Deals on travel gear: One Minute Traveler goes shopping

Looking to save on travel clothing and gear? Shop now because summer clearances are happening everywhere. For a look at some stuff I found on sale this week, click on the video “One Minute Traveler: Finding deals on travel gear,” after the jump.

TravelSmith, known for its packable shirts, pants, dresses and more, is taking up to 70% off. The sale lasts until July 25, company spokesman Kiran Gowda told me. Southern California residents need to order online or by catalog for this one because TravelSmith’s outlet stores are in Ohio and the Bay Area.

Magellan’s advertises up to 50% off during its summer clearance sale, which is happening online, through its catalog and its retail stores in Santa Monica and Santa Barbara. Catalog prices are good through October, said the company’s marketing director, Lynn Staneff; store prices are good while supplies last.

I also found a $20 sweat-wicking T-shirt marked down to $5 at Sport Chalet’s Marina del Rey store, and discounts at REI in Santa Monica (although REI’s so-called garage sale, the year’s biggest, happened in June, I’m told)

What’s up with the big markdowns? Staneff and Gowda, insisting that sales are brisk despite reports of a travel downturn, said summer clearances are nothing unusual.

But it looks like companies are pushing extra hard to move items. Magellan’s put a summer sale insert into its catalog for the first time this year, Staneff said. And TravelSmith has started e-mailing deals to customers who sign up online. A warning: I’ve been bombarded nearly every day with TravelSmith alerts since I signed up.

– Jane Engle, Assistant Los Angeles Times Travel editor

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This entry was posted on Friday, July 11, 2008 at 12:19 pm by Jane Engle and is filed under Deals, News, Tips & Advice, Travel Video. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.