Wildwater Outfitters

Really excellent store for canoe and kayak sports… great selection of boats and one of the most complete arrays of accessories and safety equipment you’ll ever see. Complete selection of Thule and Yakima racks. Also, great selection of outdoor/​mountain clothing, footwear, books, and hardware for cooking and climbing. No bicycle stuff, but that’s pretty well covered by other stores in the Amherst/​Northampton/​Hadley area. Prices are normal, not super discount and not like a boutique shop either. We bought two kayaks there and they were good with the price. Been back many times. I prefer them over EMS because the have a bigger selection, and because when you buy there you’re supporting a local business instead of a national chain.

This is a Eastern Mountain Sports type store. Same basic premise but maybe with more name brand pretty-​expensive clothing and equipment. My only hang up with this store, which may not necessarily be their fault, is it is expensive. They do have a great selection of canoes and yaks. They also do rentals on some items so it’s nice to be able to try things out before you buy.