Camping is a passion for so many people of all ages. Getting into the great outdoors sometimes means doing a lot of online shopping in the great indoors looking for the best deals on the best gear that you can afford. Top online camping stores offer a wide variety of products and services to the avid camper that brick and mortar only stores just can’t seem to match.
Getting into the Great Outdoors
Camping is a great American tradition, and while the AP states that the recession and government shutdown have hit the numbers a little harder, there is a certain portion of the population that will never give up camping. It is still a $2 billion a year industry, according to Statista, with 38 million people every year getting into the great outdoors. It also ties in with other outdoor sports such as hunting, fishing, snow sports, boating, and even ATV riding.
Checking out top online camping shops is a great way to find deals on the equipment you want and need at great prices. It doesn’t matter if you’re purchasing from Walmart, or through a small camping specialty store hosted on eCommerce providers like Shopify, you can find great deals and great service to make your next camping trip a memorable experience. Even better, you may someday want to open your own camping specialty store.
REI and its right coast companion Eastern Mountain Sports are the grandparents of the outdoor gear stores. REI’s website and stores are a Zen blend that seems to transcend time and cyberspace with items available both online and in your local store. Eastern Mountain Sports offers just as much as REI in the way of goods, services, tutorials, and even schools and sponsored trips. Both store chains optimize and prioritize customer service, whether you are sitting at home, standing in their store, or hanging halfway up a cliff in the Grand Teton’s.
Mountain Gear and mountaingear.com are more specialized than REI. While they do have general outdoor gear, the emphasis here is really on climbing with rock shoes, climbing ropes, crampons and other items suited for climbing your local mountain spots or preparing for an ascent on Everest. If you know what you’re looking for online, there are better organized sites. However, there are not many as complete and dedicated to the climber as Mountain Gear.
If you don’t care that your backpack is last year’s model, or that your tent is a second-hand piece of equipment, SierraTradingPost.com might just be for you. Specializing in deep discounts on seconds and overstocks, the only real drawback is limited size and color choices.
Backcountry.com is for the outdoor hipster, offering snowboarding and ski gear, hiking and camping gear, biking, kayaking, and gear for other pursuits to the Lulu Lemon crowd that is nonetheless excellent quality with plenty of national brands like North Face, Oakley, and Da Kine.
Dick’s Sporting Goods, despite being the Starbucks of the outdoor industry, offers an unparalleled selection at reasonable prices. Despite the presence of golf clubs and the latest fitness craze, you will find top brands in outdoor gear like Columbia, North Face, Coleman, and even Kelty.
Campmor.com is for the dedicated camper. For the hard-core camping fan this is the place with everything from binoculars to water filtration, and even backpacks and collapsible bowls for your four-footed friends to come along. They have the old classics in the latest innovations for every member of your party, whether it’s just a night in the woods behind the house or a full expedition in the wild.
Cabela’s is a very well-known outdoor gear company that stocks everything for hunting, fishing, camping, as well as off the grid living. While you may find more hunting gear on their site than anything else, a little digging will produce some treasures that you surely will not want to go on the trail without.
Marmot and marmot.com specialize in performance wear and though their site is a little annoying to navigate, their gear is both beautiful and practical. While their emphasis is on ski and snowboarding gear, there’s plenty here to keep you toasty no matter what your outdoor love is.
Camping for All
Even if you are an out of practice urbanite who hasn’t been camping since that last trip with your parents when you were still too young to drive, camping is something that stays with you. Rekindling that love of the outdoors and a sense of adventure, or discovering it for the first time can be a memorable and exciting experience. In fact, many people are finding out that the anticipated first camping trip is not as difficult to organize and execute as they first feared. According to the Odessa American, new technologies are making camping, whether it’s your very first trip or a return to familiar territory, a smooth and exciting experience.
