Surprisingly impressed with scoutshop prices and products

[Scoutfish]

I have to admit, I was not expecting to see that the scoutshop had better prices and better product selection than Wal-Mart, Dick's Sporting Goods and a local outdoor fishing/camping/hunting outfitter.

 

SO, Wal-Mart has great prices, but not the right product. Dick's kinda sorta had some of the products, but the prices on what they had were rediculous.

The local outfitter was more set up for a redneck camping weekend.

 

I spent my first weekend camping as a straight up ASM , and not in a CM role.

 

After nagging my son about making sure he didn't forget his mess kit, I ended up forgetting mine.

 

Only carried one tote for camping instead of my usual 4 in the back of the truck.

 

The best part was that I had my tent all to myself! I only worried about, only set up, and only broke down my own tent!

 

So, I am working on the whole backpacking in and sleeping in a hammock thing, and that's why I was looking and comparing prices.

 

Wal-Mart does not sell external frame packs. Dick's only has one.

 

Local outfitter doesn't have one at all.

 

Dick's sells 2, 3 and 4 person mess kits, but I'd consider them to be more of a family picnic set. Wal-Mart only sells one mess kits, but you have to find it mixed in with tent poles, gas bottle adaptors and steel camping dinner plates.

 

Local moutfitter has $30.00 set of hand carved Jamacian Mahogany ( or something like that) plates.

 

So, WalMart is et up for a pic-nic at the local park. Dick's is too for the most part.

 

Local outfitter has the 5 burner camoflaged Dale Earnhardt Jr NASCAR Camping grill with 4 beer can holders on the side with bonus shotgun rack and bottle opener on the back.

 

 

So, just for the hell of it, I go to the online scoutshop at BSA.org

 

WOW! They actually had the products I was looking for, the best prices and styles I was looking for.

 

Yeah, it SHOULD be that way, but in the past, it wasn't.

 

Usually my scout shop had well made but way overpriced products, or cheaply priced and even more cheaply made products that were more about the logo than anything else.

 

But, I can see me ordering from the online scout store in the next wek or two. Mes kits, water bottle and canteen, and possibly the external frame backpack.

 

Who'da thought?

[shortridge]

If you can, drive some extra miles to a real outdoor shop to try on packs before ordering them online. Bring gear or weights that approximate your pack weight. There's no substitute to actually trying one on.

[Eagle92]

Fish,

 

Take the time on a Saturday to got to Raleigh and visit both REI and Scout Shop there ( national owned). Bring weights and plan on staying a spell. Try on packs, and if the gentleman at the Scout Shop with the knots and ribbons is there, TALK TO HIM!!!!! ( caps for emphasis). That guy has Eagle, the Outdoor Bronze, Ranger, Silver, and has been around the trail a few times. He'd be a good resource to talk to.

[shortridge]

Oh, on the water bottle/canteen issue - Unless you really like the Nalgene style or are a Camelback devotee, don't bother spending money on anything. Just wash out a few Gatorade bottles and use them. No turning around if you leave them behind on a Sunday, and the replacement cost is much better.

 

For mess kits, consider a cheap plastic WalMart bowl and a spoon or spork, unless you're doing a lot of individual campfire cooking and really need the small metal frying pan in an "official" mess kit.

[Scoutfish]

Well, I wouldn't buy a backpack off the internet. Not even from a reputible company. I want to try it for fit. I can wear "X" brand shirt in size L, but if I buy "Y" brand, I am a XL. If I buy a "Z" brand, I might be a XXL.

 

SO I will make sure it fits and rides right.

 

I kinda like the frying pan mess kits even though we usually have a coleman stove or DO . I like the ide that - if we ever do a flat out hiking campout and only bring what we carry - that I'm not gonna carry or rely on somebody else to carry trhe stove and the adult patrol's cooking gear. I won't have to run out then and buy it.

 

And it wasn't so much that WalMart didn't have it, but what they had ( that I saw) was hardly better than a plastic pic-nic fork or knife.

 

As for the bottle or canteen, the ability to be able to use a carabiner is one of my requirements. So canteen or bottle with built in loop or carabiner is a must. That falls back to the external frame backpack. Clip it and go!

 

[Eagle92]

Fish,

 

Waterbottle with a loop/clip?!?!?!?! WE DON'T NEED NO STINKING LOOP OR CLIP!

 

Seriously though, there is a knot out there that you can use to secure a regular gatorade or soft drink bottle to a 'biner. If I can find the knot, I'll email it to ya.

