Outdoor gear covers a wide range of products for all kinds of different sports and activities. Some of the most popular are hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, trail running, kayaking, snowboarding, and the list goes on and on. For affiliates, this means you have lots of different niches to focus on and lots of different types of products to promote. I can’t stress this enough though – for an effective, quick-ranking, engaging affiliate website, focus on a specific niche.
Even something like “camping” can be broken down into something like camping for kids, or solar tech camping gear.
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But if my advice is to break down your website into a niche, why am I writing about “outdoor gear” affiliate programs instead of solar camping gear affiliate programs?
Well, I’m guessing that there’s more traffic for the broader term of “outdoor gear”, plus, I’d be writing about a thousand articles if I did a deep dive into every specific outdoor gear niche. I’ve already dug down into sporting goods including keyword ideas plus website building tips that you can check out to get your online business moving in the right direction.
So, without further adieu, here are the ten great outdoor gear affiliate programs:
Outdoor Gear Affiliate Programs
- Backcountry
- Bass Pro Shops
- Orvis
- Camping World
- Outdoor Gear Exchange
- Hyperlite Mountain Gear
- Marmot
- Moosejaw
- YETI
- US Outdoor
Backcountry
- URL: Backcountry Affiliate Program
- Commission: 8%
- Cookie: 30 days
Backcountry offers the best gear for passionate outdoor enthusiasts. They have high-quality gear for camping, trail running, backpacking, rock climbing, kayaking, skiing, snowboarding, and more. Backcountry carries the best brands in the outdoor industry including Mountain Hardware, Patagonia, Mammut, The North Face, Arc’teryx, Black Diamond, Marmot, and many more.
They also have exclusive brands only available in the U.S. through Backcountry.com including PeakPerformance, Houdini, Montane, Norrona, Stoic, Berghaus, and more. New brands and products are added all the time. They offer 100% guaranteed returns and award-winning customer service.
Affiliates receive a generous 8% commission rate on every sale. Commission rates of 10% or higher are available for top-performing affiliates. The cookie life is 30 days. Their loyal customer base equates to high conversions and larger commissions.
There are no restrictions on product categories or SKUs, affiliates earn the same on every item they sell. Affiliates have complete access to Backcountry’s data feed which is updated daily. They also have dedicated In-House Affiliate Management because they value their affiliates and want to help them make lots of money.
Why Should You Promote Backcountry: Competitive retail commissions, dedicated affiliate team, high-quality gear
Backcountry’s loyal customers keep coming back for their large selection of high-quality outdoor gear. They offer their affiliates a generous 8% commission with a higher commission rate for top-performing affiliates.
Bass Pro Shops
- URL: Bass Pro Shops Affiliate Program
- Commission:5%
- Cookie: 14 days
While their name might be misleading Bass Pro Shops sells a lot more than fishing gear. They are an outdoor retail leader in camping, hunting, boating, and outdoor clothing. You can find Bass Pro Shops throughout the country and Canada and they serve over 75 million sportsmen every year.
They offer everything an outdoor enthusiast could ever want or need. They carry national brands, local favorites, and even a large selection of their own high-quality house brands.
Affiliates receive a competitive retail commission rate of 5%. Their average order value is over $100. The cookie duration is 30 days. Affiliates have access to all their site’s high-quality product images, customer ratings, and review, and product descriptions to help increase their conversions and commissions.
You can also easily link to all of their great products with their product catalog which they update daily. Bass Pro Shops uses Commission Junction to manage their affiliate program. To sign up search for them under the Advertisers section.
Why Should You Promote Bass Pro Shops: Outdoor retail leader, competitive retail commission, lots of marketing materials
Bass Pro Shop serves over 75 million sportsmen each year because of their great selection of high-quality outdoor gear. They offer affiliates a competitive retail commission of 5% with a high average order value is over $100.
Orvis
- URL: Orvis Affiliate Program
- Commission: 5%
- Cookie: 14 days
Since 1856, Orvis has been selling distinctive outdoor gear, clothing, luggage and home goods. They are the oldest mail-order company in the United States. Their award-winning website has over 5000 products and 32 million visits per year.
They have almost 70 retail stores and 10 outlets in the US and almost 20 in the UK. For over 150, they had the strongest return policy in the industry. They will issue a refund on any purchase for any time or any reason if you are not 100% satisfied.
