For all those potential campers, hikers, alpinists and mountain bikers living in Moscow and fantasizing about fresh air, exercise and nature, a day spent browsing in some of the city's outdoor equipment shops can be very tempting.
The Putnik store on Ukrainsky Bulvar may not be on a par with Western outdoor shops, but it is affordable, and the service is friendly. For less than $100 you can buy all the basic equipment for a weekend camping trip in the woods.
Sleeping bags made out of synthetic material cost between 47,000 and 50,000 rubles ($23.50 and $25). A Russian-made "Tour SK" internal-frame backpack costs 38,000 rubles for a 60-liter capacity and 82,000 for a 90-liter pack. Sleeping mats are a bargain at 6,500 rubles, and a two-person tent costs 53,900. The Russian-made camping equipment is sturdy and made out of good-quality materials in Moscow or St. Petersburg. It is slightly heavier than Western-made outdoor equipment.For nighttime temperatures, a pile jacket for 96,000 rubles and pile trousers for between 50,000 and 108,000 will keep most campers warm and happy.
If the favorite backpack is a little the worse for wear and in need of minor repair, Putnik also sells webbing, zips and thread to mend holes and attach new straps. And for the truly resourceful camper who has a sewing machine at home, South Korean tent material in on sale for 5,300 rubles a meter.
Topographical maps to help find the most direct route to the nearest watering hole in the Pamirs and Russian hinterlands are reasonably priced at 3,540 rubles. And if the sound of tweeting birds at dawn is not sufficient, Putnik has a large choice of Russian bard music for 3,000 rubles.
For more adventurous types with 25,000 rubles to spare, Putnik also has a parachute -- no instructions provided -- in stock. Another branch of Putnik, on Ulitsa Narodnogo Opolcheniya, has an even wider selection.
Alpindustriya on Izmailovskaya Ploshchad specializes in rock-climbing and alpinist equipment. Ice axes start at $20, carabineers are $4-7 and rope between 50 and 80 cents per meter. And a Baksan alpinist rucksack to carry everything costs $58. Payment is in the ruble equivalent of dollar prices.
The shop has a much larger selection of Russian backpacks for about the same prices as Putnik. There are also Solewa packs made in the United States, the most expensive of which, with a capacity of 70-80 liters, costs $100.
Alpindustriya also has a wide selection of imported supplies, with an American-made two-person tent for $345, and sleeping mats for $20 -- three times more expensive than the Russian version. Italian hiking boots cost between $165 and $250. But the sleeping bags are all Russian, and start at between $40 and $50 for synthetic filling, and go up to $117 for down-filled versions.
The Ertsog camping shop on Suvorovsky Bulvar prides itself on its selection of mountain bikes. American-made GT bikes, with gears for every possible type of terrain that an enthusiastic cyclist could desire, run between $500 and $2,000. Czechoslovakian-made bicycles are considerably cheaper at $230. Payment here is also in rubles.
Most supplies for water sports can be found at Ertsog. Goggles for 10,500 rubles are available, as are snorkels and masks for 11,800 rubles, airbeds for 34,000, a windsurfer for $600, and windsurfing costumes for between $50 and $350.
?Putnik, 8 Ukrainsky Bulvar, is open Monday to Friday from 10:20 A.M. to 8 P.M. and Saturday from 10 A.M. to 6 P.M., with a daily break from 2 to 3 P.M. Tel. 943-6797. Nearest metro: Kievskaya. The branch store, at 38 Ulitsa Narodnogo Opolcheniya, has the same hours. Tel. 943-6797. Nearest metro: Oktyabrskoye Polye.
?Alpindustriya, 1 Izmailovskaya Ploshchad, is open Monday through Friday from 10 A.M. to 7 P.M. and on Saturday from 11 A.M. to 6 P.M., with a 2-3 P.M. daily break. Tel. 165-0429. Nearest metro: Izmailovskaya.
?Ertsog, 25 Suvorovsky Bulvar, is open from 11 A.M. to 7 P.M. Monday to Friday with a break from 2 to 3 P.M., and from 11 A.M. to 3 P.M. on Saturday. Tel. 290-5513. Nearest metro: Arbatskaya.
