Eloise
I'm traveling with a friend from the east coast to the west coast. Driving. Sharing a tent. We'll have bikes. Would prefer to have shower facilities as it'll be summer & we'll prob. break a sweat. Looking for a literal map of parks to visits and which campsites you would prefer! We'd LOVE to get into the wilderness with the exception of extreme cases that we could get eaten by a bear or something outrageous. Leads to the nest point.... Would like to see Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, etc. Friend has an aunt in Oklahoma we can stay with for free so, any and every other park in that route we can camp at please let me know! & we're 19 & 20 yrs old & have never done this alone before, or at all... so what could you suggest as far as food? Cooler & grocery stores? Idk about ice though. Please any tips let me know!! We want to see the world and we decided to start at home! :D I know we have to book in advance so that's why I am asking. Hopefully booking campsites later this week! Thanks all!!
Ways to SAVE $$ & spend as little as possible!
& Places to avoid!!
thanksss
Answer
Ahhh... the sun & the moon & stars. You have a big dream with long distances. It is a good idea but you have to take into account time and distance. How long and how far will you want to travel per day and for how many days. You talk east to west trip but the places you want to see are north to south. As for showers the national parks don't offer showers. You can buy most of the equipment you need for less over here. Walmart, Kmart, Campmor.com, Bass Pro Shops. I don't think you are into backpacking and long hiking trips so weight quality is not a trade off. West of the Rockies the gas prices go up a lot. Every town has some place to buy ice and food. As you travel you'll find the stores you like and just about every other exit on the interstate has a Walmart. For Cycling try adventure cycling on the web and railtrail.org. Look into our National Forests for camping and wilderness over the Nat. Parks. State Parks have better camping facilities, showers, beaches. For cycling in Colorado there are two good cycle paths along I 70. Glenwood canyon and Vail Pass. In Idaho/Montana the Hiawatha(sp) rail trail is a wilderness, no roads except the path 18 miles downhill with a shuttle bus at the bottom. Mt. Rushmore is near Custer State Park which is about 10XBetter than the over sized carvings. The whole Yellowstone area inside and outside the park is worth a lifetime. Make a point of seeing the geysers at night hopefully under a full moon with the stars. Wild animals are not a worry. At any and all truck stops and discount stores you can buy a road atlas with campsites listed. Every state, city and county has a website for tourists and camping suggestions. All libraries have internet. Every bank has an ATM. Places to avoid. I'm not a big fan of anything East of the Rockies too crowded. You'll find the west more interesting. As a general rule I keep the gas tank 1/2 full and 2 gallons of water per day, food for three days and let it happen. You'll find a small propane gas stove (any discount store) a must for cooking. You can make a campfire for pleasure at just about all campsites. Also they have picnic tables. You can walk around the campsite and get lots of advice as to gear, and the road ahead.
Ahhh... the sun & the moon & stars. You have a big dream with long distances. It is a good idea but you have to take into account time and distance. How long and how far will you want to travel per day and for how many days. You talk east to west trip but the places you want to see are north to south. As for showers the national parks don't offer showers. You can buy most of the equipment you need for less over here. Walmart, Kmart, Campmor.com, Bass Pro Shops. I don't think you are into backpacking and long hiking trips so weight quality is not a trade off. West of the Rockies the gas prices go up a lot. Every town has some place to buy ice and food. As you travel you'll find the stores you like and just about every other exit on the interstate has a Walmart. For Cycling try adventure cycling on the web and railtrail.org. Look into our National Forests for camping and wilderness over the Nat. Parks. State Parks have better camping facilities, showers, beaches. For cycling in Colorado there are two good cycle paths along I 70. Glenwood canyon and Vail Pass. In Idaho/Montana the Hiawatha(sp) rail trail is a wilderness, no roads except the path 18 miles downhill with a shuttle bus at the bottom. Mt. Rushmore is near Custer State Park which is about 10XBetter than the over sized carvings. The whole Yellowstone area inside and outside the park is worth a lifetime. Make a point of seeing the geysers at night hopefully under a full moon with the stars. Wild animals are not a worry. At any and all truck stops and discount stores you can buy a road atlas with campsites listed. Every state, city and county has a website for tourists and camping suggestions. All libraries have internet. Every bank has an ATM. Places to avoid. I'm not a big fan of anything East of the Rockies too crowded. You'll find the west more interesting. As a general rule I keep the gas tank 1/2 full and 2 gallons of water per day, food for three days and let it happen. You'll find a small propane gas stove (any discount store) a must for cooking. You can make a campfire for pleasure at just about all campsites. Also they have picnic tables. You can walk around the campsite and get lots of advice as to gear, and the road ahead.
