Camping in Hampton Roads?? (Williamsburg, Shenandoah: buy, prices, military)

[EOVMom]

We are looking to go camping when the weather gets warmer. We went camping in NC last summer and it was awesome. We borrowed equiment from a friend, and we are interested in getting our own this year.

We are looking for a nice family size tent. We went to Dicks Sporting Good in Va Bch to comparison shop. Then we went to Sports Authority in Janaf. VERY disappointing..nothing really set up to look at..no displays.

We are interested in either new OR used equipment..Any recommendations on porting goods/camping stores in the Hampton Roads area? We checked a few things online..we'd really like to see more 'set up' so we can get a better idea.

Also..can you recommend any family oriented campgrounds? We will have 2 grandkids..7 and 11 with us. We'd like to stay in Va this year, but wer do plan on returning to Sandy Point on Knotts Island again.

If anyone has any feedback it would be appreciated!!!


Wendy

[Statz2k10]

what about the store you can see from I64 in Hampton? Bass Pro Shop I think it is?

[EOVMom]

I checked the Bass Pro Shop website and it seems their prices on Everything is by far the most expensive we've seen!!

Once again, I think Walmart wins here..we went last night and found the same tent for LESS than one that was '$70 off' at Dicks. Go figure!!

[Erma]

Wal-mart! When you buy your first set of camping equipment, don't go spending alot of money. You will outgrow it and will not want to think you will get what you paid for it for resale. Also, Craigslist has a bunch of camping/campers/RV's on their site in the Hampton Roads Section. I actually found my jon boat there. Give it a shot. We graduated from tents to folding camper to travel trailer. Had a blast over the years.

[xGrendelx]

Originally Posted by EOVMom

I checked the Bass Pro Shop website and it seems their prices on Everything is by far the most expensive we've seen!!

Once again, I think Walmart wins here..we went last night and found the same tent for LESS than one that was '$70 off' at Dicks. Go figure!!

Not trying to persuade you one way or the other but I've found that when it comes to outdoor gear, you often pay for what you get. Erma has a point in that some do "outgrow" their equipment, especially if you find that camping becomes a regular thing for you, but not everyone who begins in a tent ends up in an RV a few years later (myself included). You'll learn more about it the more you do it, so naturally you'll become more familiar with quality gear, but that doesn't mean you want to end up in a tent that's not even waterproof just because it's your first one. Just be sure to do your research so you know what you're getting is good quality.

As far as recommendations go, I'd look into Shenandoah National Park. Have fun camping!

[EOVMom]

The equipment I was referring to was Coleman. I know a little bit about camping..we've been a few times with borrowed equipment (in NC) and we are finally ready to purchase our own equipment.

Ive personally completed 3 summers of Outward Bound, so Im no stranger to the outdoors. My SO is a Vietnam Vet and former commercial fisherman so he's somewhat familiar with the outdoors as well!

My post was inquiring about sporting goods stores in general...that would have displays set up. Havent had much luck finding that. Dicks was the only one..and that helped us decide the exact size we want..we'd like something a bit larger than what we had borrowed in the past. We certainly dont want to sacrifice quality with a cheaper price.

That said, Walmart it is..the Coleman was Considerably cheaper than any other sporting goods store OR online outlet!!


Wendy

[Emilly-1]

How about the LL BEAN OUTLET in Williamsburg? I wonder if Craigslist or a military surplus store would have good tents.

[xGrendelx]

Originally Posted by Emilly-1

How about the LL BEAN OUTLET in Williamsburg?

I would love to check that place out sometime. Have you ever been there?

[EOVMom]

I check Craigs List regularly. Havent found much tent-wise, but did find some other equipment..a stove, coffee pot, etc. Im hoping that as the weather gets warmer, I may find something good at a garage sale!! Ya never know!

Im definately going to check out the LL Bean outlet..wasnt even aware there was one!!

Thanks everyone for your input!!

Wendy

[rtandc]

The LL Bean outlet in Williamsburg is not a very big store and is 99% just clothing so don’t go expecting to find a lot of camping gear....and LL Bean's prices even at their outlet store will make the Bass Pro shop prices look cheap. Outside of a good quality tent and sleeping bag which are really not needed if you are just going to drive to a local camp ground around this area during the summer most other camping supplies can be found at Wal-Mart or Target type stores....Don’t over buy, most people that start out camping especially in a tent tend to do just that and never use half of what they buy. Many campgrounds today even sell breakfast/lunch and dinner for those that don’t want to cook.....Now if you decided to get off the beaten path, do a lot of hiking and start camping in undeveloped areas like up in the George Washington National Park areas then you will want to have much higher quality gear and then the weight issue of your gear comes into play...

I would advise you to hit one of the local book stores around town and pick up a camping guide....There are several different publications to choose from. (about the size of the yellow pages) They will tell you everything you need to know about what a certain campground offers. For tent camping First Landing State Park right here in Va Bch is always fun......