The year 2013 is still young - is it going to be a No Gear Year, Buy Less Gear Year, or a Gear Rush Year?
The beginning of January not only is the first month of the new year, it also always marks the start of the winter sale season. Gear Manufacturers and Outdoor Shops tempt us with large discounts in their Winter Sales - here are some examples:
- Bergfreunde.de have their annual Winter Schluss Verkauf with discounts of up to 70%
- Hyperlite Mountain Gear have a Backpack Sale, with 15% off backpacks & accessories (you need to be subscribed to their Newsletter to get the Code ;)
- The Clymb has The Great Gear Rush with up to 90% off
- You can save up to 50% off Marmot at Backcountry.com
- At the moment there’s 60% Off Men’s And Women’s Castle Peak Ski Jackets And Pants At GoLite.com
- Bergzeit.de has a massive selection of outdoor brands with discounts northward of 60%
- And then there’s up to 50% off on Outdoor Gear & Clothing at the REI Outlet
Most regular readers likely already have a well-stocked gear closet, and only miss here and there something; or then a jacket or pants has reached the end of its life-cycle and now can be replaced by a new model. Others decide to give winter backpacking a try and need a thick down jacket, winter stove and sleeping bag to complement their gear. And then there might be those who are new to backpacking and hence need to get the basic gear together. For all these situations sales like the ones above are superb, as they allow us to pick up great gear for little money.
On the other side there are great people like Craig, who did a No New Gear Year in 2012. I hope he will follow up and share his experiences about it at some point, and even more so I hope that he’ll inspire more to try a No New Gear Year - maybe not in 2013, but somewhere down the line when one has all the kit one really needs. I really enjoy to read Craig’s blog Sweeping The Garden, and in the last year he has been on a lot of fine trips with his existing gear.
I myself will continue to try different equipment and share my experiences here so you can learn from my mistakes and success, but try to get as little gear as possible (there’s only so much space and time to wear & use gear!). What’s 2013 going to be for you - a No Gear Year, a Buy As Little As Possible New Gear Year, or a Gear Rush Year?