Gear
Tents, packs, kayaks, bikes, roof racks, fishing equipment, camping stoves, climbing gear, bivvy sacks, canoes: anything and everything outdoor-related.
A couple years ago, my friend Darren and I figured the best way for us to climb and ski Gallatin Peak in May—without getting caught on the mountain too late in the day—would be to drive to the trailhead the night before, wake up at 3am, and start skinning. Read more >>
Product Reviews
The G3 Alpinist High Traction Skins are an excellent choice for skiers looking for an option that provides supreme uphill traction. Though they were a little less smooth on the glide than some skins, they had far more grip than any other skins I have used. Read more >>
When the snow is melting and rain fills the gutters, Keen’s Willamette boots are on my feet nearly every day. They’re part of the company’s BLVD collection, meaning you’re meant to wear them on streets around town and not on the trail—a lesson I learned the hard way. Read more >>
Comfort and function are the most important qualities I look for in my shoe choices, and the Chaco PedShed Shoe delivers on both. With the trademark Chaco LUVSEAT platform, these shoes provide great arch support and all-day comfort. Read more >>
I’ve gotta be honest: I’m one of those girls who loves the outdoors—but hates looking like a marshmallow while I’m out there getting my hike on. Enter Eddie Bauer’s Mountain Guide Lite Pants. Read more >>
The necessity of having a dependable knife on hand hit me like a blunt edge after a wilderness survival workshop last spring (see Outside Bozeman Summer 2012), and the Gerber LMF II Survival could be the key to luxury in the wild. Read more >>Company Profiles
Even for extreme yokels, buying local can prove a challenge—especially when you’re looking to outfit yourself for the brutal chill of a Montana winter. One local company, Alpacas of Montana, has faced this issue head-on. Read more >>
During winter, ski tuning gives me an excuse to grab a pint of Plum Street Porter, head out to the man-cave, and hone my ski edges while dreaming of the perfect waist-deep powder run. I love skiing but also have a wallet tighter than the skin on summer sausage. Read more >>
Wanna give fly fishing a try without spending hundreds on gear (and potentially finding out it’s not the sport for you)? The folks over at Phasmid Rentals can arrange just about anything for you. Read more >>
After 35 years of making packs, longtime Bozeman local Dana Gleason is busy. And his company–Mystery Ranch–shows no signs of slowing down, ramping up production to meet the massive demand and expanding into new fields. Read more >>
If you’ve got a hankering to make your own outdoor clothing, here’s one place to start: Montana Outdoor Fabric on in downtown Bozeman. Hiding inside this little white house across from Willson School are stacks upon stacks of fabric, of every imaginable kind and color. Read more >>Do-it-Yourself
In an era of leafy, cut-poly fabrics dyed in the latest digi-cam patterns and different outfits of the latest tech-wear designed to blend into the countryside like a moth’s wing or a duck’s butt, the only thing today’s hunter could lack in the ancient art of concealment is money. Read more >>
I recently started skiing Bozeman's backcountry via snowmobile. Sort of a dream come true, but because my buddy and I share the snow machine and we're new to this, we've had to do a lot of experimenting. Packing our skis has proved the most problematic. Read more >>
No pair of devoted, loyal skis should ever be left to rot in the garage—no matter how unshaped, heavy, geriatric, or neon. Fortunately, there are more than a few ways to reincarnate your skis and give them a useful second life, long after even their rock-hopping days are over. Read more >>
For years I sat in humble awe on the chairlift, content to be carried to the tops of runs. Content to sip coffee and eat overpriced french fries in lodges with noisy tourists. At some point, all that chair-gazing awakened me to the perfect paradise just over the boundary ropes. Read more >>
O/B Gear Store
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