Camping and Backpacking GEAR thread

I built a 12x16 2 story shed/shop in the back. I do not need one of the spare bedrooms. We do not have any spare bedrooms, we live in a small log cabin.

 

Garage is death for gear here in AZ summers. I'm an empty nester in a 4br house so taking over a kids room and keeping gear climate controlled out of the way was a no-brainer. Wife had no say in it.

 

In the interest of full disclosure, I DO have a 4 car garage sized shop that is heated but not air-conditioned. There is an office in it with AC but it is fairly small and I use it for my actual job so I can't pack in a ton of gear.

 

40 years in the gear and guide biz, the gear walls get a little big some days.

 

Some, but not all. The closest Bass Pro is over an hour away, vs an REI within 5 mins of me, and another within 25 mins.

Big5 is garbage, Sport Chalet doesn't exist anymore, and there's no mom and pop places that i know of near me. They'll always carry Marmot, North Face, etc. Arcteryx maybe not, but they're kind of out my price bracket anyways.

 

Big5 is pretty crap, I agree. However, I tend to find good deals on Saucony shoes there which I wear for hiking etc.

 

99% of the time i just go in to try on the shoes, then buy online from Amazon or something.

 

I'm too old fashioned for that, if I go in, and someone assists me in a competent way, I will buy from them.

 

A good way to live. Unfortunately my budget means I sometimes can't afford to buy local.

I had a lot to buy still before my first ever backpacking trip this year. My local shops got a fair amount of the business.

 

This, big time. Through college, I worked at a bike shop and people would come in to get sized, ask questions about different component sets, then leave and buy it online because it’s cheaper. It’s frustrating as an employee to learn everything to assist a customer, just for him to waste your time and go elsewhere. Even if it is full retail at a shop where someone helps you, that full retail price is worth it if you get the experience of buying

 

My new sleeping bag should arrive tomorrow which will drop my basic backpacking weight (pack, bag, tent, sleeping pad, stove, fuel, lighter, and spoon) to 9.5lbs. Pretty excited, especially with elk hunting coming up. I have friends who give me crap about focusing on lightweight gear but when my hunting frame pack fully loaded for a four day hunt only weighs 35lbs and they’re carrying 50lbs+ my back feels pretty good about where my money went.

 

I agree with this. However, if you cannot afford to buy it at the shop(s) your frequenting, than I understand buying it elsewhere. Having said that, I usually buy it in the shop when possible.

 

Exactly. It's a dick move to waste a salesperson's time and then not buy from them. Young people...

 

Haha I mean I'm probably in that "young people" category at 23 but I was also on the back end of it.

 

You haven't grown up in a brick-and-mortar dominant retail market, that's why.

 

I was told a saying when I was younger and worked.
Buy ... (Fill in the blanks here) ... The job that you save may be your own.
"American", Local", etc.

 

All, my comment wasn't intended to condemn anyone. What I would point out though is that it isn't really fair to use a vendors time and skill and then simply buy at the cheapest possible location. With that said, I get that I am in a different income bracket than many who are younger than me and price of acquisition isn't my primary driver, the overall experience is. Today, most local businesses will negotiate. If their price is 2x what you can get it for elsewhere, give them a chance to at least meet you in the middle before you walk. If it is 10 or 20% more, you really shouldn't dick around with them if they took care of you. Their time and expertise is obviously worth that or you wouldn't have been talking to them in the first place.

 

I did not intend to attack anyone. I just tried to add to the thoughts.
My comment tried to convey the 'cost' of getting it 'cheaper'. Loss of local jobs end up costing us more.

 

You know, the interesting thing is, for much of the gear I’ve purchased in the past few years, there’s really not much difference in price between the local store or online.

 

I’ve tried that so many times and been told to kick rocks pretty much every time. It’s especially bad in Alaska where I’ve told people I’m not willing to pay $400 for the same thing I can get on Amazon for $200 and still have them refuse the offer of $300 to satisfy my desire to have it now and help support local business.