kristin22
Could someone please list a bunch of stores that sell camping equipment and supplied, OTHER than junky wal-mart. Thanks.
Answer
I'm a stickler for never buying gear without actually seeing the stuff. I'll take my chances ordering online for things like cook kits, tent stakes, food..etc. When it comes down to sleeping bags, tents, packs, etc. I always hit a real store:
REI has the highest distribution of stores. No, one isn't in every mall, but there is one almost within a few hours drive for just about everyone.
EMS is Northeast USA only. It sucks they closed their western stores.
Local chains are also good sources. Hudson Trail Outfitters (DC/MD area); Ramsey Outdoors (NJ); The Great Outdoors (New England)
Independent Stores are also a great way to go: The Moutaineer in Keene NY, Mudd N' Flood in Taos; Cadillac Mountain Sports in Bar Harbor and Ellsworth ME, Teton Mountaineering in Jackson Hole; Outdoor Gear Exchange in Burlington VT....best consult your local phone book, but a lot of these places are online too.
I use places like Campmor, Sierra Trading Post, and the online stores to buy consumables and things I want extra of. For example, I know I like EMS Techwick shirts, so I buy them online instead of driving an hour to an EMS.
Cabelas, Dick's, Bass Pro Shops, and Gander Mountain are good for hunting and fishing supplies. Bass and Cabela's actually train their staff, so if you are looking for camping gear, boots, etc they will give you good info. I was in a Cabela's in April and they had some sweet Petzl headlamps, JetBoil stoves (I sold three of them while I was there...to other customers) and a nice selection of Thermarest products. Gander Mountain staff seem to know three things: Guns, Cotton sweatshirts with silkscreened pictures of deer, and when to take a cigarette break. Dick's is a bunch of...well, the name says it all. Most clerks at Dicks know about as much about camping as the clerks at Wal-Mart.
Now...don't rule the Wal-Mart, Target, and K-mart out completely. They all sell bottles of propane fuel and white gas by the gallon cheaper than any other specialty store. Target actually has a nice selection of Leatherman and Gerber tools, and (unless you are backpacking) all three stores are good places to stock up on food and beer (unless you have blue laws.)
I'm a stickler for never buying gear without actually seeing the stuff. I'll take my chances ordering online for things like cook kits, tent stakes, food..etc. When it comes down to sleeping bags, tents, packs, etc. I always hit a real store:
REI has the highest distribution of stores. No, one isn't in every mall, but there is one almost within a few hours drive for just about everyone.
EMS is Northeast USA only. It sucks they closed their western stores.
Local chains are also good sources. Hudson Trail Outfitters (DC/MD area); Ramsey Outdoors (NJ); The Great Outdoors (New England)
Independent Stores are also a great way to go: The Moutaineer in Keene NY, Mudd N' Flood in Taos; Cadillac Mountain Sports in Bar Harbor and Ellsworth ME, Teton Mountaineering in Jackson Hole; Outdoor Gear Exchange in Burlington VT....best consult your local phone book, but a lot of these places are online too.
I use places like Campmor, Sierra Trading Post, and the online stores to buy consumables and things I want extra of. For example, I know I like EMS Techwick shirts, so I buy them online instead of driving an hour to an EMS.
Cabelas, Dick's, Bass Pro Shops, and Gander Mountain are good for hunting and fishing supplies. Bass and Cabela's actually train their staff, so if you are looking for camping gear, boots, etc they will give you good info. I was in a Cabela's in April and they had some sweet Petzl headlamps, JetBoil stoves (I sold three of them while I was there...to other customers) and a nice selection of Thermarest products. Gander Mountain staff seem to know three things: Guns, Cotton sweatshirts with silkscreened pictures of deer, and when to take a cigarette break. Dick's is a bunch of...well, the name says it all. Most clerks at Dicks know about as much about camping as the clerks at Wal-Mart.
Now...don't rule the Wal-Mart, Target, and K-mart out completely. They all sell bottles of propane fuel and white gas by the gallon cheaper than any other specialty store. Target actually has a nice selection of Leatherman and Gerber tools, and (unless you are backpacking) all three stores are good places to stock up on food and beer (unless you have blue laws.)
Where and how can I go Wild Camping?
quiknis
Preferably during the winter and in the northeast.
Answer
Well, if you haven't totally mastered winter camping yet I'd try the Adirondak Loj (yes, that's spelled correctly) near Lake Placid. They have campsites and lean-tos all year and the Loj and High Peaks Center are open if you need a place to warm up or crash (for a fee). If the weather is too bad it's a short drive into town for a hotel.
If you like to backpack, then try any of the cabins on the Long Trail in VT or the huts in the Whites. We hiked a flat 7 miles into Zealand Hut a few years back. There was a cheaper winter rate at the huts..not the extortion rates of the summer. Pitch a tent outside and if the weather is wicked...opt for the hut. I often went to Spuce Peak Cabin in VT between Bromley and Stratton on the LT. It's free. Again, you can camp outside or duck in the cabin if the snow starts falling too much for your taste.
If you have mastered the winter camping arts and want a challenge, then pick up a guidebook for just about any place and go for it.
I always hike in, so my idea of good places may be skewed towards backpacking, but here are some I like.
Moosalamoo/Silver Lake in Vermont; Stratton Pond in VT; Marcy Dam shelters in the High Peaks of NY; Anywhere on the Loyalsock Trail in PA; Putnam Pond area near Lake George is nice too...lots of shelters and campsites to choose from. Great for a weekend snowshoe loop hike.
check out the websites for the ADK, GMC, and AMC for more info:
www.adk.org
www.greenmountainclub.org
www.outdoors.org (I think that's the AMC site)
If you really want wild, then try the wilderness areas in the Green Mountain or White Mountain National Forests...just leave a note with the rangers so they know where to look for your body in the event you don't come back.
Well, if you haven't totally mastered winter camping yet I'd try the Adirondak Loj (yes, that's spelled correctly) near Lake Placid. They have campsites and lean-tos all year and the Loj and High Peaks Center are open if you need a place to warm up or crash (for a fee). If the weather is too bad it's a short drive into town for a hotel.
If you like to backpack, then try any of the cabins on the Long Trail in VT or the huts in the Whites. We hiked a flat 7 miles into Zealand Hut a few years back. There was a cheaper winter rate at the huts..not the extortion rates of the summer. Pitch a tent outside and if the weather is wicked...opt for the hut. I often went to Spuce Peak Cabin in VT between Bromley and Stratton on the LT. It's free. Again, you can camp outside or duck in the cabin if the snow starts falling too much for your taste.
If you have mastered the winter camping arts and want a challenge, then pick up a guidebook for just about any place and go for it.
I always hike in, so my idea of good places may be skewed towards backpacking, but here are some I like.
Moosalamoo/Silver Lake in Vermont; Stratton Pond in VT; Marcy Dam shelters in the High Peaks of NY; Anywhere on the Loyalsock Trail in PA; Putnam Pond area near Lake George is nice too...lots of shelters and campsites to choose from. Great for a weekend snowshoe loop hike.
check out the websites for the ADK, GMC, and AMC for more info:
www.adk.org
www.greenmountainclub.org
www.outdoors.org (I think that's the AMC site)
If you really want wild, then try the wilderness areas in the Green Mountain or White Mountain National Forests...just leave a note with the rangers so they know where to look for your body in the event you don't come back.
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