Why Outryd was created and who we are

Why Outryd

Outryd's journey started while my son (Gavin) and I were visiting Moab in March of 2021. We rented a SxS and went on an adventure through Hell's Revenge and Fins & Things. It was my first time in a SxS but not the first time I had wheels on the dirt.

Growing up in Colorado in the early 90’s - yes, I’m a GenX’er and dating myself - my dad would take the family wheelin' in our Isuzu Rodeo and Jeep (XJ) Cherokee. Those were some of my favorite memories as a kid - going to Moab and camping in the middle of amazing rock formations or navigating over Medano Pass to the Great Sand Dunes. Back then, at the Great Sand Dunes we could drive down in the river and on the dunes, unfortunately, we cannot do that anymore.

Given how much fun my son and I had in Moab, we decided to buy our own SxS and adventure off into Colorado's great outdoors. As we were looking to go off-roading – there was no clear path to join others besides Facebook groups. We joined a couple rides, but they didn’t go as expected. The group’s intentions on the trail were different than ours – they wanted to send it while we wanted to take our time and learn the capabilities of our new machine.

As we were looking to go off-roading – there was no clear path to join others besides Facebook groups. We joined a couple rides, but they didn’t go as expected.

After one unfavorable experience, I wondered if anyone else was having the same problem in finding a group to ride with. After doing some digging, I found that it’s more common than one might expect and there were no other options besides Facebook. There are apps and platforms that help you navigate and track your outdoor adventures. However, none of them provide options or the ability to find and build an outdoor community.

That’s when I determined the real barrier wasn’t skill or equipment - it was access to community, institutional knowledge, and trail insights. That valuable information lived in private chats or tight‑knit circles. Ride meetups were scattered across various mediums and groups were hard to organize. Outryd was built to change that.

My professional background is in computer engineering, and I’ve have been building and running business for the past 25 years. I love to solve problems through technology and was looking for my next venture. The lived insight and limited options in finding an off-road community compelled me to dig in and solve a pain point for myself and others.

Our Focus

Outryd is designed to make off-roading easier to plan and navigate, especially for anyone who’s just starting out or those looking for a crew with the same intentions. A place where the outdoors becomes accessible through shared experience and people‑powered discovery.

We want to unlock the outdoors and provide meaningful outdoor experiences through planning tools, shared knowledge, and real human connection. This can be for individuals that already have their crew, those just getting into the sport, off-road clubs looking to operationalize their management processes, or off-road events looking to provide a better experience for their participants.

We want to unlock the outdoors and provide meaningful outdoor experiences through planning tools, shared knowledge, and real human connection.

Our focus is safety, clarity, and confidence - helping every off-road participant understand where they’re going, what to expect, how to prepare, and respecting the outdoors.

Gavin and I (Raptor - far left) with friends on Argentine Pass, Colorado

We believe the best experiences come from a community mindset grounded in respect, contribution, and belonging. Where people learn from one another, pass on insight, and make exploration more accessible for everyone.

Outryd exists to support that process - giving riders the structure, tools, and shared understanding that turn curiosity into confident adventure.

Who we are

We believe the outdoors is better when discovery is shared - and our values guide how we communicate, what we build, and how we show up.

We aim to be courageous by leading with respect and honesty, making clear decisions, and focusing on what we can control.

We work to be humble by staying curious, taking ownership, seeking truth without judgment, and prioritizing the team over the individual.

And we always give a damn - caring about the off-road community, our work, the people beside us, refusing to settle for mediocrity, and supporting each other along the way.

Feedback

Outryd is user-informed and your voice matters. Tell us what works, what doesn’t, what’s missing, and what would make outdoor recreation clearer, safer, or more exciting. We’re not just building Outryd for the community - we’re building with it.