Northern Mountain Supply

Full review
When I lived in Northern California most of my outdoor gear was purchased at Northern Mountain Supply's retail store. Why? They offered excellent price tags and customer service was always a priority. So what about their online store. Is it equally as impressive?

About Northern Mountain Supply:

Northern Mountain Supply Online Store is a small outdoor gear and supply store that features a variety of general outdoor equipment, ranging from climbing chalk to family sized tents. Though Northern Mountain Supply does feature products that can be used for winter actives, you'll find that most gear here is sold for activities like kayaking, hiking, rock climbing, and other activities that are "usually" performed in the summertime.

Formatting/Navigation: C-

Northern Mountain Supply Online Store has improved their site's format over the years, however they still offer a somewhat messy and unorganized format. One of my biggest gripes is the font size of the product category tabs in contrast to the rest of the icons on the home page. Even when you click on a product, results are displayed in tiny font down the middle of the page surrounded by off-topic links to various products. When you do find a product that you are interested in, Northern Mountain Supply does feature a good description of the product, however photography is limited to a single view on most items. At Northern Mountain Supply you don't need to register with this company to buy anything, however if you do you will save even more money with 10% discounts on most regularly priced items. Payment methods accepted at Northern Mountain Supply’s Online Store include major credit cards, money orders, and bank transfers.

Checking out is kept painless. After finding a product you simply fill out your billing information and you are done. Almost immediately after submitting billing info, a confirmation e-mail is sent and in less than 24 hours I got my tracking number.



Prices: A

The prices at Northern Mountain supply range anywhere from average to excellent. For being such a small store, the prices are quite impressive and match if not beat those offered from larger online stores, i.e. Altrec and Backcountry. The best place to look for a great deal is in the "KillerDeals" section, where you can easily save 60-70% on products. I purchased my Fly-Lite sleeping bag for a mere 99 bucks; almost 45% off retail and cheaper than any store I could find online or off.

Shipping Charges: A+

One of my biggest gripes with many online stores is gouged shipping charges. While Northern Mountain Supply does charge a nominal $5 fee on orders totaling under 50 dollars, they don't charge a penny for UPS ground shipping on all orders over 50 dollars. If ground shipping isn't quick enough, Northern Mountain Supply offers a host of faster FedEx options at an extra cost. Note: This store will ship internationally: free shipping doesn't apply for international orders.

Return Policy: F

The return policy at Northern Mountain Supply store is well below adequate. Northern Mountain Supply offers a mere 10 days to return a product if you are dissatisfied or if it is defective (climbing equipment/food cannot be returned at all unless it arrives defective). Other than eBay stores, this is one of the shortest times to return a product I found online. As far as I know, Northern Mountain Supply doesn't charge restocking fees.

Selection: B-

The selection at Northern Mountain Supply isn't as limited as some online stores, however the selection at this store is still pretty weak. To explain, Northern Mountain Supply has a limited supply of winter gear, water activity gear, protective eyewear, etc. The types of gear they do have (mostly limited to climbing, hiking, camping, and paddling) is plentiful, however, with over 100 name brands to choose from. This store also features as small selection of outdoor electronics and miscellaneous outdoor gear.

Customer Service: A+

The staff at Northern Mountain Supply’s retail store (in Eureka CA) were always so nice and courteous and the same can be said about those who work the online customer service department. Great customer service combined with good prices is a combo that is so rare to find in an online store these days, so it was refreshing to find that this online store offers a surplus of both. If I have any gripes with the customer service department, it would be their 1-800 number hours (10-5 PST), however I have only had to inquire about my order once due to a mistake I had thought I made. Everything was cleared up in less than a few minutes. Got to love stores with staff who know what they are talking about!

Arrival Times: A+

I live almost 3,200 miles away from Eureka CA, so I don't expect the quickest ground shipping times. However, Northern mountain supply had my product shipped within 24 hours and my sleeping bag arrived in less than 5 business days; not bad at all! When my sleeping bag did arrive, it was professionally packaged and exactly the way it was portrayed on their website. I am impressed.

Overall: A-

Northern Mountain Supply’s online store does have its shortcomings, i.e. a somewhat sloppy format and a poor return policy, however the great customer service a this store, the excellent price tags, and the amazing shipping (free on orders over 50 bucks) far outweigh the negatives in this case. If you are looking for an outdoor gear store for your summer outdoor activities, I highly suggest checking out Northern Mountain Supply. I wouldn’t hesitate to shop here again.


Stars = 4.2



Thanks for reading-