Bay Area Wilderness Training has been a leader in the gear library movement for over a quarter of a century and one of OEN’s founding members over a decade ago. We have always worked closely together, sharing founders, leadership, and core values of equity and inclusion in our incredible outdoor spaces in the San Francisco Bay Area and California, where OEN is also based.

As part of BAWT’s 2025 Strategic Plan, the BAWT advisory board undertook a rigorous look at its governance structure to ensure that it was best positioned to meet the needs of the coming years. After considerable effort, they determined that it was in BAWT's best interest to become a program of OEN. We expect this merger to strengthen the programmatic work and vision of both OEN and BAWT. Welcome to the BAWT community.