 

Me personally I like the Platypus stuff I've been given. I have an old 1L BSA Platypus system, adding the hose to make it easier to use. And I have the 2L Hoser. My boys like their USGI surplus CamelBak/ Hydrostorm I got them. Ebay is your friend.

[5yearscouter]

oldest has turned into the jolly green giant, totally outgrowing his backpacking backpack, and he's going to Philmont in June.

 

so we spent some time at REI trying on backpacks and checking out prices and brands.

Then went to the scout shop, which had the brand and size he wanted and bought the backpack with no taxes and it was already about 10% less cost.

 

I NEVER thought I'd find the scout shop having that good of prices on good quality stuff.

 

[DLChris71]

I don't know if you headed to Jacksonville or Wilmington, but I always liked Outdoor Provision Company at Hanover Center (on Oleander across from the mall). Now they aren't cheap but the quality is good and the staff is pretty good. They have a mix of stuff, so anyone area they aren't going to have a huge selection.

 

I have found that if you can go ahead and take your measurements (height, waist, chest, torso height) you can usually get specs on packs to match up. Sometimes going to a good retailers website such as REI and then shopping around at Amazon or others for the same model can net you a deal.

 

 

[Eagle92]

DANGER WILL ROBINSON! DANGER!

 

I advise against doing the amazon, ebay, or any online route UNLESS it is a pack you have thoroughly checked out and played with some, i.e. you have tested one that another person owns. A pack is something that you don't want to just pick up off the street due to price considerations; you want to make sure it will A) Last, B) hold your gear, and C) it is comfortable.

 

I made that mistake with my first backpack and canoe pack. First backpack I bought was a KMart "Blue Light Special" that had no hipbelt and cracked halfway the first trek it was on. MISTAKE!

 

And you would have thought I learned my lesson from that, but NNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOO A year later I needed a frameless pack for canoeing up in Canada. We were given two recommendations: a canvas European ruck and an ALICE pack. The canvas was cheaper, and I bought that. MISTAKE. I used it as a book bag for school and within a month or so the bag fell apart. I went and got the ALICE pack, and 24 years later my oldest is now borrowing it.

[Scoutfish]

Chris,

 

Nah, I didn't actually go and look, I looked online.

 

Yeah, that can be misleading as I know that two different stores of the same chain that happen to be in different areas can and will carry different products that tie in with their area..Wal-Mart included. So online may not have a true repesentation of what an individual store has in stock.

 

 

 

So, while In do not mind paying for a better product ( get what you pay for) I am also one of those people who will take Thrifty and push it to the limit.

 

I won't buy a $4 bowl when a $2 one will do exactly what I need it to do.

[Tampa Turtle]

I have purchased some very nice backpacks from Military Surplus online but they were ex-Swiss, Swedish, and US gear. But yeah you gotta research and do a lot of tinkering. If yo don't want to tinker you shouldn't do it.

 

A try on in a good store is pretty important for most commercial backpacks. It is such a personal thing...what is easy to adjust, feels right, too hot, too awkward.

 

I did get an Outdoor Products knock-off the old Coleman Ramflex from Walmart. I really the frame and harness and have about 80 miles on it. But I hate the bag...it just doesn't work for me. But I am pleased with it overall and am happy it price-wise as Mrs Turtle was unhappy with "all those scouting dollars". Older son #1 loves his old Austrian Army Rucksack and webgear. Son #2 likes to do the Ultra-light things.

 

So it is a personal thing.

 

I have found some good deals in the Scout Shop. I like the green Thorlo socks and stock up on sales. They are cushioned and cool--good for Diabetic feet. I have other more expensive hiking socks but keep going back to my Scout socks.

[SSScout]

Water supply...

 

Hard sided bottle (Gatorade, etc.) is desirable. Camelbacks are hard to clean when the "back splash" occurs.

Recycle choice: "Box o' Joe" from DD has an all but indestructable plastic bladder within the cardboard. Take it out, wash well with detergent and chlorox, rinse well. It will always smell somewhat like coffee , but it can be rolled up compactly, holds a liter, can be used for swim flotation (not USCG certified, fun only), punching bag, bug juice, sun shower, camp pillow (empty it first!), canoe/kayak flotation,boat bumper, shiny decoration, throw/rescue tosser, filled with sand a weight for training or whathave you,

 

Recycle them "Box o' Joe"...

[Tampa Turtle]

SSS,

 

Very Thrifty.

 

Those big Gatorade bottles are amazingly tough. I have gotten through several camel-baks by now and am ready to give up on them. I may just modify my camelbak pouch to hold the gator bottle and a feed tube.