BOISE, Idaho — Outdoor gear is still in high demand and has been since shortly after the pandemic started. A year into the pandemic and with summer on the horizon, the shortage is impacting outdoor stores in Boise.
With Memorial Day is a little more than a month away, the best thing to do is plan out those summer activities now and get supplies ahead of time, otherwise, outdoor shops may be out of stock.
“All around town people are struggling to get what they need,” McU Bike Shop Manager Kyle Reed said.
He's seen the impacts the pandemic has had on the outdoor gear industry.
“It’s been impacted in a lot of different ways,” he said.
One item that has been impacted throughout the pandemic is mountain bikes, which are going to be tough to find this year.
“If we've got it on the floor in your size you should probably buy a lottery ticket because it's your lucky day,” Reed said.
There are a lot of different reasons why the ideal purchase may not be readily available for the summer.
“Everything, most of the stuff gets brought over by boat from wherever it’s made,” Idaho Mountain Touring President Chris Haunold said. “There just aren't enough boats to get all the stuff to the country.”
Haunold agreed with Reed and said that mountain bikes are the hot ticket item. Normally, they come to the store in a box, and the bike gets assembled and then they put it on the floor.
“Now, the demand is high enough that they go from the box to somebody's hand,” Haunold said.
Bikes aren’t the only time impacted by problems in the supply chain, though.
“Just about anything to do what I call human-powered outdoor activities,” Haunold said.
From tents, sleeping bags, camping stoves, fuel, and bike safety gear, people are going to have to plan out what they want to have a better chance of getting
“The earlier you kind of plan for that, the better chance you'll have of getting all your stuff together and having a great trip,” Haunold said.
It’s not just affecting the two stores either. Managers at REI, Boise Gear Collective and Cabela’s all said they are dealing with some sort of shortage due to supply issues.
All the shop managers recommended that if you see the thing you want and need, then get it. Don’t procrastinate because it may be gone.
Another tip is to be flexible. If a store doesn't have the exact item you were thinking of, they may have something close to it, but it may also be more expensive.
Reed told KTVB his store has also helped people find what they need by directing them to other stores in town and online.
“We really just want to get into the sport whatever the sport happens to be and if we don’t have the product we’re more than happy to help you find it wherever that might be from,” he said.