Every good North Idaho adventure starts with the right gear, and for forty years Sandpoint has had a downtown shop built for exactly that moment. Outdoor Experience, known to many locals simply as OE, has been supplying the needs of outdoor enthusiasts from its home base in Sandpoint since 1986. It is an independent, locally owned shop, and those local roots show in the way it works: this is a place run by people who hike, ride, paddle and ski in the same Selkirks, Cabinets and waters that its customers are headed for.
Inside, the focus is gear and apparel for getting outside in all four seasons. The shop has long specialized in equipment and clothing for hiking, camping, kayaking, cross-country skiing and climbing, along with the footwear, layers and everyday outdoor clothing that a mountain-and-lake town demands. In winter that means being ready for a day up at Schweitzer or on a quiet trail in the valley. In summer it means being ready for Lake Pend Oreille, a forest trail or a campsite under the pines. Rather than chasing fads, OE describes its aim simply: offering the industry's best gear and apparel, with staff who can help match it to the trip you have planned.
What makes Outdoor Experience especially useful is that it is more than a place to buy things. The shop offers rentals, so visitors who arrived without the right equipment, and locals trying something new, can get outfitted without buying everything first. It also runs a bike service, keeping local riders rolling through Sandpoint's long riding season, from town errands to days on the area trails. Services like those turn a retail stop into practical help, the kind a Schweitzer visitor can use on the way up the mountain and a Sandpoint neighbor can use all year long.
OE also takes seriously its role as a gathering place. The shop describes itself as a place for the adventure community to meet, learn and be inspired, and local groups treat it that way, too. The Pend Oreille Pedalers, Sandpoint's local bike club, even makes its merchandise available for pickup at Outdoor Experience, a small detail that says a lot about how woven into the local outdoor scene this storefront has become. First-timers get a starting point for a Sandpoint adventure, and longtime customers get a familiar counter where local knowledge comes with the gear.
You will find Outdoor Experience at 314 North First Avenue in downtown Sandpoint, an easy stop before heading up to Schweitzer, out to the lake or onto a trail. It is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the shop can be reached at 208-263-6028. Whether you need a full kit, a rental, a bike repair or just a good steer on where to go, stop in and say hello. Since 1986, that friendly, knowledgeable welcome has been the real Outdoor Experience.