Steep & Cheap vs Moosejaw

About

Moosejaw is an outdoor specialty retailer and e-commerce brand offering premium outdoor apparel, footwear, and gear from brands including The North Face, Patagonia, Arc'teryx, and Mountain Hardwear — known for its irreverent, humorous brand personality ("Madness") that distinguishes it from other outdoor retailers through self-deprecating humor, playful marketing, and genuine outdoor expertise. Founded in 1992 in Keego Harbor, Michigan, Moosejaw was acquired by Walmart in 2017 for approximately $51 million, then sold to Dick's Sporting Goods in 2023.\n\nMoosejaw's "Madness Points" loyalty program (points earned on purchases, redeemable for discounts) and the brand's authentic outdoor expertise and humor-driven customer interactions created a loyal customer base that valued the experience alongside the product selection. The brand carries premium outdoor brands that maintain strict authorized retailer requirements (Arc'teryx, Patagonia, Marmot), giving Moosejaw credibility with serious outdoor enthusiasts who want authentic gear rather than watered-down product lines. The website experience has historically included humorous product descriptions and customer reviews.\n\nIn 2025, Moosejaw operates under Dick's Sporting Goods ownership (acquired in 2023) as a specialty outdoor retail channel — Dick's Sporting Goods acquired Moosejaw to strengthen its premium outdoor gear positioning alongside its Public Lands outdoor specialty format. Moosejaw competes with REI (cooperative model, broad outdoor selection), Backcountry, and specialty outdoor brands' own DTC channels for premium outdoor gear e-commerce. The 2025 strategy under Dick's focuses on integrating Moosejaw's premium brand relationships and loyal customer base with Dick's Sporting Goods' broader inventory and logistics infrastructure, maintaining the Moosejaw brand personality that drives organic customer loyalty, and growing the e-commerce channel.