Well, friend, Last Minute Gear is officially closed.

This is the absolute last email you’ll get - for that reason, I’m sending this to everyone who’s ever been a renter (regardless of subscription status), just so everyone is aware of the closure.

For the last few months, I have been:

1. Trying to give away the business
2. Planning a goodbye celebration for YOU
3. Winding down in a financially sound manner

I’ll go through each of these in quick succession, along with some pics that tell the story.

In 2016 I moved Last Minute Gear from my apartment (where I almost got evicted for doing it!) to this office showroom at 7th & Market. It was arguably just as sketchy for folks to pick up gear from a random Mid-Market office as it was from a Tenderloin apartment... but we had our strongest growth years then.

Giving away the business

Didn't work. In short, it’s too expensive in San Francisco for someone to continue operating Last Minute Gear locally; and since most of our brand value is local, it didn’t make sense for someone in a different location either.

Thanks to folks who connected me with leads (even at Decathlon!) - I really appreciate how much you care about this brand.

From 2017-2020 we moved into our first retail storefront in the Mission district. The space was small and parking was awful, but the neighborhood felt very communal and I especially loved this window mural done by local artists: Twin Wall Mural Company.

Thank you for contributing to our impact

We never had grand opening parties; but you know, over the last 10 years, we’ve helped 12,000+ individuals and families get outside, many for their first ever trips!

We also tried to quantify our sustainability impact for our top rented summer items (tents sleeping bags/pads, and backpacks). Here, we've helped folks save over $500,000 in not having to buy 6000+ pieces of gear, a carbon offset of ~700,000 lbs (over 1000 cross country flights!).

Our borrow program, the only one of its kind where people could borrow camping gear for FREE, helped save folks over $100,000 and was a key avenue for access for low income folks and students.

That's all worth celebrating! So please join us on January 17 (RSVP) and maybe meet some new camping, hiking, climbing, or ski trip buddies!  

In 2020 we made a pandemic move to downtown. Why? (1) we found cheap rent with 2x the physical space (cleaning gear between trips was getting increasingly cramped in the Mission; (2) historically we were delivering on the regular to downtown, since so many customers from across the Bay Area worked in offices - I was hoping that the pandemic would end and that would translate well for the business. Alas... San Francisco's downtown recovery was the slowest in the USA through 2024.

Will you support me, one last time?

I have to share some unfortunate news. Our landlord’s previous generosity terminated unexpectedly. In the last few months of tenancy, we entered a legal dispute that almost went to court. The final settlement extracted a hefty sum that I was counting on to pay down loans, since we've never moved back to cash flow positive after COVID.

There are a lot of world events right now that deserve attention. However, if you have the means, and Last Minute Gear helped you create some beautiful memories in nature, I hope you'll donate to support our closing costs.

If you're in America - consider us a part of your Thanksgiving Giving Tuesday plans.

Again, thank you so much for going on this journey with me. There will be no more activity on any Last Minute Gear mailing list. If you'd like to hear from me going forward wherever life takes me, let me know. 

All the best to you as you chase your own personal dreams and goals, if I can be helpful, please let me know! I’ll have this email active until February 2026.

James