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

Live And Learn

Late last week three high school boys walked in the front door of the store and excitedly began rummaging through the shelves and racks of gear and clothing, eager to see what we had in stock.

One boy immediately zeroed in on the helmet above.

I was only half paying attention to the boy as he walked around the store with the helmet, and as he showed it off to his friends and then tried in on.

Eventually he walked over to me and asked me if he could bring the helmet back for a refund if he bought it and it didn't fit.

Shaking my head I pointed at the sign on the wall that told him to be really sure about what he bought, because OAR did not provide refunds.

The boy walked over to a mirror to look at himself wearing the helmet.  He walked over to his friends.  He walked back over to the mirror.

Still only half paying attention to him, I smiled at his excitement about the helmet.

By the third time he had done the "look in the mirror - go show his friends" routine, I looked up to see the boy pulling on the chin guard.  The helmet moved up and down freely on his head.  

Too freely.

OK.  He had my attention.  

I watched him closely, as I realized that this kid really REALLY wanted this helmet to fit him.  

I shook my head at the boys.  

"Uhhh.......no.  That's not gonna work.  That helmet is too big for you".

The boy walked over to a basket filled with wool hats, grabbed one out of the basket and asked me how much it cost.   

I watched him as he put the wool hat on his head and then put the helmet back on.  Grabbing at the chin guard again, he moved the helmet up and down.  It didn't move quite as freely.

He looked at me and said "That feels better".

I looked at him and said "Yeah that might work........until August when it'll be REALLY hot.  That helmet is too big for you."

He took off the helmet, reached for his wallet and headed towards the counter.

I looked at him and said "It's too big.  SHOW YOUR PARENTS THIS HELMET TONIGHT.  If they're OK with it, I'm OK with it.  If they're not OK with it, bring it back and I'll give you your money back, OK?"

He smiled at me and said OK.  

I reiterated "Show it to your parents tonight OK?"

"OK"

The next day his mother walked into the store to get a refund for the helmet.

I thought about that incident a good deal for a couple of days.

It raised issues that I hadn't considered when I first opened an outdoor gear consignment shop here in Cody.

About minors.  About minors purchasing safety-related gear.

I sold the bike helmet to a minor and told him to show it to his parents.  I told him that if the helmet was a no-go, I'd refund his money.

What I SHOULD have just said was "No, I'm not going to sell this helmet to you.  If you want it, bring your parents into the store.  They can decide."

And that is exactly what I will be doing from this point forward.

At OAR we want our youngest local adventurers to be safe when they head outdoors, and OAR's policy moving forward will be to insist on adult decision making when it comes to all outdoor safety gear.

We have a lot of hunting gear at OAR, and the selection is increasing every day. Camo pants, long and short sleeve t's, jackets, vests, neck warmers, fleece hats and baseball caps. Orange jackets and orange vests. A great tree stand and climbing straps. A compound bow and bow case. Boots. A variety of camping gear. Cabellas packs. A couple of old external frame packs suitable for carrying game out of the mountains. If you have hunting gear that you no longer use and want to consign it, consider bringing it into OAR. We get a LOT of guys looking to pick up hunting gear!

Facebook Hates Me

Facebook hates me.

I've been trying to post pictures and text on the OAR Facebook page for a couple of days now and it won't let me.

Maybe this tech-nerd changed a setting on the site without meaning to.

Or maybe Facebook really DOES hate me.

Either way, we'll get it figured out and post again as soon as we can.

At the store we have some great gear that needs to find a new home.

A lady brought this beautiful little Rossignol youth snowboard/ski helmet in a while back.

It's in brand new condition, has ample padding to protect a little athlete's head, and is filled with all the hearts and flowers and pinkness that a little girl would love.

Oxygen Element 580 snowboard (size 152) - without bindings, has a few scratches but no major dings, and the graphics on both sides are still in great shape. 

This little MSR Pocket Rocket (yes, that's the actual name of this baby) is a tiny camping stove.

It comes complete with plastic carrying case, and is sturdy but lightweight enough to throw down in the bottom of your pack when you head out to camp or go into the back country.

Quite a few people have looked at this thing, then looked at me bemused and said "What IS that?"

It's a wind resistance bike trainer.  Designed for those who want to ride their bike indoors when the weather outside is too nasty for outdoor riding.

It's in excellent condition, simple to install and use, and breaks down easily when you want to store it away.

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

This is a Graber trunk mount bike rack, designed to hold 3-4 bicycles.

If you need to transport bikes and don't have the room to haul them in your vehicle, this tight little bike rack will do the trick.

If you have any of the following and want to consign them, we would LOVE to have them to sell at OAR, because folks are beginning to head back outside again:

packs - headlamps - trekking poles - camp stoves - hiking boots - trail shoes - paddles and life jackets - wet suits - wind and rain proof jackets - gaitors - tents - camp chairs - anything to do with hunting

Cutest Little Cowboy

Mom gave me permission to post this picture.

The cutest little cowboy we've ever seen!

