Campmor is evil. I went there last weekend (their store is about an hour from my home) to get a new sleeping bag and walked out $700 later with a new down sleeping bag, a new pack, cookset, water filter, hammock, Crocs, hiking shoes, socks, liners, another PSP and a bunch of other doo-dads. Wonderful selection, excellent pricing and knowledgeable staff without the slick corporate environment of REI or EMS (not that I don't also shop REI and EMS).

Mark, you and I must NEVER go shopping together.
-Blast

p.s. What cookset did you get?

like a few others, i prefer to look to more general suppliers. as a general rule, the more specialized, the more expensive and gimicky. wal-mart, cabela's, bass pro shops, etc. all have a great selection at reasonable prices. my other favorite trick is to search second-hand stores. there's often great tresures there just witing to be discovered.

You say that like it's a bad thing

I can't go into Cabela's intending on spending X and end up spending $$
Preparedness is a good thing

I do think every good outdoors person needs to make that once in a lifetime pilgrimage to Campmor in New Jersey.

Many years ago, while attending a wedding in the area, I made my pilgrimage. I have to admit that I expected something glitzy and slick, but found a surprisingly small store - almost reminded me of a hardware store - with a somewhat overwhelming density of nice outdoor gear. Not sure if their store has changed since then.

I have to admit that it was kind of funny to see all those products in person that I'd seen over and over again in their catalogs. It would be kind of like coming across Winnie the Poo, Piglet, and Tigger in the woods, being shocked at actually seeing them, but at the same time feeling them to be all too familiar. Hmmm, maybe Santa Claus and the elves would have been a better example.

Ken

Also right up there is the LLBean complex of stores in Freeport, Maine. I find a lot of their current offerings entirely too yuppified and impractical (a lot of cotton!), but their retail stores had an expanded line and a lot of goodies that were quite useful. It was a well run joint with knowledgeable sales personnel.

Funny, but I tend to agree. They are about wannabee looking fashion where as I tend toward fashion following function. Good polo shirts.

I drive right by the Sportsmans Guide warehouse frequently. One of my favorite dead-of-winter activities is to go to their catalog clearance store and wade through the stuff that guys send back for refunds. Some of it is trash, some of it is treasure.

While I'd love to plug my own site, the reality is that 99% of my own needs for survival gear are serviced in one of three places:

www.nitro-pak.com
www.sportsmansguide.com
and www.amazon.com (which all my store is is a specialized amazon affiliate store so that's basically my #1 stop)

Beyond that if you can't find it on amazon, you'll probably have to buy it direct from the vendor.

Best Glide

Red Flare Kits

Survival Kit Component Specialists

Pre-Expedition Medial Planning

CDC Yellow Book

Primitive Technology

Four Seasons

Survival Topics

Ship Captain's Medical Guide

Sawyer Water Filters

Lightweight Fabrics

More Lightweight Fabrics

I have a lot more bookmarks, but these are the ones I use the most.