A unexpected gem, it's tucked down a side street and looks quite small from the outside, but get inside and you find a large store. They have a brilliant range and found a Rucksack that I couldn't get elsewhere. Staff were really friendly and helped me find what I wanted.

Not a bad selection don’t forget to go upstairs there’s a lot more to look at pricing is reasonable stuff Soso

This is outdoor shop in a side street near to the side entrance to John Lewis. There are two floors. The one downstairs which sells footwear is quite small but the upper floor selling clothing, tents etc is much bigger. If you want to buy a pair of walking boots or indeed any sort of practical outdoor footwear, I would suggest you visit here rather than the ‘trainer’ venues in the high street where you pay for the name and the quality is probably not as good. Most of the time there is a sale on so you might be able to pick up a bargain. If you have a ramblers or a blue light card - ask for a discount. The only problem I can see with the store is accessibility for those who can’t climb the steps.

I like the shop called Black in Reading Town Centre it's nice shop you can get all your stuff from there for outdoor

Congested store. Can be busy, and this can lead to customers misplacing goods. Recently chose some boots until the price at checkout was much higher than marked because someone had returned boots to the wrong shelf position. Things improved today as store organised refund for boots bought online, and I replaced them with another brand in-store. On going saga of poor quality North Ridge shoes now that have lost insoles leading to blisters. And Bkacks seem not to publish my product reviews.

It was the Sunday of the Black Friday weekend but the staff were a bit stroppy and it took me an eternity to buy a pair of socks so I could try on some hiking boots. I couldn't get any pairs of boots in my size either (I'm a 10). I ended up having to walk out without buying anything because of how uncomfortable the staff had made me feel and how long it was taking to get served.

Went into store to return an item and was looking at the multi-tools, and saw the blacks policy on bladed articles saying that their folding knives are all able to be carried legally and freely without a "valid reason" as long as they do not contain a locking mechanism. As all of the blades had a frame lock I asked for clarification from staff on which ones could be carried, without needing a specific reason, including multi tools. The staff member said any of the tools were fine to carry as they're more than just knives and that the folding knives were fine as they were under 3". All blades required the press of a button to release and fold the blade. The staff member said that it wouldn't be a problem if being stopped by the police. Considering the current sentencing is rather strict, I'd suggest that further training and review of policy and labelling on the bladed articles is necessary.

I brought a lovely pair of walking boots a week ago Berghaus Hillwalkers. I had Luciana, the manager, helping me to choose a pair of walking boots. Luciana really does knows her stuff she had great knowledge on walking boots. I would highly recommend Blacks in Reading very friendly staff. Thank you so much

My dad was looking for a new pair of shoes and walked in there to see if he can find anything (usually has issues finding shoes that are a good fit). He is a bit of a character and the fact that he was visiting from the continent and doesn't speak a word of English made it a bit trickier. But Sam, the staff member who helped us, was absolutely brilliant. Thank you so much for the great customer service!!

It had a good nice range of clothing but just expensive.

After reading a previous review on here I decided that I would give them a try. I needed some new walking boots for Cotswold challenge but I needed some advice in which would be best for my wider feet. Luciana was very helpful in finding me the right pair of shoes. Patient and understanding, with a whole wealth of knowledge it left me feeling positive for my Cotswold challenge.

Big thanks to Kerri and the team for helping us find a summer hat in the depths of winter! Great service 😊

Great store, good product range and incredibly helpful staff.

Great quality always.. helpful stuff

Friendly and attentive staff...though i felt like i was pressured to finish my shopping as they started closing down 15-20 min before the actial closing time.

Good quality clothes. Staff are very helpful and friendly

Very happy with my visit, they had exactly what I was looking for and they matched the online discount that Blacks had on.

Love store than online. Find always good deal and Staff are very supportive. Always go around there...

In store on Sunday afternoon and ordered North ridge sandals (no delivery charge), arrived next day Monday - WOW😊

For people with limited abilities such as wheelchair users, this place isn't the best adapted for the . No lift and lucky enough my partner had someone to help him to choose backpacks that was on the second floor. Not much help for the staff at all. If his friend wasn't with him, he wouldn't have got the backpack he wanted.

What a con feel like contacting trading standards. Went in today big up to 40% reductions sign in windows, Picked up a couple of times clearly labeled with 40% off lables asked an assistant about them and was told they were still full price, he pulled of the label and walked off. An absolute joke do not wast you're time..

I went down there a few days ago to go have a look at what tents I could use for the upcoming festivals this year and I was abit lost but one of the store assistants Kelvin really helped me out and guided me through the tents unfortunately I didn’t buy one but he actually helped me gain better knowledge about tents but I’m writing this review to thank Kelvin for his hard work and his knowledge about the store and he was just a really cool guy with great customer service skills for such a young age and I hope to see him again in the future and this time be able to buy something.