[pct-l] Gear shops San Fran

Fri Feb 16 18:00:08 CST 2007

If you want to go back in time ---
I remember calling in sick one rainy day so I could stand in line with a 
female friend at the annual gear sale at Sierra Designs when its store 
was upstairs on 4th St (?) in Berkeley with the factory downstairs. 
This was about 1972. I got a down jacket, bright orange with and a 
detachable hood of a different shade of orange. These were seconds for 
the annual sale. The line for that sale was l-o-n-g.

Do any of you remember Sierra Equipment when it was on Polk St in SF. 
Or the old Smile Company and its famous nesting pots from very small to 
very large? Or when Eddie Bauer sold real backpacking gear?

I remember when REI opened in Berkeley and was mobbed. Opening made the 
local TV news.

Am I dating myself?????    :-))

----------
Tortoise

<> He who finishes last, wins! <>

I switched to Mac OSX rather than fight Windows
Using Mozilla Thunderbird  http://www.mozilla.org/products/thunderbird/

cmkudija at earthlink.net wrote:
> JIM.  Stop it.  Stop it RIGHT NOW.  I can't stand it!!!!
> 
> I'm a Bay Area expatriate living in soCal and fortunately get to visit from
> time to time 'cause my mom is up there, as well as a number of cousins.  But
> your litany of gear places....sigh.   I'm glad it's only a five-plus hour
> drive from my house.
> 
> Didn't know Narain's was still in business.  I still have a shirt that was
> made from red supplex for my '94 hike that I purchased there - that was
> before anyone was making shirts totally out of supplex.
> 
> What about the Sierra Designs & the Marmot Mountain Works stores in Oakland?
> (and remember the old Granite Stairway in Berserkeley?)
> 
> Christine "Ceanothus" Kudija
> PCT partially '94
> 
> www.pcta.org
> Join Now!
> 
> Ceanothus (see-ah-no-thus) or California lilac:  Shrubs or small trees,
> often with divaricate, sometimes spiny, twigs...[flowers] small but showy,
> white to blue or purplish, sometimes lavender or pinkish, borne in terminal
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>                                                                Philip A.
> Munz
>                                                                A California
> Flora, U.C. Press, 1973
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net]On
> Behalf Of Jim Keener
> Sent: Thursday, February 15, 2007 3:24 PM
> To: Andrew Picolorich; pct-l at backcountry.net
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Gear shops San Fran
> 
> Hi Andrew,
> 
> Welcome to Paradise! There are many options in San
> Francisco and the Bay Area. Yes, the mother of all
> outdoors retailers has an outlet in San Francisco, but
> even better, the first store other than the original
> REI, is located in Berkeley and there are some great
> people working there. In San Francisco, ask for
> Joshua. Big guy, very smart; very helpful. In
> Berkeley, there's Gary and, if you can find him, Brad
> Bosrum.
> 
> For high end clothing, Patagonia has a fine store near
> Fisherman's Wharf. The North Face has a store on Post
> Street and they usually have that great expedition
> tent - VE25 on sale. It's not far from a big New
> Balance retail outlet. Owner Michael Regan is an
> expert on footwear.
> 
> One of the great places in the Bay Area is Narain's,
> near the Berkeley REI. They are outdoors equipment
> repair specialists and the people to go to if you want
> someone to clean your sleeping bag.
> 
> The Sports Basement is a big store with some low cost
> items. And one of the best things about it is its
> location - on The Presidio of San Francisco. So you
> could plan a training hike through The Presidio and
> combine it some some fun shopping.
> 
> An old, family-owned store in San Francisco, G&M
> sales, might be a bit short on the latest ultralight
> items, but they are long on nostalgia and local
> hiking/backpacking information.
> 
> The Wilderness Exchange, near the Berkeley REI, has
> some really neat stuff, including used tents. Some
> tent manufacturers send WE their prototype tents and
> it's neat to see some of the designs. They also rent
> old, hard-to-find outdoors VHS tapes.
> 
> Western Moutaineering in Berkeley sells high-end
> equipment and is primarily staffed by rock climbers.
> They are a great source for climbing and skiing
> equipment for sale or rental. Very well informed
> staff.
> 
> This is all I can think of now. Let me know if you
> want some ideas for massively wonderful local hikes.
> 
> Best,
> J J
> 
> --- Andrew Picolorich <pclrch2 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
>> Just moved from to San Fran from SoCal and know
>> absolutely nothing about the place. Can  anyone
>> tell me where I might find some quality gear shops
>> in the city/Bay area other than REI?
>>
>>   MONOCONE Andy
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> 
> 
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> http://persuasiongraphics.com
> 
> 
> 
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