Conquer Outdoor Equipment Fulfillment with a Global 3PL Network Specially-Built for Ecommerce Brands
Cut shipping costs and stay in stock through every season with a fulfillment partner built for growing ecommerce brands.
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What outdoor equipment brands need from a fulfillment partner
From kayaks and coolers to solar chargers and ski gear, outdoor brands face unique logistics challenges. Here’s what to look for in a fulfillment partner that can handle seasonal surges, bulky shipments, and compliance requirements without breaking your supply chain.
Taming dimensional-weight shipping costs for bulky gear
Large or heavy products often trigger pricey dimensional-weight fees. Look for a fulfillment partner that helps distribute inventory across different countries and regions to reduce your average shipping zone and keep rates in check.
Staying in stock when demand spikes with the seasons
Summer camping booms and winter ski rushes can wipe out inventory. Choose a provider with real-time stock visibility and replenishment recommendations so popular SKUs stay available.
Managing omnichannel orders from DTC shipments to retailer POs
Juggling website, marketplace, and wholesale orders can create routing chaos. Simplify operations with one platform that unifies DTC orders, bulk wholesale, and EDI retailer purchase orders from a single inventory pool.
Delivering a premium unboxing experience that matches your brand
Outdoor shoppers appreciate thoughtful touches like eco-conscious packaging or gift notes. Choose a 3PL that supports custom branded packaging, marketing inserts, and printed gift notes at pack.
Shipping lithium-powered gear that falls under HAZMAT rules
Headlamps, GPS devices, and solar chargers require special handling. Work with a fulfillment provider equipped to safely pack and ship eligible battery-powered products that fall under dangerous goods (DG) or hazardous materials (HAZMAT) restrictions.
Reaching global adventurers with fast, reliable shipping
Long transit times and surprise duties can derail international sales. Opt for a partner that offers DDP shipping and in-country fulfillment to speed up delivery and eliminate surprises at checkout.
ShipBob’s fulfillment solutions that outdoor equipment brands care about
ShipBob helps outdoor and adventure brands scale with confidence. With strategic inventory distribution, real-time visibility, and HAZMAT-ready fulfillment, we make it easy to deliver durable gear fast — no matter how remote your customers are.
Strategic inventory allocation and distribution
ShipBob empowers brands to store inventory across multiple fulfillment centers strategically located throughout the U.S. with the Inventory Placement Program, and in-country globally. By distributing inventory closer to customers, orders are routed to the nearest facility to reduce average shipping zones and help keep costs in check.
This approach helps minimize shipping costs while also accelerating delivery times, ensuring a cost-effective and reliable experience for both you and your customers.
Real-time inventory management across all your channels
Gain complete visibility into your inventory levels across all channels and fulfillment centers with ShipBob’s real-time dashboard. Our replenishment recommendations and automated stock alerts help you proactively restock bestsellers before they run out.
Stay prepared for seasonal surges and keep your most popular products available, no matter how quickly demand changes.
Unified omnichannel platform
ShipBob’s all-in-one platform unifies DTC, marketplace, and wholesale orders, with automated EDI for major retailers so you can process every order type from one shared inventory pool.
This unified approach streamlines operations, reduces manual work, and gives you real-time visibility and control across every sales channel, empowering your team to scale efficiently and deliver a consistent customer experience everywhere you sell.
Branded unboxing at scale
Create a memorable first impression with ShipBob’s Customization Suite, designed to help your brand deliver a premium unboxing experience every time. Easily incorporate custom branded packaging and marketing inserts you supply, as well as personalized gift notes printed at pack – all without sacrificing fulfillment speed.
With ShipBob, you can elevate your customer experience and reinforce your brand’s ethos, all while enjoying fast, reliable, and scalable fulfillment.
HAZMAT-ready fulfillment
ShipBob is equipped to safely store, pack, and ship eligible battery-powered products, including those with lithium batteries. With written approval and robust processes in place, you can confidently distribute your gear while leveraging ShipBob’s expertise to handle these products safely.
