When outdoor and camping gear goes on sale in SA

The week before Easter the tent you want is full price. When camping gear goes on sale in South Africa, what drops in which month, and what to buy when.

It's the week before Easter. You've finally decided on the tent, the boot's packed, and the tent is full price everywhere. You and half the country are shopping for the same long weekend, and the shops know what day it is.

Outdoor gear runs on a fairly predictable sale calendar, which cuts both ways. Buy in the wrong fortnight and you pay the most anyone pays all year. Buy in the right one and the same tent is a third cheaper. This is the guide to the calendar, with the sum done on a tent.

The tent, in April and in May

Say a four-person tent is R4,500 the week before Easter. The same tent, same brand, same model, is on the clearance rail at R3,100 three weeks later, because Easter is over and the shop wants the floor space back for winter kit. That's R1,400 for waiting a month, on something you were going to use once this year anyway.

The honest version of that sum: if the trip is this Easter, you're buying this Easter. The best you can do is compare the exact model at two shops and check it's this year's version. But if you're the kind of person who camps every year, buy the tent in May for next April, and buy the sleeping bags in September when the winter range goes. The gear doesn't know what month it was bought in.

The camping gear sale calendar, moment by moment

The fortnight before Easter and the fortnight before Christmas

Full price, with a promo rail that's mostly last year's leftovers. If you must buy, buy the thing you need and nothing on the "complete your kit" display. Compare the exact model at two shops, because the gaps between them can be wide in these weeks.

Late April into May

The Easter stock comes down, often 25 to 40 percent on tents, gazebos, chairs and cooler boxes. Most sizes and colours are still there in the first week and gone by the third. It's often the cheapest point of the year for camping gear, and few people use it, because hardly anyone's thinking about camping in May.

September, when the winter range goes

Down jackets, sleeping bags, thermals and hiking boots come down as the summer range arrives. Last winter's colour of a long-running jacket at 30 to 40 percent off is the normal outdoor deal and usually a real one. Brands like K-Way, First Ascent, Cape Storm and Columbia all run lines that change colour more than they change design.

The model-year change

Tents, cooler boxes and camping fridges get new versions on the brand's calendar, not the retail one. When a new version lands, last year's drops hard with full stock, and for most campers the difference is a zip and a colour. Several camping brands do this. If you're loyal to a model, that's your moment.

Black Friday, for the battery end of the aisle

Camping fridges, power stations, headlamps, GPS watches and anything with a lithium cell follow the electronics calendar, so Black Friday is real for them and mostly noise for tents and chairs. It's also when the "was" price works hardest, so check the same fridge at two other shops before the countdown clock gets to you. The advertising code caps a single advertised price reduction at three months. Keep that in mind when a fridge has been "on special" since winter.

Where REALRANK™ comes in

Tracking one tent from Easter into May is easy enough. Tracking tents, sleeping bags, fridges and boots across several outdoor chains, each on its own season, isn't. REALRANK™ checks live outdoor and camping deals from the shops we track, and reads six things: how deep the discount is, how much it saves in rand, how the price compares to other shops, whether the brand is one people search for, how recently the price dropped, and whether it's in stock across sizes.

Knowing which trip you're buying for is still up to you.

What a strong score looks like

Here are the tent, hiking, camping and travel deals scoring 9.0 and above. Before you buy a tent or sleeping bag off a good score, check the specs suit your trip. Our guide to tents, sleeping bags and the three specs that matter takes five minutes.

Before you pay

Buy for next year's trip if you can. Compare the exact model at two shops, especially in the fortnight before a long weekend. Check it's the current version, or know that it isn't and that you're fine with that.

Returns and warranties on camping gear

Read the returns line, because the big outdoor chains differ from each other. At the time of review one gives 60 days on unused goods in original packaging. Another gives six months in store, with only 48 hours to return to its online store, and won't take back swimwear or underwear.

A tent that leaks on its first night out goes back under the Consumer Protection Act whatever the sale sticker said. Many tent and sleeping bag brands add a warranty of their own, so check it before you buy. Our playbook on outdoor returns and warranty claims has the detail.

Before you buy, Check The Deal. Shop great outdoor and camping deals, verified and ranked by REALRANK™.

Frequently asked questions

When is the best time to buy a tent in South Africa?

Late April into May, after Easter, and January after the festive break. The same tent is often 25 to 40 percent cheaper than it was three weeks earlier.

When do hiking boots and jackets go on sale?

September, when the winter range makes way for summer. Last winter's colour of a long-running jacket or boot at 30 to 40 percent off is the usual deal.

Is Black Friday good for camping gear?

For camping fridges, power stations, headlamps and anything with a battery, yes. For tents, chairs and sleeping bags, the post-Easter and September drops are better.

Can I return camping gear once I've used it?

If you've used it, only when it's faulty, under the Consumer Protection Act. Unused and in the packaging, usually yes, and at the time of review two big chains gave between 60 days and six months.

Where are the best outdoor gear deals in South Africa?

The Outdoor and Camping category on THE REAL DEAL ranks live tent, hiking, camping and travel deals from the shops we track by REALRANK™, highest score first.

Sources

Written by Dean. Reviewed 27 October 2026. Worked examples use round illustrative prices, not live offers. Some links earn THE REAL DEAL a commission. Placement buys visibility, it never touches REALRANK™.