Anyone else notice WalMart's outdoors stuff

PayetteRucker said:
I have a 70's multifuel coleman lantern that's sick, if it burns you can use it as fuel. But that is 70's coleman, pre-china days. This is the era of Walmart Coleman...
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Nice, wish I still had mine. I may go on a shopping adventure looking for one at swap meets. Im just speaking to the coleman branded stuff. I know they have some ok tools, fishing gear and hunting gadgets here and there. The online store actually has some quality stuff that you wont be able to find in a brick and mortar store.

For me generally walmart is where I go for cheap tailgating and car camping stuff. $5 camp chairs and coolers, $20 car tents, $1 hot dogs. I dont expect anything from the gear so I am not disappointed when it doesnt hold up. Usually it will last a season or so, you throw away the broken crap and go buy it again next year , or the next trip.

Every now and then you can find a good buy. As a rule of thumb the walmart model is built around moving loads of mass produced items at reasonable cost with little margin. The profit comes in volume of sales and moving the items off the shelves quickly. As such many brands actually produce specific models JUST FOR WALMART. The company I work for does just this. The items you buy in walmart with our brand are not the same (not even close) to the build quality of the online products.

In order to get shelf space in walmart and make it profitable you have to have a bajizzilion widgets made up and , well that means some kids in a 3rd world country are going to be making them. Why do I say all of this. Well because thats one of the things contributing to the decline of quality in brands you usually think you can trust. Heck the coleman popup campers may be kickass, but the walmart products have soured my taste for the brand on a whole.

oh yeah , try ebay, sierra trading post, moosejaw and even goodwill online for high end stuff at bargain prices.
 
Raidium said:
Nice, wish I still had mine. I may go on a shopping adventure looking for one at swap meets. Im just speaking to the coleman branded stuff. I know they have some ok tools, fishing gear and hunting gadgets here and there. The online store actually has some quality stuff that you wont be able to find in a brick and mortar store.

For me generally walmart is where I go for cheap tailgating and car camping stuff. $5 camp chairs and coolers, $20 car tents, $1 hot dogs. I dont expect anything from the gear so I am not disappointed when it doesnt hold up. Usually it will last a season or so, you throw away the broken crap and go buy it again next year , or the next trip.

Every now and then you can find a good buy. As a rule of thumb the walmart model is built around moving loads of mass produced items at reasonable cost with little margin. The profit comes in volume of sales and moving the items off the shelves quickly. As such many brands actually produce specific models JUST FOR WALMART. The company I work for does just this. The items you buy in walmart with our brand are not the same (not even close) to the build quality of the online products.

In order to get shelf space in walmart and make it profitable you have to have a bajizzilion widgets made up and , well that means some kids in a 3rd world country are going to be making them. Why do I say all of this. Well because thats one of the things contributing to the decline of quality in brands you usually think you can trust. Heck the coleman popup campers may be kickass, but the walmart products have soured my taste for the brand on a whole.

oh yeah , try ebay, sierra trading post, moosejaw and even goodwill online for high end stuff at bargain prices.
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yeah I frequent all those places for the high end stuff, backcountry outlet is great too. You wouldn't happen to work for Weatherby or Howa, would you ;)... I hear the Vanguards they sell at walmart are total friday models.
 
August West said:
Your google fu is very weak. :p

www.campmor.com
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when you said section... i thought you meant a subforum here in this forum :D :D :D

I had already looked at the website before you posted... :D :D

Now, when you said, you would not buy them for 20 dollars... you meant you would not buy $20 sleeping bags... or you would not buy $20 sleeping bags at walmart???
 
carspidey said:
when you said section... i thought you meant a subforum here in this forum :D :D :D

I had already looked at the website before you posted... :D :D

Now, when you said, you would not buy them for 20 dollars... you meant you would not buy $20 sleeping bags... or you would not buy $20 sleeping bags at walmart???
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Ok, it depends on what you want the bags for.

If you are talking about car camping, sleeping on a queen size inflatable bed in June, then sure, buy them, who cares if the zipper breaks, that will just be an excuse to snuggle with your wife. If you are talking about putting them on your back and taking them into the woods, camping in cold or even cooler weather, or using them more than twice, I would not buy them.

Little something I have learned about a lot of sleeping bags, take the comfort level with a grain of salt. A lot of 40 degree bags will freeze you at 40 degrees unless you have on fleece undergarments, gloves, beanie and wool socks. Chris
 
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The only thing good at WM up here is 2 or 3 Buck knives (110,119,55)and cheap Federal .22 ammo. Other than that, I avoid the place.
 
August West said:
BTW another great place to look for an economical bag is Sierra Trading post. Chris
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Before I started selling these kinds of products I bought from STP many times and never had an issue. prices where good and great customer service with real fast shipping.
 
I just ran there today to grab some supplies for my summer hiking pack. Nothing major, just an enameled metal cup, a crank flashlight, iodine, bugspray, and waterbottle.

Also picked up a small Nite-Ize S-biner. They're not in the camping section, but over where they have chain hardware (turnbuckles, swivels, shackles, etc).
 
I was at Wal-Mart today buying some el-cheapo .45 ACP ammo and noted blister packed Buck 110s for < $30.00. Also purchased some honey barbecue chicken wings...MMMM...:p
 
They have remodeled all the stores in my area and they enlarged the Electronics area and Groceries and made the aisles wider but really scaled back the camping/fishing/hunting areas not much boating stuff anymore either.

So what they have left here is all pretty top notch stuff, well name brand I should say.

Which is good and bad some of the cheap no name brand stuff you could buy was pretty decent especially in fishing lures. Usually just sharpen the hooks maybe use some pliers to bend the eye loop to tune it. But crank baits and diving minnow lures like that for a buck were a steal. A lot of the cheapie soft plastics were good too. Especially if you fished with noobies or kids who lost a lot of your lures. Now they mostly have name brand stuff. Hurts more when your kid loses your $8 Rapala :(
 
I just go to see all the hot chicks walking round with their guts hanging outta their tops and dragging their knuckles on the floor as they walk !!!!:D
 
walmart is a good place to start for basic camping supplies/equipment...camping fuel there is usually the cheapest price around, same with mountain house food...when you want/need the better gear, then you head to the specialty stores...

i don't have any problems with my local walmarts; if they got what i need at a good price i buy it and move on...
 
pitdog said:
I just go to see all the hot chicks walking round with their guts hanging outta their tops and dragging their knuckles on the floor as they walk !!!!:D
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You shop at the Wal-Mart here???
Seems a long way to drive for the show..
 
I bought my wife a 20.00 Coleman sleeping bag at Walmart and she loves it. This is a well made bag for the money. She gets cold easily and stays warm in at at 30 deg F. Yes you can buy better and longer lasting bags if you have the $$.
 
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