REI Garage Sale Treasure???

There is a permanent one in the Seattle Flagship store. Anything is possible. I saw a pair of 17 year old Vasque Sundowner boots that someone returned because they didn't fit anymore! Last week I saw a brand new Timbuk2 messenger bag for $30 because the small stabilizing strap was missing.

Some items are beat to death, some have basic flaws like broken zippers or missing parts and some have absolutely nothing wrong with them– wrong size, "wasn't warm enough," and so on. There are fantastic bargains to be had, but look it all over carefully and try on the shoes. Many trekking poles can be fixed with a $5 expander kit.

In the old days, we would hit the REI sale to buy slightly dented or scratched 1-liter Sigg fuel bottles for $1 each.

One guy needed cross country skis for his family, so he found some that had been used maybe once in the rental program. He ended up with four sets of skis with bindings for $50 total.

–B.G.–

"What was the coolest/weirdest thing you ever found there?"

A couple of years ago, I picked up a Primus canister lantern at REI Outlet for something like $45. The piezo immediately went bung, so I returned it to the local store. 6 months later, I found that same lantern at the garage sale, and it was selling for $10. I felt a bit guilty, but I bought it anyway. Didn't figure I needed no stinkin' piezo…

I've got some good stuff in the used gear sales, including a 20-degree North Face bag that looked brand new and said "she wasn't warm enough," on the tag, and some soft luggage that only needed minor repairs. One tip: REI puts a big silver X in permanent marker on goods that have been returned and resold (so that people who buy them at the used sale don't try to exchange them again for new), and if it's a cordura/nylon item the marker is difficult to get off. I got the best results with KrudKutter Graffiti Remover. With a little help from a tootbrush it took the marker right off.

One of the best things i bought was a slightly used golite Jam pack and the reason someone returned it was "there was no frame and uncomfortable"! I bought it for around 55 bucks!

-Sam

I recently went to my local REI's gear sale for the first time; it was quite the experience. (It was unusually busy following Christmas time.) The really good stuff goes fast but it's interesting what people pass up.
I got a Vargo Titanium Decagon Stove for $.83 (83 cents!) and an older 'rental' REI Half Dome 2HC, also for $.83. The tent was missing stakes and a clip to which a pole attached. Both were easy fixes, of course. The rainfly has "Rental" on the side, but that's OK. After cleaning it up, it's the best $.83 I've spent! It's a little big/heavy for packing but it'll make a good car-camping tent.

I got a 85 dollar silva compass a couple months ago for 9 bucks and the only thing wrong was a bit of the back of the sighting mirror was melted. No functional problems.

Last week I saw a helium at the flagship in seattle for 200, only thing wrong was the inside of the back didnt feel right.

I went to my first one a few weeks ago, but by time my lottery number campe up, most of the really good deals were gone. I still ended up with a pair of new Smartwool light hiking socks for $6, a pair of like new Keen boots for my wife for $20 and a Marmot Precip hat for $8. Hopefully next time I can get in a little earlier and I'd really like it if they went to a first come first serve system that I've hear other locations use instead of a lottery.

I have been 3-4 times during the summer.

I have found almost like new tents for less than 20 bucks each time I have gone.

None are truly UL but a few of them have made the reviews on this site at least. One marmot tent I got for 13 bucks was so new it still smelled new, I mean it was super clean.

In all honesty it seems like if you live in the greater Puget Sound area around Seattle you can hit a sale every week or two. Maybe it really isn't like that….but you get the idea!

Anyhow today was the one in Issaquah. I didn't "need" anything so we showed up a couple hours in. Kirk found a brand new Kleen Kanteen bottle with tags on. It had a dent in it so wasn't sellable as new. Oh darn. We got it for a fraction of the retail cost and he needed a new one for the gym.

Over the years I have gotten many items. The weirdest sales were the ones back in the day in the Tukwila store where they sold items used in photo shoots. And by weird they often had glues and whatnot in odd places from where the clothing was "fitted" onto the model.

Still the best deal I ever got was a one man REI tent brand new for $7. Never used, in plastic. It had been one that was a couple years old and not sold anymore. Used it for a couple seasons and then sold it for $40 :-D Two or so years later REI suddenly puts a ton of those tents on REI Outlet. Must have found a pallet of them?

I've never found any desirable items under $10, but I just got a pair of La Sportiva Nepal Evo GTX boots for $110.83… they retail for $475.

If these were used, the wear is hardly noticeable. These fit my wide, duck feet very well and take my crampons much, much better than my old Montrail Ice 9 boots.

Found these at the REI in Marlton, NJ. If these boots were in a Seattle or Boston store, I'd imagine they would have been gone well before I arrived.

Got the Titinal (ladies) poles for around $30. They are regularly $100. Only difference between the guys and gals poles is the guys are black and the gals are silver. They work fine for me, silver or whatever. Not the lightest, but surely a good deal. Wish REI would stock a bit more LW and UL stuff so's I could have a chance to find some at the garage sale!

Strangest thing that I've ever seen was a brand new sleeping bag that someone returned because they spilt coffee on it.

I got a Gregory z55 for $80 at one of the sales.

I find it hard to go there and just look around trying to find deals since there are always a hundred other people looking. I have to go with one or two specific categories to look through.

Bought $100 pair of Julbo Glacier glasses for $40. Brand New with the UV sticker still on the lenses. The tag for the return stated that "They don't work in greenland?"

Weird!

Here in Encinitas,ca. store stuff goes quick at the gear sale I did get a returned Osprey Stratos 18 for $15.83 at a gear sale.
I was at the same store on a non sale day were they display sleeping bags and I was digging around were they store the sleeping bags. I found way at the back of the storage a REI sub kilo down bag for $39.83. Bought it instantly took it home a little to confining for me so shipped it up to my younger brother in the eastern sierras. What was funny I get a sales flyer for a fall sale a week later and they found more sub kilos on sale for over a $100.00.

Their are some other small privately owned backpacking and climbing stores chains in southern California that have been around for 30 years plus and manufacture sale reps of major companies . They hate REI and their take back any returns no matter what policy.Crazy low sale prices every month.
They say it wrecking the industry I kind of feel the same way.

I have been at REI watched people next to me bring back stuff so thrashed it looks like it been used and abused all season or years and the clerks just smile and refund money and or exchange the clearly thrashed product. I have even been verbal about it. I ask the the clerks How do you expect to stay in business taking returns like that and they just shrug their shoulders and nod.

I kinda have a love hate relationship with REI ever since they sent me a online survey that was asking me pointed question about the small gear shops in the area to gather information about how they do business, satisfaction with their employees and other things to put them out of business. I called the owners of the companies that had been doing business with for 30 years to let them know about the survey so they could protect themselves. During the christmas season REI was advertising on television last year in San Diego county.

I went to the new Tustin REI next to a Ikea and it was big as home depot,it was crazy they had every thing you could think of.REI has become the walmart, costco of outdoor industry and once they put all the little guys out of business. It will be us who pay. So support the long established privately owned shops also or they will be gone.

I picked up a bearvault for $19

Also got the following:

MH Down jacket for $40
BD Trekking Poles with Cork grips $40
MH gloves $6
SD Rain Jacket $15
Pelican waterproof storage box $2

and a few other little things :)