Best Places to Shop for Discount Outdoor Gear
Buying outdoor gear can get expensive, especially if you’re buying all of it for the first time. There’s a certain amount of supplies you need before you can go backpacking off into the wilderness. I remember for my first backpacking trip I had to buy just about everything, and I was shocked at how quickly it added up. It doesn’t have to be like that though! Fast forward several years into my outdoor adventures and I now have a great list of places to buy outdoor gear, both new and used, for reasonable prices. Although it can be an investment initially when getting into outdoor adventure activities, the great news is that once you have the gear, it’s very affordable to maintain your hobbies. Unlike going out to eat, the movies, the bar, etc. where you have to spend money every time, once you have your gear you’re all set for infinite weekends of adventure!
REI: aka Recreational Equipment Incorporated. REI is like the mothership of outdoor gear. They have everything you could possibly need for just about any outdoor activity out there. If you’re just getting started, I highly recommend visiting one of these stores if you have one nearby. Their entire staff is very knowledgable about all the gear and can make sure you have the right things and that your equipment fits you properly. Plus, if you sign up as a member, you pay a one-time fee of $30 for the membership but you get 10% back every year on your purchases, plus a 20% off coupon. If you’re about to dump money on gear, it’s absolutely worth it in my opinion. It’s also the only place I’m willing to buy gear brand new and full-priced. They do have an outlet site that offers items and colors from previous years, which most people are fine with! You can visit it here.
REI Used-Gear: which brings me to my next place! You can buy used gear from REI that’s extremely reliable and like-new for much cheaper prices. If you’re okay with not buying things brand new, this is the best place to start. You can click here to go to their used gear site.
Steep and Cheap: a site strictly for buying new gear at amazing discounts. Before I buy anything from anywhere, I always check here. I can frequently find new gear here discounted cheaper than if I were to buy it used even. The trick is that they’re constantly rotating the percentage-off throughout their inventory, so one week they might have Patagonia items 70% off, but the next week it could be tents and backpacking gear. It’s worth it to check frequently! You also can sort the items by ‘percent-discount’ so you can start with items that are 80%-90% off, which is insane! They have multiple Bargain Bins going on at a time, i.e. “$25 and under” or “over 70% off”. They also offer ‘Deal of the Day’ and ‘Current Steal’ items which rotate quite often, but are amazing deals. I once got a pair of sunglasses that were $110 new for $7.70! Check out the site here.
Sierra: think TJ Maxx, but for outdoor gear (they’re actually owned by the same company). I’ve only started shopping here in the last couple years as they now have two new stores in Michigan. You definitely have to look through the items more to find high-quality items that will last you forever, as a lot of the brands I’ve never heard of, but the discounts are great. The items I have bought from them I’ve been extremely happy with! Check out their site here.
The Clymb: a little less ‘gear’ oriented and more-so has outdoor clothing and shoes. They do have high-quality brands and great discounts! It’s not the place to go if you’re trying to get everything all at once, but it’s a great place to look if you want some more items to add to your outdoor wardrobe. Never pay full price for clothing you’re going to wear hiking aka getting muddy, sweaty, dirty, etc. You can check out their site here.
Patagonia Worn Wear: I love Patagonia. They have so many great fabrics that are practical for the outdoors and most of my fleece jackets and hiking shorts are Patagonia. As if this brand isn’t amazing enough, they offer a Worn-Wear program where you can guy used gear at great discounts. Each item tells you the condition it’s in so you know what to expect. Everything I’ve ever bought from here was in great shape and I check this site several times a week. Take a look at what they’ve got here.
Backcountry: the first place I ever discovered to buy outdoor gear yearssss ago. They’ve been in the game for awhile and it shows. They have high-quality items and a very helpful customer service team. I’ve chatted with them several times to ask questions about gear before I bought it and they’ve always had great advice. Backcountry also owns Steep and Cheap mentioned above. Backcountry does also sell items that are new and full-priced, so you have to search a little bit, but much like REI, you know what you’re getting is good quality and from a reputable place. They have tons to choose from for year-round adventure, and you can check it out here.
Moosejaw: the third major outdoor retailer alongside Backcountry and REI. Much like those two, they too offer discounted and full-priced items, but always high-quality. I find that for some reason, while Backcountry and REI often have similar items on sale, Moosejaw sometimes has different items. This is super helpful if you’re looking for something but it’s not on sale at the other two, and you’re still hoping to buy through one of the major retailers. They have a really cool style at this place, knowledgable staff, and the free stickers are the best ones I’ve seen from a store. Check out their stuff here!
The-House: huge discounts on new gear for action sports outdoors! They do have things for hiking and camping as well, but I’d say most people shop here for board sports or skiing. I get just about all of my snowboard gear here, as they have a large inventory and amazing discounts. I’ve ordered from them countless times in the past and have always been extremely happy with every purchase. It’s also a bonus that they sell boards, skis, etc. at discount prices because many of the other outdoor stores have very limited options in those areas, and they’re often full-price. Check out their site here.
OutdoorPlay: much like how The-House specializes in snow sports, Outdoor Play specializes in water sports. They do have gear for snow, camping, hiking, etc. but their wheelhouse is for kayaks, paddle boards, canoes and rafting. They’re one of the only places I can think of that have regular discount on these larger items year-round. They also have a large selection of paddling apparel like wetsuits and dry suits, which are often quite limited elsewhere. Check out their site here.
Evo: a well-rounded site for surfers, snowboarders, campers and skiers. They sell new item, high-end brands at discounted prices. When it comes to my hiking gear, I typically use REI or Steep & Cheap - but when it comes to action sports, it’s Evo or The-House. Like some of others mentioned above, Evo has great customer support that’s very knowledgable about the products, and they have lots of gear-guides to help you find the right size, style, etc. I’ve used them before to help me pick out a new snowboard when I had no idea what to get, and it’s been my favorite board to date. Check out their site here.
Along with retailers, you can find great used gear in the outdoor community. There’s a few places I like to look before I’m willing to pay bigger bucks for new gear, and my experiences have usually been very good. The downside is, unlike the places listed above, you typically can’t return these items so make sure to ask questions if you’re not sure about the quality of the item, size, return policy, etc. Here’s my list of places to check before going to the retailers:
Facebook Marketplace: usually pretty limited when it comes to sizes available for a specific item, but people are often willing to negotiate for more than fair pricing. I got my first snowboard and boots from Facebook Marketplace and to this date I’m thankful it gave me the opportunity to learn a sport I now love.
Poshmark: I think typically women tend to use Poshmark more than men, but I’ve purchased several men’s Patagonia fleeces from this site at really reasonable prices. Poshmark also does protect you a bit, where if an item doesn’t come to you as described, you can appeal it to get your money back. It’s definitely a site used more for apparel than for gear.
Instagram: if there’s something specific I’m looking for, sometimes I’ll post an Instagram story asking if anyone has it to sell. I’ve had good luck with this a few times where people just had it lying around unused and were willing to sell items to me at very decent prices. You never know if you don’t ask!
I hope the places I’ve listed help you find all the gear you need to get out there and hit the trails, slopes, and wherever else your little wandering heart desires. If you have any places you know of you’d like to add to the list, feel free to e-mail me and I’d be happy to share!
Happy days,
Brooke
