Like the name says, you'll find plenty of equipment designed to help you survive at SOE- Survival &…read moreOutdoor Equipment, whether it's for surviving the great (and not-so-great) outdoors, or the urban jungle. I call it the "ultimate man-cave" because it's here you'll find many, many kinds of sharp objects - knives, and yes, swords. The knives are mostly the more practical blades they stock, but there's also the flashier, more-for-zombie-apocalypse kind of swords and machetes. You won't find any guns, though, but you will find all the accessories for gun carrying, maintenance, and enhancement, meaning, there are pistol holsters, concealed-carry holsters and bags, bug-out bags, tactical lights, and weapon cleaning equipment. That's all good for "doomsday preppers". If you're not into that, you will still find the usual camping necessities like compasses, MREs (Meal, Ready-to-Eat vacuum-packed food), paracord, protective eyewear, survival knives, flashlights, head-mounted lights, the "Lifestraw" that can literally filter drinkable water from ANY source, no matter how foul, and a few odds and ends that will please almost any outdoor aficionado. Collectors of movie and military memorabilia will like SOE as well. Remember the knife that Jack Bauer, Kiefer Sutherland's character in the hit series "24"? They have it in stock, and the brand is known as "Microtec"; made of titanium with a blade, be prepared to pay a premium for this awesome knife that is Jack Bauer's. There are also some self-defense implements like pepper spray, collapsible batons, tasers, and other non-lethal personal defense tools. Check out the webpages of companies like Cold Steel and you'll see what I mean. And before this review gets way too long, you should know about SOE's "manly" offerings (ok, more like "big kid", but cool nonetheless), which are the 1/6th scale collectible action figures. They're mostly only for display, but if you ask nicely, the owner of the figures might be open to parting with some of them for the right price. You can see mostly rare, discontinued Military figures from world-famous HongKong brand "Hot Toys", but SOE stocks more of Hot Toys' movie action figures. Virtually all the Iron Man figures are there, alongside those from Christian Bale's Batman, and the Terminator, and Predator franchises. There's even some custom-made figures of Manny Pacquiao, FPJ, Dolphy, and Efren "Bata" Reyes(they're not Hot Toys, but made by a local sculptor)! All fully detailed and in perfect condition, you can ask which ones are "on sale". Also, if you're a fan of Japanese robots, there are also a number of classic robots from the cartoons we used to watch as a kid ("we" being kids of the 80s); Transformers, Voltes V, Mekanda, Mazinger... they're all there, and some are on sale. Another thing I should add about SOE is that their staff--the owners, actually, are friendly, always accommodating, and will gladly answer all your questions about their merchandise. If they don't stock something, they'll even point you to the shop that does. SOE is, by far, the ultimate source of all manly things, so if you're looking for something awesome for your dad on Father's day or want to give your favorite survivalist, outdoorsman, or collector something they'll really appreciate, you'll likely find it at SOE - Survival & Outdoor Equipment.

ROX is basically an outdoor lover's playground. Three floors of serious gear, an indoor climbing…read morewall that goes up multiple levels, and everything from bikes to hiking, camping, snow, and motorcycling essentials. The brand mix is solid, Birkenstock, Allbirds, Reef, Billabong, Roxy, Columbia, Garmin, Camelbak, New Era, Nike, Fox, Deuter and more. It's rare to find this range in the Philippines, which makes this place feel like a real destination, not just a store. Even if you're not shopping, it's fun to walk through and explore. If you're into the outdoors, this is the kind of place you could easily lose an hour in. Great value coming here

One day, I decided that I wanted to try Rock/Wall Climbing so I wrote it down on my bucket list…read more After a few days I started googling places that had Rock Climbing gyms. I found really good ones but they were in Quezon city, a bit far from me. Fortunately, I found one that was just a few minutes away. I found out that R.O.X., a one stop shop for anything outdoors, had Rock Climbing facilities. What's great is that their shop is in the heart of the city: The Fort, and they are just in Bonifacio High St. They're literally inside a mall. How convenient! So I skedaddled to their Rock Climbing facility and signed up for a class. The thing was, there are no classes. There's just a quick briefing about the activity, plus a few tips. A few warnings and advices later, I found myself with a harness, a wall to climb, and zero experience. The coaches were very friendly and supportive. They guided me at the start and when I got the hang of it, I just found myself at the top of the wall tired and sweay. When I was done, I had climbed three walls; one easy, one intermediate, and one difficult. The learning curve for rock climbing isn't that steep. All I needed was myself, the desire to learn, and I had fun with it. Rock Climibng was a bit challenging but it was a very awesome experience for me. I really had fun traversing the walls with just my arms, legs, and a harness for safety. It's a bit expensive though, but a good price for this kind of activity (considering that the coaches also help you if you're a beginner). You might spot famous rock climbers in this place! When I went there, I had the privilege of seeing one of the female Filipinos who climbed Mt. Everest. And yes, I was very intimidated and honored at the same time.

Columbia Sportswear does sportswear, but more like outdoor sports like skiing and camping. Camping…read moreis not really my a sport in my opinion, but my wife disagrees with me as she doesn't see it as relaxing but more of an exercise. Anyway, in this store they sell footwear, headgear, camping equipment, outerwear and skiwear. Their skiwear is actually their speciality and they are the largest american seller of ski apparel. But since only Mount Apo has snow and no skiing slopes, it's best to go here to buy your footwear and outdoor cloths and jackets when you want to go hiking. As with any other store in SM aura this place has more staff than customers in the store, so you can really take your time trying out different shoes in different sizes (this is super important for hiking shoes) and walk a few minutes around the store to try them out. The staff is very accommodating.

I love thrift shopping because the delight of finding something at a discount is like adrenaline to…read moreme. I always get excited when I look at surplus shops because I am sure that I will come out of bearing high quality stuff that I bought at a fraction of the cost than if I were to buy them from the mall. One of such surplus houses and flea markets is Subic APEX US Imports which can easily be found along Quezon Avenue. I was looking for a low bedside table and I saw that they had furniture on display. I went here looking for a table, but came out with not just a side table, but also a tea set, several cute porcelain plates, a veru useful thermal bag and a hiking pole. You can go wild with all the selections from this place, and if you are a whiz at haggling, here is where you can practice your skills to get the best deals out of the merchandise. The stuff is relatively pricier than most thrift shops, but I would gladly pay a bit more if it meant that the stuff I was getting were in great shape and in good working condition.

My boyfriend is really big on mountain climbing so when it comes to outdoor gear, he knows his…read morestuff. Just last week, he was looking for a technical pack he could use for day hikes--a small, 20-30L backpack. We checked the malls to canvass the price and out of the blue said, "we're going to Muñoz." It was the shadiest trip I've ever made for a backpack. Right beside the LRT station and up the second floor of the Muñoz market, and passing through the parking lot, we finally got to the Xplore7017 shop. The shop opens at 2PM so we had to wait inside the billiard hall until then. Peering through the windows, you can tell that inside, rows and rows of outdoor things are just waiting to be bought. The shop keeper finally arrived and what greeted us is what I would assume is every mountaineer's dream come true. Racks of clothes in the back, backpacks hanging left and right, and a tent pitched in the middle of the store felt like I've just unearthed a mountaineer's secret. Though our visit proved not be successful, my boyfriend tells me that the place looks even better during mountaineering peak season when the store is filled to the brim with things (as if it wasn't already). Plus, what's great about this place is that their prices are much much lower than mall prices! So it's definitely worth the trip up North.