There are plenty of reasons to buy used outdoor gear. It saves money, making recreation more affordable and accessible. It’s better for the planet, (and if you’re spending time outdoors, chances are you dig this planet). And at a time of fast fashion, when 85% of clothing ends up in landfills, buying used means you’re not contributing to that abysmal number.
I’ve been prepping for a trek on Mount Kilimanjaro, which unfortunately comes with a hefty gear list. I’ll be renting some items in Tanzania, but for things like base layers and jackets, I want to have my own reliable pieces. At the same time, I don’t want to break my budget on $90 waterproof mittens I’ll wear once.
That’s how I found these excellent sites where you can extend the life of quality, functional gear without spending a bundle. It’s never been easier to reduce consumption!
Here are my favorites so far:
• Patagonia Worn Wear — Patagonia Worn Wear consists of two main collections: Recrafted garments are new pieces made from the fabric of used clothes; meanwhile, Patagonia pieces that leave the factory with some sort of flaw are refurbished for the Seconds collection.
• REI Used — Awesome selection of a wide variety of gear and clothing. Note that you have to be an REI co-op member to shop (or sell) on the used site.
• Arc’teryx ReGear — Arc’teryx makes high quality goods with a price tag to match, which makes the used clothing such a great deal
• Eddie Bauer (Re)Adventure — You can rent from this site or make a purchase. (I scored a very cozy 3-in-1 ski jacket for $66!) [EDITED TO NOTE: Eddie Bauer has sadly discontinued this program. Fingers crossed they will bring it back.]
• The North Face Renewed – The same North Face stuff you love elsewhere, but at a fraction of the price.
• GearTrade — A marketplace of many brands and a frustrating search portal. But the deals are good, and it’s worth scouring the site to find what you need.
• ThredUp — This thrift site for women and children’s clothing isn’t dedicated to outdoor gear, but I’ve found a lot of great active wear. If you haven’t shopped ThredUp before, here’s $10 off your first purchase.
• Outdoors Geek — A site for rental camping gear that also sells gently used goods.
Know any others? Let me know in the comments!
