hello all! i will be moving to denver in two weeks and need to know about some great gear shops in the city. especially the shops that cater to hiking light. this is possibly for job opportunities.
peace
.maestro.

None in the city that cater exclusivly to the UL crowd, but there are the usual suspects: REI, Sports Authority, Dicks (Lakewood), Wilderness Exchange, Bass Pro/Outdoor World.

Bent Gate in Golden. There are also a few shops in Boulder if you are ever out that way.

Get on Golite's mail list. They usually have two warehouse sales a year.

Don't forget Neptune Mountaineering... It is just a cool store.

http://www.neptunemountaineering.com

Also the MontBell USA Flagship store in Boulder.

Mike

I would also second Neptune and the Montbell store. I found more there than in Denver and if you are in Boulder anyway you might as well stop by Avery Brewing and try a few samples.

thanks for the help guys! i know ill be in the montbell store a lot and ill be sure to check out that brewery! the main reason of finding out about these shops is to find work. iv grown up in the midwest with no real great gear shops. so iv always had to buy online or stop at an rei when visiting family in other cities. rei wouldnt be bad to work at but i think i would prefer small businesses. any input about working at rei???
peace
.maestro.

Bent Gate is my absolute favorite of those stores. They're fairly climbing and skiing focused but they are friendly, helpful, have reasonable prices and sales and I've gone out of my way to buy my WM -25F bag as well as most of my climbing gear from them. The REI's are fine too, just the usual amount of 'big box store' items and also not that much UL gear.

Bent Gate also has at least one employee that's thru hiked the CT.

EDIT: The Montbell guys are also super nice and my wife and I go in there fairly often. I usually only buy things from the sale rack and it's obviously primarily MB gear but it's a nice shop.

Edited by Pivvay on 05/18/2010 14:20:35 MDT.

If you're looking for work, REI may be your best bet, simply because they are by far the biggest employer among the gear shops. Look up Frank in the camping section at the flagship store in Denver. He's a lightweight/ultralight enthusiast who loves to talk about gear. A couple of years ago he hiked the CT in UL fashion. I'm sure he'd enjoy talking to you.

thatnk for the help guys. bent gate looks like a great shop! i am looking forward to my move and im sure ill meet a lot of great people who share my passion for the outdoors.
peace
.maestro.

Go north to Boulder, you'll find several places worthwhile for your UL pursuits.

#1 Montbell's store: if it's UL and sometimes a bit wacky, it'll be there.

#2 REI (in denver, westminster, boulder..etc) Ok, so really it's not UL specific but there are SOME items that fit our pursuits there and the Denver flagship is just a darn good store.

#3 Golite Warehouse Sales (Boulder) - sign up, go to them. You'll be pleasantly suprised.

#4 Neptune Moutaineering (Boulder) - Quite a variety, seems to carry items that were hand picked by people who actually hike/climb/watever unlike stores that usually focus on what they think they can fill someone's pack with. Still, not strictly UL, but worth mixing it up with after you've tried REI.

#5 Bent Gate (Golden) - better for climbing gear really, but they're a good store too.

#6 North Face (Boulder) - Uh, well it's worth mentioning. Nearly zero UL, but if you need poser clothes that double for more than just hiking, they do have an outlet store just a hundred feet from Montbell.

#7 Holy-Hell-All-of-The-Bulk-Food-Places - You're gonna need to eat. Go to one of the hundreds in the area to stock up on the stuff to pack your own meals.

A lot of gear companies are actually located in the Denver/Boulder area, sometimes you can look them up to see if they have any 2nds worthwhile. Everything from Thule, Golite, Trek, Trek Light (hammocks), Trango, Black Diamond - and even my company, Slackline Express.

Don't forget the Patagonia store in Downtown Denver. Corner of 15th and Blake.

Edited by HighAltitude on 05/19/2010 21:56:08 MDT.

Hey Ross,

Are you still planning the CT thru-hike for august / sept? How is that going?

I'd planned (and bought tickets) for a 2 week trip to the North Cascades in late August but suddenly realized today that I want to do the CT trail. It will not be possible for the next several years for me, so it'll have to be now or at least 5 - 6 years hence.

I was wondering how your planning was going and if you think 2 months is enough time to plan a 35 - 40 day thru-hike.. never done a thru-hike before but have been on a couple of 2-week-long series of 2 - 3 backpacks exploring a region.

An august thru-hike would give me June and July to plan.. a july thru-hike would only leave me with an month or a month and a half.

yes i will be thru hiking the CT but ive decided on starting in early september NOBO. congrats on considering the CT and i wish you the best of luck! you should have plenty of time for preparing. with any thru hike you need to learn the trail. if you havnt already, get the CT guidebook and data book. if you know your hiking style and the terrain your undertaking its fairly easy to figure out the logistics of it all. the guidebook shows the elevation variations by trail sections which plays a big role in your planning. how great of shape are you, as far as strong legs and killer lungs? cause your gonna need both! how are you suited for gear? this is a trail you really wanna go light. the lighter you go will equal easier elevation gain and the miles will flow. but dont push your pack weight outside your comfort zone. temperatures can drop pretty low, crazy afternoon storms and chances for snow. so you need to be prepared.

spend time everyday until the hike preparing physically and learning the trail. with this said you dont need to bury yourself in a guidebook for hours and pushing yourself on 10 mile runs. but spend a little time researching everyday and doing some form of physically activity that gets your lungs pumpin'. the more prepared you are the greater chance of success!
peace
.maestro.


ps...backpacker just had an issue with an article on the CT.

Really enjoyed several trips the JAX store just north of Fort Collins. A ways from Denver, unless you are headed there from Wyoming.
Sam