Global fulfillment network
Expand your brand’s reach with ShipBob’s extensive network of fulfillment centers across the U.S., the UK, Europe, Canada, and Australia. Our global infrastructure enables you to store inventory closer to your customers, reducing transit times and shipping costs while providing a seamless delivery experience.
With flexible DDP shipping options, you can eliminate surprises at checkout and deliver a smoother cross-border experience. ShipBob’s technology and local expertise help you grow your business in new markets without the usual headaches.
Types of outdoor equipment products that companies fulfill with ShipBob
- Camping essentials
- Tents (compact, lightweight)
- Sleeping bags
- Cookware sets
- Stoves (compact)
- Hiking gear
- Backpacks (daypacks, small/medium)
- Trekking poles (collapsible)
- Water filters
- Insulated water bottles
- Safety and navigation
- Headlamps and flashlights
- First aid kits
- GPS devices (handheld)
- Compasses
- Apparel and personal items
- Packable rain jackets
- Hiking socks
- Outdoor hats and caps
- Lightweight gloves
- Accessories
- Solar chargers and power banks
- Dry bags and waterproof pouches
- Binoculars (compact)
- Bug spray and insect repellent wipes
Success story: Pit Viper scales operations and cuts shipping costs with ShipBob’s distributed fulfillment
Pit Viper, the eyewear brand known for its bold, retro-inspired sunglasses, partnered with ShipBob to support their explosive growth while maintaining their unique customer experience. By leveraging ShipBob’s hybrid fulfillment solution, including outsourced fulfillment in Canada and Australia, Pit Viper reduced shipping costs and significantly cut delivery times for international customers.
With ShipBob’s WMS powering their in-house fulfillment, Pit Viper gained complete visibility into inventory and order status while integrating seamlessly with their tech stack. The partnership enabled Pit Viper to scale operations during high-demand periods, processing orders efficiently and achieving 99.7% order accuracy after implementing ShipBob’s WMS. ShipBob’s reliable infrastructure and responsive support team allow Pit Viper to focus on product innovation and marketing while confidently expanding their outdoor lifestyle brand.
Success story: BRUCE BOLT scales DTC and B2B with ShipBob’s white-glove support
BRUCE BOLT, a fast-growing baseball gear brand, switched to ShipBob to support rapid DTC growth while expanding retail partnerships via EDI. With ShipBob, the team reclaimed time once spent chasing their old 3PL, improved B2B fulfillment speed (with retail POs moving out in about 4 days instead of lingering for weeks), and gained the reliability needed to say yes to larger accounts.
Today they average ~25,000 shipments per month and expect placement in 150+ retail stores by the end of the year – all while maintaining SLAs and getting hands-on support from a dedicated ShipBob team.
ShipBob services all customers benefit from
- Connectivity & integrations: ShipBob’s 50+ turnkey integrations with all major ecommerce channels and tools – including Shopify, Gorgias, Klaviyo, NetSuite, Loop, AfterShip, and more – enable you to grow your business smarter, faster, and stronger than ever before. In addition to the ShipBob App Store that lets you instantly connect your tech stack, you can also leverage ShipBob’s Develop API for custom builds.
- Transparent, cost-effective pricing: Unlike many 3PLs, ShipBob has easy-to-predict billing that makes it easy to plan for spend, without too many line items. ShipBob also negotiates rates with carriers and passes those savings on to you.
- Real-time visibility: Track shipments, orders, and inventory across locations from one dashboard. Manage one pool of inventory across sales channels and push stock levels back to your store so you don’t oversell.
- Full-stack fulfillment platform: With ShipBob, you get an all-in-one OMS, IMS, WMS, RMS, TMS, and analytics for a consolidated tech stack. ShipBob’s platform acts as a mini-ERP, being a single source of truth for your orders and inventory.
