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 outside, 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 wasn’t just a weekend hobby, it was an everyday thing. My parents, Tim and Leisa, caught the outdoor bug long before it was a lifestyle brand. 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 people like us. There's no handshake, no story behind the gear, no sense that the person on the other end of that transaction actually cares whether your tent keeps you dry.

We wanted something different. We wanted a place that felt like the trailhead, where strangers become trail friends in about four minutes, where someone always knows which water source is running, where people share what they have because that's just what you do out there.

That's the culture we're building here.

Every piece of gear on this platform came from someone who loved it. Every listing was written by a real person who actually used that pack, wore those boots, or set up that tent under a sky full of stars. 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're not venture-capital backed. We're not trying to become the Amazon of used gear. We charge what we need to charge to keep this community growing and this platform running well. What we're investing in is you: the sellers who list honestly, the buyers who take care of what they purchase, and the collective belief that a little trust between strangers can go a long way.

We have no idea exactly where this goes. That's the honest truth. But we know what we want it to feel like and that part we're sure of. We want you to love this community as much as we do. We want you to treat the person on the other end of your transaction the way you'd treat someone you met on the trail. With kindness. With honesty. With the quiet understanding that we're all out here just trying to find more time in the places that make life feel worth living.

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

— Zoe, Kelby, Leisa & Tim