oskar

Hi all, last year I bought myself a new jacket. And after some research, mostly here I decided that 686 was the way to go.
Since the 686 dealer here does not carry over 10k waterproofing and prices them as 20k I ordered online obviously....
Went with 686 Plexus Beta, and when it arrived I was amazed at how fucking tiny the zipper was....On it's 3rd day the zipper would come open from the bottom, a problem that would prove more then annoying after repeatedly having to remove mitts to zip down/up again!
The jacket now has 20 days on it and the zipper is now totally fucked, and according to 686 website is not covered by the warranty because I ordered it online...
Great quality 686..cough......

The jacket was my 30 year birthday present to myself.
I knew I should have went with Burton AK,
I will never be buying from 686 again.
That it, That's all.

hikeswithdogs

Not surprised I've had several year 1 zipper blow outs, I've found most snowboard centric gear is pretty poorly manufactured compared to backcountry gear made by manufactures like Marmot, mountain hard wear, pantagonia , arcteryx, REI , backcountry.com ect. If you want quality you unfortunetly you have to pay for it in most cases and it won't be as "cool" or "trendy" as gear from brands like 686, burton, nixon, ect.

mdc

Word! Bail on the Snowboard company gear(especially Burton AK) and buy something from the legit outdoor gear companies as hikes said above. That said I have a 686 jacket I got dirt cheap and it's been legit but nothing like my Patagonia and Mountain Hardware gear. Also remember the good gear is $$$ but most companies offer a lifetime warranty. I've returned Patagonia gear that I've owned for over 10 years, got brand new replacements no questions asked.

Take that 686 jacket to the local seamstress and have the zipper replaced.

HoboMaster

Totally, no reason to throw out a perfectly good jacket. I think it really depends on the model because some of the snowboard brand gear is bulletproof - but clearly not all of it. I've been using a Burton shell jacket for about 4 years now and it's still in great condition, I just have to waterproof it every season.

__________________
PowderHound and TreeNinja

hikeswithdogs

Don't get me wrong I still have a burton jacket and DC pants I wear but I don't expect them to last more than 2 seasons(max)and I got them both for like 80% off in online auctions so I could care aless about them, their disposable compared to the gear I use for backpacking\mountaineering and when I'm in the backcountry or any dangerous\uber cold\wet environment those are the clothes I wear but no reason to wear them out on normal resort days.

grafta

Yeh I got 686 pants (20K) and jacket (10K). Durability is ok, am careful of jacket zipper cos it feels plasticky. My main gripe is that neither stand up to wet at all. Gotta admit we are on the west coast, so should've gone with some more serious gear if I want to ride during a dump. You'd think 20K pants would be ok... gonna bomb em with waterproofing spray again and see what happens

hikeswithdogs

As long as you keep the waterproof spray\wash\soak fresh(sometimes I buy the non-breathable stuff used for tents) you should be ok but in the future where you live(Tahoe?) I'd get shells with eVent or quality Gortex membrane that way they can be used for 3 season hiking\camping as well as snowboarding.

grafta

Vancouver, BC...

Yah, jacket has lining so wash-in doesn't work so well. Got some spray from 3 Vets that seems to work ok. Got obsessed with waterproofing non-waterproof goods last winter with it. Good stuff

Def heading the way of goretex et al. Sigh... $$$$$$$$$$$

hikeswithdogs

I hear ya I need a new eVent\Gortex jacket\shell as I trashed my old one this spring, guess I'll just have to get by with whatever until I see a good deal on steep and cheap or the clearence rack at REI :-(

grafta

Who does pay full price? I have no idea! I don't even shop online and still manage to cop gear while sales are on. You'd kinda have to be a bit slow to not... or have too much money. That'd be nice I guess