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I have been outdoor rock climbing for years . Finding the right rock climbing equipment was pretty easy after I got used to it. There are so many people who review rock climbing equipment, and so many respectable sources in the area, that I pretty easily learned what I needed to take with me. Ironically, outdoor camping equipment is a little bit harder to find.

Since camping gear is a little bit less specialized , I had expected it to be easier to make choices. Wouldn’t you think there would be specific kinds of camping equipment that fit the bill? In reality, because it is less specialized there seems to be more conflicting opinions. Since I had never picked out outdoor camping gear before, I was confused by the variety of options. I made what I thought were the best selections. Unfortunately, not all of these selections worked out for me.

The first time I took my camping equipment on a rock climbing trip , I found this out the hard way. And I had decided to take no risks at all; I got the best camping gear that I could find – or at least what I thought was the best. I got a very well made tent that was certified for Arctic conditions. I bought a mummy-style sleeping bag and a lot of other survival-type camping stuff. Unfortunately, I made all of the wrong choices.

Although the camping equipment that I got was really good , it was completely inappropriate for rock climbing and for the weather. It was too heavy, too hot, and too bulky. Having the wrong outdoor camping equipment on a rock climbing trip can be very dangerous. Every spare pound that you are carrying counts, so taking too much stuff up with you is always a bad idea. I learned the hard way the pitfalls of picking out the wrong equipment. And I was really ticked off at myself, which did not help. The last morning I even dumped the sleeping bag, much to the glee of my buddies (they all know what a tightwad I am).

This is why you should always pick out outdoor climbing equipment with the help of an expert in the area. If you are just taking an overnight in a place that is easy to get to, mild, and close to civilization, it doesn’t matter. You won’t have to worry about having the best stuff. But if you are going on a serious outdoor adventure, you should do some serious planning. When you’re in the middle of the woods, remember, you can’t go to back to the outfitter to get the right gear.

So here’s my two cents. Don’t go to Walmart or Target. Either go to a specialty store where you can talk to someone who knows what you need, or get online with a reputable company. I can recommend Moosejaw personally; fast, reliable, and pretty fun people with which to do business. Altrec is good also. Rock on.

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Tags: altrec, moosejaw euipment, outdoor sports, quality rock climbing gear, rock climbing, rock climbing equipment

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 5th, 2007 at 3:18 pm and is filed under Camping. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.