Camping Supply store?
kristin22
Could someone please list a bunch of stores that sell camping equipment and supplied, OTHER than junky wal-mart. Thanks.
Answer
I'm a stickler for never buying gear without actually seeing the stuff. I'll take my chances ordering online for things like cook kits, tent stakes, food..etc. When it comes down to sleeping bags, tents, packs, etc. I always hit a real store:
REI has the highest distribution of stores. No, one isn't in every mall, but there is one almost within a few hours drive for just about everyone.
EMS is Northeast USA only. It sucks they closed their western stores.
Local chains are also good sources. Hudson Trail Outfitters (DC/MD area); Ramsey Outdoors (NJ); The Great Outdoors (New England)
Independent Stores are also a great way to go: The Moutaineer in Keene NY, Mudd N' Flood in Taos; Cadillac Mountain Sports in Bar Harbor and Ellsworth ME, Teton Mountaineering in Jackson Hole; Outdoor Gear Exchange in Burlington VT....best consult your local phone book, but a lot of these places are online too.
I use places like Campmor, Sierra Trading Post, and the online stores to buy consumables and things I want extra of. For example, I know I like EMS Techwick shirts, so I buy them online instead of driving an hour to an EMS.
Cabelas, Dick's, Bass Pro Shops, and Gander Mountain are good for hunting and fishing supplies. Bass and Cabela's actually train their staff, so if you are looking for camping gear, boots, etc they will give you good info. I was in a Cabela's in April and they had some sweet Petzl headlamps, JetBoil stoves (I sold three of them while I was there...to other customers) and a nice selection of Thermarest products. Gander Mountain staff seem to know three things: Guns, Cotton sweatshirts with silkscreened pictures of deer, and when to take a cigarette break. Dick's is a bunch of...well, the name says it all. Most clerks at Dicks know about as much about camping as the clerks at Wal-Mart.
Now...don't rule the Wal-Mart, Target, and K-mart out completely. They all sell bottles of propane fuel and white gas by the gallon cheaper than any other specialty store. Target actually has a nice selection of Leatherman and Gerber tools, and (unless you are backpacking) all three stores are good places to stock up on food and beer (unless you have blue laws.)
I'm a stickler for never buying gear without actually seeing the stuff. I'll take my chances ordering online for things like cook kits, tent stakes, food..etc. When it comes down to sleeping bags, tents, packs, etc. I always hit a real store:
REI has the highest distribution of stores. No, one isn't in every mall, but there is one almost within a few hours drive for just about everyone.
EMS is Northeast USA only. It sucks they closed their western stores.
Local chains are also good sources. Hudson Trail Outfitters (DC/MD area); Ramsey Outdoors (NJ); The Great Outdoors (New England)
Independent Stores are also a great way to go: The Moutaineer in Keene NY, Mudd N' Flood in Taos; Cadillac Mountain Sports in Bar Harbor and Ellsworth ME, Teton Mountaineering in Jackson Hole; Outdoor Gear Exchange in Burlington VT....best consult your local phone book, but a lot of these places are online too.
I use places like Campmor, Sierra Trading Post, and the online stores to buy consumables and things I want extra of. For example, I know I like EMS Techwick shirts, so I buy them online instead of driving an hour to an EMS.
Cabelas, Dick's, Bass Pro Shops, and Gander Mountain are good for hunting and fishing supplies. Bass and Cabela's actually train their staff, so if you are looking for camping gear, boots, etc they will give you good info. I was in a Cabela's in April and they had some sweet Petzl headlamps, JetBoil stoves (I sold three of them while I was there...to other customers) and a nice selection of Thermarest products. Gander Mountain staff seem to know three things: Guns, Cotton sweatshirts with silkscreened pictures of deer, and when to take a cigarette break. Dick's is a bunch of...well, the name says it all. Most clerks at Dicks know about as much about camping as the clerks at Wal-Mart.
Now...don't rule the Wal-Mart, Target, and K-mart out completely. They all sell bottles of propane fuel and white gas by the gallon cheaper than any other specialty store. Target actually has a nice selection of Leatherman and Gerber tools, and (unless you are backpacking) all three stores are good places to stock up on food and beer (unless you have blue laws.)
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
