About Outdoor Experience
Outdoor Experience has been supplying the needs of North Idaho adventurers from its home base in downtown Sandpoint since 1986. Located on North First Avenue, the locally owned shop is the area's go-to for camping, backpacking, and trail gear, blending a knowledgeable staff of outdoor enthusiasts with a carefully curated selection of equipment, footwear, and apparel.
Beyond retail, the store runs a busy rental program that covers nearly every season: snowshoes and Nordic ski equipment in winter, and kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, and bikes once the trails and lake open up. They carry specialty running shoes like Hoka and Altra, backpacking essentials for multi-day trips into the Selkirks and Cabinets, and the smaller hard-to-find items that keep an adventure on track. Staff are happy to share trail beta, route advice, and conditions reports.
What sets Outdoor Experience apart is nearly four decades of local credibility and a genuine community focus — a shop run by people who actually use the gear on the same mountains, rivers, and lakes their customers explore. For visitors looking to rent paddle craft for a day on Pend Oreille or gear up for a backcountry trek, it is a trusted first stop in Sandpoint.
