I spent the last week visiting every single department store and outdoor store in the area looking for a jacket that fit me and was the color I liked. I was unable to find both of those things at any place I went to!I then found the Frugal Backpacker by chance and decided to stop in. Not only did they have the exact color, size and brand I was hoping to find—it was 40% off!!Great customer service as well. I would certainly come here again and recommend to anyone!

The best place to start your hunt for great outdoor supplies and apperal. Their markdowns on high end gear can get you outfitted at a fraction of the cost. It can be hit or miss, but thats just one more reason to make it apart of your rotation.

Outstanding selection of apparel and gear, all backed by an extremely knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly staff. With such a wide collection of outdoor brands, at a fraction of the price when compared to most outdoor retailers, why would you go anywhere else? If youre looking for a hell of a deal and fantastic customer service, Frugal Backpacker is definitely your one stop destination.

The people are so nice. The store is very clean. Employees were helpful and knowledgeable. The winter clothes were 50% off and we snagged some great deals.

Dont know much about backpacking. Went in just to look. The staff was attentive in trying to help. Can not tell you how much about quality or value. Went back a second time. They had many items on sale. I found a pair of hiking boots that I bought. I am very pleased with them, will be in the mountain trails next week to try them out. Let you know what I think about them after that.

I just bought the nicest and warmest coat I’ve ever tried on. I was helped by a very handsome and nice red haired employee. I’m so excited to finally be warm this winter ! I wouldn’t have been able to afford a coat like this somewhere else. Thank you!

Frugal is one of my favorite stores in Asheville. They have a friendly staff and better deals on outdoor clothing/gear than most brick and mortar stores in the area. It is definitely worth checking out.

I’m late posting this but I will never forget our experience at Frugal Backpacker. Nate was amazing! He was super helpful, knowledgeable about products, and went above and beyond to make our experience great. If you stop by be sure to ask for him, he will take great care of you!

Wonderful experience and great customer service. I entered looking for a new backpack and the employee helped me try on multiple packs and explained differences between packs I may not have known. It seemed to be an experience where he was offering me a pack that he knew was the perfect fit for me rather than trying to sell me the most expensive pack on the wall.

I had a GREAT experience shopping Saturday. The Birdman hooked me up for an upcoming trip with everything I needed - I needed a lot. He explained everything thoroughly so I could make the best decision for me. Everyone was super nice. This will always be the first place I go for anything I need and I live 80+ miles away. Thanks.

Great shop, I always enjoy stopping in here.

Spent 3 hours looking for a baby hiking carrier called these guys and a fantastic gentleman pointed me in the right direction when I arrived they quickly took care of me even with my child screaming bloody murder. I cant remember his name but he had a beautiful mustache. Dont go anywhere else. These are your go to guys!

Not really what i expected when i saw tbe name on the map. Not really frugal, pretty much your standard outfitter. Nice staff and good lay out.

I love the Frugal Backpacker! The staff is friendly and helpful. The pricing is affordable and really great when on sale. If you wear womens size 7 or mens size 9 Hoka running shoes FB has variety of sample shoes in those sizes at a great price!

...Oh, they sell salesman and show samples. You may end up with a one of a kind pair of shoes or trail gear. All major brands...Simply an amazing discovery.

Love the frugal backpacker! If youre on your toes, you can find a great deal on something used here. I really like shopping around here and the people working here are usually very nice as well.

It says open on google. We drove 40 minutes and the sign on the door says closed. Not cool!

Great staff! Went to checkout the new store and buy a new day-pack and the staff were all super friendly. One employee helped me find the perfect pack and even though they did not have it in stock, he did not want me to buy a pack that wouldnt fit my needs. Ended up finding the pack at Diamond Brand so it helped the store out anyway!

A really great store for all your backpacking needs :-) they also sell UV protection clothing

Always my favorite. Super good deals, friendly knowledgeable staff. Love this place.

These folks had great prices on lots of name brand gear. Plus, the staff was really nice helping us understand the current sales going on and their clearance section.

Well priced but most of the clothing items are in limited sizes

Pretty neat but not quite the deals I would have wanted.

Some decent deals on great gear. I do miss the old place in Arden though. Seemed to have lots more selection and a better range of prices.

This place has an excellent assortment of new and vintage gear for the right price. Helpful staff and welcoming atmosphere.

They made my day today! I went in just to check out their new space and my favorite flip flops were on sale for $15 (normally $70) I was so excited! They also had a great staff who helped answer all of my questions and had a great sense of humor. Thanks guys!

Super cool store. Much cheaper than other outdoor gear stores.

This place had a great selection of gear for both the previous and upcoming seasons. Knowledgeable staff and a lot of medium size clothing made buying a sweater when I was in a bind a perfect experience.

Love this place! They often sell samples are extremely discounted prices. Highly recommend going there for all your outdoor apparel needs.

Great deals and all the essentials needed for camping. Staff are always pleasant and helpful.

Very nice products and friendly staff. I always love shopping here!

Man, I feel like Frugal Backpacker used to be for Backpackers who were Frugal, you know? This stuff is literally the same price as REI, with very few exceptions (sale items - which are roughly 10% above Amazon prices).I dont know, maybe I caught them at a weird time in inventory. Keeping 3 stars for old times sake, Ill check it out again and update.

