Following a post in a Facebook group I contacted osprey via their online form regarding a broken buckle on my 3yr old viper pack.
Two hours later received email they would put two new buckles in post today and I should have them by Monday.
Just thought I would highlight excellent customer service when you only normally hear about negative experiences.

Everything I’ve heard about them had been positive, and their kit is great.

They are a genuinely good company. Mike Pfotenhauer, owner and founder, is an inspiration. When he needed to offshore manufacturing to stay competitive, he moved his family out to the new factory to live there for a while. Real dedication.

Good company, good people, good products.

I’ve had a very similar experience to the OP.

Contacted Osprey about a broken buckle and they sent me two for free :o)

Nice. Had similar experiences with Evoc (twice) and Oakley recently. In all cases it was my cack handedness that caused the breakage, and they send the replacemtn bits FOC.

Broke a buckle on a Camelback Kudu, a couple of weeks old and I trod on it, when stopped on the trail

Couldn’t help me, would have been happy to pay for it.

Very disappointed.

Hey, who did you contact about your evoc buckle? Silverfish have helped me in the past but the new distributor’s website (https://www.zyrofisher.co.uk/) says contact the retailer.

Cheers!

Life’s too short to be chasing down buckles on warranty. Lots of slotted replacement buckles on eBay, or field repair items like here, that don’t require any strap stitching:
https://m.needlesports.com/advancedsearch.aspx?Term=Buckles

Whilst I’m sure you’re right, that’s not really the point! Just let the OP be nice about someone and leave it be!

Actually for latter reply who was having issues tracking down a replacement.

Broke a buckle on a Camelback Kudu, a couple of weeks old and I trod on it, when stopped on the trail

Couldn’t help me, would have been happy to pay for it.

Very disappointed.

Similar here. Closed the car door on a Camelbak Lobo waist buckle. Camelback absolutely useless. Would never buy from them again. “Got your back!” My arse…

Yes but Camelback make awesome assault rifles though.

Hey, who did you contact about your evoc buckle? Silverfish have helped me in the past but the new distributor’s website (https://www.zyrofisher.co.uk/) says contact the retailer.

Cheers!

Asked “customer.services@zyrofisher.co.uk” where I could source a chest strap buckle – they have a spares box and sent me one FOC.

(Edit: this was at the bginning of March this year).

thegeneralist

Member
Yes but Camelback make awesome assault rifles though.

Citation needed!

I know they make good packs like the motherlode (which the latest UK assault pack is a fairly cheap copy of), but was not aware they had changed to actual weapons as well!

jrdubya

Subscriber
Hey, who did you contact about your evoc buckle?

Both times I mailed service@evocsports.com directly, and they organsied the part to be sent to me via Silverfish who were distributors at the time.

Yes but Camelback make awesome assault rifles though.

Citation needed!

Would you buy a cycling product that’s made by a firearms company? There’s a good chance you already have

Life’s too short to be chasing down buckles on warranty. Lots of slotted replacement buckles on eBay, or field repair items like here, that don’t require any strap stitching:
https://m.needlesports.com/advancedsearch.aspx?Term=Buckles

Wouldn’t call a 30sec form exactly ‘chasing down’

+1 for Osprey customer service.

I have the Pogo Ag premium child carrier that should have come with a rain cover. I didn’t know this until months after I bought it. Spoke them who sent me one FOC.

Quality packs, quality server.

Quick update, replacement buckles arrived in post this morning 👌🏻

I had an issue with leaky bladder on my osprey pack – sent them an email asking if they supply them as a spare part, I had a new one in the post that night FOC – I’ve bought 2 more packs for other people since from Osprey because of that kind of customer service. It does seem to be a dying art sadly.

Wouldn’t call a 30sec form exactly ‘chasing down’

As stated, I was offering a solution to a later poster who’d been knocked back by the manufacturer, told to contact a retailer who may or may not be able/willing to help, and was asking for advice on the forum.

Buckles, often of a proprietary design, get broken or brittle with age. Good practise to have some generic quick-fit replacements in the spares bin, to avoid downtime on a bit of kit. I’ve got a 25 year old rucsac where literally every buckle has been replaced over the years with this type of slotted design, no sewing involved:

They work fine, never felt any need to get more permanent replacements sorted out. The ones out now with screw-in pins rather than slots probably also work fine, but might lose the pins over time. I like keeping it simple.

Nice to hear this.

It’s the exact opposite of my experience with Thule

I had an issue with a bite valve on Osprey hydration bladder, quick email and a FOC one was in the post almost immediately.

I have 5 osprey packs of various sizes and vintages in my house.  My hiking daypack is getting on for 13 years old and is still perfectly functional.

montgomery

Member
Wouldn’t call a 30sec form exactly ‘chasing down’

As stated, I was offering a solution to a later poster who’d been knocked back by the manufacturer, told to contact a retailer who may or may not be able/willing to help, and was asking for advice on the forum.

Apologies my bad.

Mine was the buckle with the built in magnet to hold bladder tube. Not sure if these are readily available?

Timely thread, the buckle on my 6 year old Osprey walking day sack has just gone. I’d seen some slightly shoddy looking knock off ones on t’interweb. I will ask Osprey.

It’s probably my favourite bit of outdoor gear, it fits perfectly, has some brilliant little design features and apart from the buckle, appears brand new after 6 years of hard use. Love Osprey kit.

Always worth hunting through extremetextile, lots of odd stuff on there that can give you ideas for interesting modifications and repairs.

Feedback like this is a big part of the reason I just bought a Raptor 10 after years with Camelbaks. The firearm thing was also a part of it. I have to say the Raptor is superbly put together and I really like the bladder. Bite valve lock is a bit more fiddly though.

I also found Thule to be a bag of shit, no spare parts support for a £300 rack just out of warranty? Pathetic, won’t be buying from them again.

My Osprey laptop bag came with a load of spare buckles in different ‘colourways’, I’ve managed to tread on them all and now I need spares 🙂

my 3yr old osprey escapist rucksac, the zip caught and tore a hole in the material behind it.
It took osprey a week or 2 to repair it for me.