So I'm looking for some good/durable, reasonable priced hiking/camping gear, not top of line but not pos stuff either. I don't wanna spend reasonable money and get something I don't like and in the long run end up buying something better... I know what I want and what to look for, but I know companies like to mess around with economics, have sales and other things that just make you mad.... which stores have you had success with? (I have half way categorized them... If you have something else let me know!)

Stores single choice
	Home Grown Stores (maw & paw)
	Chain Stores (Bass Pro, REI)
	Retail (Wal-Mart...)
	Distributor (NorthFace, Wigwam, MSR)
Votes accepted starting: 12/22/06 06:00 AM You must vote before you can view the results of this poll.

Up here, the Wally World stuff doesn't cut it (won't shop there anyway <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/butwiggle.gif" alt="" />).

REI, LLBean, Filson's, and North Face have all been good for me. We have a couple local gals who make some REALLY nice jackets for interim conditions that I don't mind supporting either. Military surplus is also locally popular AND reasonable.

We also have a specialty store for alpine climbing, given we're only about 150 miles from Denali and the Alaska Range.

i work as a wildenress guide in the summer months and do the odd winter trips as well.

i buy all my gear from mountain equipment co-op. the grear is fantastic, the customer service is amazing and trhe prices are WAY below other stores who don;t sell "gear" but rather "trendy names".

they also have a bunch of in home products made for them that are super tough, names like "serratus" - awesome <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

www.mec.ca

well worth a look

I've always been an REI co-op fan because they had gear that Popular Outdoor, Wal-Mart, and other sporting good stores didn't. You have to pay a fee to joine for the 10% rebate at the end of the year.

I'll also be the first to admit that once the Notrh Face jackets went from heavy mountain climbing gear to fashion accessory, then REI went from downtown, bad-locations (REI Tempe; no fancy store front) catering to the outdoor crowd, to Paradise Valley, catering to the Yuppie Crowd. However yuppie/posers do susidize the rest of us! REI still carries gear, and some of their house brand gear is just as good the pro gear, and it's cheaper.

REI-outlet.com is a good spot to pick it up cheap.

I also support local shops, like Mountain Hideout (Dallas, will deliver) and Summit Hut (Tucson, will deliver). If you belong to a local club, group, organization, climbing gym, etc, they will often give a discount as well.

Hope this helps.

I also hate people who live in Alaska because I have friends there, it's outdoor mecca, and the taste of fresh salmon from Humpies (Anchorage) haunts my dreams.

In the western states there is also Big 5. Their selection of quality gear is usually small, but MOST of it is closeout top quality gear for cheap. I bought a 12X12 Ez-Up for $69 on sale one weekend. Outdoor clothing there is good stuff, very reasonably priced.

Other than that I shop over the 'Net.

I have been buying at "sierra trading post" for years and have been very happy with the fact that you can buy something that is last years model but save about 60%, when it comes to things like tents and bags that have a high mark up at the high end places you can save a lot. I think they are one of the largest online outlets these days. with very good customer service. Of course you need to know what it is that you are buying so research can be a little work sometimes. Lots of high end name brands.
Reid

'Nuther vote for REI.. They have good gear and fair prices...

Liking the replys, thanks guys/gals! Yeah there are a lot of specific things that I'm looking for, most of which can be found at the places I listed, BUT I've had some bad experiences with some and great with others, specifically; returns, warranties, etc...
I agree on the internet shopping, gives me a great idea on what I'm looking at spending for different models, pros/cons, and things like customer ratings/reviews. But I like the nitty-gritty sota speak. I like to know how these companies hold up and you all are giving me this input 1st hand! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/baby.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />
Thanks for the input!
Merry Christmas! and Happy Holidays

I too purchase the bulk of my needs from REI but I heard a rumor that they support green organizations that are ANTI 4WD. I'm not sure about this rumor and perhaps others can chime in on it's validity.

If it's true the worst part is I've been buying from then since the late 80's.

As for other stores I buy from, if I could find a decent local mom & pop shop, I'd prefer supporting local business and would even pay 10-15% more so long as they have decent service and product knowledge.

As for stores out west, many like OSHMAN's are going out of business due to the E-tailing boom. For example, Tower Records (albeit not a sporting goods store) just closed all of their retail stores in favor of their e-tail site.