For Ski Boot fitting, was blown away by the attention to detail. Excellent service and knowledge…read more Made us try on many boots to get them exactly right. I've been to a few places and this was so much better by a mile. You do need to book for fittings and there is a charge (so worth it). For clothes, not the biggest selection but had what we wanted and seemed to be in line on prices. Maybe just me but seemed to have more choice for women than men. I'll be coming here again. Great service deserves rewarding.

Not a great choice of camping gear or clothing really. Lots of camping hardware that other places…read moredon't have. Staff didn't try to help out at all

I must admit, I always thought Cotswold Camping was a bit twee, a bit cheap and a bit middle-aged…read more How wrong I was. This is a big, modern store with clothes and equipment for people of all ages. I was very tempted by their women's clothing, which ranges from outdoor casual to normal casual. It's maybe not the best place for highly technical clothing, but it's great for general hanging around the park type clothing, and fantastic for entertaining bored friends who've been dragged along with no interest whatsoever in the outdoors. Sadly the prices are the same as those for more technical clothing, so I couldn't justify buying one of their pretty skirts. I went to look at tents. They've got a selection of all sorts from lightweight to giant family jobs (for the families of giants, of course), but not a huge amount in each category. There was a very helpful shop assistant who took me outside and helped me assemble 3 tents. He didn't know much more than me about them, but was very polite, honest and keen to help as we fumbled around in high winds. I was especially impressed as he didn't look older than 15.

From the owner: At the Bicester store we are keen to help a variety of people whether it be finding boots for…read moregeneral walks around the local area or preparing your kit for a trek up Kilimanjaro. Our staff will be with you every step of the way to help you find exactly what you're looking for and at the same time making you feel as comfortable as possible and offer varying knowledge from their own experiences. This store is set in a prominent position on the outskirts of the ever growing and developing market town of Bicester. Access is simple with direct access through to London and Birmingham and by passing hotspots such as Silverstone on the A43 and the Heritage Motor Centre, Junction 12 on the M40. There are regular direct links through to London and Oxford by train and coach. Parking is free and there is a selection of other shops available to satisfy your shopping needs including a delightful cafe and restaurant with an adjacent indoor play facility for the younger explorers.

Large and well-stocked outdoors shop with decent prices. It's actually quite a large chain, owned…read moreby JD Sports, and sells a wide range of well known brands. This store is on the market square just behind the church. It runs the length of the block, and is the largest outdoor store in Kingston. It has a cafe and soft-play area inside. I was on the look-out for a specific knee-high mid-weight sock, which I've been looking for, for ages, and was delighted that they had it in stock. It'll be a regular calling point for me from now on. Reasonably friendly staff, though I only needed to speak to them at the till.

Made a very fruitful stop into Kathmandu a few months back as I was prepping for my first…read moretransatlantic trip with a baby. I came looking for a rucksack. I left with a suitcase with detachable rucksack (a suitcase that can be carried as a rucksack, with arm straps!) and a huge duffel bag to stow the carseat in. I thought the prices to be competitive (the duffel bag only £14!) and the service top notch. The guy helped me with everything, took it to the counter while I looked around, helped me with the Summit Club membership and packaged it all up smoothly so I could get it back to my flat. The Kathmandu items are high quality and have already made many trips. They are durable and sleek, and high performance. Just what I needed. The last thing you want to deal with while traveling (with a baby or not) is crap luggage. Summit club membership is free and gains you access to great deals (most of the deals advertised, so...if you want 'em, you'll sign up). Sign up!

I've always been a bit suspicious of Kathmandu-type stores, due to the fact that I'm the least…read moreoutdoorsy person you could come across. I always believe 'outdoor' stores were specially for extreme snowboarders or wannabe Nepalese-mountain climbers. Boy, was I wrong. Set right next to Spitalfields Market and boasting some rather fit staff, Kathmandu has everything for the civilian to adventurer. Water flasks, jackets, thermals, little key ring things with torches on them, it has it all. I actually found heaps of stuff I wanted to buy - probably more in the way you deck yourself out with designer gym wear after only one visit, to realise you're not quite the gym junkie you thought you would become if in fact you had the correct gear. It was fun anyway.

Terrible experience, discriminatory staff…read more I visited the store last week to try on ski boots and was told to come back later as the trained staff were on their breaks, so I returned after a few hours and was denied entry by the security guard. Staff told me the guard had received a picture of me from a CCTV camera at another nearby store - I do not even live in London, and had arrived the previous day. They showed me the photo, and the person in it was obviously not me - this would have been easy for the guard and staff to see if they looked at it properly, but it was apparent to me that I had been profiled and was being discriminated against. None of the staff were interested in what I had to say - the store manager was less than 2 metres away from me throughout this incident, but they had their back turned the whole time, clearly not wanting to be involved. I had heard good things about this store, but I only had my time wasted, and walked out feeling humiliated and upset. I emailed customer service about this over a week ago and my complaint was forwarded to multiple managers of the business straight away. I am only writing this public review now because I am yet to receive a single further response. Unacceptable on all counts.

