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Best gear shops in the Adirondacks

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  • Best gear shops in the Adirondacks

    How many times have you forgot something or broken something the day of your adventure? The intent of this thread is to give people a comprehensive list of all the major gear shops within the blue line.

    First hand experience and a brief review or description is appreciated (since all the replies to this post are going to remain). If you have a link to their website, posting it would be helpful and saves me from having to find it (if one exists). If you have had a contrary experience at one of the previously posted recommendations, simply write a brief review of your own.

    Please, do not post a recommendation for an establishment you may own or manage. Too much conflict of interest, we want this list to be as objective as possible... by members, for members.

    We're looking specifically for the following types of information:

    Specialty Gear (hiking, paddling, everything, etc)

    Retail or Mom/Pop

    Hours of operation and address (I can find out later if you don't know)

    Their prices versus Retail Price for same item

    Club Discounts?

  • #2
    Still my favorite, for sheer selection and almost always having what I need in stock... EMS (Eastern Mountain Sports). They are a retail store, so unless there's a sale you're paying close to top dollar for their stock. But they have the stock, so if you need something in a pinch they're a good option. For more casual shopping, you can do in-store pickup and place the order via the web.



    PHYSICAL ADDRESS:
    2453 Main Street
    Lake Placid, NY

    TELEPHONE:
    518.523.2505

    STORE HOURS:
    Sunday - Thursday
    10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
    Friday - Saturday
    10 a.m. to 9 p.m

    Comment


    • #3
      The best place I know of is The Mountaineer in Keene Valley. Good selection, knowledgeable staff, rentals. Prices are somewhat high, but not outrageous given their location. And the location can't be beat for hikes in the eastern HP.

      Comment


      • #4
        The Mountaineer

        Hands down, The Mountaineer .

        30 years of experience, a community fixture, and staff that is very knowledgeable about the area. The main problem I have with EMS is that it tends to cater to people who want to LOOK like hikers, not actually use their gear. This is probably why they seem to be pushing out the higher quality brands in favor of their own EMS label gear, which in my experience over the past 20 years, simply doesn't hold up very well.

        Just my 2 cents.
        "It is the silence of this wilderness that most impressed me"
        Reverend William Henry Harrison Murray, of his sojurn to the Adirondacks - 1869

        Comment


        • #5
          Wooden Ski and Wheel

          Plattsburgh, NY - Route 9 south of the city

          Proprietors - Ed and Maureen Gardner

          Hike, Bike, Paddle, Nordic Ski, Clothing, and More.

          Retail Price, discount "clearances" as available, very fair prices.

          Mon - Sat 10 - 6 PM

          We spend a good percentage of our annual household income there.
          Adirondack Base Camp
          Adirondack Trailhead

          Comment


          • #6
            when im in the lake placid region, i go to jones outfitters...
            Jones Outfitters

            But the best place by far is CAMPMOR, the meca for all that is outdoors.

            they have a store in NJ the paramus area, but do a great deal of orders!!!! There seasonal catalog is simply the best.... better than all the rest. Wow did i really just quote Tina Turner on adkforum??? ???

            anyway i love this place heres the website

            CAMPMOR THE MECA FOR ALL THAT IS OUTDOORS

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by Kevin View Post
              Still my favorite, for sheer selection and almost always having what I need in stock... EMS (Eastern Mountain Sports). They are a retail store, so unless there's a sale you're paying close to top dollar for their stock. But they have the stock, so if you need something in a pinch they're a good option. For more casual shopping, you can do in-store pickup and place the order via the web.

              I have been there. Nice place, good slection, and good people. The funny part was. I have long hair and had my back to the sales guy. He says can I help you mame? I turned around, and when he saw an ugly mug with ragged face hair. It was a pertty funny situation.
              My other home is http://www.adksportsman.com/

              Comment


              • #8
                The shop formerly know as....

                There is a little outdoor shop in Saranac lake just south of the little weird intersection near hotel saranac. Acouple doors down from Blueline sports. Kevin Clark is the owner/manager/salesman/janitor--you get the idea. He is a local. His shop used to be Lake Placid Mountaineering but he moved due to high rent in Placid. He is in the process of a name change (for obvious reasons) stop in and chat. They carry climbing gear, camping gear, mnt bikes, snowshoes, clothes etc.

