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How to Get Backpacking Gear Sponsorships

Cabela's Sponsorship Application
Cabela’s Sponsorship Application (click to apply)

Backpacking and outdoor gear companies sponsor hikers and other athletes because it’s a very inexpensive form of advertising.

The basic formula goes like this: they give you a piece of free gear or a steep discount on purchases you make through them, and you become a walking billboard for their brand, endorsing their product on the trail, writing blog posts for their website, putting their logo on your blog, and posting pictures to their Facebook page or Instagram feed so they have content they can use to advertise their products on social media.

You’re thinking…they’re getting a really good deal for a piece of free gear or a price break. They do, but I’ll explain below how you can get more out of sponsors to make it worth your while.

Who do companies want to sponsor?

Gear manufacturers want to recruit people who are in a position to recommend their products to new customers. The name of the game is new customer acquisition. They’re in business to make money and if you want to get sponsored, you need to be able to demonstrate to them how you can help them grow beyond their existing customer base.

For example, if you can only recommend their products to people who are already familiar with their products you’re not going to really help them increase their customer base in any significant way. Take thru-hikers, as an example. If during your thru-hike, you can only promote the manufacturer’s products to other thru-hikers who already know all about them, you’re not going to have a big impact on the manufacturer’s sales.

However, if you have a large blog following that constantly attracts new readers, you’re famous because you hold the FKT for hiking the Appalachian Trail or some other feat, you’re a famous writer, or you’re very influential in a well-defined community that is likely to buy products you endorse, then you can make a pretty good case for getting sponsored.

If not, expect rejection.

Can you get paid?

Very few people get any money from sponsors. Giving away products is cheap (because it only costs them 20-40% of the retail price to make), but cash….you have to have some serious star power to get paid money. If you have it, you should get yourself an agent. Uli Steck and Bear Grylls don’t spend their time writing emails to gear manufacturers.

Packit Gourmet Sponsorship Application
Packit Gourmet Sponsorship Application

Who do you want to be sponsored by?

The ideal sponsor is a company whose products you already use and that you’d recommend to all of your friends even if you had to pay for the gear and couldn’t get it for free. It’s good for you, because you can recommend their products with a clear conscience. It’s good for them because they don’t have to train you about what to say and they know in advance that you’ll use their products. You can’t be sponsored by a company and not use their products. That’s a no go.

If you want to make hiking or a related sideline, like photography and writing, into a  career, you want to be sponsored by companies that have a large audience that you want greater visibility within. The bigger the audience, the better, as long as it’s a good match with your interests.

For example, if you pride yourself as being an ultralight backpacker and trail runner, you probably don’t want to be sponsored by a backpack manufacturer like Gregory Packs that makes heavy gear and has no presence in the trail running community. Ultimate Direction would be a much better match, because you’ll build a lot more name recognition with an audience that is aligned with your strengths.

TurboPUP Ambassador Application
TurboPUP Ambassador Application

What should you look for from a sponsor?

The best sponsors are companies that have a well-defined sponsorship program and want to promote themselves by promoting you in their customer newsletter, on their website or blog, and through their social media channels. That’s a potent combination because it enhances your reach and stature, and the brand can avoid being gaudy and obvious about the fact that they’re advertising themselves.

The most successful sponsorship programs have a dedicated staff member running them, a well-defined application process that makes it easy to apply, a list of benefits you’ll receive by working with them, and clearly stated participation requirements. If none of this is present, you’re not going to get that much value out of the relationship beyond free gear and bragging rights.

How can I get a sponsorship if a company doesn’t have a sponsorship program?

Start writing emails where you explain how you can help the brand increase its visibility and sales. The more concrete you can be, the better. Be forewarned though. A lot of smaller brands get flooded with requests for free gear and have gotten very cynical about hikers trying to welch free gear from them. If you can’t provide an overwhelmingly good reason why they should sponsor you, you probably won’t get a response.

What if I just want free gear, not fame and status?

Good luck with that. You have to give to get, as they say. If your sponsor can’t advertise the fact that you use their gear, they won’t receive any benefit by giving it to you.

