Don’t Sleep on Decathlon: Outdoor Gear for Enthusiasts and Experts Alike
If you haven’t checked out Decathlon gear and apparel, now’s the time. Car campers, hikers, and general outdoor enthusiasts will find hundreds of items that challenge the price points of other top brands.
In 2018, Decathlon launched its online shopping and distribution in the U.S. The brand is gaining traction with outdoor enthusiasts and has raised its profile among review sites like ours with recent innovations.
While Decathlon is newer to the U.S market, the brand is steeped in history. Decathlon was born in 1976 when seven sports enthusiasts and budding entrepreneurs met and agreed to upend the way sports products and gear were made and sold.
Today, Decathlon has more than 1,600 stores in nearly 300 cities and is large enough to design and produce its own gear as well as cut out supply chain costs. Beyond that, Decathlon’s goal is to “make sports and the outdoors more accessible while acting responsibly for the planet.”
That puts the company in a position to manage function, sustainable practices, and lower prices for consumers. We’ve rounded up examples of this feat below, including some gear that’s won accolades from our review team.
Who Is Decathlon?
The brand isn’t known for high-end, Everest-grade gear. Instead, it’s proud to create gear and apparel for a broader audience eager to enjoy the outdoors comfortably and affordably.
Some of its prices may seem alarmingly low for those unfamiliar with the brand, as large retailers often offer low-priced gear made from shoddy materials. However, Decathlon is different.
The brand factors environmental responsibility into its choices on materials and sourcing. Its pricing is also indicative of its scale, another benefit of being the largest retailer of its kind. Decathlon can price gear lower because it designs, manufactures, and distributes much of its own gear — and everything is basically done in bulk.
Throughout the site, and the list of product highlights below, are shared phrases at the beginning of the product names. That’s because Decathlon has several in-house brands. Quechua covers most camping gear, from tents to mugs and footwear. Similarly, Forclaz makes hiking and trekking gear, and Wed’ze is its snowsports brand.
Each product from these brands is the result of input from designers, engineers, and athletes. In past designs, we’ve seen Decathlon incorporate feedback from reviewers and customers to update designs, such as the 2 Second Easy Tent (see below).
Decathlon Gear Highlights
Forclaz Trek 100 Down Jacket — Women’s & Men’s
The price point for this puffy earned it a spot on our Best Down Jackets list. This is Decathlon’s most popular jacket for its packability, warmth, and, yes, price tag. It crams 800-fill (cubic inches) into a jacket that weighs roughly 10 ounces.
Shop Women’sShop Men’sShop All Down & Puffer Jackets
Quechua Waterproof Hiking Jacket — Men’s & Women’s
This three-layer, waterproof-breathable jacket protects from mountain weather in a more eco-friendly design than past iterations. Long side openings help air out perspiration, stretch fabric lets the jacket move with you, and there are several pockets, from hand warmers to an internal smartphone stash.
Quechua 2 Second Easy Tent
A patented, award-winning design makes this freestanding tent quick to assemble and take down. In fact, you simply push a button to collapse the tent. That’s one reason it won “easiest setup” on our Best Camping Tents list.
It’s a car-camping tent, but that crowd will enjoy the waterproof blackout fly. That means you can sleep in if that’s your style, and it prevents the sun from baking your tent as much while you’re out hiking.
Quechua SH100 Easy Snowshoe — Small Deck & Large Deck
These snowshoes are called “Easy” for their strap-on design, made to be quiet and more nimble on the snow with the flexible deck using sneaker-like materials. Choose from two sizes according to your weight.
Shop Small DeckShop Large Deck
Quechua Isothermal Camping Mug & Tumbler
By now, you’re familiar with double-wall insulated drinkware that helps drinks hold their temperature longer. Like a classic mug, these have a handle and wide mouth for easy cleaning.
About Decathlon
Founded in France in 1976, Decathlon touts itself as the world’s largest sporting goods retailer. It has stores in 70 countries, including two stores in the Bay Area.
Decathlon is headquartered in Lille, in northern France. It has other headquarters as well, including a mountain headquarters in the Mont Blanc Valley near Chamonix and a water headquarters in Hendaye, in southern France.
And you can read about our editor-in-chief’s tour of Decathlon headquarters, including gear insights and a visit to some of the brand’s hallowed product testing grounds.
This article is sponsored by Decathlon. Find more of its apparel and gear online.
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