My family loves to be outside. Even the rainy Washington winters haven’t been keeping us from exploring the all there is to see in our new home. When my wife and I discuss where we want to be at the end of our FI Journey, it’s always somewhere out in nature.
That being said, enjoying the outdoors isn’t always a cheap hobby. Sure, you can knock out some laps around your local lake for free, but if you’re wanting to summit Mt. Rainier (sometime next year) the gear can make or break you. But if you’re reading this blog, you’re probably both into spending time outdoors and spending as little money as possible. So I wanted to take a moment to talk about a few ways to gear up for your adventures without completely derailing your FI plan.
Early Spring Garage Sales
Tons of people are sitting on the exact gear that you need and are tired of looking at it. These same people are going to want to clear out their dusty cramped garages the very first weekend after the first spring thaw. By simply looking through garage sale ads on Craigslist and Facebook Groups you can find perfectly good gear that has only been used a handful of times.
Most often this will be the place to get the best deals possible. The people selling these items just want their garage back, so getting any kind of money for their “junk” is a bonus to them. But if you have specific gear requirements, you may come up empty handed. In the world of garage sale finds, you are at the mercy of the seller. And if they don’t have what you need, then you can end up losing an entire Saturday morning and have nothing to show for it.
The best way to approach garage sale is with more of an open mind. You just need to hit the sales early with a pocket full of ones. By simply browsing through pile after pile of adventure gear you’re bound to find something that is a good deal. So what if it’s your 3rd Petzel headlamp? Maybe the other two will break..
Local For-Sale Apps
Apps like Offerup and Letgo can be another great way to search for used gear. These apps allow you to specifically target what you are looking for and compare multiple listings. You can search out the best deal possible, even if you have to compare across multiple release versions. This can be great if you’re looking for items such as a camera or Gopro, where you need the functionality but not necessarily the most up-to-date version. People are always eager to offset the cost of their new tech purchase by selling their older versions.
The best way to take advantage of these apps is to set up alerts for items you’re looking for. By adding these searches to your notification stream, you may be able to snatch up a good deals before anyone else realizes it’s even been listed. Both OfferUp and Letgo have notification settings that you can enable for specific searches.
REI Garage Sales
Straight up, I love REI. I love the feeling I get just walking through the doors of my local store. Wandering around from section to section gets me excited about our next adventure outdoors. However, the gear at REI can be a bit expensive. So I wanted to take a moment to appreciate the wonderful gift that is the REI Garage Sale.
You see, REI has an amazing return policy. You can pretty much return anything, for any reason, up to a year after you’ve purchased it. Often they receive back items with very little (if anything) wrong with it. But since they can no longer sell these items as “new” they’re sold for a fraction of the cost at the store’s garage sale.
The garage sales themselves can be a treasure trove of value, but they can also be a bit overwhelming. The trick is to prepare yourself ahead of time. Make sure you have a list written out of everything that you need. If you’re going after high demand items (i.e. sleeping bags, tents, backpacking gear, ect.) you’ll need to show up early to be one of the first people through the door. Also, you’ll want to head straight to that specific section. Otherwise someone else will grab the sleeping bag you want while you’re browsing the shoes.
Most REI stores hold their garage sales about once every other month, but you’ll need to check with your local store to get exact dates. You’ll also need to be a co-op member in order to enjoy the garage sale. The fee is just $20, and it’s good for life. Trust me, you’ll save way more than $20 on your first garage sale visit.
Enjoy the Adventures
These are just some of the ways you guys can get the gear you need without breaking the bank. Feel free to leave your tips and tricks down in the comments section. Thanks for reading and I hope to see you in TheBreakaway.
