All about West Marine
Dave and Helen Damouth www.damouth.org
2 January 2000
A frequent question is:
"We know about Camping World. What other catalogs do you recommend?"
The most important catalog, IHMO, is West Marine. 800-262-8464, www.westmarine.com. The catalog has 913 pages, compared to Camping World's 247 pages. Perhaps only half of those pages are some way relevant to RV's, but that's still big.
For example, see my note about low power halogen lighting. West has several varieties of low power halogen lighting. Camping World has none! And in total, West has 24 pages of lights of various kinds, although some of these are rather specialized navigation lights for boats. Want a bright hand-held 12v. spotlight? West has a whole page of various models.
West Marine has several pages of tutorial information about deep cycle batteries and charging systems, and lists several different types and sizes of deep cycle batteries. They also have several pages of high quality battery accessories - cables, switches, testers, battery boxes, Camping World has no batteries, a couple of cheap switches, and not much else. (But note that many of the batteries are available only at the West retail stores, not by mail, and I don't recommend buying batteries by mail even if you can find someone that will ship them - they are very heavy, require special shipping precautions, and the shipping costs are prohibitive. Only if you live in a very remote area, far from battery distributors, should you consider mail-ordering).
West has over twice as many different inverter and charger models for sale, compared to Camping World. As a price comparison, the Heart Freedom 1000 is $699 at West - everyday, to anyone. This will drop to about $600 during their spring sale. The Camping World regular price is $849. The current catalog lists a special sale and a President's Club discount, bringing the price down to $717 for PC members. {Editor's note - these prices are obsolete - check current prices on the websites}.
West has several pages of GPS information and products, including a detailed comparison of many different GPS products. I didn't notice *any* GPS stuff in Camping World.
West is also a good source for battery power monitoring instruments, having a selection of several kinds of sophisticated monitors. Camping World has nothing but a couple of voltmeters.
Want to add a wind-powered battery charger for boondocking? West has one, and has a page and a half of tutorial and performance information to help you decide whether it is right for your application.
Want to buy some sealant for your roof seams? West has a much greater selection than CW, and has a detailed comparison chart to help you figure out which product to use for your application. Incidentally, I find that 3M 5200 polyurethane adhesive/sealant has incredibly good adhesion and longevity on just about any RV surface - fiberglass, metal or rubber roof. (It's not recommended on ABS or Lexan plastic, where silicone is better).
West Marine, and it's recently acquired division, E&B Marine, together have 181 retail stores. Camping World has 27!
You'll have to pay $5.00 for a West catalog. But mine included a $5.00 certificate good on any purchase at the stores. And even if you never buy anything, it's worth $5.00 just for the tutorial information.