# PSa: Black Diamond Softshell jackets at Costco 26.99



## Philpug (Aug 30, 2008)

I was at Costco today and saw these...$26.99, yep, thats right. 

Colors are:
Black/Black
Dk. Blue/Black
Olive/Black

Such a deal. I bought one for myself and one for Ty as a Xmas present. For 27 bucks how can you go wrong??


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## Moe Ghoul (Aug 30, 2008)

Nice bargain, gotta love it.


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## o3jeff (Aug 30, 2008)

I saw them there the other day and debated about grabbing one, but decided against it since I never heard of that brand.

Are they suppose to be pretty good?


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## Philpug (Aug 30, 2008)

o3jeff said:


> I saw them there the other day and debated about grabbing one, but decided against it since I never heard of that brand.
> 
> Are they suppose to be pretty good?



Black Diamond has been around for a long time. It's no Arc'Teryx but it is also on 27 bucks. As my buddy would say..'I'll pay 27 bucks to watch a money **** a coconut":razz:.


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## deadheadskier (Aug 30, 2008)

What would something like that cost normally for that brand?  $27 does sound like a great deal, downright steep and cheapish


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## o3jeff (Aug 30, 2008)

Two more questions, are they water and wind proof?


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## Philpug (Aug 30, 2008)

deadheadskier said:


> What would something like that cost normally for that brand?  $27 does sound like a great deal, downright steep and cheapish



Googled them, cheapest I could find anywhere for a Softshell was 49.99



o3jeff said:


> Two more questions, are they water and wind proof?



"bonded waterproof breathable barrier". I tried to blow some air through it with no luck.

Before anyone asks, there are no pit zips.


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## Hawkshot99 (Aug 30, 2008)

Isnt Costco the devil?


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## deadheadskier (Aug 30, 2008)

Hawkshot99 said:


> Isnt Costco the devil?



No BJ's is  :lol:


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## riverc0il (Aug 30, 2008)

o3jeff said:


> I saw them there the other day and debated about grabbing one, but decided against it since I never heard of that brand.
> 
> Are they suppose to be pretty good?


Extremely well respected brand in the back country contingent. I have a BD zip fleece that I swear by.


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## Phillycore (Aug 30, 2008)

sweet deal for sure....

I already own 2 north face apex bionic softshells that I ABSOLUTELY swear by...
If they had a Vest I'd probably be picking up a costco membership just for that...
(there isn't one really anywhere near me. think King of Prussia is closest)

Oh well...  good find for sure...


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## Trekchick (Aug 30, 2008)

Hawkshot99 said:


> Isnt Costco the devil?


Better not let you hear I[hart]Costco hear you say that!


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## Hawkshot99 (Aug 30, 2008)

deadheadskier said:


> No BJ's is  :lol:



BJ's are not the devil....:grin:


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## GrilledSteezeSandwich (Aug 30, 2008)

I [Hart] Skiing said:


> Before anyone asks, there are no pit zips.



no pit zips..lol..anyway was the receipt checker friendly????


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## ski_resort_observer (Aug 30, 2008)

Black Diamond sportswear started in Barre, Vermont, now in Montpelier and the Bush has been using their stuff for uni's and sold them in the shop for years. Their fleece comes from Malden Mills, MA.(good stuff) and all of their clothes is made in American.

The website says Waitsfield, not sure what's that is about as the company is not located in the MRV. Perhaps the owner lives here.


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## bigbog (Aug 31, 2008)

*....*

Dynamite deal man, just make sure they're the real thing!...

$.01,
SteveD


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## Philpug (Aug 31, 2008)

bigbog said:


> Dynamite deal man, just make sure they're the real thing!...
> 
> $.01,
> SteveD



Never had ANY issue with ANYTHING I have bought from Costco.


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## Marc (Sep 4, 2008)

I [Hart] Skiing said:


> Never had ANY issue with ANYTHING I have bought from Costco.



