c-towns Posted February 25, 2008 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 is there anywhere to get gear in Toronto that is cheaper than MEC?I'm looking for sleeping bag compression bag and some sort of comfy ground mattress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afro poppa Posted February 25, 2008 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 check out canadian tire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c-towns Posted February 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 have you ever seen a compression bag there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afro poppa Posted February 25, 2008 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 nope sorry i havent specifically, but im sure you could check online or something?? they amy have one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AD Posted February 25, 2008 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 check to see if there is a scouts canada store. there is one in ottawa, there might be one there. there are tons of places cheaper than mec. but i can't name any, ha. edit - here are the scout shop locations Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hartamophone Posted February 25, 2008 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 I don't know that you'd find a compression sack at Canadian Tire. Actually, I'd be quite surprised if you would.Personally, camping gear is one thing I don't mind shelling out a bit of cash for. Having the right gear can make all the difference between a miserable time and an awesome weekend. Even something as seemingly innocuous as having the sleeping mat can make a big difference in keeping you warm and dry at night. MEC's prices are entirely reasonable, IMO.Just my two cents. After working in outdoor shops for years (and camping/hiking/backpacking for even longer), I've seen a lot of good times turn sour because of cheap gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomson Posted February 25, 2008 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 I'm with you Hartamophone, if you get cheap gear it won't be realiable leaving you nervous about logistics instead of enjoying your trip and/or it won't last and you'll end up spending more $$$ in the long run. I look at gear as an investment. So long as you know how to take care of it it can last a lifetime.As for prices, MEC sells in such volume that they pretty much have the best prices for the quality brands. They're like the Walmart of gear. An ethically-focus, socially responsible, cooperative Walmart....ok, so MEC is nothing like Walmart but for quality gear they've got good prices.I've heard of folks getting good deals through: www.backcountry.com but I have no experience with the site and I imagine the savings on small items like stuff sacs are negligible.My only other suggestion would be contacting a friend who works in the outdoor industry. They would likely have access to pro-deals, that they aren't supposed to share with friends but it's worth asking. Or contact a company directly and ask if you can get on their pro-deal list (which is a long shot). Asolo offers HUGE savings for their pro deals and they have great compression sacs. P.S. My favourite compression sac is OR's waterproof helium (available at MEC here ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hartamophone Posted February 25, 2008 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 As for prices, MEC sells in such volume that they pretty much have the best prices for the quality brands. They're like the Walmart of gear. An ethically-focus, socially responsible, cooperative Walmart....ok, so MEC is nothing like Walmart but for quality gear they've got good prices.Yeah, that's quite a ridiculous statement. I'm glad to see that you corrected yourself, though!Sierra Trading Post (dot com) is another great online spot for gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hux Posted February 25, 2008 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 Ask some of the independent gear stores if MEC is like Walmart, enjoying their special co-operative tax status and pricing them out of the market... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c-towns Posted February 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 any recommendations on sleeping mats vs. air mattress? Do people normally choose the mats do to size restrictions and lack of blow up power? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schwa. Posted February 25, 2008 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 I have a therorest mattress from Canadian Tire. Did 8 days in the desert this summer and it performed great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CyberHippie Posted February 25, 2008 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 Check out Marathon sporting goods across the street from MEC. They offer some cheaper alternatives to MEC. It's not the same kind of high end gear, but they sell decent stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cully Posted February 25, 2008 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 Europebound is always cheaper than MEC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phunkyb Posted February 25, 2008 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 Tent City is great as well. Its a little north, I think around Steeles but I get most of my gear there. Cheaper than MEC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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