Your Cart is Empty
Easy ways to stretch the camping season...
The desert, with its expansive landscapes, towering red rock formations, and intricate slot canyons, is a backpacker's paradise. This unique environment, however, requires careful planning and the right gear to ensure a safe and enjoyable adventure. Here’s a comprehensive guide to what you need for desert and canyon backpacking.
Utah’s desert regions, including famous spots like Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, Arches, and Canyonlands, offer some of the most stunning and otherworldly landscapes in the United States. The terrain varies from vast open spaces and rugged mountains to narrow, twisting canyons that beg to be explored. The isolation and beauty of these areas provide a profound sense of peace and adventure.
There are two things to keep in mind when gearing up for backpacking in the desert: 1) While the cost of the gear can be expensive up front, once you have it, backpacking is basically free; and 2) buying used gear from the Durango Outdoor Exchange can be a very smart way to get your gear.
Here is why buying used gear is so smart: High-end camping gear is not cheap, but it does depreciate quickly, meaning you can get a great tent, backpack, or stove for about what you’d pay for a department store version, only the quality is vastly better. Further, most camping gear is lightly used—even hard core backpackers may only be out a dozen nights a year, meaning that you are getting great, lightly used gear for a fraction of what you pay new.
But where to get good used gear in Durango? TheDurango Outdoor Exchange is packed to the rafters with seasonally appropriate new and used gear, including everything you need for backpacking in the desert. Stop by or call today.
Look–we can’t deny that huge ski areas are popular for a reason. Mega ski resorts often have the most terrain, the newest lifts, the snazziest shuttles, the most interesting base villages, and the best dining and aprés options. They can also (sometimes) have the best snow.
But big ski areas can also be a big pain in the rear. Crowds, traffic, lift lines, parking hassles, wild hotel and meal prices, and jaw-dropping lift ticket rack rates can all conspire to make skiing seem a LOT less fun than it should be.
Winter snow may still cover the high country for another six months or more, but it’s never too early to learn about what’s new in mountain bike tech for 2025. Spring Break is right around the corner and whether it’s a trip to the desert you have planned, or you are dreaming about your perfect ride for this summer, now is the time to learn about what’s new for this year.
Not up for a new bike? Come spring,Durango Outdoor Exchange will have plenty ofused bikes to choose from–we just may have the perfect project bike for some of the tech you see listed below.
One of the main ways to determine running shoe type is by looking at sole thickness. The sole is what cushions and stabilizes you, and how much of it your shoes have goes a long way to predicting how comfortable the shoes will be.
But, more sole does not always equate to a better shoe, and the reason behind this is guided in part by what kind of runner you are.
With so many shoes offering varying levels of sole thickness, how do you know what’s best for you? Let’s look at the importance of sole thickness, how it impacts your running performance, and what to look for when choosingrunning shoes in Durango.