16th Anniversary Sale!

CC Outdoor Store is turning 16!  We've been in Waterbury, Vermont for the last 6 years, but got our start in Boulder, CO back in 1999.  We operate our on-line business and retail store from the same building, but utilize partners around the country to help fill on-line orders. We'd love for you to come visit and celebrate with us.  

You'll SAVE 20% store-wide and can enter our raffle to win free gear.  You could win a new pair of leather Renegade Mid hiking boots from Lowa or a pair of Zamberlan Airound trail shoes with Gore-Tex's new 360° waterproof, breathable Surround system.  We also have some apparel including Darn Tough Socks to raffle off.  We have lots of door prizes!  Stop by to check out all our new shoes and camping gear.  (We just starting carrying Salomon shoes and Marmot rainwear.)  

Come check out our new brands and stock up for that upcoming trip.  Or just come to check out Waterbury's new roundabout and newly paved RT 2.  

LOCATION:  Twin Silos, 438 US RT 2,  .7 miles west of the roundabout.  

HOURS: Mon-Sat from 9:30-5:30.  Sunday we’ll be open from 11-4.   

SALE ENDS: Sunday, 4/12. 

If you can make it down in person you can still order on-line and SAVE 20%.  Just use Coupon Code Sweet16.   And if you want to enter the raffle just leave us your email address in a comment on this post and we'll create an entry for you!  

Josh Howell Joins the CC Team!

CC Outdoor Store welcomes Josh Howell! 

CC Outdoor Store announced today that Josh Howell has joined its management team.  Howell will lead on a redesign of CC Outdoors’ retail store and work closely with owners Reed and Maureen McCracken.

Josh is a dedicated outdoorsman.  He is a certified EMT-B, Wilderness First Responder, and ACA Whitewater Kayak instructor.   He has guided, climbed and skied in Alaska, Washington, Colorado, Wyoming, California, Utah, New Hampshire, and of course Vermont.  He also backpacked across the United States on the American Discovery Trail from Delaware to California promoting healthy, peaceful, simple living in support of the Alzheimer's Association.

Josh also brings 18 years of retail and management experience in outdoor retail as well as more recently at Waterbury’s own Keurig Green Mountain Coffee Visitor Center & Café and the former Factory Outlet.

 “Josh’s passion for the outdoors is obvious.  His depth of experience will help make CC Outdoor Store even more of a destination shopping experience for outdoor lovers.” said Reed McCracken, co-owner of CC Outdoor Store.  “We expect Josh to be instrumental in helping us implement exciting plans in 2015,” he added.  CC Outdoor Store plans to expand and renovate its storefront at 438 US Route 2 and expand into trail running and outdoor apparel in the coming calendar year.  Josh lives in Waitsfield with his wife Lisa, son Benn, and two Labs.  

Wild Opens December 5th!

Honestly when I finished Cheryl Strayed's Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail I wouldn't have picked it to get its own movie.  But Reese Witherspoon thought differently and starting this Friday we all get the treat of watching the Oscar winning actress bring Cheryl Strayed's WILD to life on the silver screen.  Hopefully a week from now I'll be entertaining you with my review of the movie.

I pretty much like any backpacking movie so I may not be the best judge to rely on, but Rotten Tomatoes is giving Reese Witherspoon's Wild a 89% rating.  Given that the subject matter is not going to excite the masses these are pretty high marks.  As a fan of  Witherspoon's memorable performance in Walk the Line, I'm really hopeful. Some critics have already made this comparison so we could be in store for a Best Actress caliber performance.  

I think drama lovers will love Strayed's intense personal backstory.  But outfitters like me are going to be vicariously enjoying the challenges of a PCT thru-hike.  Although she only finished 1100 miles, many thru-hikers have had the same fate of needing to bypass the wintery conditions of the High Sierra in high snow pack years.  Cheryl Strayed definitely shows us that it doesn't take a ton of preparation--or even the right gear--to step off and live big.   A movie like this has the potential to inspire more folks to find solace in prolonged outdoors adventures to our country's great wild places.

I really want to compare Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild to Strayed/Witherspoon's Wild, but I'll save that for a later review.  (Or maybe wait at least until I see what Witherspoon has in store.)  The obvious difference is that Chris McCandless' battles with his personal demons ultimately led to his tragic death in the wilderness of Alaska.   Strayed's story of torment leads to personal triumph and an impressive achievement.

How do I win in 104.7 FM The Point's Great Great Giveaway?

All you have to do is tune in to 104.7 THE POINT during the month of November and listen for the sound of the gift being unwrapped.  Then be 7th caller at 1-877-FM-POINT to qualify for the Great Gift Giveaway prize drawing.  Each day a gift worth over $350 will be awarded to one lucky listener.  Today-Friday, Novermber 21st is CC Outdoor Store's day to give away a pair of Black Diamond Cayenne Heated Gloves.

