Break Up With Your “Someday Pants”

A Proposal for the New Year:

A day changes on the calendar and suddenly we’re about to be the “best versions of ourselves”… but realistically, it’s the darkest month of the year, my motivation is low, and I’m fully in cozy, potato-eating, hibernation mode.

I’m not anti resolutions. If writing a new year on your emails encourages you to evaluate your goals and intentions, then sure, I'm all for fresh starts. But let’s talk about one resolution that deserves to be gently tossed into the donation box (or better yet, the consignment bin… ayoooo, see what I did there?). Keeping clothes “for when they fit again.”

The Myth of the Someday Closet:

You know exactly which ones I'm talking about... The pants that ALMOST fit and look great but you don’t feel great if you have to sit down. The jacket that used to be perfect (back when you were in college), but is now a little snug to zip up.

They’re not just taking up space. They’re quietly judging you every time you open your closet… reminding you of a past version of yourself. It’s both physical and mental clutter.

THE TRUTH: Your body is allowed to change. PERIOD.

It’s allowed to be different from last year, five years ago, or that one trip when everything fit just right. Outdoor gear and apparel should support the life you’re living now, not a hypothetical future version of you.

(Me in 2017... traveling every weekend and hiking almost daily)

Our bodies aren’t static or meant to be preserved at some ideal size (because who the heck determines what’s “ideal” anyway?). They are working, evoloving and wildly capable systems that carry us through real life. Our bodies hike trails, haul groceries, shovel snow, chase kids, ride bikes, sit at desks, heal injuries, and show up again the next day. It's a body that deserves clothes that respect its CURRENT environment, not punishment for not matching a past version of yourself.

Obviously, you don’t look like you did when you were 18... That person didn’t birth a child, break her hip, own a business, deal with chronic pain, have high cholesterol and sit at a computer typing out blog posts like this one. She had summers off to play and adventure every day, ate Oreos for dinner and never drank water (okay we're still struggling with that one...).

(Me in 2025... still active, but clothes definitely sit different on this body) Strength looks different in different seasons of life, and recreation does too. Just as time today looks much different than it did eight years ago. Past me used to get out for a daily hike. Now we’re lucky if we can sneak in a weekly adventure. Prioritizing a weekly ski day is WORK now.

But when I do get the chance to get outside, I have my "go-tos" in the closet (which can be proven by my camera roll where it looks like I only own one fleece and pair of shorts). But they are the clothes that feel good. The ones that fit my current body. The ones that don't ride up... allowing me to move freely, breathe easily, and actually enjoy being outside without squeezing or silent self-criticism.

Dressing the body you have isn’t giving up; it’s honoring the work it does every single day. The “someday” items that get passed over everytime you get changed? They deserve a second life with someone who will use them right now.

Let Your Gear Get Back Outside

So... in conclusion. I'm purging anything that isn't a "go-to". The blue Gnara pants I LOVE and have been holding onto with a false dream (but they were a size too small even when they arrived... dang online ordering) are FINALLY heading to the shop to be re-homed to someone new.

(the blue pants we're officially ditching because I need to unbutton them to sit down)

Instead of hoarding technical clothes out of guilt (because I know how expensive they were when you got them!) or optimism, bring them in to consign. Those pants you always skip over? That layer you haven’t worn in two seasons? Someone else might be looking for exactly that piece.

This Year’s Goal: Lighter Closets, More Comfortable Adventures

Here’s our New Year’s challenge for you: Break up with the clothes that no longer serve you. Make room for gear that fits your life TODAY.

Let your unused pieces find a new adventure through consignment. Consigning not only clears space (both in your mind and closet)... it puts a little cash (or store credit) back in your pocket, and keeps good outdoor gear doing what it’s meant to do, being used.

Your closet will thank you. Your future self will thank you. Bring in the items you don’t reach for and consign them with us. (And use that store credit to invest in some pieces you LOVE). Also ... someone come buy my "pee zipper" pants before I go back on my word.

-Leah Wzientek

Owner/Manager of Gear Hut