Gear Up

Forget about all those big names on the rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré and those fab boutiques in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. If you want a real, one-of-a-kind Parisian shopping experience, then pay a visit to Au Vieux Campeur which stocks all the gear you'll need for any kind of outdoor experience. Camping, hiking, skiing, sailing, canoeing, kayaking, scuba diving, snowshoeing, whatever your needs, they've got it: great brands, lots of inventory, and priced at about what you'd expect. The only problem? Space being at a premium in central Paris, this department store of the outdoors is housed in 26 (count 'em) separate boutiques in a six block area in the Latin Quarter. Check the Web site before you go to locate the spots that match your shopping list; otherwise you'll be walking in circles around rue des Ecoles and rue Saint Jacques. Then again, maybe that's all part of the plan.