Used Gear Sales

What Vagabonder doesn’t want some used gear, at cheap cheap cheap prices?  Especially if you are a camper or backpacker…or kayaker…or biker…

Two extremely popular outdoor supply stores, REI and MEC, offer “used gear” garage sales to their card-holding members, at least once or twice a year.  These bonanza style sales often open their doors at 8 or 9 am and have high quality goods at drastically slashed prices.  In the case of REI, many of the goods have been returned under their “absolutely no problem, return it anytime for any reason with 100% refund guarantee” policy, so the goods are often in perfectly fine shape, but may have been the wrong size, wrong color, or gifts for someone who doesn’t like outdoorsy behaviors.

The used gear sales aren’t at regular times or on regular days, although they’re usually on Saturdays.  But if you’re in a town with an REI or MEC and need to replace some hiking boots, get a map triptych, or buy a new canoe, you could save huge amounts of money if you can locate a card-carrying member to keep you company…or maintain a card yourself.  Consider asking around on Couchsurfing, for locals who might want to do some chopping (don’t be concerned — a friend of mine, rather than get a storage facility to keep her belongings in between her teaching contracts in Lille, asked a couchsurfer acquaintance if she could put her belongings in his basement…which he did.  Couchsurfing is for more than just staying overnight!)

So consider the gear sale!  Get a new tent!  A friend of mine bought me a gorgeous women’s size lightweight down sleeping bag, tested to 0degrees Fahrenheit, for $40.  That’s what I’m talking about.