Another gear shopping thread

“I've been shopping for a winter sleeping bag, and visited the GlobalMart website. They've changed things around and have a number of new products for sale. I don't know anything about the Backside sleeping bags, but the prices for the winter down bags looked good. Also the Nalgene lexan widemouth looptop is under $5 for the quart size, even for colors. There were lots of stuff sacks, dry bags, MSR pots, etc. for good prices. I'll do an html in a little bit.

Also, in Tannersville, PA (the Crossings Outlet in the Poconos) there is a Coleman Camping Outlet with an additional 20% off for a girl scout or boyscout membership card. They had a lot of Exponent and Peak products, as well as car camping stuff. Good prices.”

“I would be interested in hearing what websites all of you visit for backpacking supplies. Also, your reviews of the sites. I have seen some mentioned here and there, but would be nice to have a thread for them. If there is already a thread for the websites, let me know..”

“Hey Lyndy - I bought two Backside Down Under 0 bags from Wyoming River Raiders at $120 each last fall. I've got some good and some bad things to say about them, but, all-in-all, it was $120 well spent. Email me for details. I still lust after a Feathered Friends, but that's gonna take a bigger tax "rebate" than I got this year!”

“We want to hear your credentials first! Are you with the Rhode Island mafia?

(just kidding)

GlobalMart Outlet ”

“LadyHiker - Hi again. You get in touch with Shari, yet? I've got 69kb worth of gear manufacturers and outlets, worldwide, bookmarked. I can email you the whole kit and kaboodle if you'd like, or select some of the better/cheapest and get 'em to you. Check the links at company contacts here, as well. Matt's got a modest collection going.”

“I know, steiny, I would love to own any of those pricy well made ultra lightweight bags, tents, parkas, etc. What can you do. I love winter as long as I have warm clothes and no rain (snow is okay, but not 35 degrees and rain). I will email you about Backside details.

LadyHiker, I've only been on TT for four months, but it seems like people shop REI, Campmor, EMS, and Northern Mountain alot. I have ordered online from Campmor, EMS and this GlobalMart Outlet, and was very happy except the tent I got from Campmor was a lot heavier than listed on the web. It is a Kelty V-4, really fits only 3 people, 4 children, but will be a great winter tent. It is at least a pound or two more than listed, though.”

“Every time I wind my way through the online shopping sites, I have to empty my Windows Temporary Internet Files folder, because my computer slows down and then stalls. Is there a way to expand the size of that temporary folder, or is my laptop just running out of memory.. I tried to clean out old files, but didn't see any improvement.”

“Lyndy - Don't forget www.sierratradingpost.com. Great deals on limited quantities of a variety of stuff and good people to deal with. In Boston, there's www.hiltonstentcity.com which often has good prices. There's www.guideoutdoors.com and www.cheaperthandirt.com for good deals on surplus, if you know what your looking for and can wade through crap like used WW1 French bread sacks!”

“Backside sleeping bags? I'd be leary of them for the same reason I never tried crack.”

“ROTFLMAO!! WW1 Used French Bread sacks. Don't forget the well cared for but slightly discolored men's underwear.

I never find anything at SierraT but the others I'll bookmark and check out.”

“Violin, dear, do you have an email? I'm sure that I don't understand that "crack".”

“I stear clear of products named after that part of the body.”

“LyndyS-

You can determine if you are running out of HD space by going into Windows Explorer, right click your hard drive (probably C:) and click on Properties.

On Internet Explorer 5.5, you can click on Tools, Internet Options..., under the General tab in the Temporary Internet files click on Settings... You can change the file size of your temporary Internet Files there. Maybe your designated size for this file is too small or you are running out of space on your HD.”

“Thanks skiracer. I found that I have plenty of hard drive memory, and I went and expanded the size of the temporary file folder. I also changed the option to empty the folder everytime I log off.”

“Lyndy, Campmor has a couple down bags that are reasonably priced. They have a -15 degree Campmor down bag for $179 and a 0 degree Kelty Spire down for $149. I don't know anything about these bags, but if your not far from Paramus, N.J. it might be worth checking out.”

“Matt has put together a pretty extensive list of company contacts that lists a ton of online retailers. Check out the main page. There is a lot of neat stuff on there.

I have bought from several online retailers and they have all been good experiences.”

“Lyndy, go to Campmor. They always have more gear there then they have in the catalog and that which you will find on the site. They also have many second hand and floor models for sale there at real nice prices.”

“Steiny - Yes, I did get in touch with Shari. It looks like we might be able to work our schedules together for a hike. Thanks for your intervention! And yes.. I would like it if you would email your lists. Thanks! And I'm checking out the lists that Matt has on here too.”

“Lyndy - Occasionally my computer gives up too. But it has been because the swap file just gets too large (c:\windows\win386.swp).

Sometimes there are a few browser Windows open at once along with some DVD video going. Email is up, and I might be scanning at the same time. All of this on top of the firewall, and filtering/virus detection software in the background makes for busy system. To cut down on cumulative memory consumption, the Virtual Memory setting in the System Properties:Performance area might be set to a relatively lower number on another drive.

Also, FWIW, you might not have to cache long term Internet files (other than cookies) if you're on a broadband connection.”