A good store with the best, friendly staff of any Outfitter Store in Asheville. Discounts were good at one time, before they closed their store in Aheville. Now Frugal has raised prices, so it appears, since their other primary store closed. Frugal is no longer a Frugal place to shop. We need a true discount Outfitter Store in Asheville. The negative is that the size of the store forces them to keep the inventory small, with a Limited Selection of outdoor gear. The store they closed was amazing. Evidently that store failed, which is why they had to close it down. I was told this by one of their employees. I did try to visit the other store and indeed, it is no longer in operation. I know operating costs are tremendous in these stores, such as their heating bill. Perhaps these stores would sell more coats, if they turned down their heat. Plus they would save energy and cut expenses.

We were looking for a shop to help us get ready for our trip to Spain to do the Camino de Santiago, and the people here were very helpful, and did not try to foist crazy expensive stuff on us, even though they have that in stock.

Fun store. God deals on gear. You never know what youll find here.

Nice friendly fair prices

Great deals! I found some of the most useful stuff I didnt realize I needed!

It closed way too early. Great selection. The prices were market prices; not much frugal per se.

Very knowledgeable and friendly staff. I was helped by Justin. He knows more about backpacks than anyone Ive ever met.

Great outdoor store with low prices on quality pieces.

New or newish gear. Full or higher priced. I seem to never find a deal here. Should not be named Frugal

Good spot for outdoor good. Not everything is super discounted but you can find good gems there!

Great place to find ettentric, cool, and unique apparel! First time visiting and I was very happy with the service and overall environment.

Was expecting better prices. Mostly retail prices on all the big brands. Fair amount of sale items, especially sample items, for womens sizes was small and mediums.

They get samples and first-run clothing, gear, and accessories from top outdoor brands at unreal prices. Top of the line or not...this place is too expensive for my taste.

Good deals, just have to catch it right

Great deals, great advice! Love this place!

They really do have high quality gear, but like Bryan said the prices are opposite of frugal.

If you are a woman and a size small and medium you can shop till you drop, but if you are a large, dont even bother stepping inside these doors. I have been all 3 sizes many times in my life, but this store is ridiculously frustrating!

Great deals if you have the time to check their stock regularly.

Warm and welcoming staff, low prices, and if you wear a womens size 7 shoe or mens size 9 shoe you should never buy outdoor shoes anywhere as this place gets all the samples of those sizes.

Great variety of products. Staff was very helpful!

They have great stuff. I buy all my outdoor wear there.

I always try to support local business. The frugal backpacker makes that easy with great deals and friendly staff.

Awesome staff, military and veteran discounts, and I found everything I wanted on the 30$ I had with me, I thought I would have to go to an ATM but I didnt. Great store Great Prices

Good clothing but high prices...nothing frugal about it

Good place. Great deals!

Great deals all the time on great products.

I love their discounted prices....

As a long time resident of Asheville I’ve shopped at most of the outdoor outfitters, including Diamond Brand under the previous owners. Frugal Backpacker has some good deals on rep samples and I’ve purchased 3 arcteryx and some Patagonia items from them in the past. My past interactions have been fine. They have a young staff that was usually friendly. Based on this I would give them 4 stars. However today, after picking up some coffee at Earth Fare next door, I stopped in to see what was on sale. I came in with my bag over my shoulder and when asked If I needed help, I indicated I was just looking. After this an older female employee whom I assume is a manager began to follow me watching everything I did. It was clear she was suspecting that I was a shoplifter. It’s a strange feeling being watched like that. Actually- it’s insulting. I walked over to her and placed the bag on the counter and told her I can leave it there if it made her feel better. But at that point the damage was done. I’m a 56 year old man who has lived in the Asheville area for most of those years, and have been a teacher for the last 25. I’ve worked in outdoor outfitters in the area so I understand the balance of being watchful vs being rude. Perhaps the manager should work on that balance. Regardless of how good the prices are I’ll never shop at Frugal Backpacker or at their parent store- Diamond Brand again. Funny- I’ve never been treated that way at REI.

Decent prices, helpful people.

Helpful and knowledgeable people here had a good time

Very helpful staff.

This place is helpful but I wish the discounts were better.

They got some good deals.

Great store!! Very helpful associates and great prices!! We will be back!!

Great place if you can find your size.

Great selection of goods and the staff is so helpful.

We love this place.

Great prices. Staff is very helpful.

Cool concept but still pretty pricey.

Good quality clothing for reasonable prices

Mostly clothing, not a large selection of gear. Very nice employees, decent prices.

Found great shoes

Store is closed for good!!!

Helpful people, a bit pricey

Love their Patagonia samples!

Cool inventory but a little pricey

Dont really have much for back packing, mostly just clothing and not even for the trail.

There are some good finds here.

Very helpful and knowledgeable staff!

Wonderful staff and great deals!

Good prices on nice merch

Helpful staff, good sales, good selection

Even with a sale going on the prices are still way too high.

Legit outfitter with good deals

Not as good as it use to be. But still found some deals.

Great local deals

Often good buys here!

Theyre out of canister fuel, second time in a month.

Im very middle on the road this place not one way or the other no big deal not a destination location or suggestion

Not as cheap as Amazon but local and better than retail.

If you are a pack Traveller, this is your First Stop.

Helpful staff.

Lovin FRUGAL

Fortunately, I wear a size 7 shoe, and they often have this sample size on sale.

Didnt find what I was looking for that day but definitely a store I like to go into

Its hit or miss whether they have what youre looking for.

Frugal means cheap. Not here

Deals, deals, deals. If you arent finding stuff you want, you arent looking.