Bushwalking on a budget The Op-Shop find thread

[Moondog55]

For the thrifty, frugal and parsimonious as well as those on an extremely limited budget.
I am often amazed at what people discard at the tip so I often frequent our local recycle centres and the Salvos store is on the way there.
While the Salvation Army stores are often way overpriced occasionally you do find a real bargain there but the real gem is the local "Resource Center"

I just bought a decent Extra large fly sheet and 2 steel poles for $6-. While I wouldn't carry the steel poles bushwalking the tarp is big enough for a group and despite being from K-Mart is well made, strong and well designed [ not like most of the C**p from there] the tent I turned into a fly sheet for my Paddymade $5-, 25mm Thermarest clone $5- and brand new or used just once, numerous CCF pads at $2-, the ALICE pack was free, Caribee travel backpack $3- and I'll use that for travelling, the Macpac external frame $5- and worth a hell of a lot more.
I have even purchased decent summer sleeping bags for 5 & 10 dollars. So who else shops at Aunt Sallies? Good place to outfit a mate who has never tried the overnite walking bit without breaking the bank

[vagrom]

"He's an ideas man!" -Darryl Kerrigan

Now you're talking. Of course, it's really hit and miss. The most likely score is going to be in the clothing department. Head across to the big end of town. Recommend Vinnies. The amount of times one finds quality,name camping clothing is suprising. Okay; nothing in Goretex yet. But thermal related, wool or synthetic. They stock for the season. The amount of Polar Fleece stuff is nebulous. And going for a song.
So: Clothing and bibs and bobs for cookwear. Beanies! And that's not all...!

Check your business pages for quality Op's in the inner, ritzy suburbs and head down with a list of shops on a Saturday morning for a coffee as well. The Ritzies have got the gear because so many people outfit themselves then dump or upgrade. Into the box it goes. It's the woollen where you really save. A bit of imagination and you can wind up looking like a walking Op shop. The kudos!
(Off camping, if you've taken the car down to Hobart you can find a decent choice on occassions of quality/eg Waverly blankets. Very cheap again, compared to say Adelaide where winter warmth is less of an issue).
Cookwear: bits and pieces in aluminium and plastic. Lightweight walking essentials.
Mozzie nets perhaps.
You wouldn't want anything bigger than a 6x4 tarp.= 300gms. Great under-tent protection on occassional stony ground. But bargain shops have them new for next to nothing. They double as an emergency, lunch stop shelter. Under a Microlight, they supply a floor for the vestibule.

[norts]

I am always checking the Sallies, and City Mission. My best find have been to pair of shoes, Merrell Pulse, and Salomon ( unnamed- but have a tag, not for resale), those two cost me $10 all up both still going strong. Also usually can get bushwalking shorts there. As they usually get trashed pretty quickly when rock scrambling , I dont feel so bad when they usually only cost $5.
I also get my clothes for working around the yard, wood cutting etc from them.

Have to be frugal when you are retired.

Roger

[bailz66]

Savers goes ok as well

A few nice Polar Fleeces, shoes, gloves, beanies

[Venturer]

Haven't spent much time in op shops but I have found fairs and markets really good for finding gear - tents, sleeping bags, cookers, etc.

I once bought a tent for $1.85 and it was really quite good - an old style A-Frame 2 man.

[wayno]

yeah wool. once the merino craze took over, the retail prices went through the roof.... a wool shirt used to be a cheap item you never thought anything special about, not enough to charge what the shops sell it for now. put the name "merino" on it and it seems its a licence to charge what you like... why pay retail if you can find it for a song in these places?

[matagi]

Best op-shop find I've had is a pair of unused current model heavy duty 4WD Piranha snow chains (RRP $400) for $10. You can be I snaffled those up as soon as I saw them. Carrying them home was a pain - I was on foot and the plastic carry case had a broken clasp so the chains kept threatening to fall out.

Best bargains are found in op-shops in the wealthier suburbs - it's amazing what people get rid of (like the aforementioned snow chains).