We had a blast at the Beast Feast the other day!

There were tons of outdoor related businesses and booths set up, and it was awesome to see what other local folks had to offer. 

It was also GREAT to meet with and chat with hundreds of residents who came out to support the event.

Thank you so much to the Cody Bible Church for putting on such a great event, and thanks for inviting OAR to be a part of it!

We had some x-country skis and boots come into the store today.

Yes.......the season is on the wane, but there is still a lot of cross country skiing to be done before the snow all melts out in the Northfork!

The boots (in excellent condition) - Salomon SR301 and Salomon SN Air

The skis (brand new) - Salomon Jarvinen Control 3 Base 318R

Drop by OAR soon to check them out, and remember that we have 30% off almost all our winter gear throughout the month of March.

We have skis, a great snowboard, winter jackets, snowboard boots, ski boots, hats, gloves, scarfs, goggles, poles, helmets, and more.

The Power Of Duct Tape

When I was adventure racing, one of the items that was always on the list of mandatory gear we were required to carry with us at all times, was duct tape.

Early on in my adventure racing career I resented having to carry six feet of duct with me.  It wasn't heavy to carry but it was only one of many pieces of mandatory gear they nailed us with, and the totality of all that stuff was a heavy pack.  Sometimes our packs were only fairly heavy, but for other races (depending on the length of the race, how many transition areas we had out on the course, the time of year we were racing) some of our packs were crazy heavy. 

I resented carrying it until the first time I needed it, and then I was sold.  There's an expression in adventure racing related to duct tape.  Pardon my French (and we spoke a lot of French out in the field) "If you can't duck it, f*ck it".  Meaning of course, that if you couldn't fix it with duct tape, it couldn't be fixed.  I saw a whole lot of McGyver-ing over the many years that I raced.  And I did some of my own.  Just a couple of examples:

1. 12 hour race in North Carolina - my team was up in the mountains outside of Asheville after dark.  I had a headlamp mounted on my bike helmet, but had foolishly not put new batteries into my handlebar mounted bike lights before heading out.  Yes........the batteries died only a couple of hours before the end of the race, I didn't have replacements and ended up duct taping my tiny back up headlamp to the handlebars, so we could book out of the mountains and complete the race.

2.  6 day race in West Virginia - leading up to the race we had been told that we could either use our own paddles or the race-provided paddles, but if we brought our own we would have to carry them with us for an unspecified amount of time during the race.  Stupidly we elected to use the race-provided paddles.  They were single blade, very heavy, we were the ONLY team who was not using kayak paddles and within the first couple of hours of the race we were already at the back of the pack.  We had to paddle in one direction to pick up a checkpoint.  We then had to paddle back the way we had come, pass by the race start and head further down first lake and then river.  As we passed by the race start we saw more canoe paddles laying in the sand.  My team-mate suggested that we duct tape canoe paddles together to make make-shift kayak paddles.  As I held paddles and as he taped the ends together, I doubted that they would hold for the duration of this first paddle section.  They did.  They lasted all 15 hours.

3.  Same race in West Virginia - during the first freezing cold bike leg, my rain pants got caught up in the chain ring and they got badly ripped.  Funny - when you're in the middle of a race it never even occurs to you to get upset that a $80 pair of rain pants are now trashed.  All you're thinking about at that point is that they're ripped and it's freezing cold and you need to keep all of your layers of clothing functioning.  I wore the same layer upon layer of clothing for almost six days straight, and my duct taped rain pants held together for the entire race.

4.  24 hour race in North Georgia - the sole of my trail shoe got caught on a rock and tore away from the rest of my shoe.  I looked down at my beloved Salomon shoes sadly knowing that they were gonna be trashed at the end of the race.  In the meantime I reached into my pack, grabbed the duct tape and wrapped layer after layer of the stuff around my entire foot so that the shoe would hold together for as long as I needed it.

I've seen duct tape used to cover blisters, used as a compression bandage, used to slow down leaks in canoes and rafts and bicycle tubes, to repair a ripped rain jacket, to repair a ripped pack, to repair a cracked water bottle and a leaking water bladder.  The uses are endless and that sticky stuff is priceless anytime you are away from civilization.  I would never head out into the woods or up into the mountains or out on the water without duct tape.

There is no need to carry an entire roll of the stuff (and most people don't need to carry around 100 feet of it anyway).  While I was racing it was second nature to wrap tape in one spot around trekking poles, to wrap it around the base of a water bottle (yes........the bottle will still fit down in a bike cage), to wrap it around a small piece of cardboard or a stick.  

So there you go.  The Power of Duct Tape.  Don't leave home without it.

One of the things we have really enjoyed about opening OAR is the people that we have met along the way and one of those people is a really nice guy who drops by the store about once a week just to chat.  This man is one of my favorite store visitors and the other day he brought this gun case into the store.  It is an older 4-handgun hard-shell carry case, and comes with one slide-out shelf and one static shelf.  Stop by OAR soon to check it out, and don't forget that we have a March Madness Winter Gear Sale going on now - most winter gear is 30% off!

