REI Garage Sale tomorrow… no clue what to look for.

They sell some wool shirts, and I found some light rain pants there once.

A really good thing to check is the shoes. I found a $20 pair of New Balance Minimus and a pair of Trail Gloves for $20. $40 for a $200 worth of shoes was a great deal.

Hopefully it won't be like Walmart (hate that place, don't shop there) on Xmas eve with a million people piling through the door, hehe. I might check out some shoes… actually my casual shoes have seen better days. thx.

The tents are great value. Buy one (or more) and then list them on Craig's list and sell at 2x the price paid. The use the profit to buy what you really want at REI.

I've had good luck with shoes, sleeping mattresses (neoair, ba aircore), jetboil, tents, and watches (GPS and pedometer types). I've also gotten Yakima roof rack accessories for pretty cheap.

Keep in mind what outdoor companies have the better warranties. Some repair/replace no matter what. Others charge nominal repair fees.

It will be a real zoo, Bryce. Here at the Boulder, CO store, they have occasionally limited the number of people that could go into the store, to try to comply with the fire marshall's decree on how many people could squeeze into the gear sale room. Since I already have 2 of almost everything they sell, I don't hit the sale on the first day (Saturday), but I wait until Sunday afternoon. They cut the prices down real low to get rid of it, and sometimes I can score something interesting on the cheap. Now I usually just look for a $2 backpack that has cool gadgets like compressions straps, a unique stay that I can remove, and buckles, cord locks, etc. Then I rip the sucker apart and scavenge the useful parts to help me modify an existing pack. The pack fabric makes good tent stake bags. I also look for a cuben something-or-other with a tear in it. I can easily repair that. Other items I've come across are orphan Jetboil components, such as a ti Sol cup without a lid, cosy, or measuring cup (you can buy them cheaply direct from Jetboil).

Look for a way to protect yourself from buying crap you don't need. :)

They are all a bit different depending on the store. The one in CT i think might be partially outdoors? the one in RI is all inside and tends to be busy but fairly controlled since it is good sized store with 2 levels and a back room.

i'm hoping to find a cheap neoair and a short sleeve merino.

the key these days is to not buy stuff that i don't need.. i have most of what I need and want.. so unless it's really cheap I leave it alone.

woo got a neoair regular length and a "half empty"(feels full) 8oz MSR fuel canister :)