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Camping Gear prices ... comparison

Camping Gear prices ... comparison

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by: DiverDude Active Indicator LED Icon 15 OP 
~ 9 years ago   Sep 14, '14 9:04am  
  I'm prepping for a hiking trip. On my last trip home I went on an overnight camping trip to check out my gear. It turns out that I had a cut in one of my self-inflating mattresses.  So I went to get a patch kit starting with my local Academy. (additionally I was looking for new hiking boots and  another ruck sack) They had glue kits but didn't have patch kits and. So I hit up Sports Authority. They didn't even have glue kits (in stock) but were just a few cents more.  On to Gander Mtn. I couldn't find the patch kit and I don't recall the pricing of the glue kit. So I decided to hit up WalMart ...UGHH.  They didn't have patch kits either and they did have the glue kits but they were TWICE as expensive as Academy.  (really shocking to me) But since it was late and I didn't want to look anymore I decided to give this overpriced glue kit a shot.   Of COURSE, the glue was as solid as it gets. (wouldn't expect anything less from WalMart)   So I decided that I wanted to go to REI for my hiking boots since I didn't have any luck finding what I was looking for at the other stores. (I had also hit up the local Ross, Marshall's and TJMax)  On the way back I stopped by Sports Authority again for some other items. So I just thought I'd double check on the boot selection.  My results:     Hands down, no comparison Academy is by FAR the best pricing and overall selection for gear. (items including hiking foods, patch glue, ruck sack, boots, trekking poles)  But their hiking boot selection is second tier. . I was surprised to find Gregory backpacks at Academy now. ...at about $50 less than REI.  Walmart sucked on every aspect and was actually MORE expensive on every item that we compared.    REI of course had the best equipment and selection but their prices are more expensive for the better quality of gear. Considerably more expensive on most items. But this is where I got my hiking boots.       Gander Mtn. is a nice middle road between REI and Academy for prices and selection. But they never seem to have sale items on things that I am looking for.  Sports Authority usually has a descent selection for camping gear but their inventory is very low right now. But they were actually $20 MORE expensive than REI for the SAME hiking boots.     Final conclusion is                                        ACADEMY ROCKS                                                                           and as always                                                                                                     WALMART SUCKS. 4951
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CBP210 Active Indicator LED Icon 10
~ 9 years ago   Sep 14, '14 11:50am  
I totally agree as I always find what I want at Academy and Walmart at least in our area definitely sucks. The Cleveland and Livingston walmart are usually the exception as they stock their items to meet the community demands. 4951
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BBQguy Active Indicator LED Icon 9
~ 9 years ago   Sep 14, '14 11:57am  
I can lose a good hour just walking around Academy. If it had a food court, I'd never leave. Emoticon  4951
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CBP210 Active Indicator LED Icon 10
~ 9 years ago   Sep 14, '14 12:04pm  
I can lose a good hour just walking around Academy. If it had a food court, I'd never leave. Emoticon 
 
@BBQguy:  Then you need to go to Bass pro as they have a small restaurant.
4951
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KTownTexican Active Indicator LED Icon 11
~ 9 years ago   Sep 14, '14 2:01pm  
when it comes to sports and camping,,, I avoid Sports Authority,, they don't have crap,,, Walmart is useless,, unless you want beer, and frozen dinners,,, I stick with Academy. 4951
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jj17 Active Indicator LED Icon
~ 9 years ago   Sep 14, '14 7:05pm  
Lately I have been making my own stuff. But when I do buy I buy from Academy, Wal-Mart, Campmor, and REI.Campmor usually has the best prices and of course nobody beats REI's return policy. I buy boots and sleeping bags from on of these two. I buy clothing from Academy, Magellan's stuff is awesome. I also buy fuel and what food I buy from Academy or Wal-Mart.I make my tent, camp shoes, some of my clothing, my back pack, ETC. JJ 4951
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analogkid Active Indicator LED Icon 3
~ 9 years ago   Sep 14, '14 8:47pm  
When I used to hike/backpack in Washington, I used to get gear through Campmor.com.  I've never used hiking boots - always a decent pair of trail runners - which I've usually gotten at REI.  I've used the same Kelty pack for backpacking for many years, and as long as you take care of things, the quality stuff should last you a long time.  For patching holes in things like self-inflating mattresses, I've used the pre-glued patches you get at bike shops.  They hold up very well and are light/compact to pack along.  I've gone through a couple of different day-hiking packs, mainly because I routinely did more of that, or also used them as loaners for friends that would come along on various hikes.  If you do a lot of backpacking, a food dehydrator is a nice thing to have to prepare your own meals and snacks with.  Lot of good stuff here:  http://www.trailcooking.com/I hope to muster up the ambition to get out here, but quite frankly the few hikes I've done up at Huntsville and on the LST have been a bit boring.  After a while the piney woods all start to look the same and the flatness of the terrain doesn't help much either.  Having lived an hour's drive from the Cascades, and a three hour drive from the Olympics, has spoiled me for a long time. 4951
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jj17 Active Indicator LED Icon
~ 9 years ago   Sep 14, '14 9:10pm  
I have always done the more traditional Backpacking with heavy boots and backpack. Recently I am going more Ultra Light and making my own gear. Who would have thought that lighter gear can be cheaper.We are training for Philmont right now. Shooting for a 13 pound base weight and using a frameless 10 oz homemade pack.     JJ  4951
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Fallon Active Indicator LED Icon 18
~ 9 years ago   Sep 14, '14 9:10pm  
Removed By Request 4951
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jj17 Active Indicator LED Icon
~ 9 years ago   Sep 14, '14 9:27pm  
Thanks for Trail Cooking website. I have been looking it over and I have already found a few recipes I am going to try. JJ 4951
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DiverDude Active Indicator LED Icon 15 OP 
~ 9 years ago   Sep 14, '14 9:57pm  
@DiverDude, you could have bought a new mattress if you factored in your time and gas and going to all those places for a patchEmoticon
 
@Fallon:     My mattresses are not the cheap ones. So I couldn't have. LOL   But the patch kit is only one of the many items I was looking for.  The most important was the hiking boots. I only buy good gear. (not necessarily the most expensive)
4951
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Fallon Active Indicator LED Icon 18
~ 9 years ago   Sep 14, '14 11:45pm  
Removed By Request 4951
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DiverDude Active Indicator LED Icon 15 OP 
~ 9 years ago   Sep 15, '14 8:22am  
Tell me about it, the self inflating twin we just got was over $100.  But it was worth every dimeEmoticon@DiverDude, not sure if they still make them or not, but Rockport use to make a mens hiking boot that was just wonderful.  My dh has large wide feet, so it is hard to get anything like a hiking boot for him.   He has had the ones he has now for several years.  ANd they are still going strong.  
 
@Fallon:   Thanks.  I've grown partial toward the Vibram souls.  I was really hoping to find something that utilized GorTex but no such luck in my search this year. 
4951
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fcabanski Active Indicator LED Icon 16
~ 9 years ago   Sep 16, '14 5:27am  
What happened to sleeping on the ground? 4951
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