How do Black Diamond Cayenne Heated Gloves work exactly?   Three features will keep your fingers warm.  

First and most impressive is the rechargeable Therm-ic heating system that operates off a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery and has 3 heat settings.  The Black Diamond Cayenne lets you dial in the perfect amount of warmth. 

Second, a waterproof and breathable GORE-TEX XCR insert seals out snow and moisture, making these gloves 100% waterproof and 100% breathable.  (Comes with the Gore-Tex guarantee.

Third, is Cayenne's PrimaLoft One insulation to keep the warmth in...or to work alone on warmer days.  142g of of insulation combined with a woven nylon stretch shell and goat leather palms will protect you from the weather.  

The Cayenne comes with a universal adapter so you can plug these into any wall socket worldwide.  

Come find the Cayenne on clearance sale at CC before they're gone.  

Can Zamberlan 760 Steeps Still Be Purchased?

The 2010 and 2011 Backpacker Magazine Editor's Choice Zamberlan 760 Steep has been discontinued. We only have a men's 9.5 and a women's 10 left in stock. There might be a few more out there, but worry not, Zamberlan has replaced them with a new boot, built on the same last, called the 750 Route.

Like the Steep, Zamberlan designed the Route to give superlative comfort to long-distance trekkers and backpackers. The boots, handmade in Italy, feature Gore-Tex waterproofing, a Vibram sole, and are comprised of leather and waxed suede to ensure durability and protection for expeditions of all kinds.

We just received our shipment, and as sad as we were to see the Steeps go, we're just as psyched to be able to hook people up with a pair of these awesome new Zamberlan Routes.

Are your old, beaten boots causing your feet or back to hurt? Have you been putting off replacing them? If you're answering yes, you deserve a pair of the 750 Routes.

See you soon!!

"Should I Buy a Sleeping Pad with Horizontal or Vertical Baffles?"

That's a great question, and to answer it accurately, we have to ask you one more question. Will you be sleeping in a tent or hammock?  If you predominantly sleep in a tent, according to the research and testing I recently completed, I don't think you can make a wrong decision here. If you answered "hammock," skip the next two paragraphs (What is this, a choose your own adventure blog?).

It's true that in the past vertical-baffled sleeping pads were known to "taco," leaving the wannabe sleeper wedged or worse, too close to the edge and rolling off the pad. Big Agnes has taken that feedback to make improvements upon their popular Air Core and Insulated Air Core sleeping pads. I literally just got off of one, and the new design features a berm around the pad's perimeter which effectively cradles sleepers and largely reduces any issues with tex-mex cuisine. It also felt as if the vertical baffles gave alignment to my body as I laid on my back.  Plus, vertical baffles allow the pad to slide into Big Agnes sleeping bag sleeves better than pads with horizontal baffles.  .

Sleeping on ground with a horizontal-baffled pad is also a go. A few moments ago, I was atop Nemo's new Astro Air (nearly identical to the Astro Air Lite and Astro Air Insulated), and I enjoyed the level of comfort achieved from the contouring feeling which horizontal baffles give. The big benefit of this type of construction is its side-to-side stability.  The top baffle is also enlarged, to provide sleepers with a instant pillow.

If you mostly like to sleep in a hammock, that settles it; you want a sleeping pad with horizontal baffles. It alleviates any feeling of constriction by spreading out the material horizontally, rather than being wrapped up like an eggroll. Hammocks alone are rather comfortable, but when a sleeping pad featuring horizontal baffles is brought into the equation, the comfort level skyrockets (IMHO). It morphs regular hammocks from a floating coffin-esque sleep station to a hovering cocoon of cushion.

All in all, technology and gear companies are advancing at a rate which gives benefits to backpackers and campers they could've never dreamed of decades ago. You really can't go wrong nowadays.

But you can still come by and test them out for yourself :)

Win a Rafting Trip for Four, Courtesy of The Point

Want to experience some unforgettable recreation? Then stop by CCOutdoorStore.com soon, because the generous folks at 104.7 The Point have a sweepstakes going that any outdoors-oriented person would be glad to win.

Entries can be made until July 13th to win and bring three friends on a free white water rafting trip at Northern Outdoors, along the Kennebec River in Maine. The package also includes two nights in a deluxe cabin.

Independent Radio has designated six places where entries can be submitted, and CCOutdoorStore is (our favorite) one of them. A single finalist will be chosen from each entry box, and then from the finalists, one ultimate winner will be selected. The effort it takes to enroll in the contest multiplied by luck could equal an extraordinary experience!!

The entry box is smack-dab between our expansive hiking boot section and our Julbo and Native Sunglasses display.

Here's a video Northern Outdoors published about a month ago; it looks pretty sweet:

See you at CC!