Monday, March 16, 2015


Here is the gear I've gathered so far, all from REI mostly warehouse sales. I should just go work there to get a discount. 

REI Half Dome 2 tent - tempted to trade in for Quarterdome to cut 2 lbs but got this on close out for super cheap. Always the backpacking battle.... weight vs. price

REI Warehouse Sale Items

REI Warehouse Sale Tips:


Call me Type A, but when you're thrown into a tiny room with 39 other people and you're given 20 high intensity minutes, it saves to be organized. 

Here in Durham, NC the way they did it for the over 500 people waiting outside to pounce on deals was divide us into groups of 40 and given a letter. Each letter was drawn from a hat by a cute kid and given a time slot. 10am, 10:30, 11 and so on so you could leave and come back if you wish. The cool thing was they opened the doors at 10 and had clothes and shoes on the floor open for everyone to go nuts on. So the back warehouse was only gear, mostly sleeping bags and sleeping pads. There were some GoPros, watches, sunglasses, a few car camp tents, footprints, I saw a solar system, even a camp towel, no thanks. I was the 4th group (hallelujah) but no backpacks.

Tip 1: Since you likely wont be the first group, unless you have some serious karma built up, talk with REI employees. This helped me tremendously. I straight up asked an REI guy what he thought about my list below and he told me some crucial things. Like the Backcountry bed seems cool but waaay too heavy and bulky. He also told me there were tons of Therm-a-rest pads in the back... which means they were returned the most. He said it was their #1 returned pad. 

Tip 2: Go in with a priority list. If item A isn't there, then go for your backup. 

Tip 3: Don't panic. One of my favorite Jim Gaffigan lines, "Two Big Mac’s for two bucks. I drive by and like, well, I don’t wanna lose money on this. I’ll get 80 of them." Even though the savings are great, don't spend money on something you literally can't return if you don't like it.

Tip 4: If something is missing from the item you picked up (like a compression bag) go ask someone working the room if they've seen it. Things get scattered and thrown about as people tornado through bins.

Tip 5: Test it out before you buy it. I couldn't decide between 2 sleeping pads so I just grabbed both kinds once my time was up and found a corner in the store and inflated them both. There was 0 space in the actual back room to do this. Once I decided the Exped UL chambers were too broken I just gave it the employee working the warehouse door.  


At the end of the day I got... 
1 Nemo Nocturne 30 for $209.83 (orig. $329)
1 REI Radiant Long + Wide for $130.85 (orig. $219)
2 Exped Synmat 7 for $64.83 each (orig. $129 each) 

Totaling $470.34 (orig. total would be $806)

I'd call that a #win. 


Sleeping BagDescription FillWeightPriceREI rating
Nemo Nocturne 30Good for side sleepers with spoon shape; water proof foot bo; blanket fold700 Duck down 2 lbs$329-$3494.5/5 - 23 reviews
REI Igneo 19Mummy, hood, water-res coat, vertical baffles, wmns zip lright, uni on lft700 duck down1lb 15 oz$299-$3194.8/5 - 13 reviews
Sierra Designs Zissou 23 (40)Dri down, roomy footbox, but better for warmer nights700 dri duck down2lbs$239-2593.75/5 - 33 reviews
Sierra Designs Zissou 12DriDown, full length zipper, nonrestrictive hood, zippers on opp side = partner700 duck down2 lbs 7 oz$299-$3194.8/5 - 19 reviews
Kelty Ignite Down 16DriDown, good value, warm, pretty room600 duck down2lbs 7 oz$219-2394.6/5 - 26 reviews
Sierra Designs Backcountry Bed 17Integrated comforter, no zippers, can untuck feet, DriDown, pad not included600 duck down3lbs 1 oz$299-$3194.8/5 - 6 reviews
Sea to Summit Spark 47Super light, short zipper, DriDown, compressed850 goose down12.3 oz$299-$319
REI Radiant 19Water repellent down and coating, relaxed, full zipper600 duck down2 lbs 8 oz$199-2194.8/5 - 9 reviews
REI Flash 29Water repel fabric, left zip, not good for side sleepers, lightweight, compact700 duck down1 lbs 1 oz$259-$2694.7/5 - 11 reviews
REI Igneo 19Waterproof fabric hood, sides, footbox, compressable, maybe look for long700 duck down1 lbs 3 oz$299-$319
REI Serrana 25 Women'sRoomy, water repel duck down, good for multi positions, 600 duck down3 lbs 2 oz$219-229
Sleeping PadsR-Value
Therm-a-rest Lite SolFoam, best of foam pads not good for side sleepers though2.6/9.514 oz$34-$444.2/5 - 66 reviews
Big Agnes Insulated Q-CoreGood for side sleepers, and rocky ground, might leak5/9.51 lb 2 oz$119-1994.4/5 - 89 reviews
Expend SynMat 7 Air PadBuilt in pump, good for side sleepers, comes in medium wide4.9/51lb 13 oz$129-1494.6/5 - 85 reviews
Therm-a-rest Neo Air XThermThe best but priciest $249
Any Therm-a-rest Neo Air
Nemo Astro Insulated LitePillow bump at top of pad, might be noisy, seems like its returend a lot1lbs 3 oz$129-$149
Exped SynMat ULCan be blownup by mouth, seems more durable than nemo,16oz$155-$1754.1/5 - 97 reviews
Therma-a-rest Neo Air CamperOk for side sleepers, compact, ~20 breathes, quiet, not self inflating2.2/9.51lbs 8 oz$99-$1494.9/5 - 11 reviews



Other things to look for at the garage sale:
1. Sleepingbag
2. Sleping pad
3. Waterproof bags
4. Compression bags
5. Backpack rainjackets
6. GSI Outdoors pinnacle (cook set)
7. Snowpeak giga
8. Knife/camp tool/swiss army
9. Solar
10. Rain gear backpack rain cover
11. Pocket towel
12. Water filter
13. Mosquito head net/Permethrin
14. Footprint