REI’s Independence Day sale has great deals on your favorite outdoor gear

A celebration of freedom Is it worth buying stuff? Don’t bother, don’t answer. But REI is having a Fourth of July sale, which means if you’ve noticed your backpack straps or camping chair are rotting, now’s your chance to stock up on hiking and camping essentials without paying full price.

Other retailers, including Backcountry and Public Lands, are also having Independence Day sales. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite gear deals from years of testing. You’ll find something for almost any summer activity, including tents, stoves, sleeping bags, and outdoor apparel. Be sure to check out our outdoor gear guides, including the best tents, best sleeping bags, best sleeping bag pads, best rain jackets, best merino wool, and best binoculars.

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WIRED Special Sale

Great deals on packs, tents and sleeping pads

For more information, check out our guides to the best tents , best sleeping bags and best sleeping bags as well as our testing experiences.

My son spent his entire life in this Deuter backpack. It’s one of the most comfortable child carriers I’ve ever had. It has plenty of storage space and stands up when you put it down. If you have small children and want to hit the trails, this is the best I’ve tried. It rarely goes on sale, so grab it while you can.

Mystery Ranch was once a little-known backpack company with a cult following. Now that Yeti has acquired them, that will probably change, but we can at least assume that everyone has heard of Mystery Ranch and skip this introduction. I’ve been testing this backpack for over six months, and it’s very close to the perfect daypack. It’s comfortable, spacious, and has the three-zipper system that made Mystery Ranch legendary.

I traveled the world with an older version of this Osprey backpack and lived with it for almost a year. It held up well to abuse on the road. I have seen bus drivers tie it to the roof of the bus with a rope and then pull with all their might on the middle of the backpack like it’s a cheese cutter. The Farpoint held up, and so did my gear, thanks to the thick padding on the sides that provided a fair amount of cushioning.

Our favorite family camping tent, the Habitude, is durable and lightweight. It fits easily into a canoe or paddleboard and is easy to pitch. The design is simple, with color-coded poles. There’s plenty of floor space, enough for sleeping bags and mats to keep two adults, two toddlers, and a large dog warm at night. It also has storage pockets, a place to hang lights, and a vestibule.

The Base Camp is a lightweight, airy car camping tent for four people. At 15 pounds it’s not super light, but if you’re walking, it’s not too much of a burden to carry around. It has two doors, great ventilation, and is super easy to set up thanks to its color-coded pole system. The car canopy, which is sold separately, is also interesting, but we haven’t tested it yet. If you need a bit more space, the Base Camp 6 is also on sale for $384 (save $165).

The Wonderland 6 replaces the older Kingdom 6 in REI’s large tent lineup. I loved the Kingdom 6, but the Wonderland 6 is a great alternative. The layout and design are very similar, with the option for a two-room interior, lots of large storage pockets, and two doors. What’s different is the new pole design with a bifurcated middle pole for added stability.

While your child may not need a kid-sized pad, this is a great choice if you want to keep the weight down or if your child is under 60 inches tall. It has an R-value of 4.5 and we’ve tested it in temperatures as low as 30 degrees Fahrenheit and your child was comfortable and happy. Separate inflating and deflating valves make it easy for little ones to figure out and help set it up.

Camping deals

Read our other related outdoor guides like the best tents , best hiking gear , best camping stoves , camp cooking guides and more to find even more great camping gear.

This headlamp is indestructible. I’ve had mine for over 20 years now. I’ve replaced the strap twice in that time, but other than that it works just as well as the first time I bought it. With some rechargeable AAA batteries, you’ll have years of light.

I’m currently converting a school bus into an RV, and so far my only power source is a Goal Zero Yeti 1500 ($1,300), which is a bit more powerful than this, but for weekend camping trips where I probably won’t be using a circular saw or vacuum, the Yeti 700 should be more than enough power. This also pairs well with Goal Zero’s portable solar panels, making it easy to top up on power.

To be honest, I’ve never used this trash can for its intended purpose. It’s too awesome. I use it as a laundry bag. It’s made from 600 denier nylon with a 1,000mm polyurethane coating on the inside, so it’s easy to wash with a hose. Just spray it down and hang it to dry. The roll-top closure is similar to a dry bag. It’s not completely waterproof, but it does keep trash from spilling out.

The AeroPress Go (9/10, WIRED Recommended) is the perfect camping coffee solution for large groups. Everyone can brew their own cup in their favorite quirky and exciting AeroPress way. Not everyone will love it, but no one will hate it. Well, maybe Steve will, but he complains about everything.

Our top recommendation for avoiding green propane bottles is this gas growler. This model comes with a 0.9 pound propane tank with a padded/insulated sleeve and easy-to-carry strap. It will make your camp setup look a lot nicer than a bare tank. It also protects your shins from the inevitable collisions with cold, hard steel that occur when carrying large propane tanks. This size is equivalent to four green propane bottles.

This chair is the coziest way to spend time camping, and although it is a bit large and heavy and a pain to fold and carry, it’s well worth it when you have your loved ones crammed together in front of the fire.

Biolite’s FirePit+ is our favorite high-tech fire pit. It’s a sleek, portable mesh box with removable legs, a fire pit-style grill, and an ash pan. It’s powered by a rechargeable 10,400 mAh battery that can power 51 air jets for up to 26 hours. This gives you precise control over the flame and, to some extent, the heat of your fire. It’s Bluetooth-enabled, so you can tweak the airflow and flame height with your smartphone. The FirePit+ can burn charcoal or wood, and thanks to its fan, you don’t need a chimney for the charcoal, so getting the fire going is a breeze.

Bike & Apparel Deals

Darn Tough socks are, um, very durable. I’m a merino wool expert around here and have tried dozens of different merino socks, and Darn Tough are more durable than any of them. There are some very comfortable merino socks out there, some with a higher merino count (these socks are 60%), but nothing lasts longer than Darn Tough.

Our review is coming soon, but not only does REI make affordable commuter bikes, they build them in-house and offer a one-year free tune-up. With a 250-watt motor in a step-through frame, this bike is affordable and has everything you need for your commute, though it does offer a little less torque than you’ll need if you live in a hilly city.

I like the Trailmade as a jacket to keep in my car as part of my hiking gear. Something I always have with me and can go with. It’s not the best rain jacket — it won’t keep you dry in the rain during Thailand’s monsoon season — but it’s good enough for the sudden afternoon thunderstorms that happen where I live, and it works well as a windproof jacket. Well, a decent rain jacket costs $35.