Down Works

Came in here to get a pair of hiking shoes to go on a hike right away. Store owner immediately showed me all his favorites (including his preference which he was wearing). He spent 40 minutes until I had the exact size/​fit. Amazing service and quality products.

I’ve shopped at this store for seems like 30+ years. The owners have been nothing but nice. Here are some excerpts from my past dealings with the Down Works. These are exceptional encounters, not the routine purchases.
* Bought a micro tent. I did not like its performance. I mentioned that to Nick, he apologized and refunded the purchase price even though the tent was dirty from use.
* Had an old REI down bag that was deflating from down leaking out through the nylon. No problem says Nick. He opened seams and blew in a fresh pound of down giving the old mummy new life.
* I went in with an old bicycling pack I purchased from him 20ish years prior. I was in the market for a new pack because the zipper had had-​it. He cleaned it up and fixed the zipper with pliers. Sent me on my way with my «refurbished» pack.
— Now think about that… I go in to spend money, he basically says: nope, you don’t need to spend money, I’ll fix you up for free. That’s integrity. Even if you are not in the market, go in and check out the store.

one of my tricks to getting through life is to find RELIABLE people to help me. Car repair, dentist, plumber, insurance agent, etc. For outdoor gear, these people are gold.

Ok, I can understand why people might find Nick (the male owner) a little gruff, but his advise is sound and he means well. Social skills aside, this is an amazing store. If I had to pick one store to buy every bit of gear on my backpacking list, it would be this one. They have an amazing selection of handpicked gear that is all reasonably priced. Also, I highly recommend you check out their sale rack in the back area, there are some real gems back there.

Use to live in Santa Cruz and had bought an Osprey pack and my infamous down pillow. Years later, I ended up back in Santa Cruz and immediately stopped in for a king size down comforter, added a travel pillow with pillow case too. Last week, ordered a twin comforter and another pillow. In the face of big box retail, I am always happy to purchase from local shops. My love affair with The Down Works stems from 1985! Do yourself a favor and elevate your adventures by investing in this bitchen tiny giant!

The best of the best! A meticulously assembled selection of the best gear, including small essentials like ditty bags and cooking gear that the larger you-​know-​who stores can’t be bothered to stock. This is a welcome hold-​over from a lost age decades ago when outdoor stores catered to serious hikers/​climbers with serious equipment selection.
And their selection is more than equalled by their expertise. On a recent visit, I asked Nick why he didn’t stock a particular stove even though he had other stoves from the same well-​respected manufacturer. He proceeded to explain a serious design flaw in the unit, which he confirmed in a call with the manufacturer. his advice saved me $ 150+ and a possible spoiled wilderness trip!

Came here for the first time due to all the rave reviews about this lovely mom-​and-​pop shop. Needed to update my backpacking gear list with a few items and this visit didn’t disappoint. The couple who own the shop are warm, courteous, and incredibly helpful with their service. It was around 2 pm on a Saturday and their store was bustling. Even then they would occasionally find me and ask how I was doing. They even gave everyone apple slices as snacks! Other reviewers must’ve interacted with the husband on a bad day, as he was the perfect gentleman.
Additionally it’s just plain convenient to go here rather than the San Jose, Mountain View, or Marina REIs for backpacking gear. If you need basic sports gear, head to Sports Authority or the big box stores. If you need supplies specific to backpacking/​camping, this is heaven.

The kindest husband and wife and more cool stuff in a small store than you’d think. Skip the big chain stores and embrace the quality, care and guidance that comes with a small shop like this. Really good people and really great products — that’s a winning recipe.

Holy crap this place is awesome! I was hoping to find a place like this in Santa Cruz. This is a store for the true outdoorsman, or woman. They have fantastic gear, and they carry all of the best brands of gear to keep you warm and dry on a real adventure. If you want to look cool as you roam around Los Gatos in your down jacket, then this may not be the place for you. However, if you have a true love of the outdoors, adventure, and are a bit of a gear geek, this place is amazing!

Great local backpacking advice!
My friend and I wanted to go backpacking for four days in Big Sur. We had no idea where to go, and needed a map. The first outdoor store we went to didn’t have any, but Down Works did. The owner gave us great local advice about where to go and told us the idiosyncrasies of the trail we picked. We bought the waterproof map, left a few days later, and had a really great trip!

I believe nick the owner is a great guy! you just have to get to know him. He is just one of those brilliant introverts who is very very smart but just a bit shy or different than others. The man is a Eagle Scout and if anyone knows or even begins to understand what it takes to be a Eagle Scout you will respect Nick in a entirely different light. Ask him anything about gear or suggestions and he will know his stuff! his wife is very nice and kind. This is the kind of store you truly want to support. No franchises or big box stores here just good olé fashion mom and pop shop owners who care about what they are doing. highly recommend this place. the prices are pretty much on par with any box store out there anyways so go stop by! there is lots of stuff hidden in nooks and cracks you can spend hours looking at all the fun gear. it’s like going to a old lodge and buying stuff at a general store. they still write you a receipt like the old days on a 3 layers receipt book not a cash register. imagine that. The best part is this place really has a wide range of gear to physically try on or hold and see if it’s what you want. It’s amazing how much stuff they cram into that small vintage Victorian house turned store front. The only downside is they close at 5pm it would be nice if they where open till 6pm or 6:30 pm or at least in the summer season so people getting off work can go in and see the shop before closing. This place diffently has a Santa Cruz charm.

