Gear stores in the greater Portland area

[Crusak]

Hard to believe... but I've never been to The Mountain Shop - it sounds great, I need to get down there! And I totally agree about Next Adventure, it's a great store.

[Jamesp]

FWIW, aside from being a long-time satisfied customer, I have zero affiliation w/ The Mtn Shop. But it's still the store I'd be most proud to recommend to out-of-towners. The Mtn Shop is a veritable Portland tradition. It has gravitas. It has soul. It haz gears.

I'll stop now.

[OldHouseMan]

Can't beat The Mt Shop, it's my go to gear shop in town. I try to avoid REI and OMC at all costs, and rarely visit US Outdoor.

Not in Portland, but I'll also suggest Feathered Friends and Pro Mt Sports in Seattle. If I'm in the area, I'll stop by.

[HJG0989]

I went shopping for water proof boots and a rain proof jacket this week. I went to Next Adventure and REI then went to The Mountain Shop. I bought a pair of Montrail shoes and a Marmot Precip jacket at The Mountain Shop. They didn't have any reflector tape so the next night I went to Oregon Mountain Community to look for that. Oregon Mountain Community had the same Montrail shoes for $50 less and the Marmot jacket for $30 less than what I paid at The Mountain Shop.

Fortunately The Mountain Shop refunded my money without any questions asked.

From now I will shop online then go to OMC to try it out. OMC also has a PC in the store so you can shop their inventory while onsite.

It's actually really nice that REI, Andy & Bax's, Next Adventure, The Mountain Shop and Oregon Mountain Community are all within a ~5 mile radius.

[skimanjohn]

I must agree that OMC is loseing its flavor for me.I have shopped with them since their small first store on jefferson st.They are going e-tail because that is how they can survive the market.They would not even have a retail outlet if some brands did not require it.This aside i still prefer them over REI.The only way i buy from REI is during a big sale other wise their prices are way to high.I can always find a better price than them even with their kick back.As for the Mountain shop I have friends who manage the store and they have been thru some real up and down years as of late.They do have good staff but need to be a little more competitive with their priceing.Bottom line is that i look all over when i have decided to purchase gear.Both retail and e-tail for my best price.ymmv

[raven]

Skiman, I too have been a long time customer of OMC. I have a different take on their internet marketing than you seem to.

The owner, a pretty savvy businessman, began experimenting with web-structured marketing early. My memory is of a discussion about the e-omc website in the NW Davis store, in the 1990s, long before the move to NE Sandy. Web sales took off after the move and the store became the warehouse for the far greater sales being made through web operations. The shrinking of the sales floor was only another step in the same direction.

OMC embraced the web, early and well. 'Twas a good thing in a tough market.

[VanMarmot]

I use REI mainly for big-ticket items (boots, packs, tents, etc.) because they have a very generous return policy that local retailers would be hard-pressed to meet. Returning stuff to REI just doesn't make me feel guilty.

I understand the economics of OMC's move to e-tailing but it's just not the same as when you could go and touch/see/try a lot of cool stuff you maybe didn't even know about. I still love the Western Mountaineering bag I got there...

Next Adventure is always worth a browse for lots of gear that's still functional but maybe not fashionable (for that there's Patagonia $$$).

Ditto on the comments about The Mountain Shop.