Campmor Brand Products

[halfmoon]

Does anyone have experience with Campmor brand products. There price seem to up to 60% off typical "brand" names such as Northface, Mountain Harware, Marmot, etc. Does the old adage "you get what you pay for" hold in this case. I just don't want to find out on the top of a mountain in winter that the gear wasn't all I had expected it to be. Just wondering if anyone in the community has experience with their products. Thanks.

 

[ripple]

The few campmpor brand products that I own have been fine. The stuff I have is not really tec stuff. Fleece jacket, gloves, etc, all hold up well and perform as advertised. I have read on other gear forums that their down sleeping bags are pretty well made for the $, but have no personal exp. with them.

 

[Jasonst]

I have also wondered this. They have pretty sweet deals on their Campmor stuff. They have a down jacket that's on sale right now.

 

[Wild]

I've had nothing but good experiences with the Campmor brand. My partner has had his Campmor sleeping bag for 20 years now, and he still swears by it.

Many Campmor products are fairly simple, no-frills products, so this might help to explain the difference in price.

 

[rtrimarc]

Campmor

I have a Campmor Down Lite 45deg down semi-rectangular bag i use in the summer. It gets a lot of use from canoe trips and backpacking, to use as a comforter at our summer house, and as a beach blanket. In the winter i keep it in my daypack on day hikes and summit attempts. I probably sleep in it 20 days a year, and use it for other purposes year round. It is super lite, has some great features, and has been durable as Hell. I haven't used many other products with their name on it, but the bag has been great!

Rob

 

[Rick]

It wouldn't surprise me if Campmor products were made in the same factories or of the same quality as LL Bean or EMS. IIRC, I read a number of years ago that their sleeping bags were made by Slumberjack - Not a high end company, but what I would consider to be a good quality and value-driven brand.

I subsisted for years on the campmmor/ems lines and as I found what I liked or felt comfortable with (such as layering systems and such) , I slowly upgraded these to "better" gear.

When I say "better", I beleive you get more features or more well-thought out features with the higher end gear - and on some, (not many) of those items it is worth a premium

 

[TCD]

Millions of us (or at least it seemed like it) owned the electric blue campmor goretex. It worked, and it was a good deal. I've never had a problem with campmor products, or with the lower price suppliers they use like Sportif or Red Ledge.

TCD

 

[Jasonst]

Millions of us (or at least it seemed like it) owned the electric blue campmor goretex. It worked, and it was a good deal. I've never had a problem with campmor products, or with the lower price suppliers they use like Sportif or Red Ledge.

TCD

I have the red ledge rain pants, full zip sides and they are as good as the Marmot precip ones - 50$ less

 

[bob m]

Campmor Bags

I've used a Campmor 20° bag for a year. No complaints. It was fractionally heavier than other bags with the same temp. rating but more than $50 cheaper. Same deal with a Goretex shell I've used for 4 years with no complaints. I've had more luck with ordering over the Web than in the NJ store when looking for specific items.

 

[bobmak]

I have a Campmor 550 fill down jacket that I bought several years ago. It seems to be holding out pretty well. And for $50, it was a great buy.

 

[Rob S]

It wouldn't surprise me if Campmor products were made in the same factories or of the same quality as LL Bean or EMS.

Yup, a friend used to work there and confirmed that quite a bit of the Campmor brand-gear is made by big-name companies. But not all of it.

My experience with the Campmor brand has been very positive, never had a major problem. Back in 1998, I did have a minor problem with a Campmor rain jacket ..... the interior lining began to separate. I brought the jacket into the store, showed one of the sales guys, and they replaced it for free. And the jacket was already over a year old.

 

[Dugan]

You mean goretex comes in colors other than campmor blue?????

My experience with their products has been positive. I've had various layering pieces, shells, and outerwear. No experience with sleeping bags or down. Gotta love the prices on their stuff.

I have an 18 year old pair of their goretex gaiters that still come out of the gear room for bushwhacking. Still sturdy if a little frayed around the edges and not really waterproof anymore.

