Climbing gyms with active outdoor programs serve a different community than their indoor membership alone. Outdoor participants, guide clients, and crag crews who affiliate with the gym want branded apparel that reflects the outdoor identity, not just the indoor gym brand. Bear Grips Pro Shops lets climbing gyms run a separate outdoor program apparel shop with no inventory, no upfront cost, and a margin on every item sold. Here is the full vendor guide for climbing gym owners who want to monetize their outdoor program community.
Most climbing gyms already sell merchandise: branded shirts, hats, and sometimes gear at the front desk. The indoor gym brand is well-established for the regular membership. The outdoor program community is different and often underserved in the merchandise sense:
The outdoor program shop does not replace the gym's existing merchandise. It extends the merchandise into a community segment that is not fully served by the indoor gym brand.
Here is what a realistic outdoor program apparel shop earns at different program sizes:
| Program Size | Annual Buyers (50%) | Avg Margin/Item | Annual Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 active outdoor participants | 25 | $12 | $300 |
| 150 outdoor participants | 75 | $12 | $900 |
| 300 outdoor participants | 150 | $12 | $1,800 |
| 500 outdoor participants | 250 | $12 | $3,000 |
Add annual event shirts for outdoor climbing days, crag trip shirts, and guide company branded items, and the outdoor program shop can match or exceed the indoor merchandise program revenue. Guide clients who buy post-course shirts add $15-20 margin items at a high conversion rate because the purchase moment is emotionally immediate.
Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.The outdoor program shop lineup differs from the gym's standard merchandise:
Climbing gym owners running active outdoor programs are typically at capacity with operations, scheduling, and instruction. Managing a merchandise shop is not where their time should go. The Done-For-You VIP plan at Bear Grips Pro Shops handles the shop management:
At $109 per month, the DFY plan pays for itself when the outdoor program shop earns more than $109 in monthly margin. For a program with 150+ outdoor participants, that threshold is easily exceeded. See how outdoor climbing guides and instructors earn from branded apparel for the guide-specific revenue model.
Climbing gym owners who are connected to other outdoor programs, outdoor education organizations, and guide services can earn affiliate commissions from the Bear Grips Pro Shops program:
A gym owner who refers three other outdoor programs or guide companies to the platform earns commissions on all three shops without any additional work. For gym owners in outdoor recreation networks, this is a meaningful passive income addition to the direct merchandise earnings. See the full affiliate program details.
No inventory. No upfront cost. Climbing gym outdoor program merch that earns passively. Setup takes under an hour.
Start FreeYes. Bear Grips Pro Shops prints every item on demand and ships directly to the buyer. The gym earns a margin per sale without managing inventory, fulfillment, or on-site sales logistics.
A program with 150 outdoor participants earning $12 margin on 75 annual orders earns about $900 per year. Add trip event shirts and guide client post-course purchases and total earnings typically double.
DFY VIP at $109/month includes full shop management: the team applies designs to products, creates mockups, builds the shop layout, and sets pricing. The gym owner sends a logo file and receives a live shop.
A separate outdoor program shop with its own branding and product focus serves the outdoor community more specifically and avoids diluting the indoor gym brand with outdoor-specific designs.
Bear Grips Pro Shops