Top Black Friday travel gear deals

by Scott Carmichael on

With just over a week until Black Friday, now is the perfect time to start planning your shopping adventure. We sat down with the founder of one of the largest Black Friday deal sites to talk about the deals this year, and how stores deal with the inevitable leak of their top secret ads.

Brad Olson runs Blackfriday @ Gottadeal.com, and he’s been dealing with the shopping event since the first ads started leaking out back in August. Since then, it has been a never ending task to keep readers updated with the latest bargains, and add them to his handy deal database.

After the jump, you’ll find our interview with him, and the top twenty travel themed bargains from the currently leaked or published Black Friday deal listings.


Gadling: Have you noticed any stores taking a more liberal approach to their ads being “leaked”? I know some (like Home Depot) are very strict, but do others actually encourage the ads to go out in public as soon as possible?

Gottadeal: Overall stores have been more liberal with their Black Friday ads in the last couple of years. The peak of the legal threat nastiness was more in 2006-2008, but since then I think stores have realized that having their ad leaked early isn’t the end of the world and can actually benefit them.

Gadling: Any big trends this year for shoppers? It seems like there is no real “hot” gadget this season in electronics or toys?

Gottadeal: As for trends this year, it’s probably electronics again. People want deals on HDTVs and Blu-ray players. iPods are always popular, especially with a deal like Walmart’s with a free $50 gift card.

Gadling: Will you be out shopping on Black Friday, and what will you be looking for?

Gottadeal: I will likely be home again. I’m usually up all night Thursday night updating the site with what BF ad items people can buy online at the sale prices, and I usually do that non-stop until around 7 in the morning, and then while everyone is out shopping I get some much-needed sleep, lol.

And here are twenty of the best Black Friday travel gear deals. Some of these deals link directly to the store product page – and you will not see the low Black Friday price until Black Friday!

  1. Best Buy – $159.99 JVC Everio GZ-MS230 Dual Flash Camcorder
  2. Best Buy – $149.99 Compaq 10″ Netbook 1GB / 160GB
  3. Office Depot – $279.99 15.6″ Lenovo Celeron laptop 2GB/250GB
  4. Best Buy- $129.99 Garmin Nuvi 1300LMT 4.3″ GPS with lifetime free traffic and maps
  5. Gander Mountain – $99.99 Garmin Nuvi 1300 4.3″ GPS
  6. Kmart – $79.99 7″ Dual screen car portable DVD player
  7. Kohl’s – $37.99 Prodigy Hudson 5-piece luggage set (early bird)
  8. Office Max – $74.99 TomTom Portable One 130 3.5″ GPS
  9. Pep Boys $49.98 Magellan Roadmate 1440 GPS
  10. Radio Shack – $4.99 Targus travel 4 port USB hub
  11. Sears – $9.99 music travel pack FM transmitter, mount, charger (early bird)
  12. Sears – $99.99 Samsung C20 Camcorder (early bird)
  13. Sears – $109.99 Sony Bloggie HD camcorder
  14. Sears – $9.99 Capri 21″ Carryon upright luggage (early bird)
  15. Target – $19 30″ Embarq rolling duffel bag
  16. Target – $49 RCA 7″ portable DVD player (4 colors)
  17. Walmart – $99 Flip UltraHD Camcorder (early bird)
  18. Walmart – $29 Philips 4GB MP3 player (early bird)
  19. Walmart – $49 Philips 7″ portable DVD player (early bird)
  20. Walmart – $198 eMachines 15.6″ Celeron Notebook 2GB/250GB (early bird)

These are obviously just a very small selection of some of the bargains you’ll find on Black Friday. For an overview of all the deals that have been published so far, head on over to Black Friday @ Gottadeal.com.

Daily gear deals: $3 computer headset, $10 travel alarm clock and more

by Scott Carmichael on

Here are the hottest daily gear deals for today, Wednesday November 17, 2010. Remember, these deals are often valid for just one day, so act fast before they are gone.

