Taunton Leisure

This spacious shop is the place to go if you’re planning a camping trip — although it sells a wide range of other outdoor and adventure gear, too.
While it isn’t smack bang in the city centre, it’s not far out — located just on the very edge of Bedminster (look out for the big, blue sign!).
The wide range of stock includes walking sandals, shoes and boots, climbing gear, travel clothes, and a variety of accessories from torches to gloves. I bought a pair of fairly expensive walking trainer-​type shoes from here, and the staff were friendly and helpful, taking plenty of time to find the right style and fit — so I’d definitely go back again when I need a new pair.
It’s the camping area, however, where this shop really comes into its own. They sell a good range of brands at varying prices, so you can usually find something to suit your budget. There are tents erected for you to peek inside, and there’s a brilliant choice of camping stoves, fuel, pans and other equipment, as well as sleeping bags and roll mats to make your trip more comfortable. Highly recommended if you need to get set up for a camping (or hiking) trip.

Taunton Leisure is a hiker’s paradise. Boasting a range of items for your leisure, from tents to boots to waterproof jackets. this shop stocks just about everything you could possibly need for a camping expedition. I’ve used this shop many a time to pick up the essential bottle of meths en route to summer festivals. Selling a wide range of fuels and camping stoves, Taunton Leisure is great for last minute camping requirements. Staff are friendly, but often look as if they’d rather be out hiking on Dartmoor.

Taunton Leisure is great. It’s a vast shop with pretty much anything you could ever want. I love climbing and they had a good selection of shoes and gear. They have a good selection of walking gear too, ranging from clothing to full on 6 man tents.
I found the staff here were excellent. Granted they were all pretty young, but I found that it meant they were upbeat and never complained about rushing backwards and forwards getting different sizes from the store room. It’s just a little shame that Taunton Leisure is a bit out of the way and the majority of people probably don’t realise it’s here.

Whilst there are no fewer than three outdoor gear shops in the town centre, it is definitely worth heading out here to Taunton Leisure. It is barely in Bedminster, before you reach Asda on the left.
A large blue shop, they have supplies for camping, walking and climbing here at reasonable prices and some high-​end brands as well. There is a room for tents with a couple on display, and an area for women’s clothes which is pretty good — they don’t pander very much to the pale blue and pink outdoor gear that a lot of brands seem to think that women want to wear.
Staff are knowledgable and friendly, and don’t push you for a sale. There are a lot of them as well so you won’t have to wait to be helped when it gets busy.

This is probably the best shop in Bristol and the best outdoors’ shop in the South West of England. The main attribute to Taunton Leisure is its staff — they are really knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. You can spend literally hours in there deliberating over a purchase and you will never feel like you are being hurried in any way. I buy the majority of my outdoor’s kit and have found that the prices are no more expensive than the major global companies, and anyway, its always better to support your local businesses. Highly recommended for camping gear — they have a tent demo at least once a year in Bristol. Dont forget, if you’re a member of the climbing centre you can use your membership card to obtain a 10% discount on full priced goods here!