Got up at the butt crack of dawn to hit the MEC gear swap (Mountain Equipment Co-op) which happens bi-annually and has some of the best deals on gear you can imagine... warranty returns, demos,and overstocks selling for a fraction of retail. People start lining up at dawn and all the stuff (a lot of it )is usually gone in minutes.

I almost never get up at the butt crack of dawn or get in the lineup and usually prefer to check out private sellers who also come with all kinds of schwag.

My $45.00 got me about $500.00 worth of gear I was looking for and the boots were the best deal and also picked up a new suspension backpack and a light 1.5 man tent for another $35.00.


Asolo backpacking boots, $319.00 retail... paid $10.00