Outfitter in Seoul

[Blake]

Hi,

I also need to know a good outfitter store in Seoul, preferably around Itaewon or another central location. I'm looking for something like Mountain Equipment Co-op...

Specifically we need:

1. dried food/ration-type food
2. fuel canisters for cooking

Thanks,
Dylan

[Eric]

There really isn't anything like MEC here in Korea. Most of the stores
are small and jam packed with gear. Some of the gear is good and some
is cheap. If you are looking for imported gear (ie. Arc Teryx, North Face, Black Diamond, Petzl, etc...) be ready to spend MUCH more than you would at MEC.

Nam Dae Mun and Dong Dae Mun markets have climbing and camping supplies. I am not too familiar with Seoul so I can't say how close they are too Itaewon. There is a North Face store in Itaewon but it's a lot more expensive than back home.

I have never seen the dried food/ration-type food made specifically for camping in korea. But you have a lot of options at most grocery stores.
You can try ramen, dried soups, rice, spaghetti. You can also find curry and other sauces in small packets which you boil. Throw that on some rice and you have a really good camping meal. Also, you are never very far from a supermarket. So if you are camping in Bukhansan, a 1-2 hour hike tops should get you to a store.

As far as cooking goes, most koreans use the small canisters that screw on to a burner. You can buy the burners here for super cheap (about 20USD). The gas canisters are cheap as well. Also, if you have an MSR stove or something like that you can find white gas here, though you may have to go to a few shops before you find it.

Koreans love to cook big meals when out climbing so you shouldn't have any problems getting the things you need to feed yourself out in the woods.

Good luck!
eric

[Eric]

Topic moved to General Chat.