About Us

Hi! We are Kelby and Zoe, the creators of The Gear Project!

We live in Lake Tahoe, CA and it feels like our entire purpose in life is to spend time outdoors. Kelby and I met when we were both living in San Luis Obispo, CA. Kelby messaged me on Tinder (yes… still cracks me up) "It looks like you are in need of an adventure buddy as badly as I am!" and we have been adventuring together ever since.

We both were “outdoorsy” when we met, but we have really developed our deep love and adventurous spirit together through our relationship. When we met we were broke, had barely any time outside of our jobs to get outdoors, and spent any extra money we had on gear (mostly used!) to try to make our dream trips possible. We learned to backpack together, learned to climb together, and have continued to push each other to try new adventures every year.

Through documenting these trips on social media, we have gained the most incredible community of other like-minded outdoor enthusiasts, and have developed a deep passion in making the outdoors more inclusive for EVERYONE. It felt natural that the next chapter would be about giving something back to the community that had given so much to us.

I grew up on used outdoor gear. I was raised in Truckee, CA (not far from where we are now) where we had access to some really amazing outdoor consignment stores. Every ski season, I would get my boots, jackets, pants, and skis at our local used store, and every season I would grow out of them and my parents would consign them for another kid to use.

It’s amazing how many stores like this mountain town locals have access to, but wouldn’t it be amazing if everyone had access to used gear like this? If everyone could find ski jackets at ¼ of the retail price? If everyone could sell their gear when their goals change or they are ready to upgrade to someone who will actually use it? If we could connect the outdoor community across the US through shared gear? If we can keep this high quality gear and clothing out of landfills and in use over and over again?

This idea came to me suddenly one night, and I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it, so, I did what any 20-something year old does, and I called my mom…

I grew up in a home where getting outside was our entire life. My parents, Tim and Leisa, caught the outdoor bug long before it became cool. They fell in love with rock climbing in 1994 and that was on top of already being hopelessly devoted to hiking, skiing, boating, and cycling through their twenties. They got me hooked on finding used gear, on thrifting, on taking care of our planet, and they were the two people I knew needed to be a part of this.

That's how The Gear Project was born.

We built The Gear Project because we saw a gap in the spirit of how used gear was being bought and sold. The big platforms are fine for what they are, but they aren't built for the outdoor community. We wanted to build something different, something that we have wished existed for years, built by adventurers, for adventurers.

Every piece of gear on this platform came from someone who loved it and used it on countless adventures of their own. And every buyer is someone just like them… trying to get outside more, spend less, and find the gear that leads them to their next great adventure.

We have big plans over the next few years to make this your favorite place to buy used gear. We want this platform to feel like it was built for you, and for you to have a community of like-minded adventurers across the US who you can share gear with over the years. And most of all, we want you to be able to spend more time outside, because that's what this is all really about.

Welcome to The Gear Project. We're really glad you're here.

— Zoe, Kelby, Leisa & Tim