Vital Outdoors

One of the big problems growing up in the Midwest is that even the best ski shop employees wouldn't…read morequalify as part-time idiots out here in Colorado. One of the big problems living here in Boulder is that so many Boulderites are so full of Boulder they can't listen to anyone other than themselves. Cue Bentgate Mountaineering. These guys are the real deal - and worth the drive from Boulder. Oh yeah, a lot of what they sell you can get online, but what you can't get online is the hands on advice to avoid making expensive purchase mistakes. Guys like Chad who listen first and then present alternatives to make the best choice for you, the customer - whether you're heading up Denali or chasing your kid into a snowbank. Chad got my Stockli skis remounted with the correct width binding, all set to go. Bentgate is now my "go to" mountain store, whether I stay in Boulder or relocate to Jackson or Driggs. Bentgate is there for me and they'll be there for you too. Ask for Chad.

This company advertised online a MTB tire on sale for a low price so I bought it and felt good…read moreabout it however when I was checking my debit card account I noticed that they credited back the charge without even notifying me with at least a courtesy e-mail. I went back to the site and the price increased by $15.00. At least they could have notified me because I had been waiting for it. I e-mailed them to understand why and there was no response to that either. Terrible customer service I have ever experienced

Climbing gear

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Men's Clothing

Mountainsmith

5.0(2 reviews)

0.1 mi

Mountainsmith has the most spectacular service. They stand solidly behind their products, and are…read moreincredibly responsive in the service department. I highly recommend their products and impeccable service! I will not buy hiking poles from any other company. Ramona Bouzard Rockbridge Baths, VA

Awesome company; awesome products and even more awesome customer service! I had a problem with the…read morelining in one of their bags 6 YEARS ago, but had forgotten about their warranty. EBags referred me to them directly, and they went above and beyond to make everything right! I'm ordering the trekking sticks next!

Committed to satisfaction

Our headquarters with Golden Gate Canyon in the background.

They are CLOSED

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Front of shop

Mountain Threads

4.9(37 reviews)

4.5 mi

•$

Free parking

Living in Dallas, TX we have little need for heavy winter jackets, ski pants, boots, goggles, etc…read more Mountain Threads completely hooked us up with everything we needed for a fun day of tubing in Fraser! I booked and paid for everything online a week ahead of time, stopped by the store to try everything on the day of our adventure, and if it didn't fit, they were able to exchange it for a different size. All of the items we rented were in great shape and actually stylish. Returning the items was super easy and convenient at the end of the day, too. I'm SO glad to have found Mountain Threads -- they saved me a ton of money (and space in my luggage)! I would definitely recommend Mountain Threads without hesitation and will use them again on our next family snow adventure. It's worth noting that we went tubing the day after Christmas and they were incredibly busy. There were some walk-in customers that were asking for full gear set-ups and Mountain Threads was unable to service them. Those walk-in customers created quite a stink (claimed all sorts of racial nonsense) and left unfavorable reviews. I fully support Mountain Threads and feel the negative reviews are completely unfounded and unwarranted. It was one of their busiest times of the year and if Mountain Threads could have provided clothing, they would have. PLAN AHEAD people -- especially during popular times -- and don't blame a company or anybody else for your own short sightedness.

This is perhaps the easiest 5-star review I've written on Yelp... On a recent trip to Denver, we…read moredecided to do the ski thing for a day at Winter Park; hailing from Tennessee, you would correctly guess that we had no idea really what to do or get and how to prepare (outside of some help from ChatGPT). In our quest to find rental clothing, we came across Mountain Threads and Jared, and I am absolutely certain that it made our ski experience that much better. Jared was responsive, helpful, and kind - both on the phone and in person. He opened the shop early to accommodate our ski time - which was incredible - and $40 for all of the rental wear was a solid price. Easily a 10/10 - you won't go wrong here!

11.3 mi•Northwest, Highland

New Elite Women's Packages! Super stylish for your skiing and snowboard clothing rental needs!

Girls' outerwear package

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Wilderness Exchange Unlimited

4.1(132 reviews)

Had never gone skiing before in my life -- Sydney AKA Syd was SO HELPFUL and amazing! She helped me…read morewith zero judgment or condescension, and managed to somehow locate snow pants and other first-timer gear that would fit me at barely 5'2". Just a totally amazing employee who went above and beyond, and I'm sad that she no longer works there. Someone please get in touch with her -- I was supposed to have written this review months ago, and had put it off until now! In general, you can't beat the prices at Wilderness Exchange, and everyone there is just so sweet and kind and wonderful. No sports snobs to be found, only people who genuinely want to be there for you, even if you're a total noob and have no idea what you're even supposed to be buying. Thankful that they didn't upsell me on anything unnecessary -- I got exactly what I needed (jacket, gloves, base layers, goggles, pants), and had a killer first ski lesson ever thanks to Wilderness Exchange. Thanks, y'all!

