What a great little Outdoor gear store! They have everything from river gear, to cook stoves to the…read morebest hiking boots around! BUY LOCAL!!! These folk are very friendly and quite helpful with the latest gear!! Thank you Jeff and Kate!!

Just the right size. Good selection of useful gear, and a used and consignment section to boot…read more Very friendly and helpful owner was there, taking care of business.

Terrible service and recommendations. We had a friend come down for advice on a muzzleloader and…read morethe employee gave bad advice and the company won't make up for the damages cause due to their employees recommendations

went in for a OTC bear tag got sold a OTC bull elk tag and now being told they can't do anything…read moreabout it. Good thing to find out when I'm already gone and out of service

I went in for some ski bindings, and they were super nice and helpful. So nice, in fact, that they…read moresuggested another local business might have more selection. It's so refreshing in today's world to encounter such helpfulness and selfless honesty. Even though I didn't buy my bindings here, I will definitely be a consistent future patron because of their putting me first as a customer.

My interactions with Backcountry Experience (Durango) goes back close to when their doors…read moreoriginally opened (2006?). It has always been a treat to shop at BCE. As the days of consumerism continues to move towards online shopping, it is paramount to support any local business of recognition. BCE is one of those establishments. Not only is their inventory exceptional, but their personnel is also top-tier. Their associates have the wherewithal to remediate any issue, whether it be a repair to gear or replacement (if required and possible) to selling of items that are nice to see in person. Thanks to the crew members Ethan, Crystal and Cal for their expertise!

Bottom Line: Locally owned store selling quality gear for the outdoors…read more Shortly after landing in Durango my husband realized he forgot his sunglasses so we headed to Gardenswartz Outdoors to see what we could find. The store doesn't have any glamorous displays but it was well organized with great brands like Toad & Co, Darn Tough, Prana, Camelback, etc. I enjoyed looking around while my husband picked out a new pair of Smith sunglasses. The store has gear for men, women and kids. The store is located in historic Durango so that means parking is mostly limited to street parking. We were in town on a busy Saturday so we ended up parking quite far away but it was worth it.

Great small store with high prices. Good selection of items if you happen to forget something at…read morehome or while traveling. They're located in the middle of a tourist trap, and get lots of foot traffic.

The real deal. Great selection of used but usable gear, and at great prices! We scored a couple…read moreitems that had been on our wish list for a while. We will certainly visit every time we're in Durango.

Great place for nearly new/gently used items of all kinds. I've been most happy with hats/caps,…read moregloves, boots/shoes, sun glasses, and clothing I've purchased over the years. I grew up in Durango and wish this place would've been there decades ago. I was so happy to find it during one of my many annual visits a few years ago. I stop by nearly every time I'm lucky enough to get some heavenly Durango time!

Got my hiking boots. Expensive but worth it. Good quality of shoes fit hiking or outdoor stuff…read more Great customer service

The GardenSwartz staff were amazing! I was advised to come to this store by a friend from Ouray, CO…read morewho said they were really cool about swapping Camelbaks with issues. Not only were staff willing to swap out my Camelbak, but they took the time to show me that there was actually nothing wrong with my Camelbak, and even though I felt like a complete doofus for wasting their time, they were totally cool about it and gave me good advice about where to find bouldering nearby. Especially big shout out to Cameron who was my primary contact in the store. Thanks!!!

Quick look rating: 4/5 Quality, 5/5 Service, 5/5 Experience…read more This is a little shop at the foot of the Durango ski resort, north of Durango, Colorado by about 10 to 15 miles. It felt like a smaller outlet store. Come to find out that they do have a larger store in Durango. The sales person was very kind and extremely knowledgable! He knew about a number of different products. They carry a number of clothing items for the area, nothing terribly fancy, just the basics. They also carried some hiking items and a very small amount of things that young children might buy! What I really loved was just as you enter there is an animal tracking display! Just wonderful for the little ones and visitors that are not familiar with the local animals! Someone really did good when they put these displays together! Just checking out these displays is worth it's weight in gold! Nicely done Backcountry Experience! How fun for an outdoor adventure store!

I've been shopping here for 25 years. I appreciate the knowledge and expertise of the staff,…read morehaving climbed and skied with some of them over the years. While I don't come in as often now as when I was a rock and ice climber, it's nice that some of the older staff knows my name. I would not expect all this at a "big box" outdoor store, like the one at which I worked in Seattle 35 years ago.

Stopped by when in town recently - super impressed with the staff and the brands they carry. Great…read moreexpertise and great gear.

This store accused me of shoplifting!!! I went into this store with the intention of purchasing on…read moreOnCloud shoes for a marathon..and was later questioned by the police with zero evidence, only because I fit a certain "description". Discrimination isn't cool and as a local I expect more from newer businesses.

This is a favorite of mine in Durango, they always have cute clothes and shoes. They carry Lole,…read morewhich is great. And our kids love the dog that's usually there. Good selection of camping/travel items. Good quality stuff only here. Reasonable selection.

Drove from Cortez to Doc's on a Saturday morning (6/14/25) to rent 2 kayaks. All he had was 2…read morepaddle boards and 2 sit-on-top sort of kayaks. No real, enclosed kayaks. Very misleading to advertise on your website that you have kayaks to rent. Also, nobody answers the phone!

Had so much fun out on the lake me and my family rented a pontoon boat it had a great stereo and we…read morecould even tube behind it! Everyone was also very friendly would definitely rent again.