                Comment


                • #9
                  I'd have to agree that The Mountaineer is the best all around that I've been to. You won't find bargain basement prices but they have top quality gear and when you are atop a mountain in the driving rain or snow the quality matters long after the price is forgotten. Plus the staff is very knowledgable.

                  I just recently discovered Blueline and it is an excellent place. I don't think they have the technical gear to match The Moutaineer but a nice place and nice people.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I loved Lake Placid Mountaineering. Great shop, mostly gear. Mostly budget type stuff (still high quality, just stuff that was more reasonably priced).

                    Well it's a bit of a trip further past the climbing areas but if I'm in Placid I at least know where to go.

                    Main St in LP has gotten absurd. Most of the family owned stuff is gone, ben and jerrys and starbucks make it look like any other preppy mountain town. kinda sad, but out of towners (non NYers who have never been to the daks, or seen placid change drastically even over the last 5-10 years) still love it for it's "quaint, small town, old time main st"

                    Oh in LP, it's now the High peaks cyclery as my favorite shop, only thing is they make you feel like crap (just the attitude/body language I got 2x) when you don't drop substantial money. Basically, if your not spending $100 or more, they sort of don't really appreciate you (again, my take, and my wifes).

                    In the Daks overall, probably the Mountaineer. Definitely always have everything I need, good people too. I also like Cascade Ski Shop.


                    So:

                    LP Mountaineering

                    Cascade Ski Shop

                    Mountaineer
                    sigpic

                    "As to every healthy boy with a taste for outdoor life, the northern forest -the Adirondacks- were to me a veritable land of enchantment." -Theodore Roosevelt

                    Mountain Visions: The Wilderness Through My Eyes

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      The Mountaineer hands down.

                      Anyone who has been out to other ranges and areas know there is always one special spot that has the local feel and is home for the climbers (Mammoth Mountaineering in California, IME/IMCS in New Hampshire etc).

                      The prices might be a bit higher but lets all support our local scene. Make sure to visit the bathroom it has some great photos. The staff has always been very helpful but understand these people probably get asked stupid questions 100 times a day.
                      A few hours mountain climbing turns a rogue and a saint into two roughly equal creatures. Weariness is the shortest path to equality and fraternity—and liberty is finally added by sleep - Friedrich Nietzsche

                      sigpic

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I live below the Adirondacks, but I thought some might find this useful knowledge. These are my experiences and opinions...
                        EMS in Niskayuna = I have never been happy with their service or knowledge and avoid going there.
                        EMS in Saratoga = Great. Every time I go there I feel like I'm the center of their attention and so far I have never been handed bad information on equipment.
                        Campmor = Love the catalog. Love the store. Do not like their sales people. They don't seem too knowledgeable and always seem to be trying to steer me to buy something I didn't want.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by IT_Hiker View Post
                          I live below the Adirondacks, but I thought some might find this useful knowledge. These are my experiences and opinions...
                          EMS in Niskayuna = I have never been happy with their service or knowledge and avoid going there.
                          EMS in Saratoga = Great. Every time I go there I feel like I'm the center of their attention and so far I have never been handed bad information on equipment.
                          Campmor = Love the catalog. Love the store. Do not like their sales people. They don't seem too knowledgeable and always seem to be trying to steer me to buy something I didn't want.
                          I haven't been in the Niskayuna store, but I have been in the Lake Placid and Saratoga Stores. Placid was a lukewarm OK but I agree that the service at the Saratoga Store is Great.

                          I like Campmor, the catalog and the store (which I visit very infrequently). Good merchandise and selection, aerage pricing. I usually check to see of I can get what i want with free shipping and if not usually end up purchasing from Campmor.

                          Hawk
                          "If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracles of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it." Lyndon B. Johnson

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            The must have changed things at the Saratoga store they frustrated me enough that I haven't stepped foot in there since last August.
                            A man needs to believe in something. I believe I'll go hiking.

                            http://community.webshots.com/user/lumberzac

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by lumberzac View Post
                              The must have changed things at the Saratoga store they frustrated me enough that I haven't stepped foot in there since last August.
                              I tend to agree Zac. Different people working each time I go in. Often young and good looking and just as often not very experienced with the equipment they are selling. I still go in there if I need something but generally I know what I'm after and don't need the "assistance" available.
                              Die Free and Live

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