[kymboy]

Yes, +1 on targetting op shops in the wealthier suburbs. Sorry to be age-ist but in my extensive op shopping experience (it's a way of life ) the worst ones are usually found in areas with a high population of retirees. Of course there are always exceptions and no oppie should be ignored without a look. And there's a particular fave in inner city Sydney where they sell clothes by the kilo.

[andrewa]

Yep, I. Used to trawl the oppies regularly. Got a MD goretex thinsulate jacket for about $25 from one, and, surprisingly, my 3 pairs of zip of long pants ave all come from oppies. Forgot the 2 travel packs...MD and another brand. Both with adjustable harnesses. Both $20 from oppie in Prahran (Melb). Plus numerous other non - non packing stuff. I wish I'd been introduced to oppies years ago.

Andrew A

[Moondog55]

Quite often I buy something I know is a bargain and on-sell via eBay to pay for petrol to get places I'd rather be. Had a few scores like that, because the staff in an Op-Shop are often volunteers and have little knowledge of the real value or cost of some things. Militaria especially

[andrewa]

Ahhh!. Moondog, and the cost of petrol...

I have a 22 yo Nissan Patrol (petrol). It runs at 20-30l/100km, dependent on where its used. I was getting through a 90 l tank of petrol per week for work. It was cheaper to finance a new VW Golf 1.2l twin turbo charged petrol engine ($75/wk) than to continue to run the Patrol (and, no, the current VW issues haven't bothered me). I still have the Patrol, but it only gets used for the tip/dogs to park/ spare car amongst my kids.

Yep, good to on sell oppy finds to eBay, but remember to factor in petrol costs in finding oppy stuff! As above, mine was/are about $1 per 4 km.

A

[Strider]

It was cheaper to finance a new VW Golf 1.2l twin turbo charged petrol engine

Do you mean 1.4l twin-charged (not twin-turbo)? Or have they released a new model that is not yet on the website?

[andrewa]

Strider, mine is the bottom of the range TSI golf from about 18 months ago. It was 1.1, or 1.2 l twin turbo charged petrol engine, i thought. Goes like the clappers ( though I have the manual version - in 2nd, you can go from 15kmh to 75/80kmh!

And v economical. I'll find it on net and post the link if you can't find it.

A

[andrewa]

Strider, it was a 2011 TSI Golf with 1.2l 77kw, 175Nm engine. Great car.

A

[Strider]

Strider, it was a 2011 TSI Golf with 1.2l 77kw, 175Nm engine. Great car.

A

Ah I thought you meant the current model. My mum has a TDI and talk about grunt

[vagrom]

If you're heading down to the Op's, take a box or two of stuff- at least a few books. Quid pro for their good, volunteer services. They're more than happy to accept stuff at the door. There's a problem for most now with electrical goods, but if they're still in good nick/boxed, it's worth a try. After a while you'll settle on two or three, if not just the one, you know are good and enjoy supporting. Then when you're heading into that neck of the woods (and sometimes that's what steers you), you drop a box or bag of stuff in and...bingo- score!
Basically, the way the shop's set out helps. Some of them can be trash heaps, sad of course but they have their own catchement.

[andrewa]

The best find we've had at an op shop down at Portsea was a an old yellowed roll of toilet paper for 20c!

For those who don't know, Portsea is an upmarket beach destination on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria.

I've never before, or nice, found a toilet roll at an oppy.

A

[Moondog55]

I like polo shirts [ I know now I'm getting old as only old guys admit this] and I just picked up a pique knit polyester polo for $2- at the local op-shop. A quick wash and Nikwax and i have an excellent second layer for retaining core body heat when it isn't cold enough to need the full covering of the PTec 100 mid layer
I will however need to sew on a spectacle pocket on the L/H side
At the same time we dropped off a load of clothes that CC no longer wanted but were far too good to put in the rag collection. Also got some cheap stocking fillers for the kids # $0.20

[simonm]

My wife works at the local op shop so she always on top of the bargains.

