Going to the USA What one item t bring back??

[Moondog55]

We have to go to the USA for family reasons. and we are not going to be able to do much while over there and we really will not have much money to spare.
But if I did have a little spare cash at the end of the trip what would you recommend I shop for??
SWMBO will be buying clothes.
The only thing I am definitely buying is a replacement for my M-65 Field coat as the postage from Alpha Industries to Australia is far too high due the the weight of the garment

[wayno]

all depends on what other kit you feel you might need to replace or would like to improve on. you might end up in a shop over there and go mad on a spend up or be paralysed by the options and still not know what to buy....
first up look at one of the big four, rain coat, boots, pack , sleeping bag,
theres a lot of new breathable raincoat technologies just released overseas, better performing than gore tex , similar or better than event.
then what activities are you going to use it for to narrow down models

[ninjapuppet]

I think these days, anything can be had over the internet at pretty good prices.
the main advantange of actually being there, i think is to buy personal things like:
- shoes. its better if you get to try them on than mail order
- large bulky stuff where postage is dear
- or if you're lucky, being able to hit one of those in-store sales like how REI has those returned goods for dirt cheap prices which dont get sold online.

[Moondog55]

I'll be going to New York city but probably only for one day/overnite.
As far as I know there are NO outdoor specialty shops near the outlaws, Binghamton NY as I would be shopping for end of season/close-out sales on Patagonia or similar.
Ditto ex US military clothing

This is a family visit so there will be no time ( unfortunately ) to visit anywhere, we only have 4 weeks.

[wayno]

how about this place??

http://www.gandermountain.com/modperl/s ... toreID=259

[Moondog55]

Gander Mountain was totally wiped out by the local floods, think of Brisbane but deeper and more widespread ( my wifes hometown so we watched every day ) unless we wait until next year they won't be open.

[wayno]

you could order something online and ship it to their house in NY for before you arrive? a lot of companies will ship for nothing if it's over a certain value..... trailspace.com shows comparative prices so you can shop for the best deal.

[Moondog55]

that is really good advice, finding out the best value is taking more time than it should, I may just get a large quantity of silnylon to bring back as internal potage makes that cheaper to bring back than post.
And of course if I buy clothes I'll wear 7 layers onto the plane.

[wayno]

now that sounds like a plan.... not to mention wearing hiking boots onto the plane and using a pack for luggage and whatever you can carry on.

[wayno]

http://outlet.altrec.com/

[andrewa]

Having just ordered a variety of stuff from the US (from thru-hiker, some nylon and 900 loft down for a hammock quilt; from nrs, some hydroskin pants and socks; and from ??gearzone, a montbell exlight down jkt and some titanium cooking stuff), it "irritates" me to be paying ~ 25-30% of the order cost as postage, but, at the end of the proverbial day, it is still all a lot cheaper than buying it here, and I don't then try to spend "X" hours running around looking for the cheapest shop. Even buying the down and quilt, I will be "out of pocket" making the quilt, from an hourly work rate, but I'll have what I want, which I can't source from the net, so I have no choice with this one, and I actually enjoy sewing
.
I suppose it all comes down to your "hourly rate". If I spend a few hours googling/driving around Melbourne looking for cheapest prices, then I've wasted much more money than I've saved, if it's impacted on work time (I am self employed). Making gear is expensive in terms of hours thinking about it, and actually making it, but on the other side, there is the satisfaction of MYOG.

If you're off to the US, perhaps buy stuff that is heavy/bulky, to reduce the shipping costs back to Oz, but think about how much you earn in an hour when you are planning this, as, even at $20/hr, your savings become small, or negative.

A

[ninjapuppet]

I suppose it all comes down to your "hourly rate". If I spend a few hours googling/driving around Melbourne looking for cheapest prices, then I've wasted much more money than I've saved, if it's impacted on work time (I am self employed). Making gear is expensive in terms of hours thinking about it, and actually making it, but on the other side, there is the satisfaction of MYOG.

If you're off to the US, perhaps buy stuff that is heavy/bulky, to reduce the shipping costs back to Oz, but think about how much you earn in an hour when you are planning this, as, even at $20/hr, your savings become small, or negative.

A

Yes Dr Allan,
One of my mates is a radiologist, and he decided to hire tools to dig his own swimming pool?!@?! asked why in the world he doesnt just hire people with proper machinery to excavate it, he explains its the satisfaction he gets when seeing his kids swim in a hole he dug himself. it would only cost him a few days salary max to hire someone but he's decided to spend over a year digging it. MYOG spirit to the max there.

I'd feel very awkward keeping patients waiting if I'd been driving to the local outdoors store browsing for gear. Its not so much about the higher local prices for me, but more about the frustration of getting stuck in traffic, finding parking, walking a fair distance to the shops (if in the city), then trying to hurry to make it back to work in time. takes the fun out of shopping.
If i was on a holiday in the US though, thats a very different story.

[Drifting]

A Taco Bell franchise!

[andrewa]

Ninja, that's a great story about your radiologist mate! The ultimate DIY guy.

Thinking a little more about all this, I realise that I actually enjoy online shopping more than "shop shopping", so, if I went to the US, I'm not sure that I'd go looking for any particular piece of gear - I'd probably just go and enjoy the place, maybe check out a few Taco Bill franchises, etc!

I'd probably end up with some opportunistic purchase of a piece of gear at the end of the trip, but I'd be concerned that (for me) a search for something specific would "take over" the trip, and reduce the other aspects of the experience.

Anyway.............back to work!