Tyler Oderkirk's Blog

Introduction

It’s a hassle to shop for physical goods online because you don’t have the opportunity to put your hands on the item before making the purchase.

For camping gear this means you can’t…

• Yank on a zipper to see if it’s sturdy.
• Set up a tent to see if your other gear will fit inside.
• Check tags for “Made in the USA”.
• Try to fit your camp stove inside your cooking pot for storage.

The next best thing to physical inspection are high-resolution product photos. Since many online retailers don’t provide these, I thought I’d share mine. Below you’ll find some pictures I took of the gear I bought last Spring.

Choosing an online retailer

I ordered most of my equipment from Campsaver.com, MooseJaw.com, and a used gear broker GearTrade.com and was pleased with the service from each. I spent some time searching Craigslist too. Google Product Search was handy for comparing prices.

Be sure to check RetailMeNot.com for coupons and discount codes. A simple Google search like “campsaver coupon” can be surprisingly effective. Campsaver sent me a “10% off your next order” certificate and the MooseJaw catalog contains lots of codes redeemable for store-brand gear.

Of course, nothing beats advice and hand-me-downs from the pros. Thanks Matt and Kenneth!

Cooking

MSR Pocket Rocket

MSR 4oz Isopro Fuel

T-Fal One Egg Wonder Pan

Aquamira Water Treatment Drops

Snow Peak 210g Camp Fuel

Shelter

MSR Hubba Tent

Marmot 40 Rec Sleeping Bag

Therm-A-Rest Z-Lite Sleeping Pad

Clothing

Bridgedale Multisport Socks

Bridgedale Trailhead Socks

Misc.

Adventure Medical Kits Moleskin

MSR Packsoap

Ben’s 30% Deet Bug Spray

Petzel Tikka Plus Headlamp

Sea to Summit 210d 15L Stuff Sack

Further reading

I documented the nitty-gritty of my gear requirements at this wiki page. It contains notes specific to planning a trip on the Appalachian Trail too.

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