[at-l] outfitters

[m_factor@hotmail.com (Mara Factor)]

Another good AT outfitter:

Kent, CT:  Don't remember the name of the store but I went in there ready to 
by a pair of tips for my Leki's.  The guy took one look at my poles, 
replaced a pole segment and two tips while I was standing there with my 
parents who were mostly slackjawed.   He said he would just let Leki know 
what he replaced for free and they would send him replacements.

Getting the bigger outfitters to do that on or off the trail can be  like 
pulling teeth - even when you tell them to just tell Leki that they were for 
thruhikers.


As for Boston area outfitters:

REI in Reading for the best service and perhaps most workers with relevant 
experience.  Caters to both hikers and in-town crowd.

REI in Framingham - my experiences there haven't been so hot.

EMS in Boston and other area stores - good service, especially if you know 
what you want and are looking for.  Be persistant and you can probably find 
a knowledgable worker.

Wilderness House - unlike REI and EMS, they do not cater to the in-town 
crowd and concentrate on more technical stuff.

Hilton's Tent City - horrible return policy (none?) and terrible service but 
the finds you can make there are pretty incredible.  Worth a look if you 
know what you want and what a good deal is.  Especially for goods with 
manufacturers that will deal with service issues directly.

Chinook (Somerville) - may be good fleece resource.

Wild Women (Arlington) - still doesn't realize that some women are taller 
than 5'8"  :-) but a good resource otherwise


In the White Mountains area (N. Conway/Intervale area):

Can't beat Ragged Mountain outfitters.  Once again, they do not cater to the 
in-town crowd.

IME caters more to the technical climbing crowd.  The owner's been up 
Everest at least once.

EMS is pretty good up there, too.

Limmer is in the area.  Their consignment shelves could yield a deal on 
excellent (though heavy) boots.

Random other outlets could yeild useful gear including LL Bean, Chuck Roast, 
and more.


(other places in the Whites)

Don't know the names but there are a few places in the Lincoln area with 
varying degrees of service and knowledge and one place in Gorham that may or 
may not have just what you need.

The nice things about these White Mountains area outfitters is that if they 
do not have what you need, at least some of them willingly call the others 
to find out if it's available elsewhere - even to unaffiliated stores.

I know there are other but these are the ones that I'm most familiar with...

Mara
Stitches, GAME99


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