An intimate camping goods store with a varied selection of equipment and clothes. Not as big as some outdoor stores, but it has what you'll need to traipse around here. Really, how many of us are going to climb Everest?! The sales staff actually know their merchandise and what they're talking about. That's refreshing. read more

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As a sports equipment and clothing store, I think they're overpriced. In their defense, they're a small, boutique store and can't compete with the prices of large, corporate stores or online retailers. I wish I could afford to support smaller stores like this, but I only have so much money to spend on gear. The rest is spent on play! I will keep coming back to Mountain Tops for their kayak rentals. Living in NYC, I do have to make the trek upstate for my outdoor activities. I hike and camp in the Hudson highlands and now kayaking will be added to the list as a regular activities. Mountain Tops makes it too easy! My first experience with them was last year. My boyfriend and I booked a kayaking tour to Bannerman's Island, which included an on-island tour. Neither of us had ever kayaked, but after a quick tutorial we were on our way, with their guides nearby, of course. The guides are great (well, they were great that day) and they have comparable prices. Now that we know what to do, we go straight to the waterfront and rent out kayaks for the day so that we could paddle the river and pull up on random little shores to explore. It's an affordable and easily accessible activity. Tours need to be booked online or at the actual store location on Main Street. Kayak rentals can be done at the waterfront, depending on availability. And yes, you can use your card at the waterfront! I do wish they had later hours. Imagine kayaking in a sunset...oh! read more

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Mountain Top has an excellent selection of all sorts of hiking and outdoor gear. Especially extensive are their selection of socks and shoes. The staff members are very helpful. Prices are competitive with online retailers and yes, it's a good feeling to know you're supporting your local shop. Stick with Mountain Tops--they're the cat's pajamas! read more

I bought Bogs winter boots at Mountain Tops just before the ice storm and they are perfect! They are light-weight, warm, easy on and off , and are the only adorable items in the clump of winter gear I shed after polar dog walks. The soles are ridged and safely grip everything but ice sheets. The display at Mountain Tops made it easy to compare items and spot what I wanted. They had my size and I wore them home. This has been the best winter for toes. I lounge around in the faux fur slippers my daughter bought there as a Christmas present. They are as warm as the boots and go better with hot toddies and Wordle. Cheers, Mountain Tops! read more

Below is a review of Mountain Tops Outfitters's retail store based on the three criteria that drive most of my purchases. For a review of MTO's kayak rental services, see paragraphs five and six. Product Selection: There are times when having "Earth's biggest selection" at your fingertips has its appeal. Maybe you're looking for an obscure volume on lepidopterology published fifteen years ago, in which case it helps to have said selection. Most of the time though, I have neither the time nor the desire to deal with the choice and information overload that comes with a seemingly limitless selection. Accordingly, I really value MTO's curatorial expertise. They carry top-quality brands and usually have a few different models to appeal to different market segments (i.e. budget-conscious, technically demanding, etc.). They also have a nice selection from niche brands that can be difficult to find around this area (i.e. Fjällräven, Patagonia, etc.). Price: I have made over a dozen purchases here, most of which have been between 5-10% lower than MSRP to MSRP. That said, I have also snagged some awesome deals when the stars aligned and what I happened to be looking for also happened to be on sale. Pro Tip: MTO has some pretty sweet sales throughout the year and it would behoove the price-sensitive consumer to follow their Facebook page and scope out the in-store sales racks. (i.e. Last week, I saw some highly-rated Brooks trail running shoes marked down ~50% from MSRP, substantially lower than anywhere else I have seen, including the Internets.) Service: The owners are really nice, very chill, and clearly love the outdoors. They know a lot about their products and the area. I have never felt pressured to make a purchase or felt as if I was receiving a sales pitch. From product advice to recommendations for a great hike, I would not hesitate to ask these folks! Interested in MTO's kayak rentals? I have rented kayaks from MTO for the past few summers and the ease of renting from MTO (helpful, friendly staff) and the convenience of launching off of Long Dock Park (no car or roof rack necessary!) cannot be beat. For those coming from the city without access to a car, Metro-North Railroad, Beacon's Main Street, Dia art museum, and Dennings Point (trails) are all within walking distance, making this an ideal spot to go kayaking if you are also interested in doing something else that day. In terms of price, I benchmarked MTO against five competitors that also rent kayaks on the Hudson. For 1- to 3-hour rentals of single-person kayaks, prices were similar across the six companies. For rentals longer than 3 hours, MTO was either comparable to or substantially lower than their competitors (i.e. ~40%). For tandem kayaks, MTO was about 17% to 50% less than their competitors, depending on the duration of the rental. (Price data from May 2014.) Although I certainly appreciate the benefits of shopping local (i.e. support the local community, local sales tax stays in the area, potentially smaller footprint, etc.), I have found that the best places to shop are not simply the local ones but rather the ones that are competitive on many different fronts. These places expertly manage the tension that naturally exists among the many different--and sometimes diametrically opposed--criteria of the majority of its consumers. Bottom line: I like MTO because they do a lot of important things well. read more

