The stores for outdoors
I’ve always been an outdoors type of guy so I really enjoyed getting the family out camping again this summer. Thanks to Bivouac Outdoor, Kathmandu and MacPac at Albany Mega Centre, we had all the right outdoor equipment and outdoor clothing we needed to make it one of the best summers ever.
If you’re shopping for outdoor and adventure stuff there is no better place than the Albany Mega Centre. Bivouac Outdoor, Kathmandu and Macpac are all within a couple of hundred metres of each other. Between them they have everything you need: quality, selection and lots of good sales. Early in December, we ‘tramped’ down to Albany for an afternoon of prepping for a summer of outdoor adventure.
We hadn’t been camping for a long time so we really needed new outdoor equipment. Kathmandu was our first stop and while I was tempted by their huge selection of amazing tents, I had to stop myself. We’ll live with our old tent (for now), after all it is still largely unused. We did however get new sleeping bags. I really like the Kathmandu branded ones. They’re soft and comfortable and good for both winter and summer. My son found an excellent outdoor badminton set and that came home with us as well. I see that getting lots of use at the camp site.
Next stop Bivouac Outdoor. Here we grabbed a set of foldable outdoor chairs. One of the best things about camping is sitting outside at night, having a few bevvies and meeting new people. These new chairs will be perfect for those long hot summer nights and for taking to the beach. My wife reckons I chose them for the convenient cup holders but the truth is I wanted something hard-wearing. The outdoors can be tough on your equipment.
Bivouac has the absolute best range of Icebreaker clothes; a great kiwi brand that I’ve always loved. My wife and I both grabbed a light merino sweatshirt. While I expect the ‘winterless north’ to be hot, there is often a bit of a chill in the air late at night. These will be great for those nights.
Last stop Macpac. The plan is to do a lot of walking while we are away and then take a couple of long day-walks when we get back. Our old sneakers are just not going to cut it. We need proper walking/hiking boots. The young sales assistant was excellent, asking us questions about where we are going and what we plan to do before recommending the right shoes for each of us. You can see immediately that they are good quality and offer a high level of foot and ankle support. There’s an amazing range of outdoor clothing here as well and you can really see they are all of that same high quality.
Finally, we purchased a first aid kit – hopefully we won’t need it but just in case – drink bottles and a versatile day-pack. Throw in some cooking and eating utensils and I think we are all set.
The whole outdoor shopping experience took just over two hours. With three great stores, Albany Mega Centre made it just so easy, and enjoyable.
So the family summer holiday in the great outdoors was everything I had hoped it would be. Lots of fun, lots of family time, lots of exercise and lots of socialising. As a result, I suspect we’ll be back to Albany Mega Centre very shortly preparing for the next outdoor family adventures at Easter.