Small Gear At OAR

At OAR we have a large (and increasing) variety of gear related to biking, hiking, camping, hunting, fishing and more.

Sitting at my computer as I write this, I can see day and multi-day packs, fishing poles and reels, fishing nets, bicycle helmets, climbing harnesses, climbing helmets and shoes and gloves, a full face motor cross helmet, gun holsters, tennis rackets, bows, rifle scabbard, dove decoys, boots, more boots, a tent, camp chairs, scope, lanterns, camp cookware, black powder bag, gps holders, headlamps, sleeping bags, bicycle locks, water jugs, water bottles, small coolers, reflective vests, sun glasses, canvas saddle bags, tree climbing ropes, ice skates, youth snowboard helmets and one lonely snowboard, waders, snow shoes, roller blades, life jackets, swim fins, small canoe paddle and one very awesome kayak.

We also have a wide variety of technical clothing (both warm weather and cold weather, because the weather in the mountains can change on a dime). 

Mens and womens summer tops, work out shorts and quick-drying hiking shorts, nylon jackets for cool nights on the strip and insulated jackets for cold nights in the mountains, lined and unlined pants, hats and buffs and ear warmers and gloves, base layers, wool socks and tech socks, button down dress shirts by Salomon and fleece tops by The North Face.  The best selection of used camo clothing in town.

And lots more.  

If it is in good to excellent condition and related to any activity that people like to do when they head into the out-of-doors, OAR will accept on consignment and try to find each piece a new home.

Some quick pictures of some of the small gear we have at OAR:

REMINDER

We update our Facebook page on an almost daily basis.

Like us and check us out regularly to see what's new.

Info on our upcoming HUNTERS GEAR SWAP can be found on our FB page (it is pinned at the top of the page):

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Outdoor-Adventures-Revived-OAR/295312997264285?fref=ts

Gear Lists Before Heading Out

There is an outdoor recreation organization located in Nashville, Tennessee that I used to be a member of.

The organization works closely with a huge number of non-profits, and organizes outdoor activities that meet the needs of a wide variety of interests and fitness levels ranging from in-the-park yoga classes to kayaking day trips to backpacking multi-day trips.

Events are oftentimes free, and when there is a fee it is usually nominal.

http://www.teamgreenadventures.com/resources

I posted the link for a couple of reasons:

1.  To highlight an example of an extraordinarily successful partnership effort between organizers, non-profits and the general public that serves to bring people together, increase outdoor adventure opportunities and awareness of the environment.

2.  On the linked page are gear checklists for some popular outdoor activities (car camping, day hiking, multi-day hiking etc.).  These checklists are meant only as a guide, but they are a good place to start when you are considering what to bring (and what to leave behind) during your next outdoor adventure.

Some of the great gear we have in the store right now. 

THANK YOU to everyone who took advantage of our law enforcement and military discount during the month of May!

Next up is our Hunters Gear Swap on Saturday June 29.

Mark your calendars and start digging through your hunting gear (it wouldn't break our hearts if a fishing pole or two showed up on the 29th as well)!

More info on the gear swap in our special events link.

            

Old School

A Shakespeare Triumph 1958 Reel

When I was adventure racing, weight was everything.

You bought the lightest mountain bike you could afford, the lightest canoe and the lightest pack.

Everything was about weight. 

Food?  The most calories for the lightest weight.

Use the heavy race-provided paddle or carry your own break-down paddle?

Shoes?  The lightest shoes that drained the fastest when they got wet (and this was the right side of the country, so feet were ALWAYS getting wet).

Trying to figure out how much (or how little water you could get away with carrying until the next fill up opportunity, 'cause water is heavy).

The smallest trowel that would meet pre-race gear inspection.

100 weight or 200 weight fleece? 

Carry a rain jacket or will the weather hold up until the next Transition Area, where you could restock and change out for the next section of the race?

3 inch folding knife or 2 inch folding knife?

How much food will we need until the next TA? 

We screwed the pooch on that one a couple of times, by carrying too little.

Every decision about what to carry had to take into account the weather, the time of year, the race conditions through each section, whether it was a day or night section of the race, mandatory gear that had to be carried at all times, specific gear required for each section of the race, what you could hold off carrying until the next TA, how fast or slow you wanted to travel. 