Approved websites can join their affiliate program and earn a 5% commission on sales. The cookie duration is 14 days. Their brand recognition, great selection of products, and a lots of promotions including pop-ups help convert visitors to customers and encourage them to return to check out more sales.
They also have seasonal free shipping promotions. Affiliates have access to their frequently updated product feed with the current prices, images, and descriptions. They even provide links to promote their extensive sales section.
Why Should You Promote Orvis: Award-winning website, strongest return policy in the industry, competitive retail commission rate, lots of deals and promotions
Orvis is an industry leader with over 150 years of experience selling outdoor gear, apparel, accessories, and more. Their affiliates have access to lots of marketing and promotional materials along with a generous retail commission rate.
Camping World
- URL: Camping World Affiliate Program
- Commission: 6%
- Cookie: 10 days
As the RV industry leader, Camping World is always looking for ways to enhance your RV and outdoor experience. They have been offering specialized products along with expert service and advice to RVers and campers since 1966. They have grown into the largest retailer of RVs and RV accessories in the US. Camping World has over 130 supercenters throughout the country.
While RVing is their main focus, they also have a large selection of outdoor and camping gear.
Affiliates earn money by placing Camping World text links and banners on their website. The commission rate is 6% on all sales. The cookie life is 10 days long. Camping World uses Linkshare to manage their affiliate program and track all referrals and issue payouts. Affiliates have access to almost 13,000 of their products so you have lots of material to promote.
Why Should You Promote Camping World: RV industry leader, Over 130 supercenters in the US, competitive commission rate
While Camping World mainly focuses on RVing, they are committed to providing products that enhance your outdoor experience even if you don’t have an RV. If you have an outdoor-related website, it’s worth checking out because of their large selection and competitive commission rate.
Outdoor Gear Exchange
- URL: Outdoor Gear Exchange Affiliate Program
- Commission: 6%
- Cookie: 30 days
Outdoor Gear Exchange sells a large variety of quality outdoor gear. They sell everything from the newest technology to incredibly low closeout deals, so there is something for everyone at all different price points. Their development team is constantly working to optimize their website to increase their already high conversion rate. Their average order value is $130.
Outdoor sports or online shipping websites can join the Outdoor Gear Exchange affiliate program. You earn a 6% commission on sales you refer to from links on your website. They offer a high retail cookie life of 30 days. Outdoor Gear Exchange uses Avantlink to manage its affiliate program.
Affiliates have access to a large selection of display banners and text links and can request custom sizes. They are always updating their dynamic data feed with their selection of in-stock products and accurate prices.
Why Should You Promote Outdoor Gear Exchange: High average order value, great conversion rates, long cookie life, generous commission rate
Outdoor Gear Exchange has outdoor gear for everyone in all different price ranges. Their high average order value, high conversion, and good commission rate make them worth checking out.
Hyperlite Mountain Gear
- URL: Hyperlite Mountain Gear Affiliate Program
- Commission: 8%
- Cookie: 30 days
Hyperlite Mountain Gear makes durable ultralight outdoor gear for every outdoor adventure. They stripped out all the inessential features from their products to find the optimal balance between durability and weight.
Their high tech waterproof materials create efficient and practical gear for all levels of outdoor enthusiasts. Hyperlite Mountain Gear products have been featured in publications like Outside, Backpacker, Trail Runner, Rock & Ice, Canoe & Kayak, Inc, and more. Their product has also received Editor’s Choice Awards. They have fast order fulfillment time and ship worldwide.
The Hyperlite Mountain Gear affiliate program is open to gear review sites, bloggers, and websites that focus on outdoor sports and entertainment. Affiliate benefits include 8% commission rates, a 30-day cookie duration, and a dedicated affiliate manager. The average order value is an incredibly high $350. Hyperlite Mountain Gear uses Avantlink to manage their affiliate program.
Why Should You Promote Hyperlite Mountain Gear: Extremely high average order value, high retail commission, month-long cookie life
Hyperlite Mountain Gear creates high quality lightweight durable outdoor gear for outdoor enthusiasts. They offer their affiliates 8% commissions with a very high average order value of $350.