 

[charlos]

i have had a 20 degree down campmor bag for 3 years now and used it at temps much lower.
i borrowed a friends cats meow(to try synthetic) and was not nearly as satisfied.

just tonight my wife bought a dana designs terraplane(older model but brand new) for fifty bucks, the sales person spent over a half hour fitting the pack/bending the stays, doesnt get much better than that.

they had more terraplanes sizes xs and xl as well as arcterryx packs,cant remember specific model names but they were at around 4500 cui for $69 or $89 in more sizes.

 

[marty]

Campmor Brand gets a thumbs up from me as well. In addition, the Duofold synthetic tops they sell on sale have been great. The only negative experience I had was their $24.99 convertible pants. They work fine but are too snug in the thighs for the size I bought. Have relegated them to easy hikes. Should have paid $10.00 more for the Ex Oficio's they had on sale. Lesson learned.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

Their price seem to up to 60% off typical "brand" names such as Northface, Mountain Harware, Marmot, etc. Does the old adage "you get what you pay for" hold in this case.

Just remember that 'you get what you pay for' is non-linear as you get near the top end. IE, the last 10% of quality/performance/whatever, may result in a 50% increase in cost.

If you can settle for "good enough" rather than "the best" you can save a lot.

 

[1ADAM12]

I have never had a problem with Cammor products either. If you are not happy or the item seems to fail just send it back and they will give you store credit....how can you go wrong!

 

[Mark]

This is good information. I keep getting their catalogs, but have never purchased anything from Campmor. Next time I'm in the market, I will have to check them out.

I will say that, although I know there is a premium for shopping at REI or EMS, I do like being able to look items over before buying them - especially clothing. With Campmor's only retail store in NJ, that's not easy. There is an REI right in my town and an EMS 10 minutes away. For name brand items, I can check them out before hand and order from Campmor. I would have to take a chance with Campmor brand items.

 

[Frosty]

Does anyone have experience with Campmor brand products. There price seem to up to 60% off typical "brand" names such as Northface, Mountain Harware, Marmot, etc. Does the old adage "you get what you pay for" hold in this case. I just don't want to find out on the top of a mountain in winter that the gear wasn't all I had expected it to be. Just wondering if anyone in the community has experience with their products. Thanks.

I've been buying Campmor stuff for years. I have nothing but positive experiences.

I think you have to be careful about "you get what you pay for." Within one company, I'm sure that higher priced goods are higher quality. When you compare companies, it gets trickier. Profit margins, overhead, prestige value of the company name, etc, all affect pricing.

I have been using a $109 Red Ledge parka for about 10 years. It fits my 6'5" frame well, and has been super durable. It isn't Gore-Tex, but I have not had a problem. I ventilate with large pit zips and front zip, and don't wear it unless I'm cold. I'll cry when it wears out.

I have also had mostly good luck with EMS and REI brand clothing.

You just have to pay close attention to descriptions and see what you are getting. I don't always have good luck with cheap stuff. I had terrible luck with Tubbs snowshoes until I forked over $250 for a pair of Redfeathers.

Frosty

ps REI, Campmor and EMS have all been superb with customer service.

pps Campmor has the best catalogs and website. Their website almost always lists the weight of the item, and the tables of dimensions of tents, sleeping bags etc in theeir catalog is very helpful in comparing.

 

[Artex]

Yet Another thumbs up

I only own a fleece jacket and gloves made by Campmor, but have had both for a couple of years. No complaints whatsoever with both, and the fleece jacket's zippers are even compatible with the North Face shell I have, so I can zip them together.

I used to live about 5-6 miles from Campmor, and their customer service at the store was always top notch. Friends say the same about their mail order.

Darn good company, IMO.

 

[masshysteria]

Let's see, there's the 10 deg. winter bag I bought 10 years ago, that my son uses now. The assorted fleece items that are real comfy. A 30 deg. down bag that is my non-winter standard. Convertable pants that are my #1 choice when I'm bushwackin'. Yeah, I have no problem with Campmor brands, and the price is right.