Sportsman's Guide

[slugger]

Has anyone ordered from the Sportsman's Guide catalog? Prices seem too good to be true.

 

[sandbur]

I have stayed away for the last 10 years or so. Quality did not suit me. Things might have changed.

 

[Jim Timber]

They're based out of S. St Paul. Generally speaking, they are as advertised. Sometimes they have milsurp stuff that's not in as good of shape as they lead on. They have a good return policy if you're in person though. No clue about online transactions. I'd make sure your subscription covers an available transaction before committing to buying it. They have been known to run out of stuff and never get more of it.

Also, they have an outlet at their showroom - returned goods for big discounts.

 

[phil@thesidehill]

yeah its pretty much up to the buyer to be informed prior to pulling the trigger. aside from their own private label stuff and the obvious cheapo off brands...they do snatch up close out first quality inventory from well known and reputable brands. I picked up a pair of Steiner 10x42's for half the price from them about 6 yrs ago....by far my favorite piece of glass.

 

[foggy]

They have a few good deals.....but mostly I feel like I'm shopping at the dollar store. Pretty low-quality disposable items abound.

In time gone by I used to stop at their retail store and close-out room Never really found anything of great value. I tried to sell them a few things thru my old company.....and they were always wanting super deals, discontinued, or close out goods.....at a huge discount (or a give-away price). Lots of "miss-cue" brands IMO. I always thought they diminished my brand.....so I stayed away from selling them.

 

[Tree Spud]

Brand name goods are fine as long as you know what you are buying. The off brand stuff can have some poor quality & materials.

 

[j-bird]

I have gotten some stuff from them in the past - a few hang-on stands. Quality isn't the best, but I am still using the stands. Most of their lower priced tuff is truely cheaper stuff - and you typically get what you pay for. I figured as much when I ordered from them and it wasn't junk, but it wasn't top tier stuff either.

 

[BJE80]

Yes I purchased lots of stuff from them. If you are looking for top of the line stuff then it is not for you. If you want serviceable gear at a very low cost then it is a great place to shop. Sometimes you can even find the brand name stuff real cheap and then it is really a nice deal. By the way, they do allow returns on most items and their customer service is actaully top notch.

 

[Jeff23]

Yeah- they're okay unless you're expecting a Cadillac at Hyundai price. Sometimes the prices of name brand products aren't anything special, so it pays to shop around.

 

[Jim Timber]

They've had some close-out crossbow deals that were pretty awesome a couple years ago, and they'll often have ammo in stock at not all that unreasonable prices (all things considered lately), but you do need to know what you're after as others have said. I've left the showroom empty handed more often than not, so it's not like the Cabela's bargain cave where you can really find some deals if you hit them on the right day.

 

[scott44]

I have bought from them, name brand not their "Guide Gear" brand. I haven't had any troubles with anything I have bought.

 

[slugger]

I was thinking of the brand name stuff in their catalog. I was looking at trail cams.

 

[Jim Timber]

Oh, and stay far away from the "roadkill sausage" - terrible, and expensive.

 

[bat man]

If you rate ever in St Paul swing in. 494 and Concorde I believe. I spent $12 and have swiss rain ponchos for everyone in camp. Some very good rock bottom at the store from time to time.

 

[Kansas-andres]

My Dad has ordered stuff from them for over 15 years. He bought a trail camera from them four years ago that is still working today.....IMO, buy with confidence

 

[Kansas-andres]

Oh, and stay far away from the "roadkill sausage" - terrible, and expensive.

Road kill sausage???? thats a given to avoid??????:D

 

[tooln]

I've purchased from them but you really have to watch what you buy. Read very carfully what you are looking at. But like most of my stuff I like to see and feel it before buying.

 

[Jim Timber]

Road kill sausage???? thats a given to avoid??????:D

Actually, it looked pretty darn good from the ingredients list! The problem was they blended in about 8 ounces of fat and undercooked the meat. Grease pâté is a more appropriate label than sausage. They're trying to push it for $20 bucks now, but I only paid $12 and felt ripped off. Cooking it more didn't even help; just made warm greasy meat puree disks out of it. This stuff was hard to cut without mushing out the casing.

Rabbit, wild boar, venison, elk, antelope, and beef - sounds like a winner right?