Shopping

I confess, I like to shop for gear. On the other hand, I'm thrifty. The stores I like have better paper catalogues than Web sites. Some items, though, such as Esbit fuel tabs, are listed only on the Web site.

campmor.com
Silicone-impregnated tarps, discounted name-brand synthetic clothing, Esbit fuel tabs, good deals on children's clothing.

roadrunnersports.com
Private-label synthetic clothing, cheaper than name brands. Also, running shoes.

sportmansguide.com
Carries high-quality parachute cord, for example, Gladding Braided Products Paracord, 550 lb. tensile strength cord with 7 inner strands, each composed of 3 strands.

sierratradingpost.com
Overstocks and seconds, name-brand gear and clothes.

rei-outlet.com
Discounted stuff.

www.patagonia.com/store/specials/
Discounted, very fancy stuff. The resulting prices are occasionally barely reasonable.

llbean.com
You know them already.
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Silicon Valley stores

REI in San Carlos
High-end gear, very nice selection, a bit pricey, good service. They rent tents and backpacks. This service is very valuable, but cheap!

Redwood Trading Post in Redwood City
Better selection of mid-level quality gear(e.g., knives for $25 to $40), good for family camping, lots of local hiking maps, service decent.

Mountain View Surplus
1299 W El Camino Real
Mountain View, CA 94040
650-969-2381
Lots of heavy old Army gear and old-fashioned heavy car camping gear. It is a good place to quickly pick up small miscellaneous items, such as iodine tablets, space blankets, whistles, and so on.

(c)Rhona Mahony, 2002: rmahony@stanford.edu