Shopping in London?

[Erbswurst]

Which outdoor shops and especially little or larger military surplus shops in London do you recommend?

Where are the knife sharpeners, best shoe makers and cutters with leather sewing machines and experiance in sewing Cordura nylon?

Tell us about, what kind of stuff they sell, where they are hidden and set us the links to theyr homepages and internet shops if possible!

Where in the area can I rent a canoe or other stuff to try it out?

Do some shops regularly organise events where one can look at theyr tent offers and play with the stuff?

Where are the best touristic camping grounds of the area wich look like a wild camping place because they are pretty empty in Spring and Autumn?

 

[Woody girl]

I'm not sure that London has any campgrounds. It's a city!
There is a camping place at crystal palace but I think it's more for caravans and motor homes.
Best thing to do is Google campsites near tube stations London. .
There are plenty of travel lodge etc that may well be cheaper than a London campsite. Most sites will be an hour or more drive away in Surrey or the surrounding counties
There are plenty of youth hostels.

 

[Erbswurst]

Most towns in France and Germany I visited have nice camping grounds not very far away.
Usually we don't think about such options, because we wouldn't surch it. But they usually exist. In Hamburg, in Berlin, nearly everywhere...

But of course I mean camping grounds half an hour away from London.

 

[Woody girl]

I'd look for campgrounds in the surrounding counties such as surrey or Essex
I live the other end of the country on the moors so I'm not realy much help I'm afraid.
I don't go to London at all. So I don't realy have any real info. Too many people and too much noise and trafficfor me.
I'm not even a town type let alone a city!
Are you thinking of visiting the UK?

 

[Broch]

There are plenty of campsites around London - between 15 and 30 mins out by train. Here are a few run by the CCC.

15+ Campsites in London 2025 from £6.30 p/n

Find the best spots to pitch up your tent or park your caravan in our list of campsites near London. Find new things to do and explore the great capital.

www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk

 

[Broch]

You get your normal high street outdoor shops as in every town/city in the UK but London still has some of the more traditional outfitters such as Farlows (going since 1840 I think) - but they tend towards hunting and game fishing

About Farlows Stores - Opening Hours - Farlows

Discover what the Farlows store offers you in the heart of the city, along with details of our exact location and other important contact information.

www.farlows.co.uk

 

[Jared]

https://www.silvermans.co.uk/ are in London

 

[oldtimer]

I always feel embarrassed when European friends ask this question because we do not have the network of sites that is common in France, for example. The Camping Club list of sites to which Broch refers is the best, but you will find that all sites listed will involve a train journey into London. www.campingandcaravanclub.co.uk may be a good place to help with your research. They also advertise commercial shows where a lot of firms demonstrate their ranges.

I agree with Jared that Silverman's is worth a visit and there are outlets of several major firms such as Blacks and Cotswolds nearby. But how much do you really want to go to London? Outdoor shops are much more plentiful nearer areas in which the kit gets used, such as the Lake District, Derbyshire and North Wales. These areas also have the benefit of a wider choice of places to camp. They are also the places where you are more likely to find displays of equipment set ups. University cities also tend to have fairly good camping shops because of the numbers of students needing equipment for expeditions. Oxford, near to which I live now, and Cambridge, where I used to live, are better served by outdoor shops than London and they also have country pursuits shops, shoe makers, leather goods makers and traditional gentlemens's outfitters if you are rich.

 

[jimbo75]

London isn't that great for outdoors stuff.
However, if you are determined to visit... you could try Lea Valley campsite (i had a german friend camp there before).
It's not too far from the Bushcraft Store in Enfield (highly recommended) if you have a car/camper van.
It is also close to Epping Forest for walks etc.
Public transport would be an issue. Also local shops etc would require your own transport.

Hope this helps.

 

[Erbswurst]

I have an own interest to visit Britain, as I just visited England round about 35 years ago. My agency thinks about organising classic concerts in Britain and in this case I would go there to hang up the posters in shops. And everywhere I go I look into outdoor shops and especially look what military surplus shops offer.
Here and there I find outstanding good handcrafters and usually regret, that I didn't plan in more time to visit them.

I currently have less to do, because we cancelled most of our concerts and I use the time to prepare myself for the next years.

And especially I ask now, because @Wushuplayer , who is a greenhorn, wants to get started with bushcraft and lives in London. I recommended him a lot of grade 1 stuff from Endicotts and Solognac clothing I use myself since years, that he gets a well working relatively cheap equipment system together, but a few things like good boots, Socks or a compass he needs to buy directly in a good outdoors shop which sells currently produced civil equipment, especially because he isn't so tall and needs some lightweight equipment too.

