"Next week Virginia celebrates a week-long tax holiday to encourage residents to purchase supplies useful for hurricane preparedness. Mostly, items eligible to be exempt from sales tax have to cost under $60 (things like batteries, flashlights, radios, and duct tape)."
Obviously a lot of hurricane preparedness stuff crosses over to backpacking. ;-)
Article has a link to download a PDF of what items qualify:
http://reason.com/blog/2014/05/23/on-the-market-for-a-chainsaw-its-tax-fre
Qualifying items from the PDF:
Sales Price of $60 or less
The following hurricane preparedness items may be purchased exempt of the Retail Sales and Use Tax during the “Hurricane Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday,” provided that such items have a selling price of $60 or less per item.
• Artificial ice, blue ice, ice packs and reusable ice
• Batteries (excluding automobile or boat batteries), including
o AAA cell
o AA cell
o C cell
o D cell
o 6 volt
o 9 volt
o Cell phone batteries
• Any portable self-powered light sources including
o Flashlights
o Lanterns
o Glow sticks
• Tarpaulins, plastic sheeting, plastic drop cloths, and other flexible waterproof sheeting
• Bungee cords, rope
• Ground anchor systems or tie down kits
• Ratchet straps
• Duct tape
• Carbon monoxide detectors
• Smoke detectors
• Fire extinguishers
• Gas or diesel fuel tanks or containers
• Water storage containers
• Nonelectric food storage coolers
• Bottled water
• Manual can openers
• Portable self-powered radios (including self-powered radios with electrical power capability)
• Two-way radios
• Weather band radios and NOAA weather radios
• Storm shutter devices
• Cell phone chargers
• First Aid Kits
