Outdoor match: Missouri founder starts new journey, pairing users with the right gear to take a hike

A Missouri entrepreneur known for breaking down barriers is taking her next project on a hike out of stealth mode. Krista Peryer’s new online platform hacks her tech background and love of nature to pair users with their ideal outdoor equipment and apparel.

It all comes back to the classic founder path, she said: Experience a problem, fix the problem.

Peryer’s Springfield-based startup, Gear’d, acts as a matchmaking service, connecting users with gear recommendations and trip checklists for hiking, backpacking and camping excursions.

“Gear’d came from the fact that it can be overwhelming to get into outdoor activities because there’s so much gear that’s involved with it, it’s expensive, and there’s so much to choose from,” she said.

The platform includes data on more than 1,000 pieces of gear from 125 brands. It also takes women’s sizing into account, as outdoor gear is often mistakenly treated as one size fits all.

“I’ve experienced overwhelm at not knowing the right pieces to get,” Peryer said. “It’s created choice paralysis. Gear’d came from the idea that it doesn’t have to be so hard.”

Peryer grew up exploring the woods behind her house and canoeing on the river down the street. But she also played video games. And as an adult, her interest in tech won out.

In 2015, she founded The Geek Foundation, a nonprofit aimed at preparing underrepresented people in the Springfield and Branson areas for tech careers. Women, minorities and kids learned everything from coding to video game development through the program. But after nearly 10 years, Peryer and the foundation parted ways.

“I took a break, and after that I thought, ‘What is it that I’m passionate about?’ Well, I’m still passionate about tech, and I’ve always been passionate about the outdoors,” she said. “So, about a year ago, I started building this platform.”

In addition to gear recommendations based on activity, location and budget, Gear’d also offers safety tips and local guides.

“It provides a checklist based on what kind of activity you’re doing,” Peryer said. “And it gives tips based on where you’re going, like if it’s bear country or what to do if you get altitude sickness.”

Since launching Gear’d earlier this summer, Peryer is gathering user feedback. She has a roadmap for future development that includes expanding into more activities, brands and products. Robust trip planning and gear management are on the radar as well.

“Everything is so expensive, and there are maintenance things you have to pay attention to, like waterproofing,” Peryer said. “So, people who own the gear can get reminders like, ‘It’s been a couple of months. You should probably waterproof your jacket.’”

Peryer is focused on the logistics of outdoor apparel in more ways than one.

“I’m going to school for outdoor apparel and design,” she said. “I hope to utilize my technology experience to get into wearables technology, like integrating smart tech into clothing or gear.”

In the meantime, Peryer is gathering feedback from Gear’d and encouraging other entrepreneurs to take the leap.

“If you’ve got an idea, just put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward. Run your idea by people. Ask what they think of it. And utilize technology to help you in any way you can,” she said. “And then take a chance and put it out there and see if people like it.”

With Gear’d, the feedback has been encouraging.

“It’s been overwhelmingly positive, and it’s really exciting because you never know,” Peryer said. “This is something that I know that I need. I created it because if I’m overwhelmed, other people have to be overwhelmed, too.”