There’s nothing like sleeping out under the stars and waking up to see the sunrise. It’s even better if you’ve pitched a tent and are tucked into a warm sleeping bag. Even better if you’ve brought along a few camping accessories for cooking, hiking, and sitting around the campfire. Gathering up all the proper equipment for a camping trip is important, and you’ll find everything you could need and more at these five essential outdoor stores in New Mexico.
The Sangre de Cristo Mountains are home to the Carson National Forest, a 1.5-million-acre playground for campers. You don’t have to stay in a designated campground in a national forest, but you should take some gear. This outfitter has everything you need for camping, anywhere. You’ll find Columbia backpacks and tents in all sizes. Take plenty of water along in Camelbak hydration systems. Available sleeping bags include those for all temperatures of overnight sleeping. You’ll also find a broad selection of accessories for cooking outdoors, bug control, first aid, food and maps and information about the forest. Don’t leave without a sturdy pair of hiking boots, either!
At 8,600 feet, the town’s elevation in the Lincoln National Forest is one of the highest in the country. This brings those who love this unique part of the state out in droves. Or maybe it’s because it’s the home of Smokey the Bear. Whatever the reason, camping is popular. You’ll find some necessary equipment here that will come in handy. Smartwool socks and Keen footwear for the hike in. Osprey backpacks come in a variety of sizes, depending on how long you’ll be out. There are Kershaw and Gerber knives, Hydo Flask insulated water bottles and ENO hammocks for sleeping outside the tent. Remember to grab a tube of Sun Bum Sunscreen, too.
This chain store is big, so it’s a good go-to place for everything you need, want or dream about when it comes to camping supplies. Need a tent? They have more than 300 to choose from. How about a sleeping bag? More than 100 options. Backpacks range from technical to simple day packs to heavyweight touring packs and represent ALPS Brands, Sea to Summit, Gregory, Torg, and Outdoor Products. There’s so much more. Cooking gear from Primus and MasterBuilt and Coleman, navigation equipment from Bushnell and Garmin, plus camp furniture, coolers, lighting, generators and cots, pads, and hammocks. This one-stop shop is the place to go before any camping adventure.
For more than 50 years, the North Face brand has stood for excellence in outdoor gear. You’ll find everything you need here to set up a camp for a day or a month from lightweight sleeping bags to different styles of backpacks for kids or adults to single or group-sized tents. Camping throughout the area is varied. Pitch a tent along the Rio Grande or the Turquoise Trail or even in one of the area’s many beautiful parks.
This is an outdoorsman’s paradise! The store is huge so plan on spending some time wandering until you find the camping gear. You could quite literally build a compound in the forest with the amount of gear found here. Tents and shelters, sleeping bags, bedding, furniture, cooking and dining, coolers, backpacks, lights, safety and survival, navigation and even showers and toilets are just the tip of the iceberg of equipment the store carries. Much of what you’ll find is their own brand, but other brands like Browning, ALPS Mountaineering, Coleman, Marmot, North Face and Columbia are well-represented.
