Though it’s hard to tell with Virginia’s unpredictability when it comes to weather, I think it’s safe to say that the chilly season is upon us here in Fredericksburg.
Whether the furthest you intend to travel is down William Street to the Sugar Shack or are prepping to study abroad in the coming spring semester, either way you’re going to need some of the best, most high quality gear that is out there.
But how do you obtain the North Face and Patagonia swag — a staple for college students — without the inevitably accompanying North Face and Patagonia prices (Because, you know — college)?
Here’s the tips they don’t quite give you at the College for International Education.
Matt Gibson, an online travel writer and expert adventurer, has listed the info in a post of his own, where he breaks the types and kinds of websites down into three distinct categories:
Large stores, similar to chains,
Smaller, more local/still growing stores, and
Sport specific stores
For the purposes of this post and for you as college students, we’re going to concentrate on the first category, and the top three sites in Gibson’s list (However feel free to further consult his post if you’re a more extreme traveler or have any big adventures coming up!).
These are the online outdoor gear chains you should visit if you want to get the best deal there is!
Backcountry
Perk: Biggest online discount retailer; have premium gear like North Face and Patagonia
Matt’s Tip: Click on the “Outlet” button near the Shopping Cart in the upper right hand corner … all the biggest discounts can be found on that one page!
REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.)
Perk: The beast of discounted online sporting goods stores!
Matt’s Tip: Similarly to Backcountry, you want to go directly to the “Sales and Clearance” page for the best of the best discounts!
Sierra Trading Post
Perk: Have all types of gear, from outdoor necessities to general travel essentials … even luggage and electronics!
Matt’s Tip: “For the really good deals I go straight to [Clearance]“.
By using one of these top three sites, you can save anywhere up to 70-80% off of what you would have paid buying the same gear at initial retail price!
E-commerce, or online shopping as opposed to in-store shopping, is the latest trend in how the marketplace works — not just for travel gear, but for practically anything you could even dream of needing! I certainly find online shopping much easier to being the car-less and busy student I am, and Gibson affirms this, stating that “the only reason you’ll ever need to visit a mall again is to try things on for size (before you go home and order them)”.
So happy shopping, and most importantly, happy discounted shopping! I’m sure both you and your bank account will end up thanking us here at Fredventurers.