High Sierra Topix

Not sure if this is just not an after 4th July fluke or widespread, but I have had a ton of problems getting last minute gear and supplies for my upcoming trips. REI shelves are nearly empty in places- NO gas cannisters either at REI or Sportsman's Warehouse, out of stock Garmin In-Reach Mini at REI; bought the last one in stock at Sportsman Warehouse. Walmart was out of the mosquito repellant I usually buy. Picked up the last small gas can at Big5.

Not sure if this is the new normal, in which case, buying last minute supplies at an outdoor store while driving to the trailhead may be a problem this year.

Thanks for the heads up. Either demand is way up or the supply is down as they allocate more truck space for more "important" things rather than gas canisters and deet. I would think that the demand is up based upon the looks of available campground reservations. On a side note I had to wait 10 days to get 4x4 treated posts because "the mills had been shut down" and not producing product,

I experienced this too at the REI in Berkeley a few weeks ago. Completely out of isopro canisters, had to pre-order a few from Sports Basement instead.

I too had success at Sports Basement. On Friday I ordered deet and isopro canisters for pickup at the Sunnyvale store and they were ready to pick up today.

I always try stock up weeks before trips, and even have supplies to last until next year. But canisters have been a problem so I snagged a few this weekend at VVR of all places. I passed on the 15 cent individual bandages and 10 cent baggies however...

Fuel canisters have proven to be very difficult to get in LA this year. I read that the majority of their production is done in South Korea so the supply chain took a hit for awhile. I was able to get a handful to get me through this season and the start of next one but they're practically non-existent and you can't order them online and get them shipped unlike most other products.

Americans are banned from overseas travel, as well as Canada and Mexico. When I was at Horseshoe Meadow a few weeks ago, I heard from a fellow camper that all the fishing gear, camping gear, etc. was sold from Bass Pro Shops to local Walmarts. It's like every family Griswold in the USA decided to take up camping this summer. 395 was packed with vehicles. I didn't even bother going into Mammoth because I heard it was a complete zoo. Luckily, I know a few secluded areas near Tom's Place where I found a peaceful and solitary area to camp.

John

It's all about the virus' impact on world trade. without going into a lot of detail, the international supply chain has been severely interrupted. I've worked in customs brokerage/international logistics for 25 years, so I know first hand. It is on the mend. There are a lot of bookings trying to service pent up demand, but there are also a lot of bookings still being bumped due to limited space and a priority placed on PPE. Booking rates have been through the roof, but they are slowly coming down as slowly, more space becomes available.

It is widespread among many types of suppliers and businesses, but each day is looking better and better as the transportation industry sorts out the mess and gets more equipment re-distributed and more steamships back on the water.

I just closed July and the numbers are more encouraging than they have been in the last 5 months.

Similar situation in San Diego. I noticed the REI completely wiped out after the Fourth of July sale and expected things to rebound after a few weeks, but took much longer. Gas canisters have just now returned, but outages continue for other things—from food (ProBars, Bobos) to more specialty products like Bear cans.

I do think this will be the new normal, and unfortunately will probably increase our collective reliance on online platforms like Amazon.