Sale calendar
When camping gear actually drops
Seven named windows across the year. Each one cuts different categories - know which window is the right one for the item you want.
Late May / early June (overlaps Memorial Day for members)
REI Anniversary Sale
Member-only deeper cuts on premium gear (Big Agnes, MSR, Therm-a-Rest). $30 lifetime membership often pays back on one purchase if you are buying premium.
Best for
Premium tents (Big Agnes Copper Spur), premium pads (NeoAir), REI-house brands.
Skip / wait
Budget tier - Amazon Memorial Day is competitive on Coleman, Kelty, Igloo.
Through Sunday June 21, 2026
Father's Day 2026 →
Not a sale event - a gift-purchase window. Discounts are flat but gift-buying intent is high. Order by June 16 for standard shipping.
Best for
Gift-aesthetic items (Helinox chair, BioLite lantern) and upgrade gifts (cooler, bag).
Skip / wait
Surprising someone with starter gear - it almost always sits unused.
Saturday July 4, 2026
Fourth of July weekend 2026 →
Not a retail sale event - the peak car-camping trip weekend itself. If you have a campsite booked, this is the kit prep window. Some categories are flat at Prime Day (10 days later); buy those now. Others discount harder mid-July; wait if you can.
Best for
Tents, plastic coolers, budget chairs (flat at PD anyway).
Skip / wait
Sleeping pads, lanterns, stoves - Prime Day cuts deeper if you can wait 10 days.
Mid-July 2026 (typical 48-hour window)
Amazon Prime Day 2026 →
The deepest Amazon-side cuts of the year on sleeping pads, headlamps, and lanterns. Tent / cooler discounts are shallower than Memorial Day.
Best for
Sleeping pads (Klymit, Therm-a-Rest), headlamps (Black Diamond, Petzl), electronics.
Skip / wait
Family tents - the better window is Memorial Day.
September 5-7, 2026
Labor Day weekend 2026 →
End-of-summer clearance. Tents and chairs hit their post-Memorial-Day lows. Coolers less aggressive (peak season ending).
Best for
Tents (clearance), camp chairs, sleeping bags going into fall.
Skip / wait
Coolers - 6 months of off-season ahead, no urgency.
November 27 - December 1, 2026
Black Friday + Cyber Monday 2026 →
Year-end clearance. Deepest cuts on premium brands that hold price all year (YETI, Big Agnes, Therm-a-Rest). Lighter cuts on Coleman / Kelty (already-low MSRPs).
Best for
YETI coolers, premium tents, down sleeping bags, headlamps.
Skip / wait
Coleman / Kelty - Memorial Day was the better window.
May 22-25, 2026
Memorial Day weekend 2026 →
Real cuts of 15-40% on tents, plastic coolers, synthetic bags, and chairs. The biggest sale weekend until Labor Day.
Best for
Family tents, hard-sided coolers, camp chairs.
Skip / wait
Sleeping pads, stoves, headlamps, YETI / premium rotomold.
Build a wishlist first, shop the windows second
The kit builder gives you a complete gear list in 60 seconds. Take that list into whichever window above matches the categories you need - and skip the windows that don't.
Build My Kit