Ultimately it all came down to weight.

Heavy gear, heavy packs, heavy bodies all slowed you down.

Now that my racing days are over I don't think of weight in quite the same way.

On a personal level I still pack carefully. 

I still have tons of gear from my racing days.  It's not the latest and greatest gear anymore, but it's still high tech and still lightweight and still serves me well.

And I know my gear. 

I treated it respectfully when training back then (but generally treated it awfully during races) and it all held up.

So me and my gear are like old, familiar friends.

We've been through a lot together.

Over the past few months (and without really trying), our store has managed to accumulate some interesting, way cool, totally old school gear.

Some of it is interesting.  Some of it is unique.  Some of it is heavy.  Some of it is just as functional and efficient as uber, ridiculously high dollar, new gear.

When we first opened OAR we imagined that it would contain only "new skool", high tech, breathable, wicking, synthetic stuff.

But when you open a consignment store you have no idea what will come into the store.

OAR is not the same deal as retail outdoor stores such as Sierra Trading Post (which receives regular and predictable shipments of gear sent to it by its distributors).

We find what we find, and what walks in the door is what we share with the community.

If you look this stuff up on-line (and we have) you'll see buzz words like vintage and antique.

I guess it IS vintage stuff.

But when we look at this stuff we see Made in America, great gear in great shape even though it has been used for many years, the history of outdoor gear development, the military service of previous owners.

We love the newest, latest and greatest gear.

But we also LOVE our old school stuff.

It's awesome, sometimes heavy, and always totally bomb proof gear!

Outdoor Life Complete Book of Fresh Water Fishing / Complete Book of Hunting

A pair of vintage GALIBIER RICHARD PONTVERT hiking mountaineer boots. They were made in France, likely from the 1970's, in great shape for their age, weigh a ton and are virtually indestructible. The sole looks brand new and is screwed to the upper (not glued like the newer, lighter, high tec boots).

Carman Super Gator lined gaiters.

Based on the little we could find on-line, and the background of the man who brought these in, we believe these are 1960's military ski poles.

A Sunshine Of The Night Model 2420 Coleman Lantern

These are an awesome pair of boots!  They look brand new but are actually Adidas Thunderstorm boots from the 80's.  They include attached gaiters.

A Kelty external frame pack and a 60's military cot. 

THREE REMINDERS

1.  Check out our Facebook page.  We post up gear info and pictures almost daily.

2.  Hunter Gear Swap is scheduled for Saturday June 29 (10am-2pm) in the parking lot outside the store.

More info on the gear swap can be found in the Special Events section of this blog.

3.  The 25% discount for former, retired and currently serving military and law enforcement ends May 31.

A Mountain Of Gear

We have been VERY busy at OAR this past week.

Over the weekend we picked up a huge amount of primarily hunting gear.

When I dumped it all in a pile on the floor beside the counter we had a mountain of gear three feet high, and all I could think was "Awesome!!  Now where the heck am I going to put it all?"

It took three days, tons of cleaning and researching and labelling and fixture installing but.....we got it all done, and now we have some totally cool stuff to offer the local outdoor adventure community.

Holsters, saddle bags, duffel bags, back packs, hunting books, ammo pouches, rifle cases, more camo hunting jackets and vests. 

Lots more.

At the top of the post is a Bianchi, western rig belt and holster for single action 45 cal, 34 inch waist. A link to a site that has many good pictures of the same belt:

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/7099328/FS_Bianchi_1890H_SASS_gunbelt

Mountainsmith Cross Country II internal frame multi-day pack for sale. This awesome pack is brand new, still with tags, and comes with detachable day pack.

Vintage military ski poles (we believe they're from the 60's).

We have a number of strong and sturdy canvas duffel bags in sizes ranging from small to large.

There are both Cabelas and Dunns brands, and they are all clean and in excellent condition.

One of my favorite people brought this beautiful jacket in for consignment a week or so ago.

A Tri Mountain Mens XL jacket. Large external side zippered pockets and one external zip chest pocket, lined, multiple ventilation points.