I had a big issue one time with moldy rolls.


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## Trekchick (Sep 4, 2008)

Marc said:


> I had a big issue one time with moldy rolls.


Were they black market?


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## eastcoastpowderhound (Sep 4, 2008)

riverc0il said:


> Extremely well respected brand in the back country contingent. I have a BD zip fleece that I swear by.



different company...you're talking about Black Diamond Equipment Ltd this is Black Diamond Sportswear.  
    I used to buy a substantial amount of logo fleece product from them for several years, good quality stuff, as someone already said most of its made in america and Malden Mills fleece.  I bought these softshells for a resort logo program...good quality product (but they were made in Korea if I recall) and $27 was our cost on them...so that deal at costco is ~20% below the listed wholesale of the item.  Its likely they are over runs or samples that costco picked up for a song...they'd sell for at least $69.95 or so in most shops


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## Philpug (Sep 4, 2008)

eastcoastpowderhound said:


> different company...you're talking about Black Diamond Equipment Ltd this is Black Diamond Sportswear.
> I used to buy a substantial amount of logo fleece product from them for several years, good quality stuff, as someone already said most of its made in america and Malden Mills fleece.  I bought these softshells for a resort logo program...good quality product (but they were made in Korea if I recall) and $27 was our cost on them...so that deal at costco is ~20% below the listed wholesale of the item.  Its likely they are over runs or samples that costco picked up for a song...they'd sell for at least $69.95 or so in most shops



How do you think they compare to much higher end softshells?


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## ski_resort_observer (Sep 4, 2008)

Construction of the Gatehouse/Castlerock Pub expansion has begun and in the shop all BD fleece is 50% off. Gotta make room for all the new stuff coming in next month. Polarmax, Camebak and Smartwool/Euro socks all 50% off. Come on up, check out the color, stop in, say hi to a couple of fellow zoners and save a bunkle! :smile:


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## eastcoastpowderhound (Sep 5, 2008)

I [Hart] Skiing said:


> How do you think they compare to much higher end softshells?



they lack some of the bells and whistles like zipper garages and h2o proof zippers and they don't have a gore-tex membrane like some of the $200+ softshells from TNF, Marmot, etc...but they're micro fleece lined, have a high collar, and a water resistant coating...they're more weather worthy than most of the $100 softshells.  For $27 its a great deal even if you only wear it as your commuter coat.  All this is based on the piece I was buying from them over a year ago...I haven't seen the costco one in person, but the pic looks just like it.  Still, for $27 its hard to go wrong.


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## gmcunni (Sep 6, 2008)

Heading to Costco this afternoon. Hopefully they'll have some left in our local store.   My wife has a thing for purses and shoes, i have a thing for jackets


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## gmcunni (Sep 6, 2008)

proud owner of a new green/black softshell from costco.


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## gmcunni (Feb 25, 2012)

gmcunni said:


> proud owner of a new green/black softshell from costco.



still wearing it. love this softshell when it is too cold for my TNF shell


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## thetrailboss (Feb 25, 2012)

Still love mine!  Got my wife one, my FIL one, and my brother got a SS vest at the factory store for $20.  These did not come from Costco, but similar.  

http://forums.alpinezone.com/showthread.php?t=91630&highlight=Black+Diamond


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## o3jeff (Feb 26, 2012)

gmcunni said:


> still wearing it. love this softshell when it is too cold for my TNF shell



Is it the same one they had this year?


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## gmcunni (Feb 26, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> Is it the same one they had this year?



didn't see this years


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## thetrailboss (Sep 19, 2014)

Update.  

Sad news.  I had not heard anything in a while about these folks and went on to their Facebook page to find:



> After 40 years Double Diamond Sportswear is closing their doors. We will miss our customers and appreciate your business over the years.
> All remaining blankets, fleece and softshell jackets and vests are reduced to $10.00. Limited sizes available and all sales are final. Cash and carry only, sorry no shipping.
> Everything must go including office desks, files, bookcases. All at $10.00.
> Stop by and check out our free tables full of hangers, banker boxes, desk organizers, staplers, office supplies, etc.
> Thanks for a great 40 years!