That's why I ask the questions here now, which interest myself in the long run too.

For a beginner it's not so easy to ask the right questions.

And I know from Berlin, which is smaller than London, that nearly nobody knows all the hidden shops in this town...

 

[fenix]

Depends how you categorise London, most of us down south class anything inside the M25 as London. For the type of stuff your after your probably better off being out of London and using the train to get in, or head to other towns and cities. If you want to canoe the Medway is easy and you can hire or visit shops if your around Tonbridge. Think there is a bushcraft place in Penshurst now, also a bushcfat type place doing SUP, canoe, kayak hire, possibly you can ask them about camping. It would be about 35mins into London using the train.

Canoes, kayaks and accessories - buy online from our Kent based shop | Kent Canoes

Kent Canoes is one the UKs leading canoe and kayak shops supplying a wide range of boats and accessories for all pursuits. Whether you are looking for something to get started or for more advanced performance equipment we stock it all in our Kent based shop and warehouse.

www.kentcanoes.co.uk

https://www.thebushcraftcompany.com/centres/penshurst-place

www.epiclife.co.uk | Water sports and activities

www.epiclife.co.uk

Kit Monster

High-quality military, survival and outdoor kit and equipment for professional users sourced from government and commercial suppliers.

www.kitmonster.co.uk

Campsite Information - Stay - The Hop Farm

Campsite Information at the Hop Farm in Kent

thehopfarm.co.uk

Camping

The Marlin site is available for wild camping throughout the year as part of the Medway Canoe trail or just for a quite night by the river for individuals or groups. After a hard days paddling why …

whitewateraction.co.uk

 

[Wushuplayer]

Haha, for the info guys.

Has anybody joined https://nearlywildcamping.org/ as a member and what was your experience?

Erb is slowly getting me kitted out so I will be able to double in the next Rambo movie!

 

[C_Claycomb]

The Bushcraft Store, inside the M25

The Bushcraft Store

We can be contacted by many different methods Pay us a visit at BDU Imports Ltd The Bushcraft Store Culver Nurseries Cattlegate Road Enfield

www.thebushcraftstore.co.uk

Covent Garden has a concentration of outdoor shops:
Cotswold Outdoors, Mountain Warehouse (yuck), Ellis Brigham (good), The North Face, Field and Trek, then a bit further north, Rohan and Snow and Rock.

 

[fenix]

The Bushcraft Store, inside the M25

The Bushcraft Store

We can be contacted by many different methods Pay us a visit at BDU Imports Ltd The Bushcraft Store Culver Nurseries Cattlegate Road Enfield

www.thebushcraftstore.co.uk

Covent Garden has a concentration of outdoor shops:
Cotswold Outdoors, Mountain Warehouse (yuck), Ellis Brigham (good), The North Face, Field and Trek, then a bit further north, Rohan and Snow and Rock.

Paramo just around the corner as well

 

[C_Claycomb]

I would not call Marylebone just around the corner from Covent Garden. Not like it was when they had a shop on Henrietta Street.

 

[fenix]

I would not call Marylebone just around the corner from Covent Garden. Not like it was when they had a shop on Henrietta Street.

Wasnt aware they had shifted, thats a shame.

 

[C_Claycomb]

Indeed. I loved stopping in and browsing around when I was in that area. To be honest, I had thought Paramo had moved further away, outside the convenient tube network, but I checked the map and it is very doable in the same day, just not so easy for a quick look in.

While I love my Paramo gear, they are expensive and really only do clothes. For someone starting out their gear can be a steep investment.

 

[Laurentius]

Oh I dunno, it has never been the same since Laurence Corner closed, and there was that shop next to Euston Station wasn't there?

 

[Erbswurst]

Where can one try on Altberg, Meindl, Lowa, Hanwag, Haix hiking boots or similar quality boots?

Is anywhere in a reasonable distance an orthopedic shoemaker master who offers custom made all leather middle heavy quality hiking boots in individual measures? If yes, what do they cost round about?

 

[Laurentius]

[QUOTE="

Covent Garden has a concentration of outdoor shops:
Cotswold Outdoors, Mountain Warehouse (yuck), Ellis Brigham (good), The North Face, Field and Trek, then a bit further north, Rohan and Snow and Rock.
[/QUOTE]
They do and if you are into vintage Rokit is not far away.