Guys, with the exception of safety and climbing equipment, buy all your outdoor equipment used, ideally on the local market. Reduce landfill and save money. Most of the stuff you buy is crap made in China anyway.
That's weird because I find a ton of stuff at REI's Garage Sales and on eBay. A little elbow grease, a light dusting of hydrophobic spray, maybe a little patching here and there... and my stuff works great!
My wife & I have somewhat variable success with this method. You can find killer deals if you are an unusual size. But if you're a Medium in men's or a size 6 in women's, good luck finding anything. Perhaps a little counter-intuitively, the most common sizes are picked clean first.