This is a great place for both the new and experienced adventurer. A great selection of gear at surprisingly good prices and an amazingly friendly and knowledgeable staff. If you are in the area this is place to go! read more

three friends and i hopped on the metro north line saturday morning to kayak on the hudson from beacon, ny to pollepel island/bannerman's castle. we had made arrangements with mountain tops outfitters a few weeks in advance and they were extremely helpful and friendly over the phone. the day of, we received a call from them to see if we would need any bottled water (free of charge) and to confirm that they would meet us at the train station. a friend didn't bring a swim suit/boardshorts and our tour guide ray kindly lent him an extra pair of boardshorts. after a brief but helpful lesson on kayaking we head out onto the hudson. it was a gorgeous day and we had a neat tour of the property of bannerman's castle which is closed to the public. currently you can only legally walk around the island with a tour group. our day in beacon was about six hours long and it will definitely be one of the more memorable adventures of summer '09. hoping to make it back for another tour and camping this fall or next summer. read more

Mountain Tops Outfitters - kayaking on the hudson to bannerman's castle - Sporting Goods Near Me - Beacon, New York

Katie has always been helpful to my boyfriend and myself. We've purchased quite a few items from here and are happy with the products and still in use. What I LOVE the most, is that our WGSD dog participates in most of our activities, and they have EXACTLY what I need and want for my dogs safety. I've bought life vests, and other equipment for our dog from the big chain pet stores, but ended up donated the items, feeling as if the life vest (one example) didn't have enough padding to support his weight and keep his head and neck high enough above water. Searching the Internet for good quality equipment for my dog, I came across Ruff Wear, and the only store that sold it was here, and that's how I discovered and remained a customer to this shop for my boyfriend, my dog, and myself. If you're shopping for your dog, let me just warn you that the equipment is on the steep side, but go to the website, read up on the product, and view the stuff yourself. It's AWESOME quality, with great features. If your dog's life and safety mean anything to you...then the price is worth it - trust me! Best of all - it's sold right here. If there's anything you're looking for, any particular items, discuss it with Katie. She's great with taking your phone number down and placing an order for you. She can pretty much tell you the ETA on the item. I've recommended active friends to shop here. They seemed pleased. I love that Katie doesn't try to push up on us to buy anything in particular, especially expensive items to try to make money. She makes sure that you're pleased with your purchase and is VERY honest about her products. She, herself is active and gets to try out her own merchandise. She's very knowledgeable about everything in her shop and will tell you the pros and cons about a product and will give you a good comparison with another product. She also does kayak tours. Can't get any better than that! HEAD UPS: she offers military discounts. Maybe law enforcement as well. read more

Great gear at great prices. Nice and knowledgable. Will order what you need if they don't have it, and it comes when they say it will! I have saved so much time and money NOT buying online, seriously. read more

I went into this store last week with my children and experienced the same snobbish, stand-offish customer service that I've received at other mom-and-pop outdoors stores. I'm not certain who these folks (as a general class of business) are catering to, but if you aren't the owner's best friend or aren't prepared to shell-out loads of money for outlandishly priced clothing and gear (see below), then you're out of luck for getting any respectable amount of attention. My experience: I asked about whether it was possible to custom order climbing gear because I would rather support local businesses rather than big-box stores (REI, etc.), I got this indifferent response from what I guess is one of the co-owners: ' yeah, well, sure, if you want to do that, that's fine by us.' Well, if you're not interested in my business, then I'll find someone else who wants my several hundred dollar order. Furthermore, nearly half the items in the store do not have price tags, and if they don't, I'm left to assume that the MSRP is the price given that when I asked about a head lamp price, the same woman mentioned above only pointed to the label on the display, which was the MSRP. Ok, so am I to assume that if the prices aren't prominently displayed that I should look for the MSRP? Sadly enough, this store had a mildly adequate assortment of gear and clothing for the yuppy urbanite-turned-outdoors-guru. If you can afford MSRP on outdoor clothing and don't mind being treated worse than the 2 mutts walking around the store, then by all means, support this local store; I'm looking elsewhere... read more

Great little store in Beacon with everything you need for a hike or day by the river. Chris from the Inn & Spa Beacon told us he shops there and they could probably help us out. We needed socks, bug spray and water bottles for our unplanned hikes while visiting. Chris recommended Ben's for the bug spray and it worked really well, no bites. The socks were pricey but comfy. Sometimes it costs more to shop small but i'm OK with that. Right across the street from our Hotel too read more

