Where can I buy good camping/hiking gear?

Big 5

Look in the sports section at Walmart if not satisfied go to a Coleman's supermarket still not satisfied just ask Siri

http://www.Campmor.com i have been buying camping gear from them for years. They have an excellent selection of reasonably priced gear for people just starting out as well as higher quality items for those looking to upgrade. Really good selection of packs, tents and sleeping bags and all the accessories. Easy to order and excellent customer service. You can get everything you need from them. I would NOT recommend buying hiking boots on line or through the mail though. Look for an outdoor store like L,L. Bean, REI or EMS to be properly fitted in the store for boots that will fit you well and serve the right purpose.

Try Amazon or Ebay for lower priced stuff. Read the reviews. Google for the rest.

Go to: trailspace.com Here you will find all sorts of camping/hiking gear with reviews, specs and were to buy it, and at the best price. They will list a lot of different websites that carry what you are looking for and show the prices (but that all depends on what company is paying to be on there). sunnysports.com is a very good site to purchase from. They have good customer service and some of the best prices. They will match and beat other online prices that you find. backcountry.com is very good as well. They offer a lifetime return policy, price matching and good customer service. I'd stay away from REI. They are to expensive. So many other much better deals out there. You can pay to join their club and get a small, tiny percentage of your purchases back at the end of the year and get to check out the "garage sale" of cheap, used, returned gear and such. But I'd rather have better savings now than a little check at the end of the year. Do the math, REI is not worth it (unless you want their brand stuff). They could be a good local place to talk to someone about gear, but don't buy, go check out above mentioned sites and you'll see the difference. Good luck.

You really need to find someone who is skilled in equipment. Here's why: I spent 26 years in the military - I graduated from two military survival schools in Alaska, spent 11 years doing bush rescue, and between the military issued stuff and items I bought along the way - I 'thought' I have the best in survival and camping gear. Boy, was I wrong! When I meet my current wife - she was a hardcore mountain climber...... she had nothing good to say about my gear. And as the years went on - I learned my cheap military stuff was very heavy and bulky - while her expensive stuff worked like a champ and never broke or failed. Her equipment - was lighter, more efficient, warmer, - but it did cost more$$. Example - her North Face sleeping bag is good for -65F, weighs 3 pounds and squished down to the size of a big Party bag of chips - cost over $400. My sleeping bag was good to -35F, weighted 10 pounds, and was the size of a 5 gallon pail squished down - cost about $150. You need to think about this. If you are only going camping once in your life and never again - it pays to buy the cheap crap. However - consider all the natural disasters that happen all across the US every day - some day you are going to get caught in one....... and having nice, lightweight, high tech, ultra reliable equipment can say your life and the life of other around you. My old reliable tent from Sears that cost $190 was very difficult to set up, hard to take down, and you didn't want to use the zippers too much or they would break. Her three person North Face Expedition tent - oh baby - one person can set it up in a hurricane, the low profile kept the wind off it and made it nice and quiet to sleep in. Sand and dust did not come in - like my tent did. Hers was a $600 tent she bought used on ebay for $390. Thing is awesome. Her stove? Yeah, another modern marvel. Runs off of 4 different types of fuel. Makes several cups of boiling water in just two minutes. Thing folds up to the size of a box of pop tarts. Mine was 20x bigger, only used 1 type of fuel, and was not very efficient. Took a good 10-15 minutes to get water ready for coffee. Don't go to Sears, WalMart or any stores like that for your core equipment - sleeping bag, tent, stove. Go visit a store like REI or a real hunting/camping outfitting store for quality equipment. A good North Face or similar tent and sleeping bag will go a long way to making the rest of your life outdoor warm, cozy, and fun. So will a high tech pack stove. So will lightweight silk thermal underwear - instead of the bulky stuff. Last thing you want is being stuck out in the wind, the rain, the dark - all wet, cold, and hungry - with a bunch of cheap broken crap and no way to fix it or repair it. Look at the more expensive equipment - consider where you will be....... then look at the lesser cost items. The long lasting durable things - tent, sleeping bag, stove, coat, underwear, pack saw, knife, backpack - should be top notch. It would be an awesome idea - to find someone with a lot of experience to go shopping with you. Keep in mind one thing - heavy is bad. If a heavy item is $40 and the nicer one is half the weight and $70 - you want the lighter one. Good Luck.

I carry about $1,000 worth of basic gear when I go backpacking: Sleeping bag, $200. Sleeping pad, $100. Ultralight Tent, $300. Backpack, $200. Water filter, $100. Lightweight stove, $100. Remember an additional $600 in clothing: Down jacket, $200. Quick-dry slacks and shirts, $150. Fleece, $20. Hiking socks, $20. Hiking boots, $160. Base layer, $50. Daypack essentials: In my pockets, I always carry a pocket knife and fire starter, tissues or lint packets, along with several bandages in my wallet. Although reception does not exist in many gulches, I carry a cell phone that usually functions above tree-line. In my daypack, I have compression sacks that hold my down jacket, heat packs, windbreaker, and down mittens or lighter gloves. I carry a second fire starter and two headlamps with extra batteries. I pack trail snacks, such as cheese, nuts, and rice chips. Attached by carabiner, I have at least two water bottles, sunglasses, reading glasses, and global positioning system. On most hikes, I also carry a water filter.

Good better best is an opinion. Name brand good quality camping gear can be found just about anywhere camping supplies are sold. Walmart carries Coleman camping gear which is very good quality. REI carries many higher end camping supplies. They also offer great advice use a checklist so you don't forget anything