If you want the best gear—whether it’s clothing, tents or something else—you don’t have to go to a large chain store to get what you need. Across the state, local outdoor shops provide incredible selection, with many having big-time brands such as Patagonia and North Face. So whether you are preparing for your first excursion in the woods or your 100th, here are some places to stock up before you head out on your adventure.

Austin Canoe & Kayak 

9705 Burnet Road, Austin
5822 Bissonnet Street, Houston
6700 North Interstate 35, New Braunfels
12746 Cimarron Path, San Antonio
23310 Interstate 45 North, Spring

The main focus Austin Canoe & Kayak, also known as ACK, is obviously canoes and kayaks, but the company’s five stores throughout the state offer camping gear, fishing equipment, and more.

Backwoods

441 Carroll St., Fort Worth

Backwoods, originally founded in 1973, has four physical locations throughout the Great Plains: Oklahoma City, Omaha, Tulsa, and Fort Worth. Part of its brand is Backwoods Adventures, a travel company that organizes trips across the globe.

Black Flag Outfitters

8401 Gateway Boulevard West Suite H05A, El Paso
3535 North Yarbrough Drive, El Paso

With two locations in El Paso (although the location on North Yarbrough is currently closed due to COVID-19), Black Flag Outfitters has Ray-Ban and Oakley sunglasses in addition to Patagonia apparel and more.

Happy Trails Outfitters

2023 Knickerbocker Road, San Angelo

With its selection of kayaks on the top of its catalog, Happy Trails Outfitters also has a solid selection of apparel, gear, and more.

Good Sports Outdoor Outfitters 

12730 West I-10 #300, San Antonio
5039 Beckwith Boulevard, San Antonio

Good Sports originally started as an athletic store in 1982 before the transition to an outdoor gear shop 10 years later. There are currently two locations. The main store is located on Interstate 10, while the outlet store is located on Beckwith Boulevard.

Gossamer Gear

7601 South Congress Avenue, Austin

Gossamer Gear’s expertise is in backpacking, helping people for over 20 years find the best backpack for them.

GRITR Outdoors

7901 Boulevard 26 #200, North Richland Hills

At the end of July, 1800Gear changed its name to GRITR Outdoors. The store has all different kinds of apparel and more in its stock, including home and gardening and motorcycle supplies.

Mountain Hideaway

4816 50th Street, Lubbock

If you need fly fishing gear for your camping trip, this is a great place to go to. With its fair share of fly fishing equipment to go with its stock of camping supplies, Mountain Hideaway has a very good selection.

Mountain Sports

2025 West Pioneer Parkway, Arlington

Mountain Sports is closing in on 50 years serving the DFW metroplex. One thing that sets it apart is its Ski and Snowboard Service Center, where mini tune-ups cost only $35.00.

Outdoorsman

6602 Slide Road #3, Lubbock

The outdoor clothing store has the same owners since opening in 1977 and has many of the mainstream brands including Patagonia, Ugg, North Face, and Hydro Flask.

Ski Skeller Sports

3327 West Wadlet Avenue, Midland

Although focused on skiing, Ski Skeller Sports also has camping and backpacking products in its stocks.

SlimPickins Outfitters

200 West Washington Street, Stephenville

SlimPickins Outfitters in Stephenville not only has some of the best brands in the industry, but it’s own in-house brand, SP Provisions.

Tall Timber Outdoors

2221 North Stallings Drive, Nacogdoches

Tall Timber Outdoors specializes in fishing, hunting, and kayaking gear. On its website under the section “East Texas Dock Talk,” the store provides updates on local Nacogdoches fishing areas.

Texas Outdoors

3821 Southwest Boulevard, Fort Worth

This Fort Worth store specializes in hunting and fishing.

The Bear Mountain 

4425 West Waco Drive, Waco

The Bear Mountain has been a Waco staple for over a decade. In addition to an outdoor shop that features brands such as North Face, Patagonia, and Birkenstock, the Bear Mountain also has a bike shop.

The Bear Mountain Outdoor

2501 Texas Avenue, College Station

The Bear Mountain of Waco opened Overlanders in 2012 in College Station, which was later bought by current owners Linda and Randy Scott. The store merged with Legacy Ace Hardware and Gifts in 2018.

The Budaful Hiker

122 Main Street, Buda
13911 Ranch Road 12, Wimberley

The Budaful Hiker started in Buda, and the owners later opened a second store in Wimberley. The store usually holds three community hikes every week on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings.

Whole Earth Provision Co.

4477 South Lamar Boulevard, Austin
1014 North Lamar Boulevard, Austin
5400 East Mockingbird Lane, Dallas
2934 South Shepard Drive, Houston
2501 Post Oak Boulevard, Houston
255 East Basse Road, San Antonio

Whole Earth Provision Co. is based on the Whole Earth Catalog, a magazine from the late 1960s and 1970s that provided information about tools, perspectives on the world, and more. The first store was found in Austin, and it has now expanded to six locations in four cities—Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio.

Zion Gear

2533 South Main Street, Lindale

Zion Gear adds a little bit of a twist to the usual outdoor gear shop, focusing on supplying customers with items that might be needed in an emergency or after a disaster. Instead of having a large collection of clothes, Zion Gear has food, radios, medical and survival kits and more.

Your Guide to Camping

Explore our map of campgrounds across the state and read more about how to have a successful trip.

Go to the Camping Guide