Bivouac Sales / Exped Sleeping bags

"The other major point to consider with buying in NZ vs online from overseas is after sales service" Yes, this is a major for my partner. He simply won't buy online from overseas for this very reason. Macpac once repaired his XPD pack for free as it had been damaged by transporting the tools he uses for his volunteer trackwork. Here in Chch we are pretty spoilt with the likes of Aarn Packs and Earth, Sea, Sky being based here.

I normally find it is only worth the hassle to import if the saving is going to be at least $100, or more importantly I am after a unique product which is not available in New Zealand. A good example would be quilts and other ultralight gear. With the current exchange, importing has lost much of its attraction. I feel there is real value to go into a shop and try something on, or check out its build quality. Then if I find a item I 'must have' then I am normally happy to wait until its on sale / clearance before buying. Plus searching the clearance racks is always good fun. The other day picked myself a Osprey Rev 6 pack from Bivouac for cheaper then anywhere I could find overseas. Also got some nice Solomon trail running shoes and a thin Lowe Alpine fleece from other stores. All for good prices. It pays to be opportunistic at times.

i've found buying overseas a lot more hit than miss, its been well worth it for the savings and getting items I can't get here, usually its a case of both. I go after specific quality brands from online stores with a good reputation. you may need a mail forwarding company to get it out of the states for some brands. i wouldnt buy for savings at present, there's hardly any to be made with the exchange rate.. the range of options of gear overseas is far better than in NZ.. often you only get a limited range of gear from any brand. in the online stores overseas you can get just about anything at all that manufactured. I usually use backcountry.com campsaver.com

Exped comfort series on sale now

I ended up getting a Lite line 400 sleeping bag from Cumulus in Poland. http://sleepingbags-cumulus.eu/uk/categories/sleeping-bags/lite-line-400?gid=61&vid=6 Thanks for the pointer from Lloydy. Took 11 days to arrive from pushing the button on their website. NZ$329 inc postage. Looks good - good construction, very light fabric, very high lofting down. Better deal than the Exped bags from Bivouac? Maybe - I would have probably gone with an Exped Ultralite 500 if it had come on sale, but preferred a zip length / size that would fit it to an existing older sleeping bag I have. I sleep pretty warm so I figure their limit temp of -4 is about my comfort point, it should do for full on winter camping with a light down jacket if necessary.