It’s about time. Used gear shops and buyback programs have taken off in popularity over the last few years, as the current generation finally wakes up realizes what many of us have known for a long time: you DON’T have to buy all your gear brand new. Used and worn gear (or well-loved, as some people like to call it) works just as well.
Gear forums and local outfitters (and of course, Ebay) usually serve as most outdoorsy folks’ go-to resource for buying used gear. But some of the biggest names in outdoor gear have launched their own buyback programs and used gear stores, just in the past couple years – Patagonia, the North Face and REI being the most prominent.
Arc’teryx – whose gear generally carries the highest resale value of all those giants – has finally joined in the Used Gear Fray.
Arc’teryx Rock Solid: Refurbishing and Repurposing Your Gear
It works like this: Bring in some used Arc’teryx gear of yours that’s still in good shape, and they’ll give you 20% of the item’s price tag as store credit. They will then refurbish it and resell it at a discount to folks looking to save some dough on their outdoor kit.
If the gear can’t be properly refurbished and sold, they will donate it to an outdoor organization or program who will be glad to accept some used gear (and will gratefully wear it into the ground for you).
Easy, Quick Trade-Ins
Arc’teryx’s Rock Solid program accepts trade-ins via both mail and at any retail store. The actual program (and gear assessments) are managed by Yerdle, the California-based company that handles resale programs for REI, Patagonia and Eileen Fisher, among others.
Do you get as much money for your used gear as you might selling it privately? Most likely not…but the goal here is The idea is to make the trade-in process as quick and painless as possible, so that you have zero excuse to not at least trade it in. Maybe it’ll help to just think of it as a discount on the Vancouver-based outfitter’s pricey premium gear.
If you’d like to participate – or snag some refurbished Arc’Teryx gear at a hefty discount – then head over to Rock Solid and start browsing.
