Outdoor Adventures
Garage SaleGear
By M.D. Johnson
Twilight. As night fell on our little camp, I sat back in my chair, hand curled around a steaming cup of fresh-brewed, percolator by the fire coffee. At the edge of the lantern’s glow, my wife, Julie, made some last-minute adjustments to our home away from home. Turkey season, I thought, was just hours away, and sleep, I knew, was going to again be as elusive as the longbearded gobblers might be in the morning. Julie joined me by the fire. “Notice anything special about the camp,” she asked. “A common denominator as you’re fond of saying,” she continued. I looked around; first at the canvas Hillary wall tent behind me, then at the cookstove and the lantern a short distance away. Even the chairs. Finally, I had to admit my ignorance. “Okay,” I said quietly. “You got me.” “Garage sale stuff,” she said. “Everything you see here came from a garage sale. The Hillary tent I got for $20. Had to fix the zipper and do a couple small patchings, but it’s been an excellent tent. The cookstove and the lantern? Same thing. In fact, same garage sale. Those sleeping bags? Five bucks each at a Labor Day sale. Truth is this entire camp probably cost less than $100.” She was right. Sure, it wasn’t fancy, but it certainly was comfortable. Right down to, as Julie reminded me, the two-for-a-dollar pillows on the beds. It all was the best money could buy. Garage sale money, that is.
THE GARAGE SALE MYSTIQUE It’s human nature, this getting something worth $100 for one dollar. This in a nutshell is what I call the garage sale mystique. And while it’s true that any number of things can be obtained at garage sales, there are those individuals hesitant to partake in this stuff-gathering activity. Why? For some, it’s the thought if an item isn’t new, it can’t possibly be as good as new. And while this can be true, it’s often is simply not the case. Yes, the purchase of secondhand gear has pros and cons. However, these variables are relatively few in number, elemental in nature, and, to put it bluntly, pretty black and white. Certainly, there can be exceptions, and such exceptions should be considered; still, the fact is buying garage sale outdoor gear can be a very good thing. 12
The Pros
First, let’s discuss quantity and brand name. In many cases, garage sales afford shoppers the opportunity to purchase things in bulk inexpensively. Often, these items will consist of multi-unit packs in sufficient numbers as to allow a stockpile and, ultimately, money saved. As for brand name, we have made extraordinary purchases on such high-profile brands as Coleman, Remington, Hillary, Rocky, Carhartt, and most recently, the United States Army. And while I don’t plan on making the military’s “MREs, or Meals, Ready-to-Eat” a daily experience, I certainly wasn’t going to pass on these 50-cent bargains that average $7-10 in the surplus stores. Next, let’s consider family. And why family? It goes back to money. Many times, the factors of low cost, high quality, and multiple unit availability can allow families to outfit themselves often at less than half the price of new gear. The bottom line is more people outdoors, more kids outdoors, and more support for the outdoors – period.
April-May 2010
The Cons
The first negative involves the old adage – Buyer Beware. With few exceptions, garage sale purchases are made on an as is/where is basis. Essentially, this means what you see is what you get, even if you don’t see it at first. This said, it makes good sense to inspect what you’re buying before you buy it. Consider, too, the absence of return policies and warranties. Thus, short of the seller making a blatant misrepresentation of the item, the only one to blame for an illfavored purchase is you! Then there’s the issue of garage sale selection. Few are the sales where the buyer may ask for Item A not in blue but in green, or size 12 EE and not 10-1/2 extra narrow. It’s a case of what’s available. Still, when all the variables come together and the price on the hang tag of retail – well, then it’s time to unleash that wallet and buy.