If you’ve ever gone camping before and gotten yourself deep into the woods or backcountry and realized that suddenly your equipment seems to be falling apart or can’t hold up to the elements, that’s when you conclude that good quality camping gear is more than just a price tag. There’s no substitution for quality when it comes time to performance. Your supplies could mean life or death, or maybe just the difference between a good time and a miserable experience. That’s why it’s important that you shop for quality outdoor supplies at reputable dealerships that sell brand-name recreational equipment and outdoor supplies.

Pretty stuff might look good in when it’s been setup and displayed, but quality gear is what will be left behind if a sudden storm blows through. I’ve been in enough tents to know that the ones purchased on sale at the local hardware store or the grocery store don’t hold up nearly as much as the ones that were purchased from quality outdoor supplies dealerships or military surplus stores. It’s not just the tent that you need to be careful about with your purchase. Did you pick up your sleeping bags at the grocery store or perhaps in the home section of your local department store? Did you find them online and bought them because they had pictures of your favorite band or movie theme? These are most likely the kinds of sleeping bags that won’t keep you warm and might even get you sick. Be wary of the material and craftsmanship on these sleeping bags since you’ll be depending on them to keep your warm when the temperatures drop.

Recreational equipment is a lucrative business and anyone who manufactures a flashlight or a pocket knife can easily put a label on it and call it ‘camping gear’. This is as deceiving as selling sugar-loaded cupcakes and calling them survival food. For things like flashlights, pocket knives or anything else to be labeled as ‘camping gear’, then there needs to be some kind of testimonial or testing certification that defines the conditions under which the device was used. Chances are if it’s not a quality brand name, then it’s just someone who’s calling it ‘camping gear’ and there’s a great chance it’ll just fall apart once it gets into a real outdoor setting. You’d expect this type of equipment to hold up under all sorts of weather and conditions and unfortunately there’s a lot of gear out there that just won’t. Buyer beware, do your research and be sure you’re buying quality stuff.