Try some new gear for cheap at Second Wind

In a town that’s getting ever more expensive to live in, everyone is looking for the magic way to save a buck. Strolling down Main Street can feel overwhelming with every outdoors store displaying brand new items for hundreds of dollars — but the real magic lies off the beaten path. 

In such an outdoorsy town, a lack of second hand gear stores comes as a surprise.  Play It Again and Second Wind Sports are the two most popular in town. But, there’s quite a few regular thrift stores around town, like Goodwill, Sacks and Bridger Thrift. When shopping at these stores, some people fear that the quality of gear is worse when shopping second hand, but with a place like Second Wind there’s so much gear that everyone is going to find a piece that’s in excellent condition and works for them. 

“It is organized chaos — a labyrinth of gear,” said Brad Baumann, owner of the store. “I like to view Second Wind Sports as a distillation of the community that we’re a part of. It’s your neighbors buying stuff from your neighbors. At a minimum, 70% of the dollars go directly back into the pockets of the community that are bringing stuff in.”

For Baumann, besides putting great gear on display and learning every shopper's name, supplying a cheap option while directly benefiting the local community is a priority.  

“You bring an item in and we evaluate it whether it’s something we think would sell in the store or not,” he said. “If your item is over $100, then you get 70% of the sale and if it’s under $100, you get 65% of the sale which are the best consignment rates you’ll ever find. We’re committed to keep that there as long as we can in the Bozeman climate.”

Giving back to the community is a huge part of Second Wind's motive, Baumann said, and that all starts with keeping prices low so locals and people visiting can have a store where trying a new activity isn’t going to break the bank. 

“It’s one of the most rewarding things when you get someone like a cross-country skier that says ‘we kept it under a hundred bucks,’” Baumann said. “You get to go try a brand new sport that you may have had a monetary barrier to try and missed out on, but now you can go do it.”

When you first walk into the store, it can be a little intimidating, but after a big ‘hi, welcome to Second Wind, how can I help you?’ that fear goes away. From skis to bikes to sleeping bags to clothing — and everything in between — Second Wind is truly an all-in-one stop for anything outdoorsy. 

Whether you're in town for a week on vacation, just moved to Bozeman or are a 20-year local, Second Wind is the spot to be and truly represents what makes Bozeman such an awesome place to be, both inside and out.