This thing is amazing! It is even easier to walk a dog with, I don't think I will go back to a leash either. I can't mush due to knee injury but walk and hiking is fine.

well worth the wait, well not 6 months but I love this thing!!

Did it really take 6 months to come in?

I ordered a bunch of gear from AO in early February and am still waiting, it's been almost 7 weeks now when they said it would be less then 5. If I can expect to wait another 20, I'll probably cancel my order.

I was just going to post about this. We too have been waiting since early feb. she said within 2 weeks I'll get a shipping notice. That was 2.5 weeks ago lol

arooroomom wrote:

I was just going to post about this. We too have been waiting since early feb. she said within 2 weeks I'll get a shipping notice. That was 2.5 weeks ago lol

That's exactly my experience.

Ordered Feb 12
Emailed on Mar 13 for an update, they responded immediately saying they were backed up and it would ship w/in 2 weeks
Emailed again Mar 27. No response.
Called several times, and left a VM Mar 28. No response.

I've read that their stuff is absolutely worth the wait, but I'm starting to get pretty aggravated at this point. It would be nice if I could at least get some kind of response from them.

Well, crap. I was waiting to order from them until my dog was closer to his adult size, but maybe I should just order now so it arrives by time he hits his adult size. Or, you know, a month or two after that...

I've sent them e-mail inquiries in the past about some of their products, but I never get a response.

I've ordered from them in the past and it was the same run around. Unless we get this new harness and it's really nice I think we'll be looking into different companies.

im sorry your all having such a hard time with alpine, i really like what they make and have not had the waiting issues you all are having, i also have never ordered a harness from them, only lines, custom lines, jorring stuff and a belt. maybe its because they only have a few if not just one lady making the harnesses. i do know that NOW is the "off" season and once they are caught up from the winter rush things do move faster.

Ya, I agree, they only have one lady making things. Winter rush is over hopefully things will go faster. I cancelled my harness because of this. I ordered in November got my stuff in march. They are also terrible to answer phones or call people back, email forget about it. I do love their products though!!

Holy crap that's some lag time! Definitely makes me appreciate the Pfaff some more. All I have to wait on is my own laziness. Maybe I should go give it a hug and buy it some oil...

Hey Eddy,
S&J could use some new ones! been 2yrs.... their size has changed......

My honest opinion on Alpine is yeah they have a good product but not that good/great that I'll ever be willing to wait the length of time they made me wait last year. They have a lot of good competition out there if they feel they don't need me I'll gladly spend my $'s else where.

I agree with Len. The harnesses from the other company that we got from the photoshoot I like much much better than Alpines. Although the ones from Alpine that I have are very old (almost 2 years) so who knows. I'll see with this new one what it looks like and how it functions. Make my decision from there.

Hey Eddy do you have instuctions on how to make these harness. I have more than one sewing machine and I would like to make Blaze one.

thanks,

Linda

I found a website. Crap, I googled it.......

http://uberpest.com/2006/10/make-your-own-dog-harness/

Yea I have seen that one.. I guess I need to print off the instructions and proceed.

Yeah. That was one of the first ones I found too. I ended up using a string to measure one I already had for Ridik and then trying a few times. When I was first trying I would only tack the nylon once at the center of where my anchors would be. That way I could easily rip the stitch out with the tool for a redo. Even after 16 harnesses, I still have to put it on the dog and make adjustments. That could also be my own OCD taking over when the harness was probably fine to begin with.

One tip I do have for the DIY crowd is to attach the fleece and padding to the nylon BEFORE tacking or anchoring anything. Makes it tougher on the machine, but the end product has a much nicer finish to it.

Thought I had some pics and a thread floating around somewhere... I'll look later.

https://www.itsahuskything.com/t3506-saint-bernard-harness-a-pictorial?highlight=making+a+harness
eddys one thread, might have others!

I like Alpine's products, but I hated having to wait that long for something. Started buying supplies from Adanac sleds instead, and the stuff always comes in very quickly. Most of the time my stuff gets to me in under two weeks.

I also ordered on february 12th i emailed them again tuesday last week and they said it was professing...obviously. im really disappointed.

Just got an email from them today saying it will ship in 1-2 weeks. I'm expecting end of April at this point.

Please allow me to address recent comments made regarding Alpine Outfitters. My name is Bruce Stegmaier; my wife Joyce and I have owned Alpine Outfitters (AO) for about two years now (AO has been in business for 24 years). We take your comments to heart, and we sincerely apologize for any unsatisfactory experience you may have experienced with our Company. We bought AO because of their reputation for great quality, handcrafted products. Timely order fulfillment and responsive customer service however, were an “opportunity” for AO and we’ve been working hard to address those opportunities. Our priority is to turn out a high-quality, handcrafted product consistently, and to do so efficiently to minimize delivery time. Since taking over two years ago, our business has increased significantly, which we are thankful for. Unfortunately, during the busy season, we are truly swamped, more so than ever before. We apologize if there have been long waits, and even more so, if you did not receive a timely response to your phone or e-mail inquiries regarding your order status.

Following is what we what we have done thus far and will do to improve order turn-around time and to significantly improve our level of customer service.

TURNAROUND TIME – Harnesses are the only reason an order ever takes more than 2 weeks during off-season and more than 3 – 5 weeks mid-season. The rest of an order, such as ganglines and scooter lines, are always ready to go on time; the entire order is held up however, if it includes a harness. The main reason for the harness delay is that, unlike most of our competitors, all of our harnesses are custom made to each dog’s specific measurements. We do not currently offer standard size, off-the-shelf harnesses; our harnesses are made for your dog when you order, which provides maximum comfort, safety and performance. AO harnesses require a skilled seamstress to make them properly. Two years ago we had two seamstresses; we have since added two more and we are currently training two more. These factors combined with the large volume of harnesses we sell cause us to fall behind during peak season.

To be more prepared to handle demand next season, we are introducing standard size harnesses to our line-up. Custom crafted harnesses made to each dog’s specific measurements will always be our hallmark and we believe they set us apart. If however, one is not willing to wait, we’ll have the same high quality, but standard size, harnesses readily available for immediate shipment. This will minimize order fulfillment time at all times of the year, not just during peak season. This in combination with additional skilled seamstresses will have us more prepared for next season.

CUSTOMER SERVICE – Effective immediately, Joyce will personally handle all customer service calls, e-mails and general inquiries so our customers will be assured a timely response. Our Customer Service contact information is as follows:

E-mail: customerservice@alpineoutfitters.net , or, joyce@alpineoutfitters.net
Phone: 360-659-3800

Again, please accept our apologies if you have had to wait too long or were not responded to quickly or at all. We appreciate and value your patronage and wish to continue serving you for years to come. Please let Joyce or I know if there is anything we can do, in addition to what I have described above, to serve you better. Feel free to contact me as well at bruce@alpineoutfitters.net, or call my cell at 714-504-4484.

Sincerely,

Bruce Stegmaier
Alpine Outfitters

I ordered some stuff including two harnesses this last summer and they actually got to me quicker than I expected! I got them after a week and a half or so! Guess I lucked out on the off season! I talked with you guys on the phone and thought it was funny how you were worried I made the measurements wrong cause my one husky is so small! lol. Always good to double check. She is very small! But the harnesses fit great and I love the walking belt.

Thanks Bruce for the heads up, I look forward to seeing our new harness soon.

bruce thanks for your post. I actually love your line! It is my favorite! mushing is so much easier. I had another one from a different company but yours is better. How about now that is the off season how long would it take to receive an non custom item?