Today’s first deal is a great way to promote your video camera from cheap and basic to cheap and professional. The Sanyo Xacti shoots in 1080p and features a real optical zoom lens. On sale at Woot for $109.99. Click here for this deal.

Next up is a Microsoft computer headset. This headset works with any Internet phone calling program or IM application that supports audio. On sale for just $2.95. Click here for this deal.

Today’s third deal is for a Casio travel alarm clock. This clock features a day/date indicator, temperature and backlit display. On sale for $10.49. Click here for this deal.

And finally in today’s lineup is the newest addition to the Monster Outlets To Go assortment. The new outlet features a USB charger port, international power compatibility and an international plug adapter. On sale for $28.96. Click here for this deal.

Daily gear deals: $20 iPhone car mount, $7 magazine subscription and more

by Scott Carmichael on

Here are the hottest daily gear deals for today, Tuesday November 16, 2010. Remember, these deals are often valid for just one day, so act fast before they are gone.

Today’s first deal is for a Nextar 3D GPS unit. This wide-screen device features text to speech, support for MP3 music and 1.6 million points of interest. On sale for $59.99 at Tanga.com. Click here for this deal.

Next up is a deal on a subscription to Backpacker magazine. For $7, you get the magazine for a year, but keep in mind that this will auto-renew unless you cancel it. Click here for this deal.

Today’s third deal is for a pair of Bluetooth stereo headphones. These will work on any device that supports Bluetooth audio, and its internal battery will keep it going for up to eight hours. On sale for $24.99 at 1saleaday.com.

And finally in today’s lineup is an iPhone 3-in-1 car mount. This holder includes an FM transmitter, charger and hands-free carkit. On sale for $19.99. Click here for this deal.

Daily gear deals: $18 MP3 player, $4 iPhone battery pack and more

by Scott Carmichael on

Here are the hottest gear deals for today, Monday November 15, 2010. Remember, these deals are often valid for just one day, so act fast before they are gone.

Today’s first deal is for a Sandisk Sansa Clip+ MP3 player. This highly rated little player features 2GB memory, a MicroSD card slot, FM radio and a voice recorder. On sale for $18 at 1saleaday.

Next up is a neat laptop bag / workstation gizmo. The bag has room for all the items you need on the road, and unfolds into a full mobile office. On sale for $14.95 at Yugster.com.

Today’s third deal is for the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC3 noise canceling headphones. These in-ear active noise canceling headphones are much lighter than the larger on-ear models, and at just under $60, they are also much cheaper. Click here for this deal.

And finally in today’s lineup is a budget friendly iPhone/iPod backup battery pack. Simply plug this into the dock connector of your device, and it’ll keep it going for a few more hours. On sale for $3.95. Click here for this deal.

Daily gear deals: $17 Casio travel watch, $7 Wireless-N adapter and more

by Scott Carmichael on

Here are the hottest gear deals for today, Sunday November 14, 2010. Remember, these deals are often valid for just one day, so act fast before they are gone.

Today’s first deal is for a Seagate 750GB Portable hard drive. With this much space, you can carry 100’s of hours of video or music on your next trip, and never have to worry about filling up your laptop. On sale for $69.99. Click here for this deal.

Our second deal is for a one year subscription to Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel Magazine. If you order your subscription from BestDealMagazines.com, and apply coupon code MPSWKSPEC, your final price will be just $3.51 for a year. Click here for this deal.

Looking for a travel friendly watch without emptying your wallet? The Casio Ani-Digi watch is on sale for just $17. This decent looking timepiece features analog and digital displays, a ten year battery and built-in support for 29 different time zones. The different zones can also be set independently on the two displays. Click here for this deal.

And finally in today’s lineup is a D-Link 802.11n Wi-Fi adapter. These are great if you want to connect to a faster Wi-Fi network, or if you need to move your adapter closer to the network. On sale for just $6.99. Click here for this deal.