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!

Lots Of News

A great Sierra Designs sleeping bag that was brought into the store a couple of days ago.  Good to 20 degrees, this bag also includes a stuff sack and canvas carry bag.  All three items are sold together and carry the Sierra Designs logo.

LOTS OF NEWS TO SHARE!

1.  SALE SALE SALE

We're having a March Madness Winter Gear Sale!

Take an additional 30% off OAR's already low prices all through the month of March

Winter Jackets (Excludes Hunting Jackets)

Fleece Vests

Skis / Ski boots / Snowboards

Snowboard Boots

Snowboard Helmets

Scarfs / Gloves / Winter hats / Ear Warmers / Neck Warmers

ALL ON SALE BEGINNING WEDNESDAY MARCH 6

2.  WE'RE ON FACEBOOK!

Sort of.

I think I'm the only person in the entire country who wasn't on Facebook.

Well.......we built a OAR FB page yesterday (see that - I'm already using the abbreviation just like a Facebooking pro!)

It's a work in progress but it's also another way for folks to stay in touch with us and follow what's going on at OAR.

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

3.  CHANGES TO STORE HOURS

March 16

If you click on the picture above you'll see the flier we have posted on the store bulletin board about the upcoming Beast Feast.

OAR will be closing early on Saturday March 16, so that we can attend.  

We'll have a table set up there so come find us! 

Other outdoor/hunting/fishing/camping organizations and businesses will also have tables set up, and the Cody Bible Church is serving a great meal.

OAR store hours on the 16th will be 9am-1pm.  After that we'll be at the BF.

OAR Spring Hours

We are extending our operating hours.

Beginning Tuesday April 2 the store will be open:

Tuesday - Saturday (9am-5pm)

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!). 

Helmets And Boots And More

We still have this Rossignol youth ski/snowboard helmet.

It is a beautiful girls helmet that is filled with hearts, flowers and pinkness, and it is in perfect condition.

Last October a friend of ours came out from Alabama.

One of our local friends took the guy out on a packing trip deep in the mountains in the Northfork.

Our southern friend had little experience horse back riding and spent the entire trip terrified of falling off his beautiful horse Buddy .  In his typical redneck Alabama accent our friend spent an hour after returning safely to the house, excitedly talking about the narrow trails, the steep mountains, the fear of rolling down the side of the mountain if Buddy lost his footing.

The guy was on an adrenaline high for the rest of the evening.

He took this picture of Buddy looking out over the mountains while he was sitting on a rock on the side of the trail, eating a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. 

A good, solid pair of Lacrosse insulated boots.

They're tough, rugged and in very good shape.

About a month ago a lady brought a slew of fleece neck warmers and hats in and asked us if we wanted to sell them in the store.

They are all hand made and come in a variety of colors and patterns ranging from hunters orange to camo to happy faces and plaids.

Look great and stay warm with one of these great fleece pieces.

We have a wide selection of great looking womens' technical clothing at OAR.

This includes a great selection of sleeveless tops.

They're great for all your warm weather outdoor activities.

But they are also great for those ladies who choose to take their workouts indoors when the wind blows, the snow flies, and the temperature drops.

If you love your spin and yoga classes, love your indoor track and treadmill workouts, and look forward to daily elliptical workouts through the winter, stop by and see what we've got.

The one-of-a-kind table is still sitting in the store.

Made entirely of reclaimed driftwood, antlers, and rope, and topped with brand new clear Plexiglas, it is a beautiful table.

The guy who made it brought it into OAR a few weeks ago, and has sold similar tables all over the western section of the United States.

We're happy to have it at our store (but would really love to give it a new home!).

Stop by the store soon and see what great gear we have in stock.

Let your next adventure begin at OAR!

New Life For Gear In 2013

I picked this guy up just today.

He is a 100th Anniversary Teddy Roosevelt bear.  When you press his paw a voice tells you the history of Roosevelt's hunting trip, that was the inspiration for the very first "teddy bear".  He is absolutely adorable.

These Walls Blizzard Pruf coveralls are in excellent shape.

I bought these Cat Eye bike lights many years ago.  They were the first set of lights I bought when I started Adventure Racing back in the early 2000's and they still work perfectly (although the black shells on the lights have a few nicks and scratches).   

Handlebar brackets are included.

This familiar icon makes up part of the base of a metal candle holder, and the Trek youth bike helmet has been in the store since the day we opened.  It needs to GO already!   Somebody please come buy this thing!

We have lots of great gear at OAR and we're accepting consignments from outdoor adventurers.

Packs, trekking poles, hiking boots, bikes, boats, hunting gear, and more - we are accepting gear related to anything people love to do when they head outside.

If you received great new gear for Christmas, bring your old stuff to OAR. 

Please consider sharing your old (but still functional and in great shape) gear with someone else in the community.

Give your old gear new life in 2013, rather than letting it sit and collect dust in your attic, closet or garage!