Are there any high end expedition outfitter still around?

not2sharp

not2sharp

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I remember visiting the old Abercrombie and Fitch stores (the photo above is from 1913...long before they devolved into a third rate clothing store). Back then you could walk into their plush and stately interior and take in those custom hand made hunting rifles, top of the line knives, and exotic "high tech" gagets of every kind that could be used by an expedition under the wildest conditions. The kind of place where someone like President Teddy Roosevelt would have gone to secure provisions and equipment before setting out to explore a new branch of the Amazon; where explorers would go to equip for a first expedition to the North Pole, or a first attempt at K2 or Everest. The age of exploration has long passed and wealthy man's safari is now more likely to take him to South Beach then Darkest Africa. But, I wonder if anything like these specialty stores have managed to somehow survive. Does anyone know of any?


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n2s
 
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Those adds make my head hurt.

If you'd like to share my headache, google a modern Abercrombie & Fitch add.

Make sure you are sitting down, and have your barf bucket handy.
 
Also telling is the fact that you used to be able to examine and buy guns and knives at a respected store on Broadway in New York.
 
South Africa has some "one stop" safari outfitters that cater for the big money safari tourists. Less accent on the firearms these days, but will kit you out for the safari of a lifetime.

Be prepared to spend a lot of money however.
 
Cabela's would probably be the closest to that kind of thing here in U.S. The one in Hartford has a custom gun shop where you can ogle and even handle high end weapons. All the other out door accoutrement also.--KV
 
kvaughn said:
Cabela's would probably be the closest to that kind of thing here in U.S. The one in Hartford has a custom gun shop where you can ogle and even handle high end weapons. All the other out door accoutrement also.--KV
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Cabelas or Bass Pro Shops
 
Yeah, now that you mention it, Bass Pro shop may be it. Even if they don't count as "high end", their prices do!
 
if your talking just gear, and not guns knives etc.. i would sugest L.L.Bean or duluth they make some fantastic gear. If your wanting everything cant go wrong with cabelas or gander mtn or sportsmans warehouse. the bass pro here is horrible for selection and thier prices are frickin ridiculus.
 
At the store in Maine LL Bean sells firearms. If you get their hunting catalog you can get most of the rest shipped to your home.

Chad
 
ChadHahn said:
At the store in Maine LL Bean sells firearms. If you get their hunting catalog you can get most of the rest shipped to your home.

Chad
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I had forgotten about that one. I had quite a bit of fun there during the last decade. It was a great place to show up at 3:00AM when you could have the whole store to yourself. I don't recall seeing any really high end knives, firearms, or anything else; but they were certainly a step above Cabelas and Pro Bass, at least at the Freeport store.

n2s
 
Eddie Bauer has recently gotten back into the Mountaineering expedition outfitting with the First Ascent line of gear, check out the guys and gal that designed the stuff. I have a couple of their fleece items, back packs and a shell and all are top notch items.
 
Dick's actually has a decent selection of high end stuff, including guns. Well, the stores that used to be Galyan's, anyway. I haven't ever seen one that started out as Dick's.
 
If you're looking for high-end expedition clothing, stop at Feathered Friends in Seattle. I haven't been there in many years but when I was I ordered a custom bag and checked out some nice garments.

DancesWithKnives
 
Things are so specialized these days, but both REI and MEC [in Canada] sell a lot of first rate gear for expeditions. The best of the best of most outdoor/exploration gear can be purchased from these Co-ops. Certain equipment that's even better has to usually be purchased elsewhere [e.g. custom packs]. Of course there are always smaller shops that carry less stock but more specific gear: a paddling shop, yacht chandlery, hunting store, climbing shop, bike shop etc. So in the US, I'd say REI probably has the biggest selection of high-end gear. You could pretty-much do anything with gear from there.
 
DWK2 said:
If you're looking for high-end expedition clothing, stop at Feathered Friends in Seattle. I haven't been there in many years but when I was I ordered a custom bag and checked out some nice garments.

DancesWithKnives
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+1 - great gear and sleeping bags. One example of a more specific, semi custom outfitter.
 
I really don't think most of the folks here totally understand the question. A true outfitter was a place where you could walk in, get the gear, the clothes, the weapons, the licenses, the trip booked, and the guide reserved; all in one place and thru the same company. The outfitter handled all the little details. They arranged visas, cargo, taxidermy, specific hunters and countries, etc.

And what was great was that they were not unusual. In the 1950's you could do this in Los Angeles alone at Kerrs, Pachmayrs, and a couple other places. Weatherbys and Golden State could give you the 80% solution.
 
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