Use it up

wear it out

make it do

or do without!

— Someone

| Retail || Repair || Resale |

The best gear is the gear you’ve already got.

Repair

Replace buttons and zippers! Reinforce crotches and cuffs! Patches for holes or for novelty! Keep usable goods out of the landfill and do your part to slow the global fashion machine!

Repair

refitter noun re · fit · ter

A business combining the retail offerings and experience of an outfitter with the ethos of a repair shop.

Repairing and reselling used goods is the only truly sustainable form of consumption. It uses minimal virgin resources, no harsh chemicals or costly energies that are used in recycling, no shipping costs or CO2, extends an item’s life so usable things don’t end up in the landfill, and there’s no break-in period.

Resale

Pay it forward by giving someone else a hot deal on that cozy puffer you just don’t use anymore! Free up space in your closet and your conscience by knowing you’re doing right by the environment and your community and hurting the global elite’s bottom line!

Sell

Retail

Everything we sell is made to be used… and then reused. Plus, it is likely the only one we have, in which sense it’s more limited edition than any North Face jacked ever will be! Unique and utilitarian!

Buy

An outdoor shop… in Chicago?

Are you sure about this? Sounds a little backwards.

I know, you’re already looking around sardonically for the mountains. I get it, a camping store in the city must be some type of wishful thinking… But hear me out!

Believe it or not, we experience the same precipitation variety as the Tetons. The towers and canyons of downtown Chicago have a huge impact on the meteorologic goings ons and can create some intense weather patterns. It can be brutal out here! Our winters are frigid, mucky, and famously windy. Summers are hot and sticky with UV rays a blastin’. Autumn brings temperature swings of 60 degrees in a few hours. Spring… well who can even guess what springs is going to look like! Just a few years ago we had a beach party on Valentines Day and a snow day in May. All that to say, even the city folk need gear. Layers for those unpredictable Spring days, multifunctional pieces for those tight closets, and long-lasting quality (and repair offerings) for the wallet.

Okay, I’ll bite. Who is “Wisconsin Johnson”?

Born and raised in the Northwoods region of the Midwest, I spent a lot of time outside touching grass, as they say. (Seriously, “touch grass” is in Webster’s dictionary now. What a world.) Paddling a canoe or pedaling a bike, I’ve always been moving about nature’s spaces. It’s only natural to love nature so naturally I nurture a nature of naturalistic notions in my life. Even though that life has landed me in a more urban setting than that of the backwoods of Wisconsin, I’ve found that the concrete jungle is more of a wilderness than I’d ever expected. Ambling through the urban tundra requires the same insulation and wind protection as bushwhacking through the brush. In fact, sometimes the daily commute requires more durability and versatility from the gear than a backpacking excursion would!

About

So how does this work?

The best gear is the gear you’ve got. Maybe it just needs a little TLC— a new zipper, re-waterproofing, an extra pocket even! We’re big on making do with what you’ve got, so if you’ve got the goods, lets make it happen. Save the landfill… and some chedder while we’re at it!
Let’s make money together! Your old birthday gift tent, pre-weight loss (or non-loss) pullover, and that pack from when you lived in the mountains are all just taking up space now… We’ll save someone else from having to buy new and give those goods a new life!
Some occasions call for new items, it’s true. Fear not, fellow woodland critters, for Wisconsin Johnson has only the highest quality new goods that will last you a lifetime… unless they come back for consignment ;)