Top Brand Discount Backpacks
(and Gear) at Rock Bottom Prices

On this page are some of my all-time favourite places to get premium discount backpacks, second-hand backpacks and insanely cheap backpacking gear.

Found your way here from the Tips for Buying Cheap Backpacks section? Then get your credit card ready and dive right in!

Come here from elsewhere on the site? Please have a quick read of those shoestring shopping tips first.

You'll be glad you did.

And the Winners Are . . .

Backcountry.com

Latest deal: The North Face up to 40% off + 2-day FREE shipping

Serious adventure travel enthusiasts won't be able to get enough of this site!

Top quality, competitively-priced backpacks, some reduced by as much as 50%, are just the tip of the iceberg here. Backcountry.com brings you over 250 brands of the best outdoor adventure gear known to man.

So if you're reading this around a festive occasion like Christmas, your birthday or Squirrel Appreciation Day, now's the perfect time to drop a few hints.

Moosejaw

Latest deal: Extra 5% off sale merchandise — coupon code CJSALE

One look at this quirky site and you'll see why so many backpackers (including me!) absolutely love Moosejaw.

These guys mix a great sense of off-the-wall humour with some of the biggest gear bargains out there. And if you do happen to come across a better price somewhere else, they'll match it.

But the real cherry on top is all the cool free gear you can get with your reward points!

Department of Goods

For ridiculously cheap brand new gear, this is the pièce de résistance.

Department of Goods is actually Backcountry.com's official sale outlet and clearance centre, offering premium past-season backpacks and high-end backpacking equipment at unbelievable discounts.

Not sure what to get? Talk to one of their gear experts via the free live chat.

Altrec.com

You'd be hard-pressed to beat the hefty markdowns on brand name discount backpacks in Altrec.com's enormous clearance warehouse.

And when absolutely every item of gear you purchase (even the stuff you buy on sale) is backed by a rock solid, no-questions-asked lifetime returns guarantee, you know you're getting some serious kit.

You don't get recommended by Lonely Planet for nothing!

Sign up for their exclusive email deals and a chance to win one of the awesome monthly giveaways.

eBags

Stocking the largest online selection of discount backpacks you'll ever see (by a long shot), eBags really spoils you for choice.

They've got hundreds of top brand packs on sale at any one time, but you can also save up to 60% more in their huge outlet store or up to 75% more with their Steal of the Day deals.

If that's not enough — they throw in free shipping and free returns, too!

Steep and Cheap

Keep up with Steep and Cheap and you just might nab a top-of-the-line pack for a whopping 80% off!

Also owned by Backcountry.com, this fun site sells discount backpacks and backpacking gear just one deal at a time, all day long. But you've gotta be quick — because once something's gone, it's gone.

Subscribe to their instant alerts or install their widget on your desktop so you don't miss a thing!

Best Selling Second-Hand Gear

Amazon

Pssst. Want in on one of my best kept secrets to shoestring shopping for second-hand stuff?

Amazon's impressive camping, hiking and outdoor recreation section. With page after page of brand new and used backpacks, nifty gadgets and discount travel gear, this is a prime place to scoop up unexpected backpacking bargains.

To get even more bang for your buck, look out for their special promos and use the free super saver shipping!

GearTrade

Introducing the gear marketplace guru of the universe.

GearTrade specialises in massively discounted new, used and closeout adventure gear. There are thousands of fantastic items on offer — manufacturers, retailers and individuals all sell their goodies on this site.

And if you can't find what you're looking for, these guys will even help you track it down!

Mountain Equipment Co-op

Okay, as a Canadian I might be a tad biased here but MEC rocks!

Committed to ethical sourcing and greening the environment, they're Canada's biggest outdoor equipment retailer. Check out their online Gear Swap, where you can buy, sell or trade new and second-hand backpacks and backpacking equipment for free.

But don't give up if you don't see what you're after — simply post an 'Item Wanted' message!

eBay

The world's most popular online auction website definitely deserves an honourable mention.

And while eBay doesn't actually specialise in anything in particular, you can often get some pretty decent new and used discount backpacks and backpacking gear on the site.

Try the 'Buy It Now' listings if you're not into bidding and waiting for auctions to end.