Outdoor gear shops

[olz]

Hi. Since I'm going to USA in May I´m going to take advantage of those incredible low prices (compared to Denmark) and buy both camera and outdoor equipment.

Were going near Boston but will be ordering using the Internet so i guess the location of the shop is irrellevant?

As far as the photo equipment I'll be using www.bhphotovideo.com but what about the outdoor stuff? Does anyone know some cheap reliable shops? I´m looking for brands like "Mountain Equipment", "Arteryx" and perhaps "North Face".

[jbkalla]

Bass Pro Shops are usually pretty big. Don't know if they have one in Boston. Also, not sure how cheap they are...

[olz]

Thanks Jbkalla... I will look that one up!

[Woolburr]

http://www.diamondbrand.com/
These guys are becoming more and more popular as word spreads about the quality of their gear.

[jgjulio]

Here are the ones that I have used with satisfaction.

www.cabelas.com

www.rei.com

www.bassproshops.com

Best of luck and have fun shopping and traveling the USA.

[thomascanty]

Definitely REI (www.rei.com). I've spent about as much money in their stores (there are a couple brick-and-mortar ones near me) as on camera equipment. Also, check their online outlet site at http://www.rei.com/outlet/index.html

Adventure 16 is another good source (http://www.adventure16.com/), as is http://campmor.com and Mickie's Place (http://www.mickiesplace.com/index.htm).

[vjack]

Another recommendation for REI. Their stuff is generally good quality, even if it tends to be a bit overpriced.

[thomascanty]

Their stuff is generally good quality, even if it tends to be a bit overpriced.

Overpriced? That certainly hasn't been my experience. Maybe I haven't been comparing prices enough.

REI's return policy can't be beat, though. In 2003, while on my first trek to the summit of Mount Whitney, I broke the tip off a two-year-old trekking pole that had seen a couple thousand miles of use. The guy at the local REI wouldn't let me buy a new one! He insisted I bring the broken one in to exchange.

The dividends (if you have a membership) are nice, too. I have $67 to spend next time I visit...

[Scottes]

Yep, REI.

If you can drive an hour north into New Hampshire you can save the 5% Mass sales tax. (Don't tell anyone I told you.)

Another excellent option, maybe 1 hour 15 north of Boston proper, is the Kittery Trading Post in Maine. Huge store, great selection, very good prices but 8.5% sales tax. Kittery has a wider range of inexpensive to somewhat expensive and some very expensive, whereas REI is more like some moderately expensive to lots of very expensive. The quality ranges match the price ranges.

So if you're looking for a few good- to high-quality items then REI. But if you're looking for a bunch of different things on a budget then Kittery is worth checking out.

[BottomBracket]

Try campmor.com and sierratradingpost.com.

[olz]

Wow. Thanks for the help guys! I knew i could count on you. :D That gave me something to look at!!! Great!

[primoz]

I can only tell from my very limited experience, since I usually do same thing as you are planning to do. But I never saw many stores having much of outdoor equipment. Rei is exception with this, and I was really surprised to see how much "unusual" stuff they had. I mean "unusual" at least for USA... Sorry guys but I really got feeling real outdoor activities are not that popular overthere... or probably I was shopping in wrong places, since in places like Boulder, Moab etc. I rather did other things then shopping :)

As far as being overpriced... they might be, but once you are used to prices we have here in Europe... they are really cheap :)

[rdsmith3]

I also agree with REI and Campmor.

If you just want a good deal, with hit-or-miss product selection, try Sierra Trading Post http://www.sierratradingpost.com/

[ajbalazic]

I saw the title and thought "how can you have an outdoor gear shop to cut gears?"
The reason is, when I think of gear, I think of the metal kind that have teeth on them!! Sorry, this really has nothing to do with your question, just thought I'd share my strange perspective (we cut gears at www.premier-gears.com)

[Bodryn]

Although I love the experience of Cabela stores (well worth visiting), I have found their prices to be generally high. On the other hand, they sometimes offer individual items at very attractive discounts and can offer hard-to-find items also.