Nomad Ventures — Local services in Idyllwild-Pine Cove

My son and I flew in for backpacking the San Jacinto’s. Flight arrived at 9 pm in Ontario and just wanted to get to the place we were staying in Idylwild the night before we hit the trail. Planes do not allow propane canisters, so before heading off to ideylwild I looked to see if there was a supply store in town so I wouldn’t have to stop at a wal mart (or some other place open late) along the way. There were two, one opening at 11 (too late - needed to hit trail early so we could get to our destination before sunset). The other, Nomad Adventures, said online and on their front door that they were opened at 9. Got there at 9 and no one there, waited 15 minutes, still no one. Ran all over town looking for a gas canister. Finally found a place at 10 am (the owner of that place said Nomad is rarely open on time - don’t know if that’s true or not). Drove by nomad after picking up canister at 10:15, and could see that there was still no one there. Not great. We made it to our camp destination at dusk. If you’re heading that way and need last minute supplies, supply up before you get to idylwild unless you want...

SUPER AWESOME EXPERIENCE, cannot recommend enough! Julie took the time out the day to return a voicemail inquiry about a particular set of shoes. Got there within moments of closing. She was about to dip out on a trip to the Sierras and know how precious/much of a crunch time pre-depatrure is. Julie patiently waited for me to make up my indecisive mind on a bunch of different models and sizes of altras (y'all know the importance of hiker-trash feet) and even though she was on a time constraint and closing and probably still needed to pack, I didn't feel rushed at all. Also HUGE shout-out for having isobutane, that stuff is stupid hard to find these days.

Keep radiating and stay awesome!!

Edit: came back few weeks later, hitting trail next day and realized I'm all out of isobutane cannisters. Daniel was closing up shop but blessed me by selling me some gas. The world is unworthy of having such an awesome guy!...

This is the kind of outdoor gear store that every town should have, but is unfortunate all too rare—Idyllwild is very lucky to have Nomad Ventures to keep them supplied. They have an excellent selection of shoes, packs, and all other gear to serve PCT thru-hikers, climbers, and everyone else enjoying the outdoors in their own way. The prices are super reasonable, and the hours are convenient. Ben was extremely helpful in recommending some trail running shoes, getting me outfitted, and giving tips about local trails. It was a busy time when I was shopping and he was super friendly with everyone, making sure they got what they needed whatever their activity.

You can also buy your Adventure Pass here to park at trailheads. Make this your first stop when you are scoping out adventures in Idyllwild—I will...