Marmot
- URL: Marmot Affiliate Program
- Commission: 8%
- Cookie: 90 days
Marmot is a leader in designing and manufacturing functional, high performance, and stylish outdoor gear. They offer a great selection of high-quality outdoor gear, travel clothing, and accessories. They have grown a lot since their humble beginnings in 1974, but they have never lost their commitment to designing the highest quality performance products.
Marmot uses Commission Junction to manage its affiliate program and monitor sales, access dynamic content for higher conversions, and issue affiliate payouts. They provide lots of graphics, logos, and banners too. They offer helpful tips to help you succeed like promoting your affiliation with Marmot, placing your links in an easily accessible location on your homepage and shopping pages.
To increase your traffic and increase sales, submit your site to search engines and directories and use meta-tags. You can also promote Marmot in your email campaigns, newsletter, press releases, and on your homepage.
Why Should You Promote Marmot: Long cookie life, great commission rate, lots of tips, and marketing materials.
It’s important to note, Marmot must approve your site before you are allowed to join their affiliate program. They offer a long cookie life and great commission rates for their affiliates.
Moosejaw
- URL: Moosejaw Affiliate Program
- Commission: 8%
- Cookie: 30 days
Moosejaw has an extensive inventory of high-quality outdoor apparel and gear from brands like Patagonia, Arc’teryc, The North Face, and many more. They offer competitive pricing, Moosejaw Rewards, and free shipping. Their amazing customer service leads to happy customers that want to share their experience.
The Moosejaw Living Will is their product guarantee. If you are not happy with your purchase return it at any time as long as it’s in sellable condition and as long as you aren’t dead. They also price match. If you find the exact same item within 14 days for less somewhere else, they will credit you the difference.
Affiliates receive around 8% commissions (actual commissions depends on volume). The cookie duration is 30 days. Affiliates can join their program on Impact Radius, Commission Junction, or AvantLink. They update their product feeds daily and have special deals and commissions for in-store purchases.
Why Should You Promote Moosejaw: Competitive pricing, high commission rates, month-long cookie life
Moosejaw allows their affiliates to choose which affiliate management system they would like to use. In order to get the best commission rates and cookie life, be sure to check out all three programs before picking which one is right for you.
YETI
- URL: Yeti Affiliate Program
- Commission: 8%
- Cookie: 30 days
YETI coolers and drinkware are built to be indestructible and keep ice cold for days. They are a leading brand in the outdoor industry. Their main markets are fishing and hunting, but they are also used for camping, rafting, rock climbing, and more.
The brand was created out of the frustration that cheap coolers don’t keep ice cold for very long. YETI’s products have expanded to include hard and soft-sided coolers, bottles, jugs, tumblers, and more. They are designed in Austin, Texas but their customer base has grown to reach all of the US, Canada, and Australia.
Affiliates can sign up for their program with Commission Junction or Avantlink. The commission rate is 8% with a cookie life of 30 days. Their high-quality products have a high retail value which means higher commission amounts for their affiliates.
Their target demographic audience is outdoor enthusiasts. It’s important to note that affiliates are allowed to use generic keywords in their website’s SEO, but they can not use YETI’s trademark name, domain name, or any misspellings or variations of them.
Why Should You Promote YETI: Indestructible coolers, well known and respect brand, high retail costs, great retail commission rate
You can sign up for YETI’s affiliate program with Commission Junction or AvantLink, whichever one works best for you. YETI offers their affiliates a very high commission rate on all of their top of the line products.
US Outdoor
- URL: US Outdoor Affiliate Program
- Commission: 8%
- Cookie: 120 days
Since 1957, US Outdoor has been serving the needs of water, land, and snow sports enthusiasts. They are the only outdoor gear site that offers free shipping and no sales tax on all orders over $40 in the contiguous US.
They handpick all their top of the line outdoor gear and apparel because they don’t want your gear falling apart on you. They offer great customer service because they are as passionate about the outdoors as you are. Since good gear isn’t cheap, they offer alternative payment options to help you spread out your purchase cost. They also have a no-hassle 365-day return policy.
Affiliates receive 8% commissions on every sale and 120-day cookie life. Top affiliates can make up to 10% commissions plus bonuses. You can sign up for their program through Commission Junction or AvantLink to monitor and track affiliate sales. When your commission exceeds $25, they mail you a check.
Why Should You Promote US Outdoor: Competitive commission rate, very long cookie life, alternative payment options, 365-day return policy
US Outdoors only carries the best outdoor gear, but that means they can be kind of expensive. They offer payment alternatives to help spread out the purchase costs. This also leads to high conversion rates because customers don’t have to buy everything all at once.
