The LowerGear Outdoors Center is full-service outdoor gear rental, camping, backpacking, kayaking and wilderness supply retailer serving the Tempe area from our store and distribution center located in Tempe Arizona, at 2155 E. University Drive, Tempe, AZ 85288, which is on the SW corner of University and the 101, just east of the Tempe campus of Arizona State.



We rent and sell Esbit and other wilderness gear, as well as Hobie kayaks from our retail store, or can ship any gear or supplies you need nationwide. Esbit camping and backpacking stoves and fuel have their origins with European armies in World War 2. Brought over by GI's at the end of the war, Esbit cooking setups have been popular with outdoorsmen for decades. We carry both the tablets and the small cooking stoves at our retail store - perfect for your next camping adventure!

Some of the gear brands we carry in our Tempe camping center include Kelty, ThermaRest, ULA, Gregory, Deuter, Oboz, Riot Kayaks, MSR, Big Sky, Sunday Afternoons, Fits Socks, Sierra Designs, Granite Gear and Hobie Kayaks. If there's anything these manufacturers offer that we don't happen to have on our retail shelf, we'll be glad to order it for you. If you'd like to research online before making your wilderness gear and supplies decision, check out our backpacking and camping user gear review page.

You can find a wide selection of used and consigned camping gear at our store, and we can rent or sell anything you need - including any type of Esbit for any wilderness trip - we can even ship rental camping gear right to your destination so you don't have to carry it in your car or on a plane! Our backpacking gear store hours are 9am - 6pm Monday thru Friday, 10am - 4pm on Saturdays and 12- 4 on Sunday. Our retail location is easy for anyone looking for Esbit to find and to get to from anywhere in Tempe. We are in zip code 85288 but serve local zip codes 85001 through 85399.

We teach Merit Badge classes in Backpacking and Geocaching for local Grand Canyon Council Boy Scouts in our retail store's class room. The room is also available for any Tempe-area outdoors club or wilderness organization that wants to use it for their monthly meeting. Our experienced outdoors employees offer classes to the public as well from our local store - some of the more popular wilderness-related educational sessions include:

Map Reading and Navigation Skills
Leave No Trace Principles
Wilderness First Aid
Backpacking 101
Using a GPS
Lightening up your Backpack load
Gourmet Camp cooking

Our focus is on ultralight backpacking gear and we are glad to share our expertise to help you lighten up your backpacking load so your next wilderness adventure is more fun. We rent and sell lightweight versions of mattress pads, sleeping bags, tents, backpacks and pretty much any other type of outdoor gear you can imagine.

At Lowergear Outdoors, many people come into our store and ask about good places to go hiking. The Tempe and surrounding area is blessed with many opportunities to get outdoors for some exercise, but our favorites include these spots:

Superstitions Mountains near Apache Junction
South Mountain, near Ahwatukee and South Phoenix
Dreamy Draw, in north-central Phoenix
McDowell Mountains, in Northeast Scottsdale
Camelback Mountain, in Paradise Valley
Piestawa Peak, in north-central Phoenix
Usery Mountain Park in east Mesa

Be sure to visit our store for last minute supplies before heading out on your next hike!

For more assistance, give us a call at 480-348-8917, stop by our store at 2155 E. University Drive, Tempe, AZ 85288, which is on the SW corner of University and the 101 or check out our Facebook page for the latest news and sales deals!