Seattle sure does have a lot of camping gear in their thrift stores. Got lots of university students there right
?
Lots of colleges
but also lots of older folks camping,hiking,mountain climbing also with a zillion lakes,ridges,rivers,mountains,desert, forests,beaches, and with national,state,and county parks and other destinations to hike in and to very close to Seattle.
A person can be in the boonies in less than an hour from about anywhere within the greater Seattle area.
We also have/had REI,Eddie Bauer,and a lot of other major gear stores to buy the stuff donated to thrift stores.
The person that sold me the tent packed away a couple Sierra Design ones I didn't see.He shops more "downtown" than I care to go..closer to the U of W and the more populated area of Seattle.You generally have to sort through more junk/trash and have more competition in those stores..but he shops daily so finds items.
I ran into him again yesterday,told him the size, shape,condition of the tent(he never set it up).He was kidding he wanted it back..I was kidding "for $300"... It's the game we play...

We both understand a "sale is a sale" and the deals go back and forth.I find goodies for him and he finds goodies for me..then we trade,both parties coming out ahead.I do have other regular collectors that do the same thing,why
I find a lot of items.I generally
don't only look for "hiking/camping gear".I look for what others may need also..and trade karma for karma.

The views and opinions expressed by this person are his own and not the general consensus of others on this website.Realityguy