good stores to buy caving equipment

[moonlightchildas]

does anyone know of any good stores to buy caving equipment? i live in georgia. i'm doing caving as my senior project topic and it's my mom who's really paying for most of this stuff since it's pretty pricey. she doesn't want to buy things online and honestly we don't really have time to wait for things to come in the mail since our first caving trip is coming up fast. any suggestions?

[Squirrel Girl]

does anyone know of any good stores to buy caving equipment? i live in georgia. i'm doing caving as my senior project topic and it's my mom who's really paying for most of this stuff since it's pretty pricey. she doesn't want to buy things online and honestly we don't really have time to wait for things to come in the mail since our first caving trip is coming up fast. any suggestions?

There are some very good online caver supply shops. For instance, Inner Mountain Outfitters, On Rope 1, and Howie's Harnesses. Don't discount them. They may be cheaper than the local shops.

If I need something really fast, and don't want to mess with shipping, and all, I have an REI local to me, and they're great. I also have a Hudson Trail Outfitters where I found out on Friday that I was going on a Class II white water kayak on Saturday, and needed a helmet. REI was out, but HTO had them. LL Bean is an option if you have one, but they're not early so good. I also have Eastern Mountain Sports near me. There's Dick's Sporting Goods, but they tend to have cheapy stuff that isn't very durable or reliable.

[incavenow]

If you can wait one month, venders row at TAG on the Mountain!

[JoeyS]

If you are in Georgia, you might want to call the folks at Inner Mountain Outfitters. They would probably let you shop their store "by appointment". They have a much better selection of true caving gear than you'll find at the all-inclusive outdoor stores like REI, Dick's, etc. Just give them a phone call Monday.

[incavenow]

Also if you're in north Georgia, stop in the Ace Hardware in Chickamauga. A fellow caver sells a large selection of caving gear out of that store, and believe me, you ain't gonna find better prices anywhere!

[mgmills]

does anyone know of any good stores to buy caving equipment? i live in georgia. i'm doing caving as my senior project topic and it's my mom who's really paying for most of this stuff since it's pretty pricey. she doesn't want to buy things online and honestly we don't really have time to wait for things to come in the mail since our first caving trip is coming up fast. any suggestions?

This response is slightly off topic but some folks have given you suggestions on gear but I have some questions about your need for gear for this "project"

You say it is a "senior project" . . . what is the expected goal/result of the project. I do hope you have some guidance in caving safely and softly. You didn't mention caving partners. . . the generally accepted minimum number of cavers for a trip is 3.

You say "our first caving trip is coming up fast"? Who are you caving with? Most experienced cavers have "loaner gear" available for newbies. For beginner type trips aside from caving specific helmets the gear can be obtained from any "sporting goods" store or the sports dept. at Walmart for that matter.

Top end gear is pricey and most people don't invest much until they have at least tried caving.

If you have not done so already you might want to contact a local grotto. Lost of grottos have loaner gear and people who can help you cave safely and softly (see link at top of page to "Find Local Caving Club").

On the "NSS Home Page" there are (link for this also at top of this page) some links to information on caving safely and with minimal impact.

[incavenow]

come on Martha, let the young man's mother buy his gear, then we might just see it for sale CHEAP! *joke* You brought up some very good points there. and he might want to contact a local grotto to get in a trip with some loaner gear first, two points, one, to see if this is something he will enjoy doing and two, to observe some more experienced cavers and check out their gear, clothing, and pick up a few ideas on how to handle himself in a cave. Experience does rub off. And, hopefully, we'll have a new fellow caver who we can all be proud of knowing.

[rebelfirefighter]

I tried going to the Ace Hardware in Chickamauga yesterday and the building has been turned into a mini flea market. A new one has been built out on the bypass. Its your run of the mill Ace and doesn't look to be the family owned type place it used to be. Does anybody know if the caving supplies sold in there are now being sold somewhere else?