Well, Bittersweet in a way since it looks like the owner just finally retired.  

It's kind of appropriate that I just bought my newest Black Diamond/Double Diamond item only a few weeks back at Snowmass.....a nice softshell vest on clearance with the Aspen/Snowmass logo.  Love it.  And it was only a few weeks from the 20th anniversary of my first purchase at Black Diamond...that was a vest as well.  

I'm sure that DHS and others who were in Vermont in the 1990's remember Black Diamond.  They had a hole-in-the-wall shop on Route 100 in Waterbury Center on the way north to Stowe.  They sold their outerwear and custom T-Shirts that you could make to order with the different graphics.  

They also had a retail store in the University Mall...right in the corner by the Guest Services Desk.  It was a nice shop that showed all their stuff. 

I wax on because the store and their gear played a role in my "coming of age" as an outdoors sports enthusiast.  First, I remember first learning about Sugarbush there in 1993 or so when they were promoting Warren Miller's "Black Diamond Rush" movie.  I grabbed a trail map and an oversized "Sugarbush" Magazine that I still have from the store.  As I rode home with my family, a young impressionable teenager then, I read about the Egan Brothers and stared at awesome action shots and the map of the area.  I wanted to ski there so bad...and I did for several years in college, law school, and after.  

But their gear was the first I could afford to buy for hiking, camping, skiing, and snowshoeing.  In 1993 my Grandfather died and it really was a big blow to me.  I inherited some of his outdoor gear, including his handmade wooden snowshoes.  That next summer I mowed my Grandmother's lawn....my "first" real job.  With the money I earned from that and other odd jobs I bought my first REAL outdoor item of my own with my own money....it was a Black Diamond Polartec 200 fleece vest that I wore pretty much everyday that year and often as a layer skiing.  It lasted me a damn long time.  In typical Black Diamond fashion the price was "marked down" in pencil.  After that I bought two more fleece jackets, a pair of fleece pants for insulation, and a "3-in-1" ski jacket that I still have and use to this day.  

In those years they were ahead of their time.  They were one of the first to really embrace the "Polartec" fleece made by Malden Mills.  They also used other experimental fabrics and materials.  As someone said in another thread the thing that was extra special was that the MADE their own stuff in Vermont....first in Waterbury and then in Barre/Berlin.  

But like everything else times changed.  After I went graduated from College and moved away for a brief time they began to outsource their stuff.  Sometime around 2005 or so they closed their retail store in the Mall.  They went into wholesale (go to Sierra Trading Post for their leftovers) and then a small online store of their own.  As others said, they did logo stuff for resorts and sold Costco for a number of years.  

In 2010 I stumbled upon an ad in a local paper in Waterbury...turns out that for years they did a "warehouse" sale for locals--cash and carry--during November and December.  It was an institution...like the "Darn Tough" sock sale weekends.  I decided to go and look after skiing one day.  I was a kid in a candy store...and walked out with a lot of nice stuff.  

Since then I've seen their stuff at Snowbird, Alta, and at Snowmass.  I have a couple fleece pullovers logoed for Snowbird and a fleece vest from Snowbird.  This spring I found a vintage Sugarloaf/USA vest from probably the late 1990's made by the old school Black Diamond...."Made in Vermont."  Got it in my office and wear it.  I always said to folks out here that it was nice to find something here from Vermont...with Utah on it as well.  

It was that Fall sale that made me go to their Facebook Page....as well as the fact that Costco does not have their jackets this year.  I was hoping that they would be open on the weekend I am in Vermont this fall.  It turns out that they will not be.  

Rest in Peace, Black Diamond/Double Diamond.  You played a big role in my outdoor life.


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