About the shop
A gear shop with a scale on the bench.
Switchback started in a rented garage at the bottom of the Lowell Gap trail in 2017. We sell what we use, we weigh all of it, and we repair what we sell.
We weigh it
Every product is weighed in the size we list, with everything in the box, on the same scale. The figure goes on the page as measured.
We fit it
Packs, boots and harnesses are fitted in the shop by appointment. The online size guide uses the same tables we use at the counter.
We fix it
Zips, buckles, seam tape and boot soles are repaired in our workshop. Prices are on the returns and repairs page.
Four of us run the shop. Between us we have guided on three continents, worked a season on a mountain rescue team and spent too long arguing about whether a 9.5 mm rope is really an all-rounder.
We keep the range small on purpose. If we have not carried it, slept in it or fallen on it, we do not stock it. When a product stops earning its place, it goes, and we say why in the trail notes.
The workshop
The back half of the shop is a workshop: a walking-foot sewing machine, a seam-tape press and a boot bench. Bring in a worn pack, a torn shell or boots that need a new sole; we will look at it while you wait and tell you what it costs before we start.