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squirrelgirl
Feb 20, 2002, 12:18 AM
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I'm a newbie climber with no idea where to buy my supplies(chalk, carabiners, harness, finger tape, etc.). What kind of store could I expect to find quality gear at a decent price? Do I need to go to a specialty store to find what I need?
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corndog
Feb 20, 2002, 12:22 AM
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try Barrabes.com, they have great prices for everything. also sportextreme.com has some good prices.
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dustinap
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Feb 20, 2002, 12:24 AM
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Chalk-doesn't matter it's so cheap. REI, EMS stores
Harness- I'd only buy one where I can try it on first. A good harness is a must, I'd just spend the extra and buy one from REI or EMS.
Webbing and stuff you want to buy from a place that sells alot of it so you know it hasn't sat around to long.
Carabiners- It really doesn't matter, just make sure you won't have to pay any custom charges. Again, REI or EMS, or acmeclimbing has them cheap too.
Shoes-barrabes.com is the only choice great. You will probably get charged a few bucks in costumes though.
Helmet,- Make sure to try it on first. REI or EMS is probably the best place
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512
Feb 20, 2002, 6:23 AM
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Definatly try an REI. Some gyms will even offer good gear at decent prices! But you may be suprised at how inexpensive a specialty store can be check out your options!
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dontneedfeet
Feb 20, 2002, 7:08 AM
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Head to REI. Espically if you live in Washington - Seattle's our main flagship store, and there should be about 6 more in Washington if my memory is still working...
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crackaddict
Feb 20, 2002, 11:56 AM
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There are a lot of good online places. Like killerdeals.com aka. Northern mountain supply, mountain gear .com, or mountain tools.com. I have gotten some real good deals on ropes and biners from Northern Mountain Supply. Plus they have package deals. Like harness, shoes, chalkbag, etc. REI is good when they have sales. Everything runs at top dollar otherwise.
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kelownaclimber
Feb 20, 2002, 1:42 PM
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The cheapest place for you Americans to get gear is here in Canada,something that is 10 dollars Can. is usually 10 U.S> down there.Don't ask me why but it is so,many northern U.S. climbers come here on trips and buy gear while here...how can you go wrong with the exchange being what it is?? it's like going on a half price holiday!!
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old_school_guy
Feb 20, 2002, 4:30 PM
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You might also want to check out a couple of on-line companies that specialize in importing gear from Europe. I just bought a couple harnesses, a gri-gri, chalkbag, locking 'beaner, etc. from rockempire.com. Saved a bundle. Rock Empire imports stuff from Europe to Canada and then ships it on to us in the states. I am very happy with the stuff I bought, especially the Czech-made Rock Empire harnesses. Granted, I bought them without trying them on. But since Climbing mag just gave one of the harnesses (Peak Plus) a great review, I bought them. I was very pleased, as is my 13-year-old, who got a Peak Plus for his birthday last week.
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rck_climber
Feb 20, 2002, 4:30 PM
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Yeah, if you want to OVER-PAY and get poor service, head to your local REI.
Perhaps that's a little rough, but it's been my experience that REI (at least my local store) has a limited selection of over-priced gear and a staff with no climbing knowledge.
If you want to get quality gear at unbeatable prices, you need to surf the net and buy online - there are some incredible deals out there.
Check this threadfor some of the best deals I've seen anywhere; as well as ACME Climbing - they've got the best deal on pro, packages and draws that I've seen anywhere.
Hope this helps.
Mick
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natec
Feb 20, 2002, 5:00 PM
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Go to gearEXPRESS.com. They have great deals, they are an American company and would be more than happy to help you out if you give them a call. In my opinion they are the best company on the net.
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big_daddy
Feb 20, 2002, 5:12 PM
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Try Mountain Equipment Co-op up here in Canada. Remember that 1 US dollar is equal to about 1.60 Canadian peso. . .I mean dollar.
http://www.mec.ca/Main/home.jsp
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high
Feb 20, 2002, 5:22 PM
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Registered: Dec 14, 2001
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squirrelgirl, if you live in washington state you have plenty of options -being surrounded by a ton of great climbing, be it alpine, rock, or just bouldering there are plenty of gear shops and services willing to help you out. a great shop with experienced staff that are knowledgable in all mediums is cascade crags in everett. the mothership rei downtown is a great warehouse of gear, but generally i'd say otherwise about the knowledge and helpfulness of their staff. marmot has a nice shop in bellvue, as does pro/ski in northbend. a ton of experience and advice can be gained from either one. rock gyms (stone gardens, vertical world -three locations in redmond,seattle and bremerton, cascade crags again)can offer advice, but most of the time with the exception of c.crags mostly focus on rock and seem to know less about alpine and ice. before i forget, a great shop in seattle to go to is pro mountain sports, located in the university district of seattle. they tend to specialize in lightweight alpineering but are very experienced nonetheless. second ascent in ballard is a great used spot, not only for climbing but also for bikes, general camping gear as well as snowsports. i know there are plenty more, but that list will easily get you started and on your way -i'm assuming you are on the west side of the cascades, otherwise i can give you some good info for the east side. good luck, be safe, and most of all -enjoy every minute of it!
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miagi
Feb 21, 2002, 4:09 AM
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Registered: Feb 1, 2002
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The cheapest place i bought when i started were a combination of 2 places. Http://www.rockempire.com (VERY cheap) they have awesome prices on carabiners, belay, rope, you name it!
And also http://www.climberschoice.com Somewhat less than average pricing, great service and awesome selection. Anything you dont find at rock empire can be found here.
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