For everybody that says avy bags are too expensive.....

[SledsWest]

...SnowBigDeal is having their Thanksgiving sale right now and they have ABS bags that are usually over $1000 marked down to $750 and $850. BCA bags are down around $600-$650. No reason not to get one if you ride the mountains!

 

[RidewithChrisBrown]

What's your life worth? It can happen to anyone in the backcountry...

 

[suitcase]

If you ride the backcountry you more than likely have a good amount invested in your sled, Whats another 600 hundred bucks or so to save your life?

 

[KJFarmer]

Of course a week after i buy mine they go onsale for $60 bucks cheaper! haha

 

[RaggedEdgePerformance]

It drives me crazy when I hear people say oh that's too expensive for an avy bag. When you really look at it you likely have a $10,00 plus sled, $20,000 plus truck to pull the sled and trailer with, and sled trailer if enclosed minimum $3000. I realize that the Avy bag is not "angel wings" but for an additional $600-$800 even $1000 it sure is a nice piece of insurance! I firmly believe that you have to keep your head about you and ride with the proper gear in the backcountry - beacon, probe, shovel are a must. The avy bag is a great tool if you use it responsibly.

 

[907to406]

Kind of off the subject of the sale, but has anyone tried the Avi Vest and if so what is your opinion? For some reason I like the vest idea better than the backpack, especially since I can store spare tools, snacks, water and an extra layer in/on my sled. Thanks

 

[Jonce]

Kind of off the subject of the sale, but has anyone tried the Avi Vest and if so what is your opinion? For some reason I like the vest idea better than the backpack, especially since I can store spare tools, snacks, water and an extra layer in/on my sled. Thanks

I'm interested to hear these opinions on the avivest as well.

 

[Matte Murder]

I have the Snopulse Avy vest and really like it. Feels better, lighter than a pack and I like the chest and shoulder protection. Seems really well made and I like how easy it is to get the bottles filled locally.

 

[snowmobiler]

still to spendy for me.

 

[Blk88GT]

still to spendy for me.

Still cheaper than a funeral.

 

[diggerdown]

Still cheaper than a funeral.

You're right about that but the point about being too expensive is right too. $20.00 to make a $600.00 product is a lot of markup! Almost as bad as $100 for a $2.00 plastic windshield.

 

[TGitt]

Or you could just stay home on the way bad avy days, and that way save money! I would really like one of these though, but $700 bucks goes a long way for tuition, on a low avy day last year, I fell through a cornice looking at a drop, and got carried down the hill a ways, I hope thats the closest I ever get... Made for some pretty cool GoPro footage though! Made me really want an ABS pack though..

 

[SledsWest]

You're right about that but the point about being too expensive is right too. $20.00 to make a $600.00 product is a lot of markup! Almost as bad as $100 for a $2.00 plastic windshield.

If you think you can make an avy bag for $20 then go for it!!! I don't think you are taking all the research & development, salaries, testing, marketing, etc, etc, etc...... into consideration when you are claiming these bags to have overly inflated profit margins. Also, welcome to capitalism. Again, if you think you can make an avy bag cheaper, do it and then make sure you sell it for the exact cost of the manufacturing so that people can't get mad at you for making a profit on your work and ideas. It might be even better if you just considered all the work and time a gift to the human race and just gave them away.

 

[PJ-Hunter]

You're right about that but the point about being too expensive is right too. $20.00 to make a $600.00 product is a lot of markup! Almost as bad as $100 for a $2.00 plastic windshield.

I just spit my lunch all over my monitor!!

They are expensive and it is a very hard pill to swallow. But I decided that my two boys would rather have their Daddy come home alive in his truck after a ride, than going home in a bag.

 

[diggerdown]

If you think you can make an avy bag for $20 then go for it!!! I don't think you are taking all the research & development, salaries, testing, marketing, etc, etc, etc...... into consideration when you are claiming these bags to have overly inflated profit margins. Also, welcome to capitalism. Again, if you think you can make an avy bag cheaper, do it and then make sure you sell it for the exact cost of the manufacturing so that people can't get mad at you for making a profit on your work and ideas. It might be even better if you just considered all the work and time a gift to the human race and just gave them away.

I suppose you believe Klim has $300 in a pair of Tog. bibs for $400, that chinese labor is pretty expensive.

 

[CO_MapMaker]

Or you could just stay home on the way bad avy days, and that way save money! I would really like one of these though, but $700 bucks goes a long way for tuition, on a low avy day last year, I fell through a cornice looking at a drop, and got carried down the hill a ways, I hope thats the closest I ever get... Made for some pretty cool GoPro footage though! Made me really want an ABS pack though..

Come on now, let's see that video....

 

[SledsWest]

I suppose you believe Klim has $300 in a pair of Tog. bibs for $400, that chinese labor is pretty expensive.

Maybe not, but somebody put time, effort, research, development, labor, marketing, shipping, customer support, etc into getting those bibs to be the best bibs on the market to keep you dry and warm. Again, if you think its just as simple as calling up China and getting some cheap labor to whip up a batch of cheap snow bibs and then trick all the snowmobilers into believing that they are staying dry and warm so that you build a reputation of having quality products, all the while you are pocketing the 95% profit on your shoddily made, cheap product, then whats stopping you from making a lot of money from your insight and ability to outsmart everybody with cheap, easily made products like you believe those guys at Klim or ABS are doing?

 

[The Goat]

I suppose you believe Klim has $300 in a pair of Tog. bibs for $400, that chinese labor is pretty expensive.

Let's see here, your first example ($20 for a $600 pack) would put the profit margin at 96.7%. If you apply that to your Klim example, you're telling me Klim can make a pair of Togwotee bibs and pay for testing, marketing, salaries, etc.......for 13 bucks? I doubt that. Could be wrong though

You saw what happened when BCA tried to sell an airbag for only $500. That price didn't last long. Turns out that engineering an airbag is a bit more involved than stitching a balloon to a Walmart backpack.

 

[diggerdown]

They make basically the same outfit for boating life preservers and sell them for $80.00 Only difference is the size of the air bag. You can't put a price on saving a life what I'm trying to say is they have a lot of markup in these things, many outfits do the same, just saying so. My nephew had a suit tailor made for him in Thailand last year, his cost $25.00. He checked here, same suit, same material $600. Companies are making hugh profits getting things made in Asia. I don't know where these bags are made but I do know they could get them put together real cheap.

 

[9500blizzard]

I've always thought if you were ever in an avalanche, barried, thinking how you didnt spend that "grand", that would be a brutal final thought.