Ain’t No Mountain High Enough: How Rock Climbing Enthusiasts Launched GearJunkie

It must not have been easy to run a publishing company during the pandemic. Luckily, we got the chance to catch up with Sean McCoy, GearJunkie’s Editorial Director, and talk about the company’s start. How did it grow into one of the most respected online news and review outlets in today’s outdoor industry?

For the newbies out there, GearJunkie is an online outlet focused on the outdoor industry. They feature content ranging from equipment reviews, industry news, travel and adventure stories, photos, videos and so much more.

During our chat with Sean, we learned that GearJunkie’s roots go way back to the ’90s. Sean and Stephen Regenold (founder of GearJunkie) were college friends who dreamt of publishing a climbing magazine. They named their ‘zine “Vertical Jones” and it ran for three years.

After a while, Sean moved to the Caribbean to kickstart his journalism career and Stephen started GearJunkie in 2002 as a syndicated newspaper column, which transitioned into an online company over the years. When Sean moved back to the mainland in 2011, he happily joined the team and began his journey into the world of outdoor gear and telling stories about it.

Sean takes pride in sharing that GearJunkie was founded based on journalism. GearJunkie’s goal is to share stories on outdoor living and activities, breaking industry news, and offer honest reviews about the latest adventure and outdoor gear in the market. He emphasizes: "Each article, blog post, and content published on the website is made by real people who work hard to give the best buying advice they possibly can."

And that's what keeps him going for more than nine years. “I love telling a good story,” he shares. “With countless new products and technologies coming to the market every year, there is no shortage of great stories. I guess I'm pretty self-motivated, and really love doing what I do.”

In a world where content is king, we asked Sean which items were the most popular among gear readers. “We're in a golden age of gear," he shares. "Even mid-priced products perform incredibly well, so there are many wonderful product options in nearly every category.”

Ok, but as knife enthusiasts, we want to know more! As an outdoorsman himself, Sean must have a favorite knife, right? Well yes, but it depends on the situation.

“Right now, my favorite EDC (everyday carry) is probably the Benchmade Bugout. But for hunting, I love the Buck Alaskan Guide Series 113 Ranger and the Benchmade Altitude. Both have served me really well on the big game in the Rocky Mountains."

But there is one knife that stands above all else. "The knife that's the most precious to me," Sean continues, "is a very old fixed blade that was given to my grandfather while he served in the navy. He carried it through his time on an aircraft carrier in WWII, and then as a farmer for many years. It means a lot to me.”

GearJunkie expanded to Denver in 2018 and currently has a family of websites that has grown enormously in the last six months. Sean is now managing nine other websites in addition to GearJunkie and has many plans for the future of these sites. A lot of things are in the works so you would have to stay tuned to know more!