Base Camp U.S.A. is definitely into compact.
By Jim Smedley
Staff Writer

OXFORD – Smaller is better say the owners of Base Camp U.S.A., even though they plan to get bigger.

The outdoor experience outfitters, Maureen Pepin and Elva Brown, are into gear that’s compact.

They sell a 28-ounce sleeping bag that folds into about a 9-inch by 4-inch cylinder and is good for temperatures 40 degrees Fahrenheit and above.

The pair can also sell a water filtration system the size of a shotgun shell and have the Nikken Bottle, about the size of a bicyclist’s water bottle that can purify 800 gallons of water before having to be replaced.

They can outfit hunters, bicyclists and backpackers with a stove that is about the size of a pack of cigarettes and works by burning trioxane tablets.

“The stove is for survival, not cooking a steak,” said Brown. “And, the trioxane is environmentally friendly.”

Pepin and Brown are definitely into compact.

“If you’re a weekend warrior who packs up the house to go camping, we probably don’t have what you want,” St. Pierre said.

The pair has a small inventory of predominantly United States and Canadian gear at their Aspen Avenue shop and specializes in catalog orders.

They are different than commercial sellers of similar goods in that they offer classes on outdoor experiences such as map and compass use, day pack 101, basic survival, tracks and scat, mining and may soon add rock climbing.

Pepin is in the process of becoming a registered guide.

“We emphasize basic essentials and want to get children and those who have not explored the outdoors get started,” Brown said.

Brown, 37, was born and raised in Gray. She said she has been an outdoor person since she was young, whether it be rock climbing in Colorado or hiking in New Hampshire’s White Mountains or mining in Maine.

“I was born into a family of hikers,” Brown said. “We were always doing something outdoors.”

Pepin grew up in Connecticut, went into the Army and after serving in Dessert Storm, moved to New Hampshire.

She attended college and went from a religion-theology major to a biology-chemistry major. She said she most recently has been working with behaviorally challenged children and adults or with animals as a veterinarian assistant.

“When I get burned out working with one, I’ll go to the other,” Pepin said.

Brown and Pepin opened Base Camp U.S.A. in Oxford in 2002 and then learned that they couldn’t have a retail store in the Aspen Avenue area. They moved to a location in Gray in December and in June decided to come back to Oxford.

Brown said the thinking at the time was that having a store on a major route would be beneficial.

However, they realized that they missed the rural and woodsy feel of Oxford.

Also, they said they could do classroom instruction, but couldn’t take people out into the woods from their location.

“We came to an agreement with the town, so we moved back here a month ago,” Pepin said Thursday. “We’ve been working with the growth council and eventually we would like to establish a retail store.”

Brown said hunters have walked into their Aspen Avenue location to purchase hand warmers.

Pepin said people have come in off the snowmobile trail on the back of their property seeking warmer clothing. She remembers one woman who was wearing a pair of long johns she bought off the shelf as a large store that just weren’t keeping her warm enough.

“We have real long johns,” Pepin said.

The duo said they would be open during the morning hours on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, but since they were still in transition making the move from Gray, regular hours weren’t set yet.

Anybody wishing to contact them can call 539-2457 and leave a message.

“We’re here for our neighbors, and Oxford Hills is our neighbors,” Pepin said.

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