Behind The Browser...
Top online retailers reveal their best sellers plus highlight the best deals on their web sites, some interesting kit this month.
Posted: 18 May 2004
by Jon
Ever wondered what's the top-selling online outdoors gear? Hmmm,
obviously you've got too much spare time then.
However, we thought it'd be interesting to ask some of our retail
partners from the OM shopping section both what sold best last month
and for a couple of nominations for their best deals.
This month: CCCoutdoors.com, outdoormegastore, Field and Trek and
Cotswold.
Top sellers over at cccoutdoors.com were the classic Lowe Alpine
Mountain Cap with it's furry ear warming capabilities, plus the
bargain-priced Robens self-inflating mat.
Their top tips for value? The Merrell Trail Frog approach shoe,
down in price from £55 (SRP) to £35. Plus the Vango Diablo
tent at £255 - RRP on that is £300, so it's a decent
saving.
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Lowe
Alpine Mountain Cap - £15 (RRP:
£30)
"Lowe Alpine's mountain cap is a seminal piece of kit
that continues to set the standard for waterproof headgear.
Using Triplepoint Ceramic fabric it provides total
waterproofing and windproofing, and is lined with Aleutian
fleece to keep you warm."
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Robens
Self Inflating Mat
- £19 - (RRP: £30)
"These self inflating mats from Robens are remarkably
comfortable and provide a very effective insulation barrier
against the cold ground. Light in weight and packing down
very small, they offer performance equal to that of far more
costly mats."
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Merrell
Trail Frog - £35 - (RRP: £55)
"Merrell's Trail Frog is a classic approach shoe design
which offers a good blend of style, performance and
durability. The synthetic leather and mesh upper is
comfortable and provides excellent ventilation to the foot,
whilst the Air Cushion midsole protects from shocks and
impacts. It also has the popular and versatile Trail Frog
sole unit in sticky rubber."
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Vango
Diablo 600 - £255 (RRP: £300)
"Vango's Diablo 600 uses a large geodesic design to
provide the kind of space a family needs without sacrificing
on strength and durability. There are two separate bedrooms
about a cavernous central living area which is high enough
to stand in and wide enough for everyone to congregate. The
porch at front offers additional storage or cooking space
and has large windows to allow natural light inside. The
Diablo 600 comes complete with inner groundsheets and a
detachable porch groundsheet packaged in a valise style
carry bag that is easy to store and transport."
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Top buys for Cotswold Outdoor were the TNF Long Sleeve Tek Tee Top
and the Berghaus Sundown Half Zip microfleece. Their value tips are
the beautifully named Enforcer Power Chip LED Torch and the Dolomite
Nevada GTX Boots.
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TNF
Long Sleeve Tek Tee - £35
"Keep the high altitude sun off your arms whilst hiking
in the Annapurna region this season. The Tek Tee's Raglan
sleeves provide a full freedom of movement when using
trekking poles.
The lightweight CoolMax Alta fabric with Vaporwick finish
has a crew neck and relaxed fit."
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Berghaus
Sundown Half-Zip - £45
"The Sundown is made for those times when it's too cold
for a T-shirt but too warm for a full-on fleece. At less
than half the weight of a conventional fleece, it won't
break your back - or your wallet. This textured Technopile
Microfleece comes with a half-length zip and two hand-warmer
pockets."
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Enforcer
Power Chip LED Torch - £40
"The Enforcer features 'Power Chip' technology to produce
an incredibly bright beam from a single 'second generation'
LED. Powered by 3 x AAA batteries (supplied) It comes with a
black body and a white LED."
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Nevada
Gtx Boots - £60 (SRP: £95)
"The Nevadas are part of the Action range from Dolomite,
the renowned Italian boot company. Lovers of multi-sport
outdoor activities will find this boot meets their every
need.
A suede upper with padded fabric tongue, a strong midsole
for added stability, a Gore-Tex lining for waterproof
protection and a Vibram sole unit, all weighing just 1.2kg
(Size 8)."
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Meanwhile, over at the Outdoor Megastore, Stan the Outdoor Man's
biggest sellers were the Vango Diablo 600 tent and the Gelert Double
Burner & Grill with Stand. Bring on the summer barbecues... In
fact bring on the symmer.
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Gelert
Double Burner & Grill with Stand -
£59.99 (RRP: £74.99)
"The Rolls Royce of stoves! A Stainless steel gas stove
with 2 burners, grill, stand and windshield. Packs down
neatly into box measuring 58 x 35 x 23cm."
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Vango
Diablo 600 Tent £249.99 (RRP:
£300
"This large geodesic family tent offers generous sleeping
areas, exceptionally large living area and an extended porch
for protection from the weather and storage. The Diablo
range includes a unique integral sewn-in groundsheet
protecting the living (and most forms of Zombie) and bedroom
areas from drafts.
Updated for 2004 with mesh ventilation on inner tent and
power cable access point. Other features include, a Hytex
Dura F/R polyester flysheet (3,000mm hydrostatic head),
taped seams, colour coded poles and continuous pole sleeves,
inner first pitching, breathable nylon inners, fibreflex
poles."
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Field and Trek's top products include the Rab Vapour Rise Smock,
the brilliant wrist-wearable Garmin Foretrex 201GPS unit, Berghaus's
Vertigo Mesh now at £29.99 (Normal RRP £49.99) and TNF TKA
Full Zip Jacket £49.99, which is ideal for summer they say.
British summer anyway ;-)
- £99.99
"As voted No.1 in the recent Trail Magazine best
softshells review, the Rab VR Smock combines a soft wicking
inner with Pertex Equilibrium outer to create the
perfect balance of windproofing, warmth and
breathability.The VR Smock wicks and dries extremely
quickly, is highly wind resistant yet fully breathable,
protecting from the worst of the weather and at the same
time avoiding overheating while slogging uphill."
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