Fellow Americans, Mountain Tops is what liberty is all about. Rent a kayak and paddle wherever the strength of your arms can take you. Tours if you want, freedom if you don't, and real kayaks. Hop a train, get out of the City, and forget about Wall Street for a day. At Beacon, there is hardly a current some days. Paddle downstream or up as far as you think you can and still make it back. Madam Brett Mill Park was the highlight of my most recent trip. Last time, Bannerman's Island. Or, head upstream toward Wappingers Falls. New this year, Mountain Tops has a convenient stand on the Long Dock Park waterfront, just steps from the train. The incomparable Ms. Kendra will send you on your voyage. When you return, if she's about on her stand-up paddleboard, you won't mind waiting -- and watching! It does not get any better than this. Life is good. read more

My friend and I had a wonderful time paddling on the Hudson. It was truly joyous and the ease of renting a kayak and taking off into the wild blue yonder was fantastic. We rented two kayaks for two hours and next time, we will probably do longer so we can beach it and have a picnic. Totally fun. Thanks! read more

Great fun! After hitting the DIA in the morning we took a quick 10 minute stroll to the kayak launch spot on the Hudson. The very helpful owner Katie met us down there. We packed up our tandem boat with a picnic lunch and launched. Even though the Hudson is not the easiest kayak trip I taken (think more ocean style than lake), it was great fun. We headed south and passed a few places and finally pulled the boat ashore to have our lunch. It was secluded and quiet. A nice escape from NYC. This is a great addition to a day trip that is one and half hours from Grand Central on a $13 round trip ticket. Fully recommended. Add in a trip to the DIA and dinner at Cafe Amarcord you have an amazing date. My wife and I chalked it up to one of the best summer days of 2009. The boat launch spot is about a 5 minute walk south of the station, on the ocean side in a really nice park. Thanks MTO! read more

Great shop in Beacon! Buddy and Katie have a wonderful selection of outdoor wear and equipment. I recommend their kayak rentals to all of my guests. Roger Greenwald, Owner, The Inn And Spa At Beacon read more

I live in Beacon and I shop here as often as possible. I am often surprised at what I will find here - blocks for mounting my canoe atop the car, ratcheting straps, snakebite kits, flashlights, rope, Vibram five-fingers, lip-balm, and so on. While this is not Dicks or EMS, it is always my favorite and first stop for outdoor stuff. My wife loves to get her yoga clothes here and finds their prices to be great. For anyone travelling here from NYC or elswhere, this is the place to stop for hiking maps, kayaking and other general outdoor information. They don't have everything (Tents? no... not yet anyway). This is not to mention how friendly and wonderful the proprietors, Katy and Buddy are. They and their staff are always cheerful, helpful, and very knowledgeable. I have never had a bad experience at this store. They've even got two dogs ready to greet you when you walk in. Moreover, this is area of Beacon is a great stop just to see what's going on in town - right across the street is Bank Square Coffee house where you can get a cup and hang out. read more

I like this place, although it is overpriced. But I'd always rather give my money to a local shop over the EMS-like chains. The selection can be limited, but always rotating. And anywhere with dogs in the store is good in my book. read more

I rented a kayak here last weekend, and it was great! It was very easy to make the reservation, and they were ready when we arrived at the dock. I also really like that they have a MetroNorth package; if you're coming on the train, definitely take advantage of it! read more

Thank you for your help Katie my husband was very warm today, I was in one of the larger sporting goods store and was overwhelmed and left with nothing , it took me 10 min to get what I need from MTN. Tops read more

Thank you Katie for your help after a bit of a hiccup with our reservation. In our party of 6, 5 of us were kayaking for the first time, and the day turned out splendid. Thanks again. It was great and fun! read more

I live in the area and have been here many times and also sent people here to get their fivefinger shoes. The owners are very friendly and even though it took me 2 hours to get new shoes, clothes, and even a book, I never felt rushed. Their prices for the fivefinger shoes were the same as every other store. They are very knowledgeable about every product and even checked to see if different colors were coming in. read more

A great shop with a nice selection. Yeah, some of the stock is pricey but that's the nature of the well-made clothing and footwear lines they carry. It doesn't get any better in the big chains. Not only is this place local to me but I can support a mom and pop instead of a chain by shopping here. They do have great sales where I have really scored items on the cheap. The two mellow dogs that hang out in the store add to the good vibe. read more

Excellent service, wonderful owners and great gear. It's so nice to walk into a store and be greeted by two black labs and the owners know your name. I hate shopping in malls and chains but love this place. read more