An awesome jacket for a big guy.

OK........these pictures have absolutely nothing to do with the store but we think they're awesome pictures anyway.

Last weekend our sweet old pup Jamie was sitting and looking out through the screen door at the front of the house.

When she started to growl I thought that she had seen a bunny or a cat (both of which we have in abundance in the area, and James would happily rip them to shreds if she had the chance).

Instead, when I looked outside I saw these guys grazing on our neighbor's front lawn.

The other picture is an old wagon we have at the edge of our driveway.

I love that thing.

A S&W ammo belt, 30 cal, 34 inch waist, and a Broadus Boot and Tack , Tracy Fruit Maker ammo belt, 45-70 cal, 34-36 inch waist.

Two pairs of Simms boots.

One has a felt sole.  The other has a leather sole that is screwed to the upper.

They are both in excellent shape and are very high quality.

Just a reminder that ex, retired and currently serving military and law enforcement receive 25% off all of their OAR purchases throughout the month of May.

Our very small way of saying thank you for your service.

A beautiful table for sale, made of reclaimed wood that was salvaged locally, antlers, rope and new Plexiglas.

It is a lovely piece that we have used at the store to display some of the natural decorative items we have in one dedicated space in the store, but we would love to find it a new home.

Looks What's New

I was planning on writing an entry today on the Power of Duct Tape.

When I head out into the woods or into the mountains, I never leave home without duct tape, but you'll have to wait to find out why until next post 'cause I need to share some of the great stuff that came into the store recently.

I am including links to each of these pieces for more information.

To enlarge the images just click on any of the pictures.

All these pieces are of the highest quality and are in excellent condition.

Above is a picture of a pair of Dalbello ski boots.  These are an extraordinary pair of boots and a link to specs can be found here:

http://www.blue-tomato.com/en/Ski-Boots/Dalbello-IL-Moro-T-11-12/product.bto;jsessionid=0a1e042a1f49519e9ed260ed41ba8a788b0f574972ca.node2?product=300467243

We also have a pair of Therm-IC Battery Boot Heaters:

http://www.seisports.com/?,browse,25,198,121,044525

Oakley snowboard jacket and pants.

The pants have only been worn once, and the jacket has never been worn (still has its original tags).

I've been buying and using gear for many years but have never owned anything of the quality of these two pieces.

The jacket:  http://www.powdermag.com/buyers-guide-2011/2011-oakley-corked-simon-dumont-jacket/

These are not the exact pants, but they are very close:

http://www.oakley.com/women/products/gb-insulated-pants/521394W-82R

A beautiful North Face down jacket:

http://www.altrec.com/the-north-face/womens-nuptse-2-down-jacket/

This Head back protector and lined jacket (contains internal Velcro tabs to hold the spine protector in place) are being sold as one unit.

A link to the specs on the back protector:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Head-TH1-Unit-Back-Protector-Snowboarding-Skiing-Medium-/120972688609

OAR is currently open Wednesday through Saturday until April (when we begin our spring hours).  Drop by the store soon, if you are interested in checking out this great gear.

A Note To Those Who Live Out Of The Area

OAR would be pleased to ship any of our great gear to your address, anywhere in the United States. 

Please contact the store directly for more information.

All Kinds Of Gear

I guess I've been living under a rock somewhere but I had never seen a candle lantern before one walked in the door about a week ago.

It comes complete with brass candle lantern, replacement candles, instruction booklet and mesh carry case.

A link to some information about this very cool thing:

http://www.shopping.com/Rei-REI-Original-Candle-Lantern-Brass/info

Just a reminder that our March Madness Winter Gear Sale begins tomorrow.  All winter jackets, skis, ski boots, fleece vests, hats, gloves, ear and neck warmers etc. are 30% off our already low OAR-prices.

Included in our sale are these two great pairs of snowboard boots.  The larger pair are Burton Rangers and the other pair are youth Vision boots.

This very compact and lightweight MSR Pocket Rocket Stove is also for sale. 

More information here:

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/41374?productId=685075&subrnd=0&qs=3016887_pmd_google_pla

OK.........we admit that the Arctic Comet snow boots are not what we would call high fallutin' top name outdoor gear.  But I bought two pairs of them really cheap a while back, because I know that there are people out there who just want warm feet and don't have a whole lot of money to spend to get them.

