The Hidden Economics of the Outdoor Industry

If you’ve ever spent time with outdoor professionals—guides, instructors, patrollers—you know the story. They’re passionate. Skilled. Deeply committed to their craft. And often… barely getting by.

Most pros earn around $120 a day relying on tips to make the difference, with no benefits and seasonal gaps in work. Meanwhile, housing costs in mountain towns continue to skyrocket. Here's a sampling of the median home prices around the Mountain West.

• Sun Valley, ID: ~$1.2 million

• Jackson, WY: Over $2.5 million

• Truckee, CA: ~$1.2 million

• Bend, OR: ~$700,000

• One-bedroom rentals: regularly clock in at over $2,000/month

This forces many outdoor professionals to leave the places where they built their careers, or take on multiple jobs just to make rent.

We believe outdoor professionals deserve more than applause and appreciation. They deserve to participate in the industry they’ve helped build.

Sun Valley, Idaho based guide Guy Robins on the river with C7 adventure hound Brent Adams.

Enter CACHE_Seven

CACHE_Seven is a platform that connects the dots between professional knowledge and consumer purchasing.

Here’s how it works:

Guides build gear lists based on actual trips, terrain, and seasons. These aren’t random product links—they’re curated, lived-in recommendations based on experience. When someone buys from that list, the guide earns a share of the sale.

For consumers, it’s no different than buying from any other gear site—same products, same brands, same price. But the impact? Entirely different.

You’re not just buying a jacket. You’re helping a guide pay rent. You’re not just picking up a new pack—you’re supporting someone who spent years perfecting the art of moving through mountains safely.

Photo by Hillary Maybery

We didn’t reinvent the wheel—we just made a big investment to point it in a better direction. CACHE_Seven uses existing affiliate technology and marketing tools that brands already accept and rely on across the outdoor industry. These programs were built to reward referrals and drive sales, but until now, they’ve mostly benefited influencers and media companies—not the people who are actually out there using the gear every day. We built a tool that enables guides to participate in that same ecosystem, without asking them to become influencers or salespeople. They don’t have to post on social media, shoot videos, or push products they don’t believe in. They can simply create gear lists based on real trips and share them through a QR code or a direct link—whether it’s on a trailhead, in a pre  or post-trip email, or face-to-face with a client. The outdoor market craves honest, no B.S. gear advice—and this is the best way to get it. It comes straight from the people whose lives depend on their gear, with no filters, no sponsorships, and no agenda other than getting you what actually works.

What CACHE_Seven Aims to Do

We’re not trying to disrupt for the sake of disruption. We’re building something that was missing:

• A place where professional outdoor knowledge is valued—not just showcased.

• A system that puts money back into the hands of those working at the frontlines of adventure.

• A more trustworthy way to decide what gear is worth investing in.

• A tool for discovery—to find trips, guides, and seasonal insights grounded in reality, not marketing.

In other words, the Cache_Seven website is your direct link to guide-tested, guide-approved gear for every season.

Why It Matters

We live in a time where people want more meaning behind their purchases. They want to know their dollars are going somewhere worthwhile. CACHE_Seven gives people a way to do that — while still getting the gear they need to show up prepared.

We call it #ArriveReady —not just with the right stuff, but with the knowledge that your choices support the people who make adventure possible.

This Isn’t a Brand Campaign. It’s a Belief. We believe in the expertise of guides. We believe in communities built around shared outdoor experiences. We believe the outdoor economy can—and should—work differently.

CACHE_Seven is our attempt to build that future. We hope you’ll be part of it.