I don’t hunt or fish much, but I do hike and camp. I’ve found that some of their stuff is sturdier and more reasonably priced than gear that’s made exclusively for the backpacking crowd, (not saying much there, and it is probably worthy of another (pit) thread in itself).
Cabela’s built a store in Kansas City, KS right across the way from the Kansas Speedway NASCAR track several years ago. The Cabela’s store has been the number one tourist attraction in Kansas for several years!
Now there are 2 Bass Pro Shops opening in fairly close proximity. I’m amazed the local economy can support all of these places!
Cabela’s is to hunting and fishing as an adult bookstore is to porn.
There is a Cabela’s 10 miles from my house. It’s about 60 miles from downtown Minneapolis. It was built out in the middle of the corn fields, next to the interstate. Since then, 2 hotels (one with an indoor waterpark), about 8 restaurants, a liquor store, a furniture store, a gas station, and a Saddle/tack shop have been built around it. It’s not just a store, it’s a weekend getaway.
If you’ve always wanted an end table made out of deer antlers, enough fishing tackle to catch all the fish in Minnesota, or camouflage thermal underwear, Cabela’s is your place.
There’s no Cabela’s here, but I’ve mail-ordered from them, and their stuff is good quality. Especially if you want big/tall sizes. My FIL was 6’8’’ and I bought him a nice chamois shirt there that fit him well, and was embroidered with some wildlife scene.
BPS is fun in a “look to see what they have” kind of way. I like Columbia Sportswear and some of the other brands they carry. Of course, I can get Columbia at Bealls, too. But where else can I shop for sportswear and cool bird-feeders and housewares with wildlife motifs while he shops for arrows and fishing reels? 
My first contact with Cabela’s was when my son was buying a reproduction Brown Bess musket for his American Rev War re-enacting.
So that’s one miniscule niche they serve.
We visited the Mitchell SD store on a trip to the Black Hills. I thought they had a pretty good selection of casual clothing.
This is funny - I am going to visit my sister near Chigaco this weekend, and she mentioned that a Cabela’s just opened near her, and her students were all talking about it. I didn’t know what it was, but when I asked my husband (who loves to fish) if he had ever heard of it, he got all excited about going there. Since our 3 year old can spend hours just going through dad’s tackle box and naming the lures, it looks like we are going to visit on Sat. So I will get to see for myself.
My husband compared it to going to Ikea for me. So I can relate.
As someone who has driven through Nebraska more times than I care to admit, I find it hard to believe that anything important was ever located there but corn, soybeans, and hogs (well, and Cabella’s) 
It’s in the town of Hoffman Estates on the land that the Sears cataglog folks used to occupy before the advent of the intarwebs. I’ve been 5 or 6 times already since they opened two months ago. For me it was just cool to see all the stuff from the catalog IRL. Besides the mega stores, Cabela’s and BPS compete with each other for control of the massive catalog sales of outdoor related equiptment. I know I get weak when a new 600 page tome hits home each year.
The other thing that really sets both stores apart is the level of customer service available. Basically if you’re not happy, they’re not happy. There’s thousands of stories of people who bought, say, a boat propeller from them 5 years ago and it broke. They come in and the manager just replaces it on the spot free of charge. They stand behind the products that they sell more than any other retailers I’ve dealt with.
That’s very true. And they sell the bring backs at a big discount in the “Bargin Cave.”
Years ago my dad bought a sweet tent, never used, at a big discount at one of the O.G. Nebraska stores. The reason it was returned, according to the card, was that the customer claimed it smelled funny.
I’d say that Cabela’s is dominant on hunting, camping and general outdoorsy stuff, while Bass Pro is better at fishing and boating stuff- almost in equal measure.
It is. Cabela’s strong suit is hunting, Bass Pro’s strong suit is fishing.
Hey! How did bump sneak in there? :dubious:
He must have been wearing the camouflage Long-Johns so you wouldn’t see him.
We see “hunters” showing up at the airport here in droves, all dressed in their Cabela camouflage from toe to top, including, presumably, their undies. Anyone who would venture into the bush during hunting season dressed in clothing that blends into the surroundings is a fucking idiot. The Natives have a word for it. . . oh wait, it’s also “idiot”.
This explains why I’d never heard of them before this thread.
Ah. I thought it was “corpse.”
I bought a jacket from them, years back, & found it trash.
Lately, I just Google for products I see in their catalog, & I find em. Lots cheaper, too.
Give em a pass.
I’ve never been in a Cabela’s but fully plan on hitting the Lacey store when it opens. Supposedly another one will be opening near Yakima. (White’s Boots has a nice store in Spokane which is like a mini-Cabela’s).
I hunt & fish and so Cabela’s is glorious eye candy. The few items that I’ve seen that have come from there seem good-quality. Since I also sometimes work with a taxidermist, I love going to any sporting goods store to check out mounts in case I see something new and appealing other than the usual forms that are commonly used.
I’ve been to the Bass Pro shop in Denver and that was a fun hour or so. I also had a really nice meal in their restaurant.
Both of them are places that I’d only check out every couple years for fun. I don’t desire the fancy scent-lock clothing or designer waders. I’m fine hunting/fishing in my jeans and t-shirts. It’s all about getting out and about in the outdoors for me with an added bonus of fresh meat every so often. 
Huh. I was wondering this very same thing on the way in to work this morning.
A Cabela’s just opened (it would appear) today, pretty much right on the border between Washington and Idaho. There were readerboards up for a few miles on either side, warning of possible delays due to a SPECIAL EVENT.
Not only did I not encounter any delays, I didn’t see but a handful of cars in their parking lot.
Anyway, it got me to wondering who the hell Cabela’s were that they would get such… cooperation, I suppose, from the DoT. Ignorance fought.
We stopped at the Cabela’s in Dundee a few years back on our way up to Frankenmuth. I was pleased to find $10 jeans that fit my tall husband in the Bargain Cave, the kids loved the fish pond, and DH found all sorts of stuff he wanted. Haven’t been back since (Dundee’s a couple of hours away and we don’t normally shop that far away) but I wouldn’t avoid it - we had a good time on that trip.