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Self confessed gearhead here. We have way too much gear. I do buy a lot used. When the dollar was up I got some great deals from REI. One of the downfalls to living out of the way is that driving into Ottawa to shop is a full day affair (and truth be told I would rather be near home in the peace and quiet).
I really love shopping online. I just got an order today - Puralator even risked our road today - a new rescue PFD and compression event sacks for our trip next year.
These are two things I have needed for awhile. I found them both on sale.
So nice to get them without stepping out of the house!
So my initial impressions:
Lowe Alpine Airstream Compression Sacks - Size 15L and 20L
Retail 28 & 30$
- I did get them for a bit of a discount but these are on the lower end of cost for compression sacks with eVent
- they are rectangular bottomed not round
- the material is pretty thick - which I like - look like they should be pretty water resistant (eVent is 'waterproof' but I do not find anything as waterproof as the old school dry bags - but eVent can compress and is easier to change the shape of)
- the stitching is decent - I'd say not as good as the high end ones but good enough that paying 1/2 of what a high end one costs is worth it
- they were black (all that was on sale) - I prefer more colour
So overall, I'd recommend them at this point - we'll see what I think after a season
Last edited by ChristineCanoes (12/31/2015 1:10 pm)
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I am also a big online shopper. It's mostly driven by my absolute hatred of actual shopping.
I just wish there were more retailers that shipped to Canada without enormous fees. We used to buy a lot in the US and have it sent to relatives for pick up when we visit. But, with the dollar I'm on the look out for great Cdn retailers. Any favourites?
I've had great customer service from Valhalla Pure (vpo.ca) and LiveOutThere is pretty good too. Any other favourites?
I'd also be interested in an in-season follow up review on the Lowe Alpine compression sacks. We nearly exclusively use compression dry sacks with the eVent tech now (except for food which gets the priveledge of being in the heavy, plasticky, MEC dry bag). I'm curious about the square botton as opposed to the round. Does it make a noticeable difference with packing?
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I had a sea to summit e-vent compression sack that was not 100% waterproof. Pulled my down bag out and it was wet. It's the 1st bag in the bottom of my backpack. It was sitting in the canoe during the rain but all the gear was covered with a tarp. Just the water in the bottom of the boat leaked in. Sea to summit did replace it with a new one. To test the bag Sea to summit had me fill the bag with water seal it up and lay it down on the ground. Didn't take long for the e-vent section to start sweating water. I also tested the new bag and it did not sweat any water. They told me oils or pretroleum products can cause a bag to leak. But mine was only used for my sleeping bag. So you may want to test your bag just in case.
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I LOVE amazon!
So far in 2016 I have spent over $200 on outdoor related books, and I just ordered a Kelly Kettle last night!
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