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Badlands Packs-Who has had Zipper tab/other failures?

Hardcorehunter

Hardcorehunter

UL Shelter/Stove Geek
I have. I had two break in the same day on my 2200 I bought new last year, have only used a few times, and I didn't abuse the zippers. All I did was use them; the tabs are JUNK imo.
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I fixed the problem and installed parachute cord on each failed zipper as my zipper handle, as I didn't want to spend the approx $20 each way for shipping, that Badlands requires to honor their warranty. I also had a plastic buckle break. I also had some stitching tear away on the black, rubbery material near top of pack. I resewed it myself. Very comfortable pack...but they do fail..unless mine was made on a Friday right before closing time
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I am happy with the comfort/functionality of the pack, I use it very little, except for winter hunts carrying a DB blind, Lil Buddy heater, and chair.
Just curious if there are others of you with Badland Pack issues? On a side note; my Horn Hunter pack is WAY tougher and has had some hard use/abuse this year, carrying stands and gear, with no failures.



HCH
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HardCoreHunter
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: 25' UP
Posts: 3,134


Here are some other guys with issues from Cabelas website. Here is another zipper issue like I had.


1 out of 5 1 out of 5
DON'T BUY THIS BRAND!!!!!!!!!, June 24, 2009
By Orman from Brentwood, Ca

"Don't purchase this pack if you are a serious backpacker or hunter. The pack design etc is great, but the zippers are substandard and fail. In trying to deal with the company and their lifetime guarantee, I found I had to send it to UTAH at my cost, $20 each way, and they could not telll me when I was getting it back!!! So much for a guarantee!!!! I am not sure the person I had to deal with knew what a backpack was!!! I returned the entire pack to Cabelas in Reno when I was passing through on my way to Colorado on a camping/fishing trip with no hassles. I think Cabelas should quit selling this item based on the cost, substandard zipper quality and poor customer service of the manaufacturer!!!"

Would you recommend this product to a friend? No

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...oductid=517774

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...0046765517774a
 
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Had my badlands for about 5 years now. Had one of the zipper tabs fall off and I beat the piss out of mine. Use it to pack in my lonewolf whenever I carry it in and if I am hunting a different stand it at a minimum has my sticks or bow attached. I have had it on every deer hunt I have been on in the las 5 years and have to say it is one of the better pieces of hunting equipment I own. I asked Badlands in an email if they would just send me new tabs and I received a package of 3 in the mail to fix it myself. So far so good with mine, sorry to hear about yours HCH, maybe you got into a bad lot or something.

Kratz
 
Yea, I must have gotten a lemon. I guess others on AT and you have said that Badlands admits having zipper issues.
 
I've also had one of my zipper tabs break off in the past. I sent the pack in after season and they fixed it without question for free.
 
What 'era" are the packs with bad zippers from? HCH's was a year old how old are the ones that are failing?

In other words, mine is 3-4 years old. Should I expect zipper problems or is the problem only with newer packs?
 
I had one zipper break right away on mine, three years ago. It has been used hard since with no other issues.
 
Mine has been used and abused and finally one of the zipper tabs broke this year on its 4th year. My stitching is also coming out on my lash straps from carrying the LW. I am hoping it will make it through the season, then I am going to send it in for an overhaul.
 
I've had my 2200 for quite a few years and beat the holy poop out of mine hauling in my turkey blinds/deeks/chair in the spring and my sticks and stand almost every time in the fall. I had one rubber tab pop off because I was horsing it too much but the zippers still work perfectly. All the buckles and such are still working like they should and all the stitching is still intact. I am expecting mine to start showing more wear and tear over the next year, simply because NOTHING lasts forever.

I still think Badlands makes the best pack on the market IMO.
 
I also had one zipper tab break off mine this year. I really don't want to mess with sending it in to get fixed, so I'll probably go the parachute chord route like HCH.
 
Ok, so I dont have any brand backpack, but if alls a person has to worry about is a zipper tab breaking off... Still sounds like the pack is worth the $. Some of the storys I have heard about LW packs and the abuse they can take makes me consider buying one and I dont even need one.
 
I had a zipper pull break on me too. Also one of the waist clips. I emailed them and am hoping they will just send me a couple.
It seems like my zippers are a little hard to pull. I'm guessing everyones is like that. If you grasp the zipper pull about halfway down it tends to want to bend the pull. Once i get the new ones on i will be grabbing it as close to the zipper as i can.
I also want to find a way to lube the zipper to help it out a little. Scentless of course. Would vegetable oil work the best, or is there anything else out there that would work better?
 
i had a problem with my 2200 last year right in the middle of rut and it was brand new. called them up and they said they didn't want to disrupt my season so they overnighted me a brand new one at no charge. i also have a superday that is probably 7 yrs old. and have never had any problems with it. they said they were having some issues with zipper pulls they are outsourced and weren't gettin the quality they had changed them and also sent me a bunch of those free great company and product imo
 
I have both the Badlands 2200 & the Super Day Pack. I have been using both for 4-5 years. I use the 2200 for packing my Lone Wolf & DB Matrix. And the Super Day when when not using one of the afore mention.

I have never had any issues with either of these packs. :)
 
muddy said:
Badlands makes the best pack on the market
Click to expand...

they had a zipper issue for a while, but it is now fixed and their warranty and customer service is second to none. i beat the hell out of my pack too, but i wont own a different brand that is for sure, nothing else compares
 
I don't know about Badlands being the best backpack out there?? Maybe great customer service. Too many failures on my 2200 for my liking. Not to mention the AT threads and the replies here of trouble. I believe you can't go wrong with an eberlestock backpack either. These get rave reviews, and the guys that leave Badlands, seem to find great satisfaction in these packs. Lifetime warranty
http://www.eberlestock.com/Testimonials.htm

As for me, my Horn Hunter Western pack I bought used(in new condition) on AT, has had some heavy loads on it, with ZERO failures, and is extremely comfortable, has many pockets, and comes in Predator Camo. It has many padded cinch straps, which make hooking up my Lone Wolf stand on it a breeze, plus hook up straps that I use to attach my cargo net to. The Badlands can't compare to the Horn Hunter for attaching gear. These padded cinch straps are great for carrying a bow, Cat quiver, gun. The pack is tough. I don't see the western on Predators website anymore, and I believe the G2 has replaced it. They also have a, Non Typical XL, a Mainbeam, a Deluxe Fanny, and the Blind Hog. The Blind Hog, I own, and is an awesome ground blind carrier, and my girlfriend loves to carry my Lone Wolf Hand climber in it. It fits in it perfectly, and this pack is lightweight, and yet carries a load very comfortably. Warranty on Horn Hunter packs, I don't know. They are tough though, and the Predator camo fan will not go wrong with these packs. Top Notch!!
http://www.predatorcamo.com/products.html

My favorite pack to date

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IMO, Badlands isn't the end all in the world of packs. Maybe they were better made before they went to Viet Nam with production??
 
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Bonker, mine failed in the first year I had it. Again, just one of the tabs and the zipper still works fine. I have beat the tar out of my badlands, dropped it from 20-30 feet with all my gear in it multiple times, load in my LW and/or my blind on every hunt. That is the only problem I have had in 4 years. I even got the one that you used down at the ranch and bloodied up for me (thanks) from RUDD. I know if it survived some Bonker use and 4 years of Kratz beating the tar out of it, it is a good pack.

Kratz
 
I was at the Safari Club show in Reno in Jan and stopped at the Badlands booth. I had 2 zipper pulls break and they said the had a bad batch of them. The gave me some new ones no charge. Just call them and they will send you some new pulls.
 
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