Whether it’s your first time buying or you’re looking to expand your outdoor equipment, buying a used camping tent could be worthwhile.
A lot of people and companies sell used camping equipment at a deep discount compared to buying new.
You can get lucky and find a high-quality camping tent that someone doesn’t need anymore. On the flip side, you don’t want to spend money on a tent that’s past its prime.
In this article, you’ll find out the best places where you can buy a used tent.
Article Contents
1. Retail Floor Models
The first place I would recommend searching for a like-new used tent is your local outdoor equipment retail store.
For those in the United States, some great places would be REI and Bass Pro Shops. In Canada, I would check out Cabela’s, MEC, Sail and Atmosphere. Even Walmart and Costco might be good options.
That’s because these places typically utilize new tents as floor models. Customers can physically interact with the tent, check the size, fabric, color and weight.
But, what happens with these floor model tents at the end of the year? Or, when they need to swap the floor models with the latest tent?
Well, that’s when you can swoop in and snatch up a tent for a discounted price!
Here’s what I recommend:
- Talk to the store staff and ask when they plan on selling the floor model tent. If the sales associated doesn’t know, ask the store manager.
- Ask what the discount would be for the floor model.
- Find out what’s included when it’s repackaged.
Just like buying any used tent, make sure you check for any damage, including wear and tear, before buying it. Here’s my list of 7 Things to Look for When Buying a Used Tent.
2. Camping Outfitters
A good camping outfitter should have plenty of used tents they’d love to retire after a camping season.
- The only issue is that outfitter tents are much more used that a standard personal tent.
- However, as a plus, the outfitter would have maintained the tent and repaired any damage throughout its lifetime.
Camping outfitters are usually located near campgrounds, so it’s best to call and ask if they have any used tents for sale before making the trek out there.
Alternatively, you could pop into an outfitter on your way up to or back from a camping trip and inquire about used tents.
Because they’ve been more heavily used and outfitters are keen to offload their old gear, I would try to negotiate a much lower price.
3. Online Marketplaces
Probably the most convenient place to find a used tent these days is an online marketplace. It’s also where you can find the best deal if you’re vigilant and patient enough.
Facebook marketplace, Kijiji and eBay can be a treasure trove for used outdoor equipment. You can tailor your search to specific locations and filter by price, tent brands and keywords.
What I especially like is that you can instantly message the seller and get further information on the tent. You can also compare similar tents for sale and gauge if the price is reasonable.
I’ve purchased tons of used outdoor equipment from online marketplaces. It has saved me thousands of dollars over the years and it should save you some serious money too!
Pro-tip: Scammers are very active on online marketplaces. Do not send any form of payment before physically inspecting the gear.
4. Gear Swaps / Meet-ups
Community organized gear swaps are excellent opportunities to buy and sell camping equipment.
The best way to find out about these events is by joining online community forums or checking the events calendars for outdoor retail stores.
As an example, I purchased rock climbing shoes during a MEC organized gear swap event. Because the event was tailored to climbing, I was confident I would find something that was in good condition at a fair price.
These gear swaps and meet-ups may have an entrance fee, but it could be well worth the price of admission if you can score a used tent for 50% off the original purchase price.
5. Local Thrift Stores
Sometimes, people don’t have the time or the resources to post their camping equipment for sale online. Or, maybe they think it’s not worth much anyways and just need to get rid of it.
Checking out local thrift stores, like Value Village, the Salvation Army and Goodwill, at the beginning and end of the camping season. It might be worthwhile if you can find a used tent that’s up for grabs.
The only thing to be mindful about is that the odds of actually finding a good, high-quality tent are fairly low.
- People who leave used tents at thrift stores aren’t leaving newer, high-end, lightweight models.
- The condition of the tent might be too far gone to make it worth the purchase.
- Equipment or components might be missing or need replacing.
Also, in my experience, the pricing might be somewhat surprising. Although these are second-hand stores, they are for-profit retailers, so they want to maximize the resale value of all items.
Just make sure you don’t overpay! I would target 50-70% off an equivalent regular priced tent.
Given these points, you might get lucky and find a real gem at a thrift store, but most likely, you’ll come home empty handed.
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