On Friday night i camped out in front of the REI here in Eugene, Oregon, in order to get in the door first and get some "goodies". I arrived at 10:00 pm. The local train tracks are right behind the store and several went by just as i was drifting off to sleep. Also, that night i braved 2 homeless people, 1 concerned police officer and several Mad Hippies (mad that THEY were not first in line!) and came out of the sale with some neat stuff. I ended up saving myself over $1000.00 off retail ! The temperature was a toasty 26 degrees F, and i had a great time testing some of my winter gear--specifically an old 1987 The North Face VE 23 tent that i am going to use for snow camping (bought at Goodwill for only $6.00 !).The tent smells a little funny but is completely functional and waterproof. I cooked some coffee and read some of my new book; Anapurna, by Maurice Herzog. My brother stopped by around 8:00 am to drop off some doughnuts and coffee ( he did not stay...he doesn't like people!) and my daughter took the bus to join me at just after 9:00 am (to look for some pretty gloves). The sale started at 10:00 am and everyone was nuts! They pushed and shoved and people were tearing things from other people's hands. I seem to be immune to this because i am 6 foot 2 1/2 inches tall and weigh 230 lbs. Most Vegan hippies tend to be scared by me for some reason <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I ended up getting a NEW Big Agnes Seedhouse SL 3 WITH the footprint for only $69.93 ($405.07 off retail), a slightly used Marmot Never Summer zero degree sleeping bag with a small hole (that i easily repaired) for only $19.93 ($230.07 off retail) , a NEW Marmot Sharp Point soft shell jacket for $39.93 ($210.07 off retail), a NEW pair of Sierra Designs Hurricane LT water proof/breathable full side zip rain pants for $9.93 ($50.07 off retail), a NEW The North Face Apex Bionic soft shell hooded jacket (customer did not like the way the stitching was sewn) for $19.93 ($109.07 off retail) for my son and several other smaller items like mugs and misc. camping doo-dads.

It seems to me that most REI customers think that REI means "return everything instantly"! It really say a lot about our instant gratification society when most people would rather return an item instead of sewing it up or fixing it. I believe that in the case of the Big Agnes tent, the person probably had "buyer's remorse". After spending $475.00 on a tent, they had to go home and justify the purchase to their spouse. Not easy, believe me, i know !

So, guys, what is the best deals you have ever gotten at an REI scratch-n-dent sale or even at your local Goodwill, St. Vincent's, Craigslist or E-Bay ? I know that i can't be the only cheap-scate around these parts. I constantly prowl the local thrift stores and seem to be happiest when i find a piece of gear that is in need of fixing. I derive great satisfaction out of fixing up old gear and donating it to my local scout troop or to a beginer in need of quality used gear. Does anybody else do this ?