Spring is almost over, the summer holidays are just a stone’s throw away and temperatures are rapidly raising. Does this mean barbecue season has arrived? Yes! Can we start planning our annual summer trip? Definitely! Are we fully equipped to pack our bags and leave? Well, that depends but following our own experience, chances are at least something’s missing from your travel equipment in order to be able to go on holiday with a peaceful mind. Especially if you’re planning to go camping, there’s a lot of specific gear you’ll need to be comfortable during your whole trip. However, all that gear can get pretty expensive pretty quickly.
Camping or bivouacking might not seem like such a big deal, yet once you start planning, you’ll soon realize you’ll need more than you initially thought. No, it’s not just about grabbing a random backpack and that sleeping bag you received when you were a kid. Depending on where you’re heading and in which circumstances you’ll be spending the night, you’ll need adapted gear. That means a more or less comfortable mat, a sleeping bag that might actually protect you against colder temperatures (especially when bivouacking in the mountains), a qualitative tent, cooking equipment… The list goes on and on but your budget probably doesn’t.
So if you want to keep things on the more affordable side, you’ve got a few options. You could choose to buy new, cheap stuff, but keep in mind that quantity over quality is never a good idea, especially when you’re counting on that stuff to keep you warm at night or to make sure you don’t get lost in the wilderness. Second option: you try to buy as much of that gear secondhand. Great for the planet, great for your wallet. Of course, make sure to check out the item from all angles in order to make sure there are no defaults, no hidden tears, and so on.
In-season discounts
However, sometimes you can’t find what you’re looking for second hand and in that case, you better keep an eye out for any possible discounts or sales. According to Wirecutter, the month of May is one of the best times of the year to find great deals on outdoor gear. The January and July sales might be even more interesting, but keep in mind that at those moments, you’ll probably be buying out-of-season stuff which might not help you straight away. Around Memorial Day in May, however, many outdoor shops are handing out big discounts to their customers on brand new stuff – perfect if you didn’t think of buying your summer outdoor gear months in advance!
