REI Garage Sale June 2009
Just got back from the REI Garage Sale. This is an event where REI sells off all of their returned, display, and vendor return items for 50-75% off (or greater). I needed some gear as I’ve been hiking some more involved trails lately and wanted appropriate gear. Needless to say, I picked up some sweet gear and saved a ton of money! Details in the full post.
Kate and I arrived at REI around 7:30am, an hour and a half before the sale started at 9am. I believe this was the optimal time to get there. We were very near the front of the line and didn’t need to get up too early. There was a group of people who had apparently camped the night there, not something I was willing to do.
Just before they let us in I snapped a picture on my phone of the line. This was just the start, it continued far to the left around the building:
Line at REI Garage Sale
Once the doors opened, we headed in and the madness started. The sale items were located behind the store, in the unloading truck bay areas. There were multiple racks of clothing and tables and tables of bins full of cheap gear. Packs and shoes lined the sides of the truck bay. My main reason for going was a pack, so that’s what I hit first. I found a nice one pretty quickly. After that I browsed the bins and then hit clothes.
I ended up with more than I expected, but the table below shows that I really did save a ridiculous amount of money, so it will probably be worth it in the long run. All of my new gear:
My new gear
Table of the gear I bought, along with full price, sale price, savings totals and maximum sale percentage:
| Item | Original Cost | Sale Cost | Savings | Percent Off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Therma Rest | 74.95 | 37.83 | 37.12 | 0.5 |
| Osprey Pack | 149 | 84.83 | 64.17 | 0.43 |
| REI Jacket | 199 | 42.83 | 156.17 | 0.78 |
| North Face Pants | 65 | 27.83 | 37.17 | 0.57 |
| Kuhl Pants | 58 | 29.83 | 28.17 | 0.49 |
| Silva Ranger Compass | 55 | 24.83 | 30.17 | 0.55 |
| REI Shirt | 10.83 | 4.83 | 6 | 0.55 |
| Under Armor Shirt | 50 | 27.83 | 22.17 | 0.44 |
| REI Fleece Hoodie | 45 | 24.83 | 20.17 | 0.45 |
| Mountain Hard Wear Shirt | 38 | 17.83 | 20.17 | 0.53 |
| REI Shirt | 24 | 7.83 | 16.17 | 0.67 |
| Petzl Head Lamp | 64.95 | 24.83 | 40.12 | 0.62 |
| 180s Ear Warmers | 30 | 11.83 | 18.17 | 0.61 |
| Perl Izumi Cycling Shorts | 100 | 22.83 | 77.17 | 0.77 |
| Patagonia Long Sleeve Shirt | 29.99 | 17.83 | 12.16 | 0.41 |
| Water Filter Kit | 79.95 | 24.83 | 55.12 | 0.69 |
| Sigma Cycling Computer | 56 | 29.83 | 26.17 | 0.47 |
| Totals | 1129.67 | 463.11 | 666.56 | 0.78 |
What kind of water filter did you get?
I believe it is the same one you have, only it was ‘clogged’ according to the return slip. I need to buy a new filter cartridge and hopefully it will work.
Also, I think I got the same rain jacket as yours. It’s the $200 one that I got for ~$42.83, made by REI. I tested it in the sink and no water gets through, it’s not super breathable, but it’ll definitely keep the water out.
I can’t see the pictures!
Sorry, I was changing things last night and must have broken it, I’ll get it fixed in a minute.
Fixed. They still might load pretty slow. Currently the images are hosted on my server at my place. Soon they’ll be hosted using Amazon’s S3 service, which means they’ll load much faster.
Will this stuff keep you safe so you don’t fall?
Well, most of this is for hiking and a bit is for cycling. I did order a crash pad for when I’m bouldering so I have something softer than rock to fall on. : )