Shopping IRL isn’t exactly the norm nowadays. We’ve been spoiled by the Amazon-ification of retail. Endless options, quick delivery, returns from your living room—everything is extremely available, outdoor gear included.
The irony of buying items for outdoor use—boots, jackets, backpacks, and the like—online isn’t lost on us. At the same time, a decade ago, dedicated outdoor shops in the numbers now seen in Brooklyn may have seemed silly. But after years of supposedly unprecedented times, city folks have stopped resisting the impulse to touch grass. Now, within a single block in Williamsburg, you can find a Salomon and a Snow Peak store, while the REI in SoHo is set to close.
Gorpcore is the new normcore, and today you can easily gear up for camping, or almost any outdoor pursuit, without leaving the borough. Heading upstate for a weekend in the wilderness? Hiking the Marine Park Salt Marsh Nature Trail? You’ll need the right equipment. Here are the stores that will get you started.
Courtesy of Outlandish
Outlandish
722 Franklin Ave.
Ken Bernard and Benje Williams met working in the footwear department at REI’s SoHo store, and in 2023, they opened Outlandish, a hiking store in Crown Heights—one of three Black-owned outdoor shops in the country. Bernard and Williams are deeply invested in making the shop a community space, routinely organizing and hosting hiking and trail running events. Although Outlandish stocks brands like Salomon, Hoka, and The North Face, the shop only sells its own collabs and gear online, so visiting in person is a must.
Courtesy of Panda Sports
Panda Sport
9213 5th Ave.
A Bay Ridge staple, Panda Sport has been open since 1987. The specialty shop is family-owned and -operated and sells skis and snowboards, all things golf, skateboards, inline skates, and more. You can get everything from a classic North Face Nuptse jacket to a ski or bike rack for the car or take advantage of their custom ski boot fitting service. Or, if you’re in the market for either, they also carry select racket sports gear and swim equipment.
Photo by Michael Gonik
Contrasto
82 Dobbin St.
Contrasto is an outdoor boutique with the new retail treatment—cafe-meets-multibrand shop. Subsequently, it’s less REI energy and more Ssense (pre-bankruptcy). Started by climbing partners Ryo Matsuoka (founder of the streetwear brand Nothin’ Special) and Tomoaki Takasugi (owner of PPL, the Williamsburg coffee shop) and long-distance hiker Ryohei Kamide, the shop centers the outdoors without abandoning the influence of the city. Sip a premium matcha from your titanium Snow Peak mug in your La Sportiva approach shoes with friends after you pick up your gear.
Courtesy of Hatchet Outdoor Supply
Hatchet Outdoor Supply Co.
77 Atlantic Ave.
There’s a highly curated menswear store that leans extra-heavy into the outdoor space. At the center of the Venn diagram of niche technical gear and streetwear, you’ll find Hatchet Supply Outdoor Co. A visit to its Brooklyn Heights location is an opportunity to discover gear and explore activities. Opened in 2013, the store is a bit more Americana than the rest, and it routinely hosts events. You can keep up on Instagram.
Courtesy of Rocki Equipment Club
Rocki Equipment Club
Address N/A
Outside of brand-specific programs, like Patagonia’s Worn Wear or REI Re/Supply, there isn’t a brick-and-mortar secondhand outdoor gear shop in Brooklyn. But a couple of vintage-obsessed climbers are changing that. Jess Tran and Ash Foo are based in Brooklyn and just launched Rocki Equipment Club, a highly curated vintage active and outdoor apparel online shop with occasional IRL pop-ups. From vintage Timberland hiking sandals to throwback Puma soccer capris and endless Y2K-era Nike tops, this shop has enough to make you reconsider any purchase of new gear you’ve been thinking about.
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