Who are you?

My name is Alec Caprarella. I was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico but spent the majority of my childhood in Indianapolis, IN. I came out to Colorado about four years ago to finish up school after I transferred from playing college baseball in upstate New York.

What's your favorite outdoor activity?

It is impossible to pick a favorite, but my top three would have to be backpacking, skiing, and mountain biking.

What's your current role at Vital Outdoors?

I am the Retail Manager over both of our Vital Outdoors locations.

What can you tell us about Vital Outdoors as a shop and its customer. Who shops there, what kind of gear do you offer them. Are they an amateur outdoor enthusiast or experienced outdoorsman/woman? Do you offer any outdoor ed courses or workshops?

Vital Outdoors is an outdoor retail store that specializes in hiking, camping, backpacking, and travel. Also, at our Denver location, we rent top of the line camping gear, snowshoes, and Stand-Up Paddleboards. Our customer base varies greatly. We have locals that are  just starting to get into the outdoors all the way to seasoned backpackers looking to pick up the latest and greatest gear. With Colorado being such a popular place to vacation, we have many tourists that stop in as well. Our stores have some of the largest footwear selections in Colorado offering hiking shoes, backpacking boots, trail runners, and outdoor lifestyle choices. We carry top brands for all the clothing, tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, and camp accessories that we offer. Community involvement is very important to us so we consistently host local demo runs and events while tying in a local non-profit to support.

If someone were to come visit Denver and/or Golden, CO for forty-eight hours, what are five things they’d need to do while in town to get a real Denver/Golden experience?

To get a true Denver/Golden experience in 48 hours I would recommend someone to first head to Golden. Here, they can spend the day tubing down clear creek, visit all the local shops on Washington Ave, and spend the night trying out all the local breweries (can’t forget about the Coors Brewery tour). The next morning, they could grab coffees and take an easy hike up South Table Mountain to get an awesome view of the Front Range Mountains and the entire city of Denver. After that, they could head to the city to catch a Colorado Rockies game!

What would/should they pack?

You can experience all four seasons in a single day in Colorado so you should always come prepared. Anyone visiting should bring many layers including a rain jacket, lightweight fleece, quick drying t-shirts, etc. With our intense sunshine you should always pack a hat, sunscreen, and sunglasses as well...and Croakies of course!

If someone needs more information about you, the shop – what’s the best way to get in touch?

Easiest way is to just call the stores. Our staff is always more than willing to help people out with questions on product, local hiking spots, or even a good place to grab a beer! We can be reached at our store email through customerservice@vitaloutdoors.com. Also, we can be found  on social media. Our Instagram and Facebook can be found @VitalOutdoors.

Lastly, what’s your favorite croakies print and/or product?

My favorite product is the Croakies belts, especially the Full Send print!