I became an REI member about 2 months ago while buying gear to prepare for this trip. It's $20 and is good for life. While you don't get discounts directly, you get some coupons and an annual rebate for purchases. You also get to take part in the "Member's Only Garage Sales."
This morning was my first Garage Sale. I decided to get up early and try to beat the rush, assuming people would pile in right before the 9am opening. When I arrived at 7:45am the line was about 100-deep! Fortunately, I noticed an old friend around the #20 spot and slipped into line with him.
There were great deals on sleeping bags and backpacks (like $300 packs for $100) and stoves (MSR Dragonfly's for $30). Being content with my current gear, I looked elsewhere, mostly at shoes/boots. I scored a pair of shoes and hiking boots for me and for my girlfriend. I also got a boot dryer for $5, a compression sack and 100% Merino Wool sweater for $10.
My best score was pure luck. After browsing for about an hour and getting ready to leave, I saw a young woman with a Thermarest NeoAir in her bag. I mentioned to her how lucky she was and that I had hoped to find one, and parted ways. Five minutes later, she comes up and says they changed their mind and gave it to me! Turns out she's a fellow Yale PhD student who knows my old roommate and her boyfriend is from Spokane, WA, just an hour from where I went to college! Anyway, the NeoAir is amazing! I've been wanting to get it all spring, but couldn't spend $140 on a sleeping pad when I can get one for $40. But, for $50--well, I can do $50! Notice how much smaller the NeoAir is in the above photo. It's about the size of a Nalgene bottle (pictured) or 20oz coke bottle--way smaller than the Z-lite pad I was planning to use. Also, it's about the same weight (11oz I think) and considerably thicker--a full 2" thick! Very comfy!
The mornings totals:
Women's Hi-Tec boots reg $60, paid $20 (new)
Women's Teva shoes reg $100, paid $20 (new)
Men's Keen boots reg $125, paid $20 (new)
Men's Merrell shoes reg $100, paid $10 (returned)
NeoAir sleeping pad reg $140, paid $50
Compression sack reg $25, paid $5
Merino wool sweater reg $50, paid $10
Electric Boot dryer reg $50, paid $5
That's >$650 in gear for ~$150. Simply stunning!
In conclusion, if you have an REI nearby, it is well worth the $20 membership fee to have access to the Garage sale. They have them 2 or 3 times a year, and I promise I won't miss the next one!
Brandon, you shouldn't let great secrets out! Now, I will have to camp out the night before the Attic Sales! :)
ReplyDeleteGood point, but since only about 4 people read this blog, I'm not too worried! I talked to the people at the front of the line. They arrived at 5:30am!
ReplyDeleteI think 5 peaple read it buba
ReplyDeleteHave you slept on your Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Sleeping Pad outside yet?
ReplyDeleteWhat is your review, if you have?
Does it seem durable and less likely to pop?
WB: Haven't slept on it yet, but possibly next week. This sounds so pretentious, but I'm spending next week with my girlfriend's family on their island in Algonquin Park. I'll probably bring the sleeping gear for a trial run, even though it probably won't get below the high-40s.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about how sad it will be that the blog's purpose will end in 4 weeks. But, I realized we can probably spend another 3 months reviewing all our gear AFTER the hunt.
Or....
ReplyDeleteWe could cross out the word "Idaho", and underneath that, write the words Oregon, Labrador, Alaska, New Mexico, or some other great destination for next year.
Just sayin...
I mean, at this point, all we'd be buying is the ticket there, and some tags. We have everything we need for nearly any hunt we want to do.
ReplyDeleteThe cost for the same exact trip next year would be minimal anywhere we go, and if we choose to go back to the same spot (provided we get into some good stuff), it would be almost nothing for you at all!
I'm already thinking about the next destination...Oregon maybe? New Mexico? Back to Idaho?
I have the gear already - I'm going somewhere!
Ha!
ReplyDeleteThat's the title for next year:
"Back to Idaho"
Round 2
That's what I was about to say: if we get back there in September and find bulls raging and nobody messing with us, I'm not going to Oregon or anywhere else...I'm going right back to where we found them before.
ReplyDeleteNow, if we strike out, then we can start looking around to plan Operation XXXXX.
But, yes, given how much gear we've assembled for this type of hunting, we had better use it again. There will be Part II.
It will be so much damn easier next time around. Not much gear to buy, or more time to save money on better stuff, more time to plan, maybe take the money saved and do a scouting long weekend.
ReplyDeleteHell yeah!
Whoa....eeeeeeasy.
ReplyDeleteWe can't start planing OpID 2 before OpID even starts. FOCUS!!!