Affiliate Website Ideas
Now that you’ve learned about the 10 outdoor gear affiliate programs, you should start figuring out what kind of niche you would like to focus on. Outdoor gear covers are a wide variety of products, sports, and activities.
What that means is, as an affiliate, you have lots of different topics you could focus on.
For example, you could market fly fishing gear. Orvis would be a great affiliate program to use because of their brand history and extensive fly fishing knowledge. They even offer fly fishing introduction classes at some of their stores. They offer their affiliates a 5% commission rate with a 14-day cookie life which could add up very quickly because fly fishing gear is usually pretty expensive.
Another niche you could promote is backpacking gear. Hyperlite Mountain Gear makes ultra-lightweight and durable outdoor gear that is perfect for withstanding the elements and not adding any extra weight than necessary. They offer affiliates 8% commissions with very high average order values of over $350. You could even focus on what type of terrain for a more niche-focused website, like winter backpacking gear or ultralight backpacking adventures.
You could also write about snowboarding which requires a lot of stuff to get started, which means lots of product review posts for you to write. US Outdoor has a large selection of snowboarding gear along with lots of other outdoor sports gear. They offer their affiliates an incredibly long 120-day cookie for better conversion rates and a generous 8% commission rate.
Boost Your Affiliate Earnings
These 10 affiliate programs are just the beginning of what's possible. There are hundreds of ways to earn affiliate commissions with your website, including product reviews, top 10 lists, how-to guides, and more
But what about traffic and conversions? How do you make sure your affiliate links get clicked?
I used the affiliate training here to turn my brand new website into a six-figure income generator in less than two years. Build a business, not just a pocket-money side project!
Nathaniell
What's up ladies and dudes! Great to finally meet you, and I hope you enjoyed this post. My name is Nathaniell and I'm the owner of One More Cup of Coffee. I started my first online business in 2010 promoting computer software and now I help newbies start their own businesses. Sign up for my #1 recommended training course and learn how to start your business for FREE!
27 Affiliate Programs That Pay In Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency
Jason R
Cookie window for Bass Pro Shops affiliate program is 14 days, not 30.
Nathaniell
Fixed!
Ryder
Hey Nathaniell, I joined WA a couple months ago and I’m on level 3 of the training. Currently seeking out good affiliate programs for outdoor gear. I’m an avid snowboarder so snowboarding gear has been my main focus for building out content for the past couple months.
When I bought my domai, I was under the impression I would be expanding into hundreds of different categories and niches rather than just snowboarding gear, that’s why I decided on a more broad domain name.
After reading this article though, I now understand that it would be better for me to just focus on snowboarding gear correct?
Also, I’m still learning so bear with me, what does 120 day cookie for better conversation rates mean?
Thanks!
Nathaniell
Yes, you’ll be better off with just doing snowboarding gear, but you’re totally fine to have a broad domain name. In fact, I recommend it. Here’s Kyle’s article on succeeding with golf balls, scaling with shoes. Basically, start narrow, then grow, rather than start big, and contract. I do all my domains just like you have done.
Actually, you could get even more narrow if you want, and do snowboarding for women, or snowboarding for kids, or snowboarding in Switzerland to further narrow down your audience. Snowboarding gear for intermediate snowboarders sounds like what you’re comfortable with, and that’s a great start anyway.
The 120 day cookie being better for conversions just means that you’ll have a full 4 months to convert that person to a buyer. Amazon’s 24-hour window is pretty weak! You need to them to buy TODAY, or you don’t get the sale. With a 120 day cookie, you’ve got the whole winter. Many people do research, then come back to buy later (although you should always strive to convert ASAP!), so if that’s the case you’ll still get the sale even if the person comes back to buy later (bypassing your site), assuming they didn’t click another affiliate link along the way.
Hope that helps Ryder!
Ryder
Okay got it! Thanks for your help man, I really appreciate it!
How can I find you on WA so I can follow you?
Nathaniell
Happy to help man. Here’s my profile!
Spenser
Love this man, great info! Thank You!
Khalid Khan
You didn’t mention REI. Why?
Nathaniell
There are so many affiliate programs out there, it’s hard to pick just 10! REI would be a great one as well.