Quality Discount Outdoor Gear - Campmor.com
Written: Apr 27 '04
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The original discount outdoor gear supplier, Campmor has just about whatever outdoor gear you could want at a discount.
With a brick and mortar location in New Jersey and a long history of catalog shopping, Campmor, with Campmor.com has moved into the online world and is available to anyone looking for quality outdoor gear. Beware that the site can be a bit intimidating and cluttered, but like the store and the catalog, you can find just about anything you are looking for at Campmor.com.
Basic Site Setup
Because there are so many products available at Campmor.com, the setup of the homepage and the subsequent pages can seem at times very busy and cluttered. It’s not that the information isn’t there, it can just be lost because there are simply so many choices.
In general, the homepage includes products that are on sale, or specials in the center of the page. Along the right-hand side of the page are the top categories, all the departments and links to customer services. On the left-hand side of the page are the hot deals section (special discounted items), along with information on the most popular and newest products. Along the top of the page, there are several search and browse options available. You can also search for products through a search box by keyword or item number, browse by category and browse by brand.
The selection of gear on Campmor.com is very extensive. The departments at Campmor.Com include:
Backpacks, Bicycling, Binoculars, Big/Tall, Books and Toys, Camp Furniture and Cots, Camp Tools, Car Racks, Children's, Climbing Gear, Clothing, Compasses and Orienteering, Cookware, Electronics and Weather Gadgets, First Aid, Food, Footwear, Hot Deals, Insect Deterrents, Kids, Kitchenware, Knives, Lights and Lanterns, Maps, Packs, Personal Care, Pets, Ski and Snowboard Accessories, Sleds and Snow Tubes, Sleeping Gear, Socks, Snowshoes, Stoves, Sunglasses and Eyewear, Survival, Tents, Travel, Walking Sticks and Poles, Watches, Water Bottles, Water Filtration/Purification, Watersports, Weather Gadgets, Web Bargains, Winter Travel
As you can probably guess, that’s a heck of a lot of categories and there are a ton of products in each of those departments. This is why shopping at Campmor.com or even the brick and mortar location can be daunting at times – there’s simply so many options to chose from.
There are three major ways to shop on Campmor.com, by browsing categories or brands, by searching directly by keyword or item number and finally by clicking down through each department until you find the product you are looking for. There are pluses and minuses to each method, but in general, if you have an idea of what you are looking for, the keyword search is the quickest and easiest way to find what you want.
Price & Selection
Prices at Campmor.com are generally lower than you will find for comparable outdoor products at major retailers like REI or EMS, but generally around what you would find at a store like Sierra Trading Post.
The products are all new and come with the associated manufacturer’s warranty. Campmor.com is very well stocked with products – though special deals and hot deals may at times sell out. If products are not available, the site will let you know when you are ordering.
Processing an order
It’s pretty easy to browse and find what you are looking for at Campmor.com either by browsing or searching.
When you have found the product that you want, on the product’s page, you choose a color and size (if applicable) and then click on the “add to cart button.” Once you have added something to your cart, you are brought to your shopping cart where you continue shopping or check out. If you click on “continue shopping” you are brought back to the homepage, or you can click on the “back to last item” button which will bring you back to the page for the product that you just added to your cart. This is helpful if you’ve navigated down layer upon layer in the site and don’t want to have to start back at the homepage.
If you want to checkout, just click on the checkout button and you’re brought to the introductory checkout screen. Shoppers who are already registered with Campmor.com just need to enter their username and password while new shoppers can either create a user profile or check-out as a guest. When you check out as a guest, Campmor.com doesn’t save any of your personal information and you don’t need to create a profile.
Once you have gotten past the registration options and entered your shipping and billing addresses and chosen your shipping method (standard, 2-day and overnight are available for shipping), you are brought to the billing section, where you choose the method of payment. Campmor.com accepts all major credit cards. You are then asked to confirm your billing information and once that is done, a confirmation page will come up showing your order number and the expected delivery date. You are also sent an email confirmation and provided with tracking information for the package.
Getting What You Want
I’ve never have had a problem receiving what I have ordered through Campmor.com. I’ve always chosen the basic (and least expensive) shipping option. My orders have generally arrived within about 6 days of placing the order. If an item has gone on backorder, Campmor.com will email you with the information and ship any other products that you ordered that aren’t backordered. You aren’t charged for the backordered item until it ships. Return information is included in the package, should it not work or not be what you wanted.
Final Thoughts
I don’t shop that much at Campmor.com honestly – I enjoy shopping at the brick and mortar store much more. There is simply so much stuff, that you can spend hours wandering around the store finding item after item. The site tries to replicate that feeling but it can get overwhelming in the online version. I generally use Campmor.com when I know what I want and am comparing prices between the various outdoor retailers – if they’ve got it cheaper then anyone else, I’ll order it through Campmor.com.
The products are all new products and are from reputable manufacturers who stand behind their products. There might not be the lifetime warranties from the likes of EMS or REI, but Campmor is the perfect store for someone looking to get outfitted for the outdoors without spending a fortune.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? various products
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