Winner:
Outdoor Gear Exchange

Runner-Up:
Eastern Mountain Sports

TAKE A HIKE

If you’re easily overwhelmed when faced with bins of hiking socks and racks on racks of waterproof jackets, the Outdoor Gear Exchange is not a safe place for you. Burlington’s reigning outdoor retailer has everything you could ever want or need to outfit a trip to Mt. Mansfield or to Mt. Everest, and its customers have hiked both. But you needn’t be Sir Edmund Hilary to find something of interest in OGE. In fact, you don’t have to be a hiker at all. The shop sells plenty of samples and factory extras of everything from puff coats to stylish tees, dog leashes to backcountry skis. Plus, with a sizeable consignment section, you don’t have to go broke gearing up. Bonus: Lots of friendly pooches milling around the store and a staff that’s as good-looking and friendly as it is rugged.

- Lauren Ober