They picked up a permit here for the boundary waters since the Tofte Ranger station is closed on Monday and Tuesday. The staff was helpful. Friendly. They have a nice selection of gear plus they are a full outfitter as well, they have showers for when you get out of the boundary waters. This was our second year visiting this location. read more

Visiting the area while on a long nation wide rv journey. We've been to a lot of outdoor outfitters and these folks are great. Helpful, informative, friendly, great selection of a variety of gear, etc. Only suggestion I'd make is to move the snacks higher in front of the cash register area. My wiener dog almost stole a salami! read more

We took a sea-kayaking tour on Lake Superior in mid-May. Eric was an excellent guide- the perfect mix of knowledgeable & laid back. He was a great teacher and leader, and was approachable and confident. Plus he's full of fun-facts, if you ask! We are relatively inexperienced kayakers, but had success on the tour & were very pleased with our experience and ability to complete the paddling. The weather was gorgeous, and there was little wind, making the paddle easy. While anyone in average shape could complete the paddle, this is certainly a skill that requires lots of time to perfect. We paddled to the mouth of the Temperance River, which was gorgeous! And the views of Superior were a captivating mirage... looking out, we were unable to see where the water ends and the sky begins. Breathtaking! Upon arriving at the store, we were fitted for wetsuits. The sizing chart was quite confusing, but it seemed as though they would have patience finding a good fit if help is needed. The price seemed reasonable overall for the experience. read more

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I suffered two bicycle problems in one day of attempting bike-packing in the Sawtooth Mountains, and was bailed out both times by the friendly and professional staff at Sawtooth Outfitters. The first time I discovered I had neglected to carry my valve core remover, when I needed due to a leak that had developed in my one of my tubeless tires, necessitating an infusion of sealant. After getting this fixed (with the benefit of the special air pump they have for seating tubeless tires) I biked up the peak of the highest point in the area only to suffer a failed seat-post clamp just as I hit the peak, necessitating a trip back down the mountain - with my seat comically low, sitting on top of the seat tube - to see if Sawtooth Outfitters had a seat clamp the right size for my bike. Fortunately, they had one: I got lucky as they mainly stock only mountain bike parts and my gravel bike has a narrow road bike sized seat tube. I had shown up the second time just before their closing time but they kindly hunted their workshop area for the needed part and supplied me gratis with some goop to increase the friction of my seat post inside the seat tube. I'd be happy to use these guys again for anything bicycle related but hope not to need to do so! read more

Awesome staff and product selection. Best rental deals around. The store is very appealing, and prices are fair. The staff are very knowledgeable about the area and extremely helpful. 100% recommend a visit. read more

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Very easy and friendly when renting bikes for the afternoon. They gave us a map and told us the beat route to take to temperance state park. I recommend! read more

This store must be doing so well during the summer of COVID!! We drove up here to grab our teens some new gear and tshirts. The GENTLEMAN working the counter was extremely rude and made us go outside as they were not having more than a few people in the store. After stopping many times over the years, this will be our last. Plenty of room to social distance, and yes, we were wearing our masks. Not Minnesota nice or general hospitality of a service type business. WOW read more

If Sarah recommends a route or a canoe or gear...trust it... Jeff recommends the rest...trust it.. Been going to Sawtooth Outfitters since Jeff and Sarah took over and will never go anywhere else...Simply the bes...the kindest...the most sincere and best outfitters I have witnessed in my 47 years...and that includes north of the US border...just sayin read more

Place used to be great. Now they try to nickle and dime you to death and appear to hate their customers. Been going to the BWCA for 22 consecutive years. Have used these guys probably 5-6 times. They used to be fine. But their attitude has gone to hell and they really try to screw you at the cash register. We rented a solo canoe from them and bought some gear. (we were a party of 5 and own 2 boats ourselves) Here were our experiences: 1. Literally no smiles or happiness from anyone. Every question we asked was answer by a grunt. And then something random about protecting their boats. 2. Got barked at for squeezing some soft plastic baits I was in line to buy "cause I was going to ruin them" 3. Got charged a full day canoe rental for a pickup that we did the hour before close when they knew we were going to be there an hour before close (these guys apparently charge by the calendar day... which is new) 4. Got charged for a 'spare paddle' which I've never been charged for in my life and I generally consider a safety item. Apparently If it's a single canoe. You get 1 paddle 5. Was going to be charged for a second life jacket... which again most outfitters will be happy to loan. 6. we showed up at 8:00 just when they open. And the worker there walked right past us. Barely made eye contact. And then said that he would open in about 10 minutes. read more

Just got back from a trip and overall did not have a great experience using Sawtooth for our first time. I understand this is a very busy time of the year but I sensed a lack of friendliness/motivation and appreciation for our business, of what was a big group of people. Unlike other outfitters in the past, we weren't greeted with smiles or enthusiasm rather just "park your cars over there, what's your name?". Then when we returned all the equipment, only one employee came out to help us with multiple canoes and equipment, when the building wasn't that full of customers. We were also given attitude by an employee because of the scratches left on the bottom of the canoes. After apologizing and saying we did not intend to scratch the canoes anymore then we had do (we went on a very rocky route, water levels are low, the BWCA recently even had a fire ban) , we were still awkwardly scolded by the employee. We were even asked if we wanted to go in back and see the difference between one of our canoes and I guess one they prep for a new group. No thanks. Overall, just left a very sour taste in our mouthes and I think we will look elsewhere in the future. Despite all that, the location is very convenient. read more

My Husband and I decided to take on the Boundary Waters Canoe area for the first time this summer. We really had no idea what to expect or how to pack, nor did we have any of the needed equipment... All of our camping gear was too bulky to consider taking with us in a canoe. We had talked to some friends and got a couple of recommendations to use an outfitter. We love the Lutsen area and therefore we were familiar with Sawtooth Outfitters from driving by it many times. We opted for complete outfitting for our trip. We decided to purchase our permit to put in at Lake Homer and hoped that the outfitter would guide us as to a doable route from there. We were definitely not disappointed. Sarah was very helpful and professional. From meal planning, equipment demonstration, route planning and even strapping the canoe on our vehicle we felt ready to tackle our trip. We followed Sarah's recommendations for route and campsite locations and had a fabulous time. All of our equipment was like new and we had absolutely no issues with anything! Thanks for everything Sawtooth Outfitters! We would definitely do BWCA again like this, and recommend it to other rookies like us. read more

Sawtooth Outfitters - View from our campsite on Brule Lake on night 2 - Outdoor Gear Near Me - Tofte, Minnesota

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We were extremely satisfied, as usual, with our last outfitting experience at Sawtooth, Sarah and Jeff are the greatest. They really CARE about their customers, which is why you feel you have a relationship with them each time you shop. read more