I can understand how some people might find the occasional gruffness (of the male owner) offputting, but if you can hang with technical talk and show some true interest in light backpacking there’s a wealth of information, an amazing handpicked selection, and some useful charts and printouts.
Sort of a smaller Mammoth Mountaineering with more character. :)

The selection is good and the history of the place inspiring, however I am highly disappointed. I brought a friend in there to spend top dollar on a pack and I believe the man who helped us knowingly sold us the wrong piece of equipment after I asked him repeatedly to give us something that was fitted properly and made for women. After talking to some prominent people in the neighborhood they had similar things to say and to my chagrin recommended I go to REI instead ! that’s pretty bad. Having been a backpacking instructor and retailer of backpacks, the service here was way below what I was expecting. An unsuspecting initiate to outdoor gear might not know they are wearing something that is improperly sized or improperly fitted. the owner of the shop should definitely know better.

WOW!!! How many mom & pop wilderness supply stores can you name? Probably none. How many stores in the greater bay area do you know that carry MontBell, Western Mountaineering, and Rab. Also none? Right. Well here’s the answer to your problems. Add amazing customer service from a real hippy couple with real knowledge of their products and plenty of great stories and photos of their time on the trail and you have Down Works. Have you been eying that Western Mountaineering bag on the internet and wanting to climb in it and see how it feels before you plunge into this halfofyourpaycheck item? Go to Down Works! You can test it out! I found a Montbell jacket I had been planning on buying for awhile that seemed to be only available online. I was VERY happy to find a non-​corporate store to purchase it from/​support. They also have all these cool hand outs to help aid your nerding out on counting ounces. So when you’re done rolling you eyes at all the «lifestyle clothing» at the Patgonia outlet down the block, stop by Down Works and get what you actually want and need for the trail.

My husband and I stopped in yesterday to see what products they offered and the owner took his time in explaining different weights of comforters. So much so that we will be back to buy one soon.

Friendly not, helpful yes. I go here because I feel their are no other alternatives to what this store offers. But I would not go here, if there was another store. I like the fact that is a small mom and pop store. But the rudeness of the owner is over the top. I usually just put up with it because I need the help. But I usually leave wishing there was a store that offered more professional customer service. It just feels like the owner is burnt out or maybe just never had good personal skills in the first place. I have liked the products they carry though, limited as the selection is.

Great camping gear? Why yes there is that at Down Works. Looking for a backpack, jacket, sleeping bag, camp stove or mess kit. They have all of that and more. The staff is very knowledgeable. Staff work has been in the same location for years and only now am I discovering how great it is. The price are competitive with any of the better quality camping box stores. Support a locally owned store and purchase the camping gear here. You’ll get top quality equipment, knowledgeable staff and competitive prices. What more does one need to be convinced to shop here?

Awesome place! I went for a North Face jacket and left with a set of merino wool long johns, and then some. They have down products (jackets, comforters, pillows) as well as socks, camping equipment, backpacks, high end sunglasses, hats, scarves, and just all around high end camping equipment (backpack camping, not your run of the mill cheesy stuff).

If your looking for a warehouse type of sporting goods store like REI where most employees know little about the products they sell go elsewhere. But if you want personal service and decades of outdoor knowledge this is the place. All their gear is top of the line but worth the extra cost because it will last decades. I purchased one of their sleeping bags and it is the best quality bag I have ever seen and I’ve owned many from some of the best outdoor gear makers. The prices for their bags are reasonable considering they are hand made right here with the best materials.
Fyi I spent at least 60+ days camping so far this year.
These guys have been in business for 25+ years and now I know why.

It is truly amazing how they can pack SO MUCH COOL STUFF into a small shop like Down Works! It is like other reviewers say… a step above the bigger retailers.
Definitely more than down at Down Works… I got my rain gear, LED headlamp, ultralight tent, smartwool hat, montrail boots. Oh yes, same story with my boots as the other reviewer. Bought ‘em a couple days before backpacking in Trinity Alps. NO BLISTERS, not even a hint of a blister. They will also custom-​make things for you, like duffel bags, sleeping bags and all things with down — using the highest quality down.
I had an old down comforter that was worn, but still had all those good down feathers inside. They took those feathers and made me a fabulous new comforter at a very reasonable price.
Finally, this story: I have a four-​season sierra designs backpacking tent, which I love, even though it’s heavy. After several years of use, two of the zippers started to fail. I brought the tent to Down Works, and expected to have the zippers replaced, but they showed me an easy way to fix them for free!
I don’t know of a better place to look for great outdoor gear. This is usually the first (and only) place I go when I need stuff for camping, backpacking etc.