Outdoors Starts In Here

Our Staff’s Favorite Summer Gear! Sep’s Picks.

Each week, we’ll be highlighting a few staff picks of our favorite gear around the store. After all, we don’t just sell great clothing and equipment here at Shep’s; we also buy our great clothing & gear and use it for our own outdoor adventures! This week, Sep wanted to share a few items he just can’t live without.

1. Patagonia Arbor Pack – This 26L is one of my favorite backpacks of all time. It’s cool retro styling combined with easy entry and a bulletproof build make it perfect for a day of hiking or a place to stash your books. Plus, because it doesn’t have any built in padding along the back, it’s easily packable and hugs my body like a glove when I’m out exploring the outdoors.

2. Chinook Superlight Mummy 45 Bag – I have the older version of this bag, and it’s been a champ for years. This one have been upgraded with Insufil 1 making it lighter and warmer than it’s predecessor, costs a mere $49, and is one of the best 45° lightweight bags I’ve ever used for any money. These are a true bargain in the camping / hiking world for sure!

3. Patagonia Wavefarer Engineered Board Shorts – I’m kind of a Patagonia junkie, and for good reason. As a company, they continue to push for environmental causes to keep our world clean and renewable. They haven’t lost sight of the fact that people buy their clothing to be used outdoors, in tough conditions, with the highest demand for performance. Their fit and quality is amazing, and pretty much everything they design looks great! I picked these board shorts up before a recent trip I took to Oregon with my wife, and I never wanted to take them off. These shorts are super comfortable and built to last for years.

You can swing by our Downtown Wausau location to check out our full line of backpacks, sleeping bags, and swimwear for all your outdoor needs!

Try Before You Buy: Watersports Demos at Shep’s

HO Sports slalom water skis, knee boards, paddle boards and tow tubes plus Hyperlite wake surf and wakeboard. Get your Demo on!

Our winter ski demos are popular because it’s your chance to test out the latest and greatest performance skis before making a purchase. And now? Now you can do it in summer too! Our waterski and wakeboard demos are in & ready. It’s the perfect chance to test new gear for your outing on your favorite Wisconsin lake.

For just $25 per day, you can ride the new goods. And if you make a purchase yet this summer, half of the money you spent on demos will be put toward your bill. Yes, we mean it!! Use your “refund” when you purchase your new skis or board, PFDs, ropes or even Sun Bum Sunscreen. You need them all for fun behind the boat and we’ll help you choose the best fit and features. All you have to do is purchase before Labor Day. Preview our awesome gear here.

What are you waiting for? Grab some demo gear and get in the boat!

Visit us in the store for details. As usual, you must be 18+ to demo, or have your parent/guardian with you.

Special Bike Offer for 2015 Grads!

Graduations are something to celebrate! If you have a highschool, college, or other graduate on your gift list this spring, we have the perfect idea for you. Why not gift these dedicated students wheels to roll ahead onto the road they’ve paved?

Buy the graduate a bike from Shep’s (you’ll already be saving with Shep’s sale price!) and get $25 in FREE bike accessories*, a FREE 30-day Check-up and FREE 1-year Tune-up! All adult bikes qualify: Road bikes, Mountain Bikes, Comfort and BMX bikes are all included. And as usual, we’ll install the computer, basket, rack, lights or other gear you select for free.

If you find more than $25 in accessories to complete the ride, you’ll get 20% off the additional items. The good news keeps on comin’.

Choose from our extensive selection of locks, computers, lights, baskets, pumps, saddles, bags, fenders, helmets and much, much more. Shep’s is Wausau’s bike shop, and we think graduation is worth celebrating. You’ve earned it!

Is your graduate headed to a new zip code? We can pack and ship your new bike too. Just ask.

Bring your graduation announcement or invitation to qualify for this special offer and we’ll help you choose the perfect bike for your graduate.

Offer ends June 30, 2015

*$25 free bike accessories must be selected from in-stock inventory and will be calculated at retail price. Does not include special-order items. Sorry, children’s bicycles are not included in this offer.

Save the Hassle & Get a Yakima Rack

Yakima 3 — Photo: instagram.com/yakimaracks

We’ve probably all tried to cram a bike into the too-small trunk, always to realize it’s not worth the scratches, grease, and parts moved out of alignment. Maybe the snow covered skis that begin to drip all over the moment you crank the heat is more familiar to you? If you’re feeling us, this is where Yakima comes in.

Yakima makes racks for a variety of needs with a variety of prices. If you need to carry your bike, you can choose to carry it on top of your car or on a hitch mount. Need a cargo box up top? Sure thing, how much space do you need? Want to carry kayaks or skis? Yakima racks can do it all.

Here’s how car-top Yakima systems work:

Yakima2 — Photo: instagram.com/yakimaracks

1- Start with the parts you need to create the rack system on the top of your car. Depending on the make/model/year of your car, and what it may or may not come with from the factory, we’ll select the specific clips & bars you need. This part stays on your car and acts as the “base” to build off of.

2- Once you have your base, you can choose which systems you want to add, depending on what you want to carry. Onto your bars, you can attach the kayak carriers, bike carriers, cargo boxes, etc. These parts can be easily taken on and off, so you can customize your rack for the weekend ahead.

Come chat with our staff about your car & carrying needs and we’ll help you out. And, if you act soon, you can take advantage of an offer from Yakima and get a $20 rebate for purchases over $300.

You taught us well, Mom

We’re a first class outdoor specialty store, not a greeting card shop. But, we know a good poem when we read one. And we’re all about value, so we like a good sale. You taught us well, Mom.

How did you find the energy, Mom
To do all the things you did,
To be teacher, nurse and counselor
To me, when I was a kid...

How did you do it all, Mom,
Be a chauffeur, cook and friend,
Yet find time to be a playmate,
I just can’t comprehend.
I see now it was love, Mom
That made you come whenever I’d call,
Your inexhaustible love, Mom
And I thank you for it all.

Life is great in Wausau, Wisconsin for lucky kids whose mom’s teach them how to ski, camp, paddle, do yoga, ice skate, waterski, bike, roller skate, play tennis, sing, read, cook, plant, paint, care for the environment and care for others. We personally thank Dorothy, Carol, and all of our moms for all they do for us, and all they have taught us. Happy Mother’s Day!

What gift will you choose for her? To start, select from our huge inventory of dresses, yoga gear, sportswear, sandals, trail shoes, handbags and more of what you love from these well loved brands. Of course we have awesome bikes, day packs, water skis, tennis and winter sports gear she loves too. Love ya mom!