🎁 Buy in to WI's outdoor economy

Spending green on green

Wisconsin's massive outdoor industry and the 'how' behind sporting gear buys

As the holidays approach and some folks start wondering if it's ok to gift their cousin a 6-pack of Spotted Cow again ("why not, last year it was a hit!"), many will direct their holiday spending towards the main reason we all live here:

Christian Yelich's sculpted jawline!

...Wait, that's not right. Let's try again:

The outdoors, of course!

To refresh the memories of any closet-Bears fans out there, we've got quite a resume in Wisconsin:

• Borders containing 2 Great Lakes and the Mississippi River

• 15,000 inland lakes chalk-full of fish

• 1,200 miles of the Ice Age Trail from our historic glaciation

• State Fair cream puffs *Not actually outdoor related, but cripes are they delicious!*

​And to get out 'der and soak up all that outdoor glory, sometimes it takes a bit of green (the kind from your wallet).

Your gear = our economy

Everyone knows a gear head that owns more sporting equipment than pairs of underwear. For each of the many outdoor pursuits in WI, a plethora of equipment, licenses, or other stuff are often required. Since a majority of the state participates in the outdoors (95% by some standards), nearly $7.8 billion is added to our GDP annually. Criminy!

In fact, for every $40 generated in Wisconsin, $1 comes from the outdoor industry, resulting in 93,000 jobs and over $4 billion in wages. Overall, we rank 5th in the nation for outdoor manufacturing (think: Beaver Dam tip ups).

Buy with WI in mind

All that spending on bikes, camping gear, and more is shown not only to be good for the economy, but good for your brain.

While experts say that overspending on material items can create mental health issues, buying sporting equipment can improve mental well-being due to the fact that they allow us to be more active and create lasting memories.

But there's a right way to do it. Keeping in mind that not all outdoor gear is created equally in terms of its impact on the environment, strive to buy used and local gear when possible.

Gear swaps are a great way to fund local outdoor organizations while gettin' your hands on gear for cheap, like Wisconsin Hoofers' annual swap in Madison.

Local shops are another great way to keep money in our state while connecting with the outdoor community. Here are a few good ones:

• Les Moise

• Play It Again Sports

• Eriks

• Fontana Sports

• ...and others

And at the end of the day, it's important to note that the pioneers of the outdoor industry didn't have fancy puffers and gear back in the day. As long as you find a way to get out 'der, you're doing it right!