The Hoarding Marmot

Great place to go and peruse used/​barely used clothing and gear. They often have great additional sales going on — like right now is an extra 20% some items. You can find even better deals towards end-​of-​season. I dropped of about 5 items and they all sold quickly. The deals are great for not only the buyer, but for the consignor as well. Glad a place like this has made it onto the Anchorage scene.

Really fun store. This is the ideal Alaskan outdoors consignment shop. They have clothes, gear, shoes, etc. Prices are decent and fair. They also sell brand new items l like logo shirts and protein bars. Nice folks! I would say it is worth checking out before heading to REI across the street.

You may find a good deal but generally, their gear is overpriced for second-​hand quality. You’re better off shopping online sales. It is worth stopping by if you’re already checking out the REI across the street.

Anchorage really needed a consignment outdoor gear shop, and the Hoarding Marmot does a great job filling this niche. I’ve been in several times and have always received fantastic service and help. The sales people are always ready to answer a question, whether I call to check on a consigned item or show up in person to browse the racks. I’ve consigned everything from a bike rack to hiking boots to convertible pants, and have found some great treasures at very reasonable prices. Dana had a great vision and hopefully this place will continue to grow and prosper.

Great place to do business with! Dana is very helpful. I needed a pair of mountaineering boots. I found The Hoarding Marmot online and sent an email. Dana responded quickly and gave me several pairs of boots to choose from. I live in Maryland, so we communicated via email and phone. Dana sent pictures and detailed measurements of the boots. He worked with me on the best shipping method and when I finally got the boots, they fit perfectly and were exactly what Dana described in his emails. A month later I used the boots on Mt. Rainier. Thank you, Dana, for a great store and awesome service! Whenever I have a need for some gear, I’ll check with The Harding Marmot first.

When I first saw this sign go up, I knew this place was going to be for me.
And I automatically knew it was going to be a used outdoor gear shop.
How? Am I a marmot whisperer? (I am, but that’s not how I knew)
If you’ve ever been up in the mountains a decent number of times, you have undoubtedly seen these fat bastards. Sunning on rocks, eating flowers, standing curiously on their hind legs, poking out of burrows, and generally being shockingly unafraid of humans and awkwardly adorable.
My goal was to review this place on Groundhog Day (two days ago), which in Alaska is known as «Marmot Day» (it’s true, look it up!), but I failed. FYI: the groundhog is a type of marmot. More specifically, it’s a marmot that likes to live alone, in eastern North America, and it doesn’t really like heights like most of its alpine brothers.
Also, if you’ve been in the mountains for extended periods, you’ve probably got GAS. What is GAS? It’s not something you get from eating dehydrated meals for a week (that’s a different kind). It’s Gear Acquisition Syndrome. You like to buy stuff you don’t need. But you trick yourself by saying things like «but this will get me into the mountains more» or «but…but, my other three pairs of crampons don’t have points like this».
I have good news and I have bad news. Like beer, the Hoarding Marmot is both the solution and the answer to all your GAS problems.
BUY:
You can buy barely-​used equipment here for some insane prices.
I know what you’re thinking; I’ve been to those places too.
I’ve been to places with the same idea as the Hoarding Marmot, where you end up rooting around through lots of neon-​colored stuff from the 80’s and 90’s that’s all clumped together in a musty basement. Once in a blue moon, you might find something decent. But it’s the exception, not the rule.
Here, I found a pair of $ 500 ice climbing boots, barely used, for $ 100. Seriously, they looked brand-​new. (Scarpa Rebel Pro GTX, if you’re curious)
If you want to get into ice climbing, there are some pretty good deals on used crampons. Some aren’t in the greatest shape, but the pricing always accurately reflects the quality. Some great «starter» crampons here.
It looked like they had a TON of skiing stuff too, but I’m not a skier and can’t comment on the merits of the selection.
They also have a tiny little rock wall in the corner to try out the rock shoes! I saw some of those that, like my ice climbing boot acquisition, looked more-​or-​less new.
They didn’t have a ton of clothing, but what they did have was from pretty legit brands and in good shape.
SELL:
I haven’t sold anything here yet, but they seem to have a pretty well-​organized system for selling items. There’s a great explanation on their website.
DEFINITELY:
Check them out. Especially if you’re new to mountain-​stuff, and haven’t yet developed GAS. Join us.
BONUS:
They accept Amex, which an increasing number of Anchorage business hate to accept.