2 years ago my sleeping pad got punctured and it refused to take a repair. Last year I almost bought a Synmat 9 LW over the Summer but they were a back order item and may not have arrived before the next trip, which at the time was 3 months away, so I used the other one which also is dead now. Today I went out to Wilderness Supply which is just around the corner from work to see about the Synmat again and a new, smaller Pelican. Those are the only two items on this years gear list of needed stuff.
Well, the price jumped a whole bunch since last year due to our very low dollar, trading at 79 cents against the US dollar, so, anything imported is 25% more expensive than last year, roughly. I had also been looking at the Neo Air Dream, which was supposedly $225 but I really don't want an air mattress since they get cold in the shoulder seasons. The Dream also packs larger since it is two parts, the Neo Air pad and the Dream part, and together they weigh over 4 pounds, which is just less than our old pads. The SynMat measures 6"x11" packed, our old pads were 6" x 25". Anyway, I did order the SynMat and it will be here next week, which gives me a few months to work OT to pay for it. The Pelican I will be getting in a couple of weeks and will sell the old bigger one to help offset those costs.
The point of this post is... if you are a Canadian paddler looking for new gear, beware of sticker shock. If you have a passport (I don't) and a handy gear store in the US, go buy it there if you can. Or order it to a place in the US that you can go pick it up at. Our US friends may want to consider this year for a trip north considering the exchange rate and low gas prices. Mind you, our gas is still more expensive than yours, but the exchange rate may help compensate for that difference. Presently here we are at 95 cents a litre, which translates to $3.59 a US gallon. This time last year we were paying $5.10 a US gallon.
I have more pricey vehicle repairs to do a.s.a.p. and need new tires, so I'm selling off gear where I can to raise funds but I still needed the new gear for this season.
Karin
Well, the price jumped a whole bunch since last year due to our very low dollar, trading at 79 cents against the US dollar, so, anything imported is 25% more expensive than last year, roughly. I had also been looking at the Neo Air Dream, which was supposedly $225 but I really don't want an air mattress since they get cold in the shoulder seasons. The Dream also packs larger since it is two parts, the Neo Air pad and the Dream part, and together they weigh over 4 pounds, which is just less than our old pads. The SynMat measures 6"x11" packed, our old pads were 6" x 25". Anyway, I did order the SynMat and it will be here next week, which gives me a few months to work OT to pay for it. The Pelican I will be getting in a couple of weeks and will sell the old bigger one to help offset those costs.
The point of this post is... if you are a Canadian paddler looking for new gear, beware of sticker shock. If you have a passport (I don't) and a handy gear store in the US, go buy it there if you can. Or order it to a place in the US that you can go pick it up at. Our US friends may want to consider this year for a trip north considering the exchange rate and low gas prices. Mind you, our gas is still more expensive than yours, but the exchange rate may help compensate for that difference. Presently here we are at 95 cents a litre, which translates to $3.59 a US gallon. This time last year we were paying $5.10 a US gallon.
I have more pricey vehicle repairs to do a.s.a.p. and need new tires, so I'm selling off gear where I can to raise funds but I still needed the new gear for this season.
Karin