The Outdoor Gear You Should Always Buy Secondhand

Buying used outdoor gear can get you higher-quality gear for less, keep it out of landfills, and reduce the need to produce new gear. Many outdoor brands are also building resale programs to extend the life of their products.

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But it’s not wise to buy every piece of outdoor gear used.

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Outdoor Gear You Should Never Buy Used

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If the gear’s job is to save your life, buy it new. This mostly applies to safety equipment, which can hide fractures, UV damage, and material fatigue that even close inspection can miss. Even unused gear degrades on the shelf.

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• Helmets: Designed to disperse impact, helmets mask cracks, loose filling, and faulty straps incredibly well. Many climbing shops refuse to sell them, used for exactly that reason.
• Climbing rope: Fabric ropes degrade from use, age, and UV exposure. Unused rope can also lose integrity, and you usually can't tell until it fails.
• Harnesses: Webbing fatigues, seams loosen, and UV quietly weakens fabric. Even closet-stored harnesses have a 5–7-year lifespan, which makes a used one a real gamble.
• Life jackets: Foam loses buoyancy, and inflatable bladders fail without warning. The U.S. Coast Guard estimates 80% of boating fatalities could be prevented with working Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs).
• Avalanche gear: Beacons need to work the first time. Older units are often analog and incompatible with newer digital frequencies, leaving you invisible to rescuers when seconds matter.
• Technical footwear: Boots mold to the original owner's feet, so they rarely fit you well. Worn midsoles and treads also reduce shock absorption and traction on rough terrain.

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Outdoor Gear You Can Buy Used (But Only After Inspection)

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Some gear holds up well secondhand, but only if you know what to look for. Take your time with these categories and don't skip the inspection.

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Sleeping Bags & Puffy Coats

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• What to inspect: Squeeze a down bag and watch how fast it lofts back. For synthetics, run your hands along the baffles and feel for thin "cold spots." Ask the seller how the item was stored. A bag crammed in a stuff sack for years will have permanently compressed fill.
• When to walk away: The insulation feels flat or clumpy after a good shake, or the seller can't tell you how the bag was stored.

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Rain Jackets & Shells

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• What to inspect: Run your fingers along the inside of the jacket. The laminate should feel smooth and dry, not tacky or peeling. Sprinkle water on the outside to check whether it still beads up (the DWR test). Examine seam tape for lifting, tug the zippers, and flex the cuffs.
• When to walk away: The inner coating is sticky or gummy, the seams feel powdery, the jacket gives off a plasticky or sour smell, or the seam tape is peeling. These are signs that the waterproof membrane is delaminating, and there's no fixing that.

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Backpacks

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• What to inspect: Flex the frame and check that it springs back. Press the hipbelt and shoulder foam. It should feel resilient, not pancaked. Look for fabric delamination, fraying webbing, and cracked buckles. Many pack brands sell replacement parts, so a missing sternum strap isn't a dealbreaker.
• When to walk away: The frame is cracked, the foam feels "crunchy" or oxidized, the plastic hardware is stress-whitened, or the anchor stitching at load-bearing points is broken.

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Tents

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• What to inspect: Rub the fly and floor fabric between your fingers. The coating should feel smooth, not sticky. Flex each pole section near the ferrules for elasticity. Run the zippers, check seam tape for peeling, and look for tears or holes in the mesh.
• When to walk away: The floor is tacky or smells like chemicals (a sign of polyurethane breakdown), pole sections are warped or cracked, or the mesh is brittle. A leaky tent in a storm is a miserable experience.

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Stoves & Cookware

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• What to inspect: Thread the fuel canister on and off. It should spin smoothly. Check O-rings for cracks, turn the valve through its full range, and fire the stove to confirm an even blue flame. For liquid-fuel models, test pump resistance and check for fuel-line kinks.
• When to walk away: You smell gas, spot pitted corrosion around welds, or the stove has a nonstick PFAS coating that's chipping or flaking.

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Inflatable Sleeping Pads

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• What to inspect: Inflate the pad fully and leave it overnight. Even a small pressure drop signals a puncture. Confirm the seller offers a return window so you can run that test before committing.
• When to walk away: You find a slow leak you can't locate or patch. A pad that deflates at 2 a.m. on a cold night isn't saving you any money.

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Outdoor Gear You Can Confidently Buy Used

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• Basic clothing like hiking pants, sun shirts, and base layers
• Accessories like sunglasses and hats
• Water bottles and cookware
• Shoes, boots, and sandals (support fades with wear, worth noting if you have problem feet)
• Skis and snowboards, as long as the size is right and there are no core shots
• Fly fishing rods, reels, and nets
• Kayaks and rafts that hold air and don't leak

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Where to Shop for Used Outdoor Gear

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Start local. Independent outdoor shops and gear exchanges often have used sections, and you can handle items in person before buying.

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For bigger purchases like skis, tents, and kayaks, try Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and eBay.

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Also, check out these online resale platforms:

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