A Word to the Wise

Wherever you are around the globe, you’ve felt the direct or indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic over the last year. First and foremost, I sincerely hope and pray that whomever is reading this and those close to them are in good health and finding ways to move forward from this and seeing brighter days and open trails ahead. In many ways, this has been a new awakening for people around the world to find new ways to recreate and that’s taken so many people outdoors which is one small positive from a terribly negative situation. Which leads to the purpose of this post…

I lived in Utah for over 12 years and my favorite spot to buy gear around the Salt Lake City area was Recreation Outlet. Call it nostalgia, call it loyalty, or just call it not having the heart to unsubscribe and feel like I wasn’t supporting a great local business, but I still get their regular email blasts. Full credit to them for creating/sharing this as I just received it tonight in my inbox and felt like it needed to be shared:

Due to an increased demand on outdoor gear and equipment from an influx of people rushing to the outdoors over the last year, and the production industry being shut down for a time due to COVID-19, thus unable to meet the increased demand, many of us have already seen long delays in product orders and gear production. You may have already noticed shops and sites with more limited supplies and selection to choose from. It doesn’t sound like this is likely to change anytime soon.

While vaccines are being produced and cases are going down, we are not out of the woods yet. We are about to enter another summer in a COVID-19 world. Listen to our friends at Recreation Outlet! As any good Boy Scout should, remember to “Be Prepared” and shop early in preparation for your upcoming adventures. Start planning now for how and where you’ll be exploring and seeking adventures this summer so you can find the necessary gear to do so safely and comfortably. (And don’t forget to shop local!)

Try something new, choose a new road or trail, cross something off your bucket list. Use this change to find more time to get outdoors and enjoy the world around us. It’s still an amazingly rad place. Whatever it is, have fun doing it and we hope to see you on the trail!

– Jake

P.S. If you’re anywhere near Utah and the Wasatch Front or just traveling through, go check out Rec Outlet! They’ve got three locations (Ogden, SLC, Orem) to enjoy and have a ridiculous amount of amazing gear at even more amazing prices. Brand names, off-brand, own-brand, they have it for any budget. And they seriously know their stuff! So stop in, say hi, ask about local spots, and support them!