn it much, but it's now falling apart. It came with what they call their Infinite guarantee and I have the original proof of purchase. When I went to use it, they said the guarantee doesn't apply in Europe. Here's the thing though: the tag on the jacket had text in English, Japanese, French, and German. German is only spoken in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, so clearly this was sold in EU markets. The guarantee should absolutely be valid. This company makes big promises just to get your money, then acts like those promises never existed. Some might say that crosses into fraud territory. I certainly think so. Steer clear if you value honesty.

Their customer service needs serious work. Like other folks have said, they make promises they don't keep. Don't throw your money at this company if you can help it. Ordered something as a Christmas gift that should have arrived by the holidays, but it showed up late. Since then, it's been nothing but requests for patience, empty apologies, and radio silence for days at a time.

Bring back the Voodoo pant already. They were hands down the best option for desert and jungle work when you didn't need flame resistant gear.

Not a good company to work with. Had a jacket with a defect from the manufacturer and they wouldn't back it. If the tear came from me getting caught on a branch or rocks I'd understand, but this was clearly their fault and they just washed their hands of it. Surprised REI still carries their brand.

Picked up a bunch of Outdoor Research pieces about twenty years ago. The shorts and pants held up for ages until recently when the sealed seams started splitting and coming undone. We take good care of our stuff so it's surprising they fell apart like this even after two decades of use.

Why do they put those flimsy snaps on their activity pants? Designed for serious movement and range of motion, but one quick rotation or reaching move during climbing and those snaps pop right open. A standard button system would be way more practical.

Really disappointing because I actually like the rain jacket itself, but they were out of my size so I tried ordering down a size. Didn't fit right, so I called to ask about restocking or swapping sizes. The person who answered just said 'hello' which left me wondering if I'd even dialed the right place. Didn't inspire much confidence. When I asked about restocking he gave me vague answers like 'maybe fall, maybe summer, or possibly end of April' so I pressed him for specifics. He said end of April based on the spring catalog, then just kept telling me to read the return policy. When I asked for his name at the end, he literally hung up on me. Let's hope their products stay incredible because if they ever depend on customer service, they're in trouble. Update: I've worn the jacket several times now and it's grown on me. It's lightweight, looks sleek, and keeps me dry, so I'm bumping up my rating.

Customer service basically doesn't exist. Spent fifty bucks on a pair of medium mens gloves that turned out to be ridiculously small. Like absurdly tiny. My wife couldn't even squeeze them on and she's pretty petite. Sent them back and paid to ship them myself. Got a refund for thirty three dollars. Seriously, stay away. This company is sketchy.