Decathlon was born in 1976 when seven sports enthusiasts and budding entrepreneurs met and agreed to upend the way sports products and gear were made and sold. In 2018, Decathlon launched its online shopping and distribution in the U.S. The brand is gaining traction with outdoor enthusiasts and has raised its profile among review sites like ours with recent innovations. It's super comfy fits great and it keeps you warm.
Founded in 1998 and based in Central Oregon, Altrec.com is a leading ecommerce destination website for outdoor enthusiasts. The company offers thousands of outdoor gear and clothing products from more than 200 performance brands such as Patagonia, The North Face, Arc’Teryx, Columbia, Mountain Hardwear, Keen, and Oakley. Altrec.com operates multiple websites including its primary website, Altrec.com, along with other destination sites such as greatoutdoors.com, jimwhittaker.com, Trail Shoes and planetoutdoors.com. Featured sports include skiing, snowboarding, hiking, climbing, conditioning, adventure travel, and paddling. The outdoor clothing market is vast, with everything from budget-focused brands to sustainability leaders and high-end backcountry specialists. With years of experience testing a wide range of hiking, backpacking, climbing, skiing, and everyday products, below is our team’s list of the most well-regarded outdoor apparel companies.

Earth Gear does this to make you sure that when you go out into the outdoors, you have the confidence in yourself and your gear, all in so you can experience the adventure. Earth Gear strives to offer you the best expert advice on the right equipment and techniques out there. Earth Gear experts give you our Top 3 gear choices for all the adventures we cover. If there is a better, lighter, or cheaper solution, you’ll know it. We might be gear junkies, but life is filled with so much more than the stuff you can fit into a backpack. Earth Gear believes that outdoor adventure is a lifestyle.
As anyone who has ever walked into a sporting goods or outdoor gear store can tell you, buying adventure-ready equipment can be a very expensive proposition. And, with constant improvements to technology and new developments, it doesn’t look like that’s going to change anytime soon. There is, however, a remarkably simple way to get your hands on some top-notch gear without ever having to pay full price for it.
For each brand, we’ve included a brief history and background, their most popular offerings, and what sets them apart from the competition. For more information and our top picks in each category, see our hiking gear, ski gear, and winter gear reviews. Based out of British Columbia, Arc’teryx is an industry leader in technical mountain apparel and one of the most revered outerwear brands on the market. From baselayers to daypacks, hiking and approach shoes, insulation, climbing and skiing gear, and more, Arc’teryx products exude quality and top-end craftsmanship. The North Face isn’t alone among the old guard of brands that are now adapting to a growing population of younger consumers. Vermont Gear Our store is a cultural experience in these days of box stores and bustling malls.

The best trade journalism in the outdoor industry, delivered straight to your inbox. Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more. Taking personal safety to a completely new level, EXELITE products incorporate its unique EL lamp into a high visibility day or night illuminating device. Visible for up to 800m even through fog, smoke, and rain, Exelite products ensure that any approaching vehicle can see you, slow down, and stop with room to spare - even at high speeds.
Japan has long fostered a market in which lifestyle-oriented outdoor products thrive. In fact, many notable US-based brands, including The North Face, Burton and Gregory, as well as lesser-known names like Datum, continue to produce gear that’s only sold in Japan. Topo Designs never had that intention, but its simple and utilitarian designs attracted the attention of a distributor there who, working with Rose, began selling its products. It wasn’t until later that Topo Designs began to catch on in the United States, first at boutiques in coastal cities like New York and L.A., and then in the mountain towns of the Rockies and other ranges. “We’re not the typical ‘start in your basement, sell it to your friends, sell it in your hometown, sell it to the town next door’ type of business — we started way far away and ended up working our way back,” says Rose. For the longest time, outdoor gear companies built products designed to summit Everest and get to the South Pole.

If the past few years are any indication, more trendy releases are sure to come. In the early 2010s, the brand began a steady expansion into other tech apparel categories. While parkas like the Expedition remain their bread and butter, Canada Goose now makes everything from ultralight shells to trench coats. Charge more for a shell that will need to be re-treated more often?
However, keep in mind that Cotopaxi isn’t a technical brand, and those looking for specialized gear for long and demanding mountain missions should instead check out companies like Arc’teryx, Mammut, or Rab. And some will find the aforementioned styling to be overly flashy, but that’s purely a matter of preference, and we personally like how much Cotopaxi’s designs stand out. That said, reduced prices almost always come with reduced quality and performance, and Columbia isn’t known for high-end materials or long-lasting designs. For example, the Watertight will soak through much faster than more premium shells, and breathability is a major step down with the cheap build and lack of pit zips. But a big selling point for many is value, and casual recreationalists who don’t need top-end waterproofing or technical features can save big without too many compromises (provided you don’t demand much of your gear). Finally, Columbia offers a dedicated collection of “big and tall” options for those with larger builds, which only adds to the widespread appeal.

Immediately images of terribly unsexy - and absolutely shapeless - plastic-feeling trousers spring to mind. The Chamlang, we’ve been assured, is a very similar alternative - and Sherpa has a fair few other varieties of fleece. There’s a men’s and women’s version of the Barrage - but the sizes do run quite small, so we recommend sizing up if you’re unsure. Alternatively, OMM has a really friendly team who know their stuff and are worth contacting for guidance.
And recently, Y-3 dropped a new collection that features GORE-TEX SHAKEDRY, a waterproof textile that is W.L. After getting its start making straight fleeces, the company has since expanded. Power Air, a textile unveiledin 2018, was developed as a solution to microplastic pollution, while NeoShell, an air-permeable waterproof membrane, is gaining traction with outdoor athletes for its breathability.
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We carry Patagonia active wear and backpacks, Merrell and Olu Kai footwear, surf gear, sunglasses and genuine DaLife logo wear. We’ve got you covered for however you love to live DaLife. It's been brought to our attention that there are a number of fake Cotopaxi websites and outlets, across different social media and online platforms, in existence.
It is worth noting, however, that the brand currently does not resell apparel, though they do offer all sorts of other gear — even snowshoes — so keep that in mind before you go hunting. No, we don’t mean waiting all year for a Black Friday sale and we certainly don’t approve of five-finger discounts or the black market. From boots, jackets,camping tents, and more — buying used is a superb way to equip yourself without breaking the bank. Most of the time, however, you still have to go to a store or swap meet to find that sort of gear — or at least you used to.