More Photos Below!Gallery
OYB fans the indie outdoor flame. How? … 2000+ articles on bikes, boats, skis & much more — showing from diverse angles how the active indie world interconnects. Also, OYB is a catalog of hard-to-find media. Your purchases keep us working on the mission. Indie businesses can easily afford to advertise here, to a wider-than-usual range of readers. All for one and one for all!
I’m Jeff Potter and thru OYB I have been celebrating thrifty, indie culture since 1990. Hey, that’s 25+ years!
I saw that how-to, high-tech, big-bux and specialization/segregation were dominating outdoor/culture media. The world as I knew it didn’t appear. And the way I learned to approach the outdoors and life — integrating the whole thing — with the help of wonderful books and friends/mentors with general skills — just wasn’t shown. So I’m doing what I can to fix that. …With your help, it’s a cinch!
I sell a variety of XC ski gear at my eBay Store, plus Nordic Ice Skates.
I teach XC skiing. And I co-host a variety of free outdoor social events like bike and ski parties.
I used to run the nation’s only outdoor rec culture bookstore — books, how passe’! I sold thousands of outdoor sports books, new and old. I also sold a bunch of drygoods, hard to find gear and rucksacks, and I fabricated a line of repurposed vintage bike luggage. But sales stopped so I quit.
I also imported Finnish bush-knives and easily sold them, but I stopped since everything else dried up.
I don’t keep up to date on everything in terms of my articles — but my backlist is deep and full of insights you can’t find elsewhere. If it’s new to you that’s good enough to me.
I’m always game to have other folks pitch in. I started OYB as a pen-pal kind of place for kindred spirits to share reports about what it’s like in their neck of the woods — who else will understand them? I have a Michigan emphasis, but my topics can apply anywhere — in spirit, for sure!
OYB is for all ages, all types. …As long as you’re a misfit nerd who’s finding the mainstream scene in these things to be “off” as regards how you like to do it. Ha!
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HOW WE ROLL…
I note that most items have their postage cost included in the listed price on the order button. So that’s all you’ll pay! (Non-US orders pay extra.)
OYB Customer Service / Shipping Policy is: I try to promptly acknowledge all orders and inquiries. Feel free to email me again if you’re wondering where I am. The darn PayPal payment receipt emails get lost in the spam. Feel free to phone me at 517 * 992 * 1010 as well (sane hours for a family, please, EST). Email jeff a t outyourbackdoor d o t com .
I love spring skiing. A little skiing, a little strolling, creeks flowing. Can you spot the pet? (Pic taken last year.)
