I keep trying to give Anaconda a go, but I always leave disappointed and empty-handed. I've gone…read morethere on different occasions to get a compass, hiking shoes, waterproof jacket, tent, replacement swag poles, bike lights, head torch, sleeping mat, bike tyre tubes, day pack, camping chair, and water bottles. I've walked out with less than a third of the items on that list, and often very grumpy and vowing never to go back (but as you can see from my giant list I keep getting sucked back in).
Outdoor products are so expensive, and while Anaconda markets themselves towards a family market with more affordable products (affordable compared to Kathmandu and Macpac), it is still pricey. With that in mind, you often require assistance when purchasing expensive specialised products - Hello? Anaconda staff? Where out thou? Today at Anaconda there was more staff than customers. I felt like I was someone on the corner street asking for donations and the Anaconda staff were giving me the quick walk and look ahead. If you do manage to wrangle someone down, they often have no clue about their products, resort to looking at the packaging, or what I go today when looking for a sleeping mat, "dunno, just look at them and work out which one you want". Geez thanks for that.
On a side note, my partner bought a bike, and it fell apart after a year. Also, it was a hybrid road/dirt bike that had a warning not to ride on dirt (luckily it didn't say road too, or he would have been doing laps around our kitchen bench).
Anaconda has a lot of products. If you know what you want, great! If you in the market to look for a new pair of hiking shoes, take some deep breaths, because it is going to be a stressful and unhelpful ride.
