We’re speeding toward that golden time of year called autumn, when the air finally cools and you can spend weekends outside without risk of heat stroke. So head outdoors with these deals and enjoy the sounds of birds chirping and wind whistling through trees. Or, you know, stay inside and rock out with these deals on gear for making and listening to music.
No matter how you wish to spend these milder weekends, we’ve got you covered. And for more recommendations, check out some of our other guides, like Hiking 101, Best Wireless Headphones, and Gear to Learn Music Like a Pro.
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Music Deals
You have to call Sweetwater at 800-222-4700 and speak to a rep to redeem this offer. This is the most traditional Stratocaster model, with three single-coil pickups and a maple fretboard. There are also other models on sale for the same 10 percent off that have Pau Ferro fretboards or a humbucker in the bridge. These Mexican-built Fenders are arguably the best bang-for-the-buck electric guitars on the market. The quality is good enough that you won’t ever feel like you need to outgrow it.
You have to call Sweetwater at 800-222-4700 and speak to a rep to redeem this offer too. Squier is Fender’s most affordable sub-brand. While you’ll notice the quality differences between an Asian-made Squier and a Mexican-made Fender, the Squier Affinity Series is still the best value in electric guitars at this price range, and this one comes in the classic butterscotch finish with black pickguard. Like with the Strat above, the Squier Tele comes in other versions and colors with the same 10 percent off deal.
This is a modeling amp, meaning it can mimic the distinct sounds of many different kinds of amps. As a combo, it comes built in with a 12-inch speaker in a cabinet, so you can just buy it, plug it in, and play. Don’t let the 50-watt power rating scare you. It’s a solid-state amp, meaning it’s not nearly as loud as a 50-watt tube amp would be.
This is my favorite affordable hard-side acoustic guitar case. Unlike most of the plastic competition at this price, the Silver Creek is all Tolex-covered wood and feels very solid, with quality metal hardware and a luxurious velvet interior lining. Mine has survived six moves since 2020 (yeah, you read that right). Some commenters say it’s too tight to fit a dreadnought guitar, but that’s not true. It’s a tight squeeze, but it’s supposed to be tight to prevent the guitar from banging around during transport.
If you don’t want to drive your housemates crazy, plug a pair of headphones into this mostly silent electronic drum set. Gear reviews editor Parker Hall recommends the TD-1DMK in his Best Gear for Learning Music guide because they play remarkably like playing a conventional drum set. The mesh drumheads feel more like standard drumheads than the rubber found on competing sets too.
Outdoor Deals
Photograph: REI
If you imagine a group crowding around the camp kitchen at a campground, more than likely those franks and zucchinis are sizzling away on a Coleman Classic. It’s well built and sturdy, and it runs on commonly available propane canisters. Cooking at low and high temperatures is a cinch, thanks to good simmering control. For all these reasons, we named it the Best Overall Stove in our Best Camp Stoves guide.
The women’s sizing is on sale for the same price. Depending on where you live, you may already feel a nip in the air at night. Prepare for fall and winter with the best-value goose-down jacket on the market. Given the same size and weight, down is much warmer than synthetic puffies. This REI house-brand jacket has held up to frequent use over the past three years I’ve had it, and it shows no signs of wear yet.
The men’s sizing is on sale too, but in a rarity for the outdoors industry, it’s a bit more expensive at $77. The Moab 2 is a proven, classic hiking shoe that provides more support and protection from rocks and branches than a running shoe, but weighs much less than a pair of heavy boots. This one isn’t lined in Gore-Tex. I find that a non-waterproof shoe dries out much more quickly from rain and river crossings, and it provides better ventilation to the foot.
Audio Deals
For the price of a lunch, you get a pair of comfortable, sweat-resistant wireless earbuds that’ll run for five hours on a charge and come with a charging case. No wonder we named them the Best Wireless Earbuds Under $50 and called them a “triumph of performance for the money.”
We named the Signa S4 the Best Soundbar-Subwoofer Combo in our Best Soundbars guide. It’s simple, easy to set up, and is Dolby Atmos-capable, which is impressive for a soundbar at this price point. There are Cinema, Music, and Night modes. Night limits the subwoofer so you don’t wake up the neighbors when you’re listening late at night.
We called these the Best Workout Buds in our roundup because of their comfort, dust and sweat resistance, and the ability to customize the EQ settings through Jabra’s Sound+ app. With active noise cancellation, they’ll filter out that awful background music at the gym too.
These have the best noise reduction of any earbuds we’ve experienced. Whether you’re blocking out others’ music or the street noises that leak into your apartment, Sony’s digital signal processing is first-rate, and you get an excellent eight hours of use on a full charge. They’re a bit large for smaller ears, but if they work for you they’re very comfortable.