Etsy – lightweight, inexpensive, and useful gear

Ah, Etsy.

A place where you can get handcrafted Star Wars earrings, knitted goods, and lots of stickers.

No, really. From SecondStarlightStore

But buried within this site are lots of gear and clothing made by people who aren’t quite large enough to start their store, but make lots of small-batch items that work surprisingly well for outdoor use.

And a wise person would look to this site as another resource for outdoor gear that is often well made, reasonable in price, and lightweight at times.

I started to be aware of the offerings when I went looking for some felted (boiled) wool mittens for Joan in December 2018.

The mittens I procured from Etsy are made of upcycled wool sweaters and fleece-lined. Not only did they look aesthetically better than Dachstein Mitts, but they are also $30 less expensive, and are arguably warmer. Joan calls them her “big, warm, fuzzy, pillows of warmth!”

Skiing in the Abajo Mountains.

Joan has poor circulation in her hands, so durable and warm handwear is very necessary. These simple mittens work well not only for skiing but any cold-weather activities we do here on the Colorado Plateau.

Needing a camera bag with more durable zipper and material, but not wanting something heavy, I looked for more options online. The one I ended up going with? On Etsy and under-$40 at the time of my purchase.

It must be a weekend for us – we are going under barbed wire! PCO Joan

The advantage of ordering from these micro-businesses is that the customer service is excellent and often customized. In the case of the mittens, the owner offered me different sweaters to turn into mittens; the owner of Roan Packs strengthened the stitching to carry my heavier camera better.

And if you are like me, you enjoy having simple, lightweight, mid-layer mittens. But, outside of smaller sizes, they can be challenging to find in many outdoor stores for some odd reason. On Etsy? You can find them, and in XL men’s, for only $7-$10. A simple and practical item seemingly scarce in outdoor stores as they aren’t “techie” enough?

From LisasUniqueGftsNMore

You continue down in this vein. You’ll find DCF stuff sacks, dry bags, lightweight backpacks, and other gear that might fit your lightweight or ultralight needs.

Point being, if you are looking for some general or specialized outdoor gear, you might be pleasantly surprised at what you find on Esty for your outdoor pursuits.

And you can still purchase some Star Wars earrings.
Disclosure: I purchased all the clothing and gear from Etsy with my funds.