In today’s fast paced world, with so many things comsuming our time, finding time to spend in the outdoors can be very challenging. Team this with the time to scour the Interent or go from store to store around town looking for the best prices on gear and one can get frustrated, fatigued and with a much smaller bank account. If only there were an easier an way to find all the gear that we want and need at the best prices available. After years of helping people locate gear in a variety of formats, I found myself continually using the same basic tools to locate the best deals on outdoor gear and clothing. So, after some trial and error, here is what I have learned over the years and hopefully you can use a few of these tips to outfit your closet and garage with all the gear you need, save your time for the outdoors and not have to break the bank. These tips are only concerning purchasing and obtaining your gear, not about researching what may be the best gear for your needs, as that is a different topic for a different day.

1. Craigs List-This can be a great way to find used gear in your area for great prices. The down size is that the selection is usually not very large, but every now and find can find a great deal, especially on larger items like tents, backpacks and sleeping bags.

2. eBay-This is one of my favorite ways to find gear, as the selection is usually very good and if you shop carefully and are familiar with gear and their prices, you can get some really good deals on good quality items.

3. Local Outdoor Swap Meets-This can be a great way to get good quality gear for a reasonable price, as you will be purchasing from other outdoor enthusiasts. In the midwest, the Alpine Shop in St. Louis, Missouri has a 3 day gear sale and swap meet that is an annual must see for most outdoor adventurist in the midwest. Hundreds of people gather to sell their used gear, while the Alpine Shop has a big sale on their new gear and also offers frees outdoor classes and speakers.

4. REI Outlet-This can be a good place to look for deals on closeout and super saver items. You don’t always get the best selections on colors and it may be last years overruns, but if you don’t mind that, you can get some great prices.

5. Steap and Cheap-This is a fun site that sells over runs, last seasons gear and left over from backcountry.com. You can bid on several items that run throughout the day and these items change everyday.

6. The Clymb-This is a relatively new site that sells things for 3 to 4 days at a time from one or two brand companies and then changes to different companies for 3 or 4 days. This continues, but the prices are 50 to 60 percent off retail.

7. GearTrade.com-This is a great site where outdoor enthusiasts and retailers can sell used gear, returned items and scratch and dent type of sales. You can get some great deals here on a variety of items, so like new for drastic price reductions.

8. SpadOut.com-This is a great place to search for a piece of gear or outdoor clothing that you really want, as it is a searxh engine of sort for outdoor gear only. Spad Out will search the web for the item you enter and show you all the locations online where you can by the item and provides you with the best sale price on that item. Pretty cool tool to use if you know what you are looking for and want to get the best price.