Skip to main contentPortland is all about the great outdoors, just ask any tourist or yoga mom shopping downtown. Yes, you can go 5 miles or 30 miles and find arguably some of the most beautiful scenery on the West Coast. But its also for sale in Columbia's vertical rock climbing posters and base jumping videos at The North Face.
We're lucky that the Rose City's green reputation gets us some of the best outdoors gear: Snow Peak makes gear like forks and parkas, Poler Stuff pretty much just makes hats, and bigger brands like Patagonia cover everything in between.
In this overgrown retail ecosystem, Niles Armstrong's Worn Path is a breath of fresh air, and realism. Being outdoorsy, according to Armstrong, is anything you want outside 4 man-made walls. No bonus points for extra grit. His store won't outfit you for a 200-mile trek—go to REI and Next Adventure. Worn Path is where you gear up for the skate park, and maybe Pizza Box along the way.
WWeek 2015