The Putnik store on Ukrainsky Bulvar may not be on a par with Western outdoor shops, but it is affordable, and the service is friendly. For less than $100 you can buy all the basic equipment for a weekend camping trip in the woods.
Sleeping bags made out of synthetic material cost between 47,000 and 50,000 rubles ($23.50 and $25). A Russian-made "Tour SK" internal-frame backpack costs 38,000 rubles for a 60-liter capacity and 82,000 for a 90-liter pack. Sleeping mats are a bargain at 6,500 rubles, and a two-person tent costs 53,900. The Russian-made camping equipment is sturdy and made out of good-quality materials in Moscow or St. Petersburg. It is slightly heavier than Western-made outdoor equipment.For nighttime temperatures, a pile jacket for 96,000 rubles and pile trousers for between 50,000 and 108,000 will keep most campers warm and happy.
If the favorite backpack is a little the worse for wear and in need of minor repair, Putnik also sells webbing, zips and thread to mend holes and attach new straps. And for the truly resourceful camper who has a sewing machine at home, South Korean tent material in on sale for 5,300 rubles a meter.
Topographical maps to help find the most direct route to the nearest watering hole in the Pamirs and Russian hinterlands are reasonably priced at 3,540 rubles. And if the sound of tweeting birds at dawn is not sufficient, Putnik has a large choice of Russian bard music for 3,000 rubles.
For more adventurous types with 25,000 rubles to spare, Putnik also has a parachute -- no instructions provided -- in stock. Another branch of Putnik, on Ulitsa Narodnogo Opolcheniya, has an even wider selection.
Alpindustriya on Izmailovskaya Ploshchad specializes in rock-climbing and alpinist equipment. Ice axes start at $20, carabineers are $4-7 and rope between 50 and 80 cents per meter. And a Baksan alpinist rucksack to carry everything costs $58. Payment is in the ruble equivalent of dollar prices.
The shop has a much larger selection of Russian backpacks for about the same prices as Putnik. There are also Solewa packs made in the United States, the most expensive of which, with a capacity of 70-80 liters, costs $100.
Alpindustriya also has a wide selection of imported supplies, with an American-made two-person tent for $345, and sleeping mats for $20 -- three times more expensive than the Russian version. Italian hiking boots cost between $165 and $250. But the sleeping bags are all Russian, and start at between $40 and $50 for synthetic filling, and go up to $117 for down-filled versions.
The Ertsog camping shop on Suvorovsky Bulvar prides itself on its selection of mountain bikes. American-made GT bikes, with gears for every possible type of terrain that an enthusiastic cyclist could desire, run between $500 and $2,000. Czechoslovakian-made bicycles are considerably cheaper at $230. Payment here is also in rubles.
Most supplies for water sports can be found at Ertsog. Goggles for 10,500 rubles are available, as are snorkels and masks for 11,800 rubles, airbeds for 34,000, a windsurfer for $600, and windsurfing costumes for between $50 and $350.
?Putnik, 8 Ukrainsky Bulvar, is open Monday to Friday from 10:20 A.M. to 8 P.M. and Saturday from 10 A.M. to 6 P.M., with a daily break from 2 to 3 P.M. Tel. 943-6797. Nearest metro: Kievskaya. The branch store, at 38 Ulitsa Narodnogo Opolcheniya, has the same hours. Tel. 943-6797. Nearest metro: Oktyabrskoye Polye.
?Alpindustriya, 1 Izmailovskaya Ploshchad, is open Monday through Friday from 10 A.M. to 7 P.M. and on Saturday from 11 A.M. to 6 P.M., with a 2-3 P.M. daily break. Tel. 165-0429. Nearest metro: Izmailovskaya.
?Ertsog, 25 Suvorovsky Bulvar, is open from 11 A.M. to 7 P.M. Monday to Friday with a break from 2 to 3 P.M., and from 11 A.M. to 3 P.M. on Saturday. Tel. 290-5513. Nearest metro: Arbatskaya.
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