Skip to main content
The news that Next Adventure would permanently shutter all locations come September hit local outdoorsy types pretty hard. Next Adventure has been a homegrown fixture of the outdoor retail landscape in Portland for 28 years, and gave off rebellious ski bum energy the whole time. The signs around the 426 SE Grand Ave. store were often of the Sharpie-on-cardboard variety, with or without a joke. One thing that was no laughing matter: Next Adventure’s bargain basement, plus regular sales, where shoppers could pick up new and used gear for a song. Its liquidation sale kicked off May 28 and goes through the end of September.
And while many parents cannot imagine how they will now outfit their young, growing skiers each winter without Next Adventure’s November Ski Swap, somehow we must all persevere. But where? For those who don’t want to schlep to the Beaverton or Clackamas REI, we explored a variety of outdoor retailers in Portland proper to see what’s out there.
All of the stores we interviewed are anticipating a bump in sales come fall when there’s a Next Adventure-sized hole (that’s two outdoor stores and two paddle sports centers) in the market. The past five years have been a tumultuous chapter in the industry, including the closures of the Pearl District REI, military surplus store Andy and Bax, and the U.S. Outdoor Store.
Mike Turner, owner of Foster Outdoor, was an 18-year veteran manager at Next Adventure before opening up his own shop in Southeast Portland in 2019.
“I’m excited for our opportunity, but it also makes me a little sad they’re shutting down a Portland institution,” Turner says. “A lot of people would have rather seen them carry it on.”
Gearheads, here are some places to try, all within city limits:
Foster Outdoor
6615 SE Foster Road, 503-327-8463, fosteroutdoor.com. 10 am–6 pm Monday-Saturday, 11 am-5 pm Sunday.
Foster Outdoor fills the void for secondhand gear, and then some. Housed in the historic, curved Phoenix Pharmacy building on Southeast Foster Road at 67th Avenue, the six-year-old retailer focuses on consignment, but also sells new equipment and clothing. Consigners get their own online portal login to keep track of their inventory and can choose store credit or cold, hard cash for their sales. The floor stock changes quickly, with associates rolling out a couple of hundred new items every day, Turner says. “Very few of our customers want to come in and spend $1,000 on a ski setup, so we can get them out the door for a couple hundred bucks with a secondhand setup.”
Spotted: New sleeping bags for 50% off and new tents at 25% off, plus an entire section of used camping gear upstairs. Stylish, barely used Sorel snow boots with white faux fur lining ($32). Large selection of Seattle brand Kavu clothing, including a fetching sunrise-motif sweater ($45). New Tahe standup paddleboard ($399).
Evo Portland
200 SE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 503-972-5850, evo.com. 11 am–7 pm Monday-Friday, 10 am–6 pm Saturday-Sunday.
Some people roll their eyes at evo just because it’s a Seattle-based chain. but that’s no reason to fully shun this outfitter. (Plus, founder Bryce Phillips is from Roseburg and grew up skiing on Mount Ashland, so chill.) Located in the Central Eastside’s former Salvation Army building, evo offers some surfing and skateboarding gear but goes deep on mountain sports: bikes, skis and snowboards. Evo is a fun place to drool over racks of snowboards that look like works of art, or even actual works of art in evo’s mini gallery, currently featuring work by landscape painter Rachel Pohl. Staff has an array of gadgets on hand for flawless ski boot fittings, including a liner heater, a platform for creating custom footbeds, and an oven to bake ski boot shells to an exact size and shape.
Spotted: An event board featuring group bike rides, a trailhead party and a Babes on Waves Surf Fest fundraiser. A full-service tuning and rental shop. 2025 Burton Process Flying V snowboard with a sick tiger graphic available new ($440) or used ($396).
The Portland Outdoor Store
304 SW 3rd Ave. 503-222-1051, theportlandoutdoorstore.com. 9:30 am–4 pm Monday-Saturday.
There’s nary a ski, snowboard, hiking boot or tent in the Portland Outdoor Store, but hear us out: There’s plenty of outdoor apparel here to justify a visit to this Old Town landmark, established in 1919. The store specializes in—as per the vintage signage wrapping around the Southwest 3rd Avenue and Oak Street building— “English and Western Saddles, Tack and Equipment,” and visitors are hit with a waft of fresh leather boots and saddles upon entry. Sales spike whenever there’s a rodeo or someone throws a Western-themed wedding, manager Josh Barrett says, but customers who don’t ride on horseback can count on solid outerwear from Filson, Woolrich, Carhartt and Pendleton.
Spotted: Carhartt beanies in every color ($20) and overalls ($90). Pearl-snap Western shirts galore. Pendleton blankets ($299), barn coats and yummy sweaters ($199). Boot scrubber ($30).
Mountain Shop
2975 NE Sandy Blvd. 503-288-6768, mountainshop.net. 10 am–6 pm daily.
The hardy Mountain Shop, which has been in business since 1937, has bounced around Northeast Portland locations for the past few years but is about to settle into its hopefully forever home: The owners purchased the former Standard TV & Appliance showroom on Northeast 33rd Avenue at Sandy Boulevard and plan to open there in September. The 47,000-square-foot building will allow Mountain Shop to expand its inventory just as Next Adventure shuts its doors. Within a year, Mountain Shop intends to set up a used-gear basement, according to manager Jeremy Ray, and is looking forward to having space to carry snowboards and car-camping gear for the first time. Until then, the current location three blocks up on Sandy is fully functional.
Spotted: Telemarking, or “telly,” boots, bindings and skis, one of the only retail outlets in Oregon that carries this niche gear. Featherweight backpacks by Hyperlite ($349) and Gossamer ($275). Ice ax for climbers ($100). A spring cleaning sale on trail running shoes. Pucci, an incredible 1-year-old shop dog who enjoys belly rubs (not for sale).