This is the best place in London to come for all your outdoor gear needs. Set over 4 or 5 floors…read morethere is dedicated floor space to everything you will need for sports ranging from skiing to high altitude mountaineering. For me, nowhere in London has anything like its selection. The only real downside is that all the gear is skewed towards higher end products which is fine if you want to splash the cash but means that you can leave here having spent a worrying amount of money on day glow boots or GoreTex jackets.

It's a really weird place for an army surplus store, near all the big retail DIY places, but what…read morefun to look round! It's a bit daunting as a rather nosy female, as there are lots of military and tattooed types who look like they're supplying their own personal army, but it's well worth a look. If you're not familiar with surplus stores, they're basically leftover army kit being sold off cheap. It's usually really good quality, but not the most attractive (think green, sand and camo colours) or necessarily the most luxurious. If, for some reason, you like looking like a soldier, the clothes are really good. Incidentally, they're tough enough to be good for gardening and lots of outdoor sports. There's never much for women though. I find it most useful for getting outdoor equipment like drinks bottles and camping kit. It's all really tough and you know it'll do the job as people's lives depend on it. Have a browse on Ebay for army surplus if you want more of an idea what there is before you make the journey out to visit the store.

Just wanted to say how disappointed I am with this store. I personally haven't visited it but my…read morebrother has and bought some boots. When he got home he found they weren't a matching pair. He went back to the store and no exchange or refund was given so that was money wasted and someone else out there has an odd pair too! Not a good way to treat your customers.

In my view, the best army surplus and camping shop in London. I'm a regular customer, having bought…read moreeverything from walking boots and gloves to jackets and waterproofs, over a period of 15 years. (They used to be based near Victoria, but moved a few years ago to Waterloo Cut). As well as the usual range of army-surplus type gear - jackets, vests, shirts and trousers, they do a good line in MA1 flying jackets (£25), Harrington Jackets in a range of colours (and at £19.95, rather than inflated 'retro' prices) and of course foot-wear. They also sell used gear, but most items are brand new, and at their prices there's no need to go down the second hand route. I recently bought a pair of brand new British Army boots here for under £50, which are superbly comfortable (in fact I'm wearing them as I write this) and will doubtless last for years. The shop is very small, very old-fashioned, and run by two amazingly helpful brothers as a family business. They have a very loyal customer base - when I was there recently, they had a regular from Canada buying a pair of desert boots. If they haven't got an item in stock, they will order it in and call you when it's in, but they equally won't pressure you if you decide against a purchase. They'll also give you honest advice if you ask for it - they know their stock. The rise of the internet has seen the death of many traditional army surplus and camping shops, but Waterloo Camping is a one of survivors. If you want excellent value, traditional army surplus gear (and more besides), this is the place to go.

I also found it a good shop with a friendly proprietor, lots of action in a very cramped space full…read moreof interesting stuff (lady from Young Vic across the road was stocking up on props) at good prices and excellent good quality. Got my son a great trenchcoat much better quality, warmth and price than Oxford St and he was fascinated by gasmasks, etc.

Montain Trek and Travel is based at the top of North Street within Guildford town centre. This shop…read moreis ideal for someone about to go back packing, camping, travelling or skiiing. There is a great range of equipment suited to numerous outdoor activites and from what I've seen the equipment and clothing is available year round. Although they may not stock as wide a variety of items when compared to some of the larger retailers. Having said that what this shop excels in is the personal touch and the shop assisstants are really knowledgable about the products sold. In my opinion it is worth visiting this outdoor pusuits store over others as you will receive great advice and service to meet your own specific needs.

This is a great store. I was forced to buy a whole bunch of outdoor equipment for hiking on my…read moreEuropean trip when my luggage was lost. The owner was kind and thoughtful and spent a significant amount of time with me going through all the options and helping me balance my desire to get good equipment without breaking the bank. I cannot imagine going to a chain store when you could shop here and get very personal service as well as having access to a good selection of high-quality products.

Brilliant! It was my first time visiting and Yusef and Tarran provided an exceptionally…read moreprofessional, friendly and knowledgeable service. Their attention to detail and personal touch is exemplary and cannot be found in the larger chain shops. They took fantastic care of me and have gained a customer for life.