“Thanks, all. I was at Campmor a couple of weeks ago, and looked at sleeping bags. I stop in frequently at Ramseys in Ledgewood looking for clearance deals. I'm not in a hurry, just trying to get the best down winter bag for the lowest price. I'm not going to Maine next week like I had planned due to lack of funds. Now if the stock market would just regain some down-like loft. That would be another story.”

“I usually mail order from Campmor. There's an REI about 40 miles from me so I'll just go in the store. Bass Pro Shop is OK to for some things.”

“Also check out Cabelas at www.cabelas.com. Their gear is usually heavy, but it is extremely durable, their customer service is unsurpassed, and the prices are very reasonable. They market mainly to large male hunting-fishing types, but they do have some women's clothing, and also camping gear like tents, sleeping bags, doggie stuff, etc.”

“Cabelas is Just like Bass Pro Shop.
Stopped at a Cabelas in South Dakota last year. Nice place.”

“TNF Cats Meow”

“the real Ramsey's is on rt 17 just south of Campmor. make a afternoon of it. Ramseys, Campmor and then EMS”

“what they hell?

tea and i have the same tent, the same bag...

what kind of pack do you have?”

“I guess you both shop in the kiddies section.”

“no, we don't have the same underoos as you.”

“Spooky rad -- I've had a Cat's Meow for years and this year got the Gossamer. But I know my pack is different.

BTW, rad, were you a Scout?”

“a cub scout!

and my TNF bag is from the 1970s!”

“Well, I made it to Life rank, then was side tracked by girls and late 60s politics. Didn't get my Cats Meow until 80s, after a faulty washer creamed my Wilderness Experience bag (first generation Polarguard from the 70s) with really hot water instead of cold.

First BPing tent (still have it) was a Eureka Timberline.”

“Ditto pekka: girls, cars and politics have waylaid many a scout, myself included. Still have my cook kit, my merit badge books, my 1954 handbook and all my patches and jackets from the Colorado Springs jamboree - we were the Drunken Eagle patrol with patrol patches I painted. I still can't believe how we carried around all that heavy surplus crap as bping gear.

I remember one hike we took, we were hiking along a lake and an old couple, maybe in their 70s, approached us from the other direction. The woman had her shirt unbuttoned with her wizened boobs exposed for all the world. What a thrill for a bunch of 12 year-olds!”

“I don't like to shop on the Internet for anything like gear or clothes. I like to try things on and also try them out.
In Reno we have an REI, a Gart Sports, and this little local shop called Reno Mountain Sports. I am happy to have three places so close to where I live, about ten minutes to each from my house.
If I can't find the right size or right gear at one of the three stores, I do shop on-line. Mostly Campmor, or REI.”

“LOL steiny! They told you you would help little old ladies to cross the street, not that little old ladies would cross your eyes.

Yeah, that canvas and iron camping gear of the 60s was a real bear to deal with, along with the cotton sleeping bags. I'm still hoping to find my Philmont photos, including the one of all the crappy sleeping bags drying on a border fence after several days of rain.

How come no one in Scouting knew about REI back then?”

“Well that 'splains why the Stephenson family started making their own sleeping bags, and why my family Rv-camped. I didn't know that the outdoor equipment was too heavy until the 70's. I guess that was when the synthetic fibers became more accessible.”

“LyndyS: I think if you were fortunate to live in Seattle or Berkeley or Boston or some other city that had a real mountaineering shop in the 60s, you got a head start on the arrival of "high tech" gear. When I was in the Bay Area in 1973, I visited the shop where Colin Fletcher geared up and it was an eye opener even though by then I had a pretty good basic gear shop kitty corner from my college digs deep in the Midwest.

Only six years earlier, my Philmont group, with all our canvas and cotton, was stunned when we met a backcountry ranger who had a full-tilt nylon on aluminum frame backpack (red as I remember) with compartments/pockets to die for. And so light with such a better suspension.

BTW, I just realized my first Polarguard bag wasn't a Wilderness Experience -- that is right for my internal frame pack, day pack and fanny pack from the period -- but another gone-but-not-forgotten firm, Snow Lion. Those were the two main lines carried by Motorless Motion in Mt. Pleasant, MI, back in early 70s.”

“Good gravy I’m in LUST! A 4 person tent, with wood burning stove that can be cooked on, the whole shebang weighs about 7-8 pounds and it‘s made in America! Yeah, so what if it costs $700...I WANT IT! I think I’m sportin’ gear wood…

Kifaru Tipis and Sleds ”

“That is a nice setup.”

“It was a great way to spend New Years! mtnsteve has one.

New Year's in Lassen Park”

“Hah!, I should have known you people would corrupt me! here I've been bragging that I'm not a gear shopper an then........ Nigal! an his d@mn Tipi/stove site that is the coolest! I want one!”

“Everyone would be taking bets as to how fast I'd rol over into the side of the stove in the night and thereby melting my bag (sleeping!) to my bare skin.”

“After trying the gear in stores, I just ordered a Gregory Whitney pack for $219 and a blue kazoo for $159 from www.northernmountain.com. I buy my other stuff from the local outfitters- support the locals!!- but I couldn't pass up saving over $200 by shopping online.”