TAKES A LOT OF EFFORT TO FIND BARGAINS HERE…read more We were told that Wilderness Exchange Unlimited is the place to come when you find REI too expensive. Wilderness Exchange is across the street from the flagship REI megastore. Park in the large lot (first hour free) next to Wilderness Exchange. We always enjoy hunting for bargains but it was not fun going through the mostly meh merchandise here. Hiking wear was still expensive even with tags showing markdowns of 25-50% off. We found the choices for women's clothing limited and less appealing (ugly colors and zero style) than the men's clothing. Plus secondhand clothing was mixed in with unworn merchandise. As for camping and hiking gear, it's hit or miss. Gear is expensive here even if it is marked down. If you are a hiking or camping newbie, bring a friend who can advise you about brands, quality and prices plus do some comparison shopping at REI. Confirm Wilderness Exchange's limited return and warranty policy.

Wilderness exchange

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BD posters and skis

Spyderco Factory Outlet

4.4(46 reviews)

1.7 mi

Stay sharp! This is my favorite knife store in the world. Golden, Colorado; U.S.A.. Earth. If you…read moreknow; you know! Always a great selection that you won't find online, only in the factory outlet store, and now open seven days a week, say what?! I have always been given excellent one on one service to find something to add to my collection or to find a gift for the hard to shop for guy. I was even offered a job for promoting the product to other customers and fellow travelers. I'll let you in on the secret from a local, "if you go in the store you will find the best prices on earth!" If you're are willing to wait for the once a year sale, you'll probably have to wait in line, it's worth it they practically give away their overstocked merchandise and you will probably get a free gift depending on how much you spend.

Incredible service! I was already a fan of Spyderco just based on their history and the strength of…read morethe products. I was recently going down a slide with my 3 year old, and bent the wire clip on my Para 3 Lightweight (considering it held up ~200 lbs of weight with only a bend is very impressive). After speaking with Craig, I was able to get a replacement clip and a correction on a previous order! Since I live so far away from Golden, CO, I was very excited to pick up some factory seconds online this year. Next year I will definitely have to try out their Mystery Boxes too! They've got such a huge selection, and the value of their products (even before discounts) is excellent. Hope that Spyderco might consider additional Seconds sales and Mystery Boxes throughout the year. From what I see posted online, they might be a little hit or miss at times, but in general people seem to be happy and to get their money's worth,

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Beam from the Twin Towers on display. Significantly sobering.

Boot Mechanics

5.0(25 reviews)

3.0 mi

Incredibly helpful. They were unfortunately out of the boot I needed in my size, and rather than…read morepushing me into another boot they found a place nearby where I could pick it up. I'll be back to get it properly fit and adjusted before next season. Raymond was my fitter and really appreciated my time with him.

Great place to get an expertly fitted boot. Spend the time to get to know your skiing style, foot…read moreshape etc and then try on various boots. Offer one year of feee adjustments as you break in the boots. Did take about 4-5 ski days to break them in and one small minor adjustment but feel great. Would definitely recommend them and come back next time I need another pair of boots. Dylan helped me and was wonderful.

9.5 mi•Berkeley, Northwest

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Feral

4.6(83 reviews)

I absolutely love the store and have consistently had an exceptional above and beyond Customer…read moreService experience. They offer a selection of both used and new items for people who live in active or outdoorsy lifestyle. The prices are fair and I love being able to purchase used high-quality items. Today I came in and could not have been happier to find a running belt. I tried to buy things used as much as possible because it saves money and is also giving a second life two items that would otherwise end up in a landfill. The running belt I found was great quality, very gently used and only cost $11. Feral is an absolute gem for the community and is by far my favorite outdoor good store. It is so well located also on Tennyson. Afterwards, you can stop for coffee or pop in for a yoga class at nearby businesses. If you have any questions, the employees here are incredibly friendly, charismatic and helpful. This is definitely a business. I feel good about supporting.

The concept at Feral is pretty cool. As a smaller outdoor shop, Feral sells both new and gently…read moreused clothing as well as hiking and camping gear. Though modest in quantity, I did appreciate finding a few items for doggies including trail booties (how cute!). Honestly, I felt that the gear selection seemed limited, mostly on part for biking equipment and accessories. Feral carries a few multi-use items like sunglasses, hydration packs, and headlamps, but other than that, nothing else. The store also lacks in service. There were three young ladies working at the front of the store, chatting amongst themselves. Not one customer was greeted when (we) walked in and checking out felt like an inconvenience to the staff. Prices here on new gear is a bit on the higher side in comparison so it's worth it to shop around (online).