- Easy, comprehensive onboarding: We’ve onboarded thousands of ecommerce merchants and helped some of the fastest-growing brands scale effortlessly. Our implementation team sets you up for success with everything from configuring your ship options, to syncing your online store.
- Support for growth: ShipBob aims to be the last fulfillment partner you’ll need. Whether you’re shipping 1,000 orders per month or 200,000, we have you covered. With a large fulfillment network to scale into, new channels to expand into, and additional capabilities to tap into, you won’t outgrow ShipBob.
Request a quote for outdoor equipment fulfillment
How it works
How ShipBob goes from your online store to your customer’s door
1. Connect
Connect your store, import your products, then send us your inventory.
2. Store
We store your inventory in any combination of our fulfillment centers.
3. Ship
As soon as a customer places an order, we ship it from the nearest fulfillment center.
FAQs about outdoor equipment fulfillment
How does ShipBob help reduce shipping costs for outdoor items?
ShipBob’s distributed fulfillment network routes orders from the closest facility to help reduce costs and speed up delivery for items that fit within our accepted size and weight limits.
Can ShipBob manage seasonal spikes in demand for outdoor products?
Yes, ShipBob’s real-time inventory management and replenishment recommendations help you prepare for seasonal surges and keep bestsellers in stock.
What packaging options does ShipBob offer for protecting outdoor gear in transit?
ShipBob supports custom branded packaging, as well as standard protective materials like Geami paper or kraft paper.
How does ShipBob help reduce shipping costs for heavy or large items?
By distributing your inventory across dozens of fulfillment centers, especially with the Inventory Placement Program in the U.S., ShipBob helps reduce your average shipping zone to lower shipping costs, which is highly beneficial for heavier items.
Can ShipBob fulfill both DTC and wholesale orders for outdoor brands?
Absolutely. ShipBob’s unified platform allows you to manage DTC, marketplace, and wholesale orders from a single inventory pool, streamlining operations and supporting bulk retailer shipments (including automated EDI orders for major retailers like Target, Nordstrom, and Walmart).
Does ShipBob support HAZMAT shipping for battery-powered outdoor products?
Yes, ShipBob is equipped to store, pack, and ship eligible battery-powered products, including those with lithium batteries, after successfully completing the approval process.
What technology integrations does ShipBob offer for outdoor equipment brands?
ShipBob integrates with dozens of major ecommerce platforms, marketplaces, and retail partners, providing real-time inventory syncing, automated order processing, and the ability to integrate with your returns portal (e.g., Loop or Aftership).
How does ShipBob support international shipping for outdoor equipment?
With fulfillment centers in the U.S., the UK, Europe, Canada, and Australia, ShipBob enables fast, cost-effective international shipping and offers DDP shipping options to eliminate surprises at checkout and improve cross-border transparency.
Can ShipBob help create a branded unboxing experience for outdoor gear?
Yes, ShipBob’s Customization Suite lets you add custom branded packaging (which you provide), marketing inserts, and personalized gift notes to deliver a memorable unboxing experience that reflects your brand’s ethos.
What kind of support and analytics does ShipBob provide to outdoor brands?
ShipBob offers dedicated merchant support and a real-time dashboard with robust analytics, so you can monitor inventory, track orders, and make data-driven decisions to grow your business.
Shipping costs are variable in nature, based on weight, dimensions, destination, service, and more. Request your custom quote here: https://www.shipbob.com/quote/.
INTEGRATE ALL OF YOUR TOOLS
Connect to 50+ few-click integrations from our App Store, or build directly with our developer-friendly API
Ship from 60+ global locations
We use our network of fulfillment centers to help you strategically split and manage your inventory to reduce shipping costs and transit times.
FEATURED REPORT
What are outdoor equipment brands’ top priorities for shipping and fulfillment this year? Find out
There’s no question that the last several years have thrown a multitude of challenges at ecommerce brands. Despite this, brands are navigating the ever-changing landscape with plans to expand this year.
