Babbitt’s Backcountry Outfitters

Great selection and price. The owner is super nice and really knows his products.

I was looking for a mesh food sack for a Grand Canyon trip, with insufficient time to order online. Not available in the SF Bay Area (here they sell bear canisters for the Sierra Nevada). In a flash of brilliance I remembered visiting this store a few years ago, so phoned them. They had exactly what I needed, and held it for the friend who would be driving through Flagstaff. I offered to pre-​pay with credit card but Matt said that wasn’t required. Great service, and they saved our bacon — well, our gorp and granola!

Right smack dab in the middle of the the Flagstaff historic district lies Babbit’s Backcountry Outfitters. Location, location! This is very hard to miss and if you’re heading out or planning to head out into the the «Great Wide» then you really should not miss this!
Full selection of all your outdoorsy needs, from foot wear to headlamps, tents, research material, snowshoes, to pullovers and under gear. Though I do have to add their prices are be bit on the uppity end, but they only stock high quality items. Besides, you wouldn’t want to find yourself wishing you had brought a sturdier tent or breathable, drip dry clothing.
The staff is knowledgeable and friendly. Just don’t let them fool you about finding the fearsome Jackalope!!!

Stopped by during our visit to Flagstaff, while walking the downtown scene. Grabbed a few nutrition items and a map of the surrounding area. While checking out, the friendly sales associates gave us some advice of what to see and where to camp in Sedona, since we told them we were unlucky finding a camp spot in the usual park camp grounds. The sales associate (didn’t catch his name) told us of a backcountry spot above the canyon, with an amazing view and less foot traffic. We headed up the next day, pleasantly amazed of his recommendation. We were the only ones camping and it was perfect and exactly what we prefer for camping! Wish we could have stopped by to thank him for his recommendation!

This place is not cheap, but they are a very good place if you want a great selection of outdoor products that are sold locally. The service has always been great every time I have been there and they have a huge array of products to choose from.
They always have what is needed for the particular season as well.

Associate was not very knowledgeable on products I asked about, but mainly: he was supposed to order some shoes for me — after nearly two months, I never received a call. Disappointed as I’ve shopped here for years, but I think I’ll be spending my money online from now on.

Working in customer service, I take notice of when people are doing it right and wrong while out shopping. The guys that work here are great! Very friendly and helpful, asking questions and joking around while awesome music plays in their shop. Definitely the place to go for outdoor equipment and a few additions to an EDC.

Located on the corner in a prominent brick building Babitts competes with Peace Surplus for title of largest outdoor gear store in Flagstaff. There are a lot of outdoor stores in Flagstaff and they are all within walking distance of each other. Babbit’s is housed in the most impressive building and it was the first shop we went to when we visited Flagstaff. They didn’t have what we were looking for which was a guide book for climbing in Az so we ended up making the rounds to the other stores looking for our book.
We did receive friendly service from a cute blond girl and although her co workers were huddled around the cash wrap socializing she pulled herself away to help us with our questions and when we couldn’t find what we were looking for she recommended other places in town to continue our search, although she pointed us in the wrong direction when it came to the location of the climbing gym. We had a nice tour of Flagstaff because of it and saw parts of the city we probably wouldn’t have otherwise, and considering it was a beautiful sunny fall day we didn’t mind walking around lost in circles.

I liked Babbitt’s. It was stocked with alot of things Burton and more Burton.
I love the fact that they sell snowboards in 98 degree weather. That was impressive. They also sell some coats, and even snow skies, right now, in 98 degree weather.
They have tons of camping paraphernalia, with all kinds of personal water reservoirs. But what still stands in my mind is the snowboard equipment. mainly the Burton, and the snowboarding shoes, and bindings. There were even snowboarding beanies and gloves.
Also there’s tons of skateboard wheels and bearings. And sunglasses, not cheap sunglasses, but the real thing. I like stores like this.
Try to find snowboard equipment of this type in Kansas City right now, and it falls flat. This is a great store.
I also loved the building where it stands. It’s a square corner building preserved.

Popped in Saturday for some headlamps to explore Lava River Cave.
The two guys working were awesome. Gave us some good advice, good laughs and they had exactly what we needed. The headlamps they suggested worked perfectly.
I was also introduced to my new favorite band, The Album Leaf thanks to their great taste in music.

Babbitt’s might be a local store but there is no mark up here everything is straight up MSRP or lower. The staff is packed with people full of information about Northern Az that can help you have a unique experience outdoors whether your a local or not. Maybe Chauncey C. should stick to big five…

I recently bought hiking boots at Babbitt’s. I have hard-​to-​fit feet. Clay spent a LOT of time with me trying several different pairs of boots and inserts. We finally found a pair that seemed to work but it was a ½ size off from ideal. He ordered the correct size and sent it to my home in the Phoenix area. I just received the boots today and they seem to fit very well. I am looking forward to putting them to work.

I get it, its a small business locally owned in flagstaff. But that doesnt mean that everything has to cost 150% of what you would pay online or at REI. they have all «gucci» stuff for all the «gucci» campers. Its for rich flagstaff hippies, because they are the only people who can afford to shop there. Unless you are a trustifarian, i would go to the REI. they also dont have a solid selection.

Had lunch nearby and decided to check out this place. the old neon sign caught my eye and I managed to drag the whole family in. The place is large and stocked for all the different outdoor activities (climbing, hiking, rock climbing etc).
Things sold include:
— tents
–camel baks
— ruffwear (gear for dogs!) :)
— spikes for boots
— sunglasses
— boots
–children’s boots
— beanies/​hats
— socks — large variety
— gloves
They carry many brands that I’ve not heard of… but they all seem sturdy! I ended up buying a beanie at the store. Cash register was at the front of the store… the sales people were talking to other people, and didn’t seem to acknowledge other customers in the store until I went up to pay. I would go in there if I had to get some gear for the town’s activities. No «sale» signs though.
Tip-​bits:
Exchanges and refunds require receipt. Look out for the sign behind the register. on top of a shelf?

Local alternative to REI.
Great to see that REI has not come in and put the local outfitters out of business.
They have all the stuff you might need: snow shoes, sleeping bags, rock climbing shoes, down jackets, dewd-​bro employees.
The prices are not super cheap, but they are local.
Don’t half step. They are one of the few shops that carry the pancho /​tarp… so come here to purchase it.

«Take a Hike» is their tagline. The mini Flagstaff chain has a selection of goods ranging from basic to the James Bond of GPS watches with emergency services alert. One saleslady is a Grand Canyon guide for National Geographic and she gave us a tip on hiking trails. Thanks to her we skipped the crowds and had a more authentic experience.