About Us

I grew up in a small town, in a neighborhood that backed right up to the woods. Most of my childhood was spent outside — building forts, catching crayfish in the creek, swinging on vines across big gullies. It was messy and wild and, looking back, a pretty perfect way to grow up.

Both sets of my grandparents had small farms, so I also learned early on how much work (and joy) goes into tending the land. Summers were spent pulling weeds, irrigating from the creek, and harvesting everything from beans and corn to watermelons and strawberries. When we weren’t in the garden, we were down at the farm pond with a cane pole, pulling in bream or bass. My grandfather grew grapes and fruit trees too, and seemed to know the name of every tree we passed — he even helped me with a leaf collection for school once, rattling off species like it was nothing.

We camped as a family every year. At the time I didn’t always love it, but those trips sank in deep. Between the woods, the pond, and the campfires, I ended up with a lifelong appreciation for nature and the outdoors.

Fast forward to 2013: on a whim, I started the Forest Freak Facebook page as a place to share that love of nature. Slowly but surely, it grew into a community of more than 80,000 people who felt the same connection to the wild.

This shop is the next branch on that tree. Forest Freak gear is made to keep you comfy, spark smiles, and carry a little bit of that love for the outdoors with you — whether you’re hiking a trail, casting a line, or just kicking back in a hammock.

And because it all started with appreciating and protecting what we love, a portion goes back to help organizations that preserve wild places for the next generation.

Because life’s better when you’re on a first-name basis with nature.