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Best Sites
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Forbes Review: "Everything for intrepid sports and adventure lovers, from saltwater fishing rods to children’s snowshoes. Sort through the extensive inventory by activity, brand and price range. Buying guides offer tips on everything from mountain bikes to avalanche beacons, along with dozens of extensive how-to articles (fly fishing etiquette: leave spawning trout alone). Quick tutorials cover technical aspects of each sport, explain how to choose gear and how to pack for your trip. Extensive bulletin boards let you find climbing partners, share favorite kayaking routes, and exchange tips on campfire cooking. Check out REI-Outlet.com for bargains. Join REI (it’s a member-owned co-op) and you’ll be eligible for discounts and a “patronage refund,” an annual dividend based on a percentage of your yearly purchases." (Forbes--click here for full review) |
Forbes Top-Rated Favorite in Best of the Web Forbes 9-11-00
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Forbes Review: "Huge selection of outdoor gear for camping, hiking, snow sports—you name it. The goods are enhanced with every conceivable feature an e-tailer should have: huge product blowups, buying guides, instant chat help, consumer reviews and comparison charts. Editorial section offers excellent advice on everything from overcoming climbing fears to taking young kids camping to expanding your campsite cuisine beyond macaroni and cheese. Mouth- watering travel info and photos abound. Featured jaunt: a multisport adventure in Costa Rica." (Forbes--click here for full review) |
Forbes Selection in Best of the Web Forbes 9-11-00
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Forbes Review: "It may sound like an obscure Generation-X site, but Fogdog is a great sporting goods e-tailer. You’ll find a huge selection for every sport—and we mean every sport, from boxing to rugby to wakeboarding. And the site is content-rich: buying guides, fitness articles, expert advice, quick training tips and product comparison charts. Want to learn about kiteboarding? This is the place." (Forbes--click here for full review) EW review: "Named after the shaft of light that pierces a thundercloud, this purveyor of athletic equipment and apparel sports 60,000 wares drawn from 500 different manufacturers. Daunted? E-mail the site's experts -- real experts, such as Mike Murphy, equipment manager for the San Francisco Giants. On the off chance that the 'dog won't hunt, a ''search squad'' will retrieve the elusive item, even purchasing it from a competitor if necessary. Good Fogdog. Here's a biscuit: Grade: A" |
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Forbes Review: "The bargain basement of sporting goods e-tailers. Sleek, sporty and easy to search, Gear. com carries equipment and apparel for every activity. Standard shipping is 25 cents and they have a 30-day, no-questions-asked return policy. Stocks top brands like North Face, Timberland and Puma." (Forbes--click here for full review) |
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Forbes Review: "Not just preppy sweaters. The venerable catalog retailer also sells bikes, tents, canoes, fishing rods and snow shoes, though its selection is smaller than you’ll find elsewhere and buying guidance is spotty. When we clicked on a bike, for example, a box popped up with advice on choosing the right frame size. But with camp stoves, we were left to our own devices. The fact is, clothing still reigns here. You’ll find threads for swimming, biking, skiing, hunting and fishing—all tailored for casual fun." (Forbes--click here for full review) |
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Forbes Review: "One of the few outdoor gear stores we found designed exclusively for women—an important consideration when buying equipment. Fun content includes interviews with top female climbers, links to outdoor destinations and a great collection of books and T shirts sporting logos like Great Old Broads for Wilderness. While the site carries top brands like Patagonia, Mountain Hardware and Marmot, there’s often a limited selection. Ironically, other sites like Altrec.com offer more choices in women’s gear....Gear reviews and guides explain what women should look for when buying." (Forbes--click here for full review) |
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Mountainzone.com Forbes Review: "Love the mountains? Gearzone is the retail Web site of Mountainzone.com, a full-service site that specializes in scaling the heights. Covers backpacking, climbing, mountain biking, skiing and snowboarding in depth and with great expertise. If you know what you’re looking for, use the keyword search; otherwise browse by activity or brand. In addition to the usual clothing and books, you’ll find high-performance gear like a water filter for drinking melted snow and a high-altitude heart-rate monitor. Be sure to check out the sections for sale items, new inventory and women’s gear." (Forbes--click here for full review) |
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Forbes Review: "Ever dream of hangin’ with Michael Jordan? You know—playing some pick-up, drinking some Gatorade and having him give you sneaker advice? Well, now you can have the sneaker advice part. His Airness, John Elway and Wayne Gretzky are all “advisers” to MVP.com, a sporting-goods site that’s predictably festooned with pictures and quotes from these sports stars. Cut through the hype and you’ll also find quality gear for a wide array of sports, enhanced by buyers’ guides, checklists and training and performance tips." (Forbes--click here for full review) |
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Forbes Review: "This top-of-the-line apparel maker can dress you up for whatever kind of conditions you encounter, whether you’re mountaineering, skiing, paddling or surfing. Browse by activity, price or product type. Need capilene underwear? It’s listed. Products come with extensive related info, like design features and fabric technology. The beautifully designed site is laced with first-hand accounts and photos from the wild. And the Enviro Action section explains the company’s impact on the environment, its grant program, and doles out conservationist tips....Web specials list apparel at up to 50% off." (Forbes--click here for full review) |
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Planet Outdoors
Forbes Review: "Everything you’ll need to face Mother Nature, from backpacks and tents to performance food. Handy extras abound: sizing charts, side-by-side comparisons and buying tips. If browsing fails, the advanced search function lets you search by keyword, category, brand and price range....Live chat function lets you type in questions and get immediate answers while you shop.." (Forbes--click here for full review) |
BestShopSites
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Other Sites
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Link to Reviews |
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Boo.com www.boo.com newly re-introduced |
Forbes 9-11-00 |
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Eastern Mountain Sports www.shopEMS.com "Fans of EMS’ brick-and-mortar stores will be disappointed with their Web site. Though it is a solid site with a good selection – it's simply not up to the standards one expects from EMS. There is a decent selection of gear, but few extras found on other sites. Information and buyers guides are far from comprehensive and are not incorporated into the relevant retail areas. You’ll get more advice from the typically knowledgeable sales people who staff the stores." (Forbes--click here for full review) |
Forbes 9-11-00 |
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Gear Unlimited www.gearunlimited.com "Nice improvement from the last time we looked at this site. Some of the flash is gone, but the content is better. The site is still split into two separate sections, one with information the other for shopping. Each sport has an information section which includes things like gear care, safety tips, a glossary and articles. Sopping selection is better and the search function now works." (Forbes--click here for full review) |
Forbes 9-11-00 |
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GearDirect www.geardirect.com "Imagine a neighborhood sporting goods store going online and you’ll have a good picture of GearDirect.com. The site covers winter and outdoor sports including snowboarding, biking and skateboarding. The site recently merged with Peak Lifestyles and acquired Doc's Sports, so look for expanded product selections. You still will not get much sophisticated advice or information here." (Forbes--click here for full review) |
Forbes 9-11-00 |
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Be Outdoors www.beoutdoors.com
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Edge Sports www.theedgesports.com
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Binoculars.com www.Binoculars.com
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BestShopSites.com -- Your Time Saving Guide to the Best Retail Web Sites
| *BestShopSites Bottom Line Rating | What it Means |
| +++ | World Class |
| ++ | Don't Miss It |
| + | Useful |
| 0 | Marginal |
| - | Flawed |
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