How to wreck a sponsorship relationship

A sponsorship is a business relationship and it’s important that you treat it that way. For example, if you do something that pisses your sponsor off, particularly if it’s public, you’ll have a hard time getting sponsorships from other companies ever again, since you’ve demonstrated that you are not a good business partner.

Most sponsors will terminate their relationship with you if:

  • You sell the free gear they send you without using it.
  • You complain about them publicly, without working with them behind the scenes to resolve any issues.
  • You leak competitive information, like product futures, they share with you in confidence.
  • You endorse the products of a direct competitor.
  • You stop promoting their products, and go dark.

Is there a downside to being sponsored?

Yes. If you are in a position to influence other people on their gear selection, you need to be extra careful about potential conflicts of interest and bias when promoting your sponsor to people who seek advice from you. It’s important to be proactive and openly disclose all of your sponsorship relationships so that people can make up their own mind about the trustworthiness of your advice.

You can also get ‘stuck’ if you stay with a sponsor too long, they stop innovating, and the rest of the industry moves ahead without them. If you want to stay on the cutting edge, you might be better off buying your own gear so you can can try gear from other manufacturers and always use the best gear for your needs.

Disclosure: Philip Werner (SectionHiker.com) does not have any current gear sponsors on purpose to avoid introducing bias into gear reviews. 

Written 2016.

SectionHiker is reader-supported. We only make money if you purchase a product through our affiliate links. Help us continue to test and write unsponsored and independent gear reviews, beginner FAQs, and free hiking guides.

16 comments

  1. Great article Philip. Very informative and up-front with your responsibilities as an ambassador. Thanks for publishing this.

  2. Good points. I decided against any formal relationships with manufacturers, although I do exchange ideas with some. I have occasionally received unsolicited offers of gear. Where I have accepted, I’ve always made it clear both in any post and in a disclaimer. I now post an explicit disclaimer on every gear review so people know where I stand. I prefer to remain independent and use whatever gear I want. Good to point out there are responsibilities on both sides.

  3. Thanks for this article Philip. I have a small blog and am not really in a position to ask for sponsorships (yet) but I always wondered how it worked. I’m fairly particular about gear and therefore I’m not sure if a sponsorship would be a good fit for me since I like to be able to voice my opinion freely when evaluating gear.

    • I’ve never pulled a punch on a sponsor’s product in a product review. But I have worked my ass off (behind the scenes during the design process) making sure their product meets my needs before I use it or endorse it. That can be very satisfying and it taught me a lot about the gear industry.

  4. I wrote an article about sponsors as well, although yours is better. The main point I stress the people is “Ask not what sponsors can do for you, but I ask what you can do for your sponsors.”

  5. I used to be (a guy from BPL)

    I very much enjoy reading your posts.
    For your info, my primary newsfeed is Facebook and I follow the link in your FB post that leads me to your blog.

  6. I would be very interested in promoting Any outdoors gear. I love the outdoors and I would not in the least want compensation for any assistance in helping promote. Being able to say I help sponsor and wear the gear is more than enough. How does one get into being a sponsor or helping with promotions.

  7. I’m looking at hiking the AT in Feb 2018. I’ve been emailing 15 companies each day this week. This article is great to give people more of an insite as to what needs to be done. I’m looking to start a career hiking trails and telling people about how well the gear holds up to the conditions I’ll be getting into.

  8. Thanks Philip quite informative article

  9. Jonathan Ferguson

    Yes hi I’m an avid hiker and outdoors man I pretty much live outside. I spend so much time outside cleaning up the community or biking around i even sleep outside most days of the week. I was wondering if maybe I could sponsor you guys and show your product off where ever I go or something for you guys for everyone to see or even get a back pack would be so awesome. Please let me know and we can maybe go from there. Thank you

  10. Hi
    We are a group of 5 people hiking the Bruce trail, committed to complete the entire trail.
    And already achieved several badges.
    We are looking for companies which can support us with their products such as clothes, water containers, backpacks and … which we will be using during our hikes.
    Would you please advise?
    Thanks

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