These boots are in great shape and have liners, and if you just want to spend a little bit of money, we may have an option for you!

Two pairs of climbing gloves. 

We've got a climbing helmet, a couple of pairs of climbing gloves, some webbing, a few harnesses and a few pairs of climbing shoes for sale at OAR

One of the groups that we would like to be able to serve better at OAR are the children and youth of the community.

They outgrow their sports gear in the blink of an eye.

Which means kids are always needing new stuff and parents are always paying for new stuff.

It gets EXPENSIVE!

We have these youth Fox Racing Pants in the store right now and they are in great shape.

We also have a children's bike trailer, a couple of pairs of little (very little) roller blades, a couple of youth ski/snowboard helmets and a couple of pairs of youth skis, bike helmets and a random variety of winter clothing (jackets, vests, boots, gloves, hats, scarfs etc.).

All youth winter gear is also 30% off through the month of March.

If you have young-people gear and clothing that YOUR kids have outgrown, consider consigning it with OAR and giving them new life for another youngster in our community!

A cool postcard that a lady we know in Montana sent to us over the holidays.

She is an avid fisherman and hunter, and caught this on the Bitterroot River.

Great picture!

Thunder and Lightning

Sometime during my first year of adventure racing, me and two other women signed up for a 12 hour race at a state park west of of Nashville, Tennessee.

It was in the spring, the race started early in the morning and it started in cool but very sunny conditions.

Throughout the morning the sky began to get increasingly cloudy and by early afternoon it looked downright ominous.

We heard it first mid-afternoon and it did not take any of us by surprise - a very loud thunder boomer.

The sky had turned black.

We were not in the middle of the North Carolina or West Virginian mountains as we had been in other races but we were too far from civilization when the hard rain started.

The thunder began and then so did the lightning.

We were on mountain bikes at the time, on a trail surrounded by woods on both sides, and there was no shelter from the storm anywhere.

We did the only prudent thing we could do, which was to ditch our bikes, ditch our packs, move away from each other and make ourselves the smallest targets we could possibly make ourselves.

Squatting in a field with violent thunder and lightning all around us, was the scariest race experience I had had to that point.

As we were in the middle of it I looked across the small open field in one direction and then in another direction and saw the faces of my team-mates and knew that they were also feeling the same dread that I was feeling.

Thankfully the violent storm was short lived and thankfully we came through it none the worse for wear.

Once it had passed we retrieved all of our gear, nervously laughed off the experience, and continued on with our race................

Great pieces of gear that we have had in the store for a while, and stuff that we would LOVE to find a new home for!

Oxygen Element 580 snowboard (size 152) - without bindings, has a few scratches but no major dings, and graphics on both sides are still in great shape.  There's still a ton more snowboarding left to do before the end of the season!

This super cute girls Rossignol snowboard/ski helmet is filled with all kinds of flowers, hearts and serious pinkness.  It is in brand new condition.

Burton Ranger snowboard boots that are in very good shape and a pair of Vision youth snowboard boots that are in excellent (barely used) shape.

Sleeping bags in brand new (never used) condition, tent and camp chair both in great condition.  We've also got a couple of camp stoves.

We've got winter hats, gloves, ear warmers, neck warmers and scarves - fleece sweaters - winter jackets with labels that include Columbia, Mountain Hard Ware, LL Bean, Cabelas, Winchester, Patagonia and more - climbing gear including shoes, harnesses, gloves.

To name only a few items in the increasing stock of used outdoor gear and clothing that OAR is happily beginning to accumulate.

What would we LOVE to see more of at this time of year?

Day packs (we sold a Salomon pack and a Go-lite pack within days of putting them out on the floor) and they can be used for just about EVERY outdoor activity.

Hiking boots.  Trekking poles.  Local topo maps.  Gaiters.  Wind resistant jackets.  Wool and Smart Wool socks.  Compasses.  Head lamps.  Fishing rods and reels.

Soon we would love to see mountain bikes and road bikes (please no BSO's - bicycle shaped objects!).