[Tortoise]

My favourite bit of op shop kit is my Berghaus Cyclops II Tyger pack. It has a couple of holes I'll eventually get around to patching. My good buddy Queen of Tip Shops picked it up for a dollar or two for someone staying a few months in Oz, and then passed it onto me. By far the most comfy pack I own, besides my Supertanker, but as it is about 700gm lighter, it's often my go to pack.

[David M]

The only bushwalking kit I ever see in my local (expensive area) Op Shops is cheap Big W and K Mart style sleeping bags.

I do look forward to the day, however, when I pick up a lost Rembrandt for a $1.50.

[David M]

Ok, despite what I said in my previous post, today I did manage to find something. It was in an Op Shop on the Mornington Peninsula (south of Melbourne).

I saw a pile out the back of what appeared to be rubbish and a rucksack was on it. I asked an employee if that was rubbish and she said, "Yes, take what you want.". When I got back to my car I examined it and it appeared to be complete. It was a Paddy Pallin "Rambler Model" in quite good condition.

I'm not sure what I'll do with it as I'm trying to declutter but I couldn't bear to see it go into the rubbish.

I have it on the clothes line right now airing out in the sun - it smelled a bit musty. The leather straps are soft but I will put conditioner on them anyway.

It appears to have a manufacturing defect (or an acceptable variance) as both the front and the back straps have to be engaged at different buckle holes in order to make the straps of equal length.

Whilst this would have been a good pack, back in the day, there is no padding whatsoever, just plain leather straps with one single leather strap that goes against the back to keep the steel frame off yur back.

I would be interested in what date these were manufactured and impressions of their use at the time.

Would anyone use one of these now, even for fun?

Here is a link to someone else's web site with pictures of this model (also found in a trash and treasure market).
http://slightdecay.blogspot.com.au/2011 ... -lost.html

[Moondog55]

Cool find, guessing mid 70's

[David M]

Today I saw in Salvos in Carlise St, St Kilda East (VIC) two Black Wolf 3/4 length self-inflating mats for $5.25 each. They were about 3.5 cm thick when inflated. One looked never opened and the other looked opened but not used. Not high end but perhaps suitable for a beginner or occassional user. I did not buy so perhaps they are still there.

[Moondog55]

One for you Sim1oz
Pm your way

[sim1oz]

Thanks DavidM & Moondog. I'll head down Carlisle St to get those mats. what a great find!!!

[Moondog55]

Like I always do I headed to the local Salvos store after supermarket shopping. Asked how much they wanted for the skis sitting outside and was told they were waiting to be thrown in the skip, $2- donation and really good set of Karhu 190 Omnitrack All-terrain touring skis with poles and an old style 32mm binding
Pair of decent short-wide Alpine skis with a new demo binding and a pair of adjustable crutches [ great for single pyramid tent poles ] now all I need is another set of 75mm CC bindings

[andrewa]

Ahhh...I forgot the skis I bought.

Some years ago I was vacillating about whether or not to buy a pair of 160cm kids Alpine skis at local Oppy about 5yrs ago when one of my wife's friends walked past, and I explained my dilemma to her. She looked at me as if I was mad, and explained that they were only $2.

I therefore decided to lash out and buy them, and with some 75mm bindings on them, they were great for backcountry skiing.....although they were rather slippery on ice. After a few seasons, it dawned on me that maybe the edges needed sharpening.... as perhaps that someone who had dropped them at the Oppy had hadn't had them sharpened....I

Subsequently had them sharpened, and they were fantastic......

A

[climberman]

I bought a copy of "The McDonnell Ranges" by Henry Gold and Frank Rigby at Tempe Tip.

Inside is inscribed "On an occasion when the Dungalla Club met to honour Paddy and May Pallin this book was presented to them. 26.11.75"

There are ~75 signatures.

It is also a lovely book in and of itself.

It is possibly the best $2.00 I ever spent.

[Moondog55]

Climberman that was/is a real find and a bargain at that price.
Andrewa I'll get these skis sharpened then before the season.
Boss wants to know "Why in Gods Holy Name" I have so many pairs of skis now when a year ago I took several pairs to the tip myself- I'm not sure myself but they were "Free" and in very fine condition