Used clothing selection.

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Golden Fly Shop

4.9(28 reviews)

1.9 mi

Went in to find some fly line. Bro at the counter tried to sell me a $185 fly line without…read moredisclosing the price. It was ONLY $99 online, which is less than any fly line they sell, even their bottom tier. I've been buying their flies for years, but this just sucks. Not to mention they "couldn't" reup my license in March. Sucks because they're close to my house, but they've really gone sour for me. I don't want to support Amazon over brick-and-mortar, but this is shady.

This was the coolest fishing store I've ever been in. Their selection of flies were really…read moreimpressive. The employees were super helpful in recommending good fishing spots for us outsiders and our husbands were able to catch 4 trout! I really liked the clothing/hat selection too.

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Massive brown on crystal clear winter

Mountain Side Gear Rental

4.7(12 reviews)

2.6 mi

Best service I've had in a long time! Owners Alex and Matt…read more(I think!!) and Jake were all super chill and very helpful. We live out of state and needed help discerning a bit of the lay of the land when it came to winter rentals. They took the time to help us out, and give us options for the rentals we needed for snowshoes. The shop has tons of great outdoor equipment (see my pictures and others posted for the variety), and quite a few options for Colorado souvenirs! If and whenever we're in the area and need winter rentals, we'll be back!!

Mountain Side Gear Rental is the best around! It's my go-to spot for the last ~5-years when I need…read moregear for my backpacking and camping adventures! Not only do they have great rental options like bear canisters, tents, sleeping pads, etc. for last minute gear emergencies or when a friend comes to visit from out of town, but they also offer a variety of lightly used gear for purchase with great deals. + their dehydrated food wall for backpacking meals always has the best selection. Staff is super friendly and happy to share their knowledge of the area and gear! I can't recommend MSGR enough - support your local gear shop and you won't regret it

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DICK'S Sporting Goods

2.6(8 reviews)

3.6 mi

I always have good luck at Dick's ( what that sounds weird)....Sporting Goods ( okay better??)…read more I really like their private label DSG....great compression tights, 2X1 running shorts etc. Huge selection of pretty much anything you want

Who reviews a sporting goods store? I guess I do. LOL. The wife recently purchased a tread mill,…read moreopened a line of credit and we got deferred payments for a few years. I wanted to get a Yeti cooler, so we went back. We needed the manager's assistance because we wanted to continue that deferred credit. I do hate paying interest on anything! During my visit, we worked with both the managers and an employee. Wife purchased new tennis shoes for the tread mill, while I ended up with my cooler and cool new Nike hoodie. Great shopping experience! Come check these guys out!

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11 reviews that are not currently recommended

The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.

Erin O.

8 years ago

I went in to get a pair of Chacos and was very impressed !! "Chris the Chaco Guy" for sure !! He taught me everything about Chacos! How to strap them, ways they work, even tips on replacement!!! Highly recommend this place and their service is absolutely amazing!! 11/10 recommend!! read more

Alice F.

7 years ago

I am visiting Golden from Italy and I stopped by Vital outdoors randomly on my walk around town today: super nice and polite employees, super available to help when I needed and very good products with great deals. Totally recommended! read more

Celeste F.

8 years ago

All the retail guys here are great. They have a lot of knowledge about hiking shows and about the area. We came here to get Tagore for my girlfriend and I ended up getting a pair as well. :-) read more

Jeanie G.

8 years ago

Amazing customer service! Chris showed me a shoe that i was back and forth about and then i tried the one I thought I liked, but he was right. Very knowledgable! read more

Kristi S.

9 years ago

Found great products and sales. Chris provided terrific help funding walking shoes and explaining the options based on my specific needs. Worth shopping here. read more

Kelli P.

8 years ago

Consistently excellent service! I believe in the importance of shopping local. Vital Outdoors always has what I'm looking for, and more!

Christy R.

7 years ago

Austin was amazing and provided great service. We visit this store every year we come to Golden. Great Service!

Samantha M.

472

9 years ago

Alec is the man - very helpful and assisted us in choosing a nice backpack. Highly recommend. Great gear!

Beth T.

8 years ago

I rate Vital Outdoors in Golden CO a 5+ ! The staff have met ample time and custom attention!!

Ryan S.

257

9 years ago

Great service, location and deals. One stop shop for everything outdoors

Paul A.

8 years ago

Had great customer service! Thumbs up!

Vital Outdoors - outdoorgear - Updated October 2026

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