great info in here---i go fri and sat---fri i scope out the hill[real deals][--sat i do the vendor area mostly and hit the hill again for stuff that was a lil high on price and talk them down this is the best cart ive used--we have had it stacked with a complete nose and a set of heads etc etc---lil pockets for waters etc and it folds down small--i couldnt believe what we had in it---the top will stay up with at l;east 50 lbs on it---it locks in up position---and rolls well---and smalll children fit in it too---
......Excellent advice and if no one has mentioned it yet, I think the grounds cover about 80 acres!!
That's pretty cool, Brian. Got anty info on where to get that? Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
If you plan on a large buy take a wagon or hand truck. Wear sun gl***es (looking at all that chrome) and take some Tylenol with your lunch. Your legs will love you for it! This all works for me.
If you buy a cart or hand truck get one with air filled tires. The grounds are pretty rough in spots and the cart will shake you're arms to death.
Thursday/Friday and what most everyone else said!!!...except for the wagon big cart thing..everyone that doesn't bring one of those big things hates them. They are always in the way, get tripped over and left blocking the way when their owner stops to look at stuff....oh, and definitely do the north field (up on the hill) first!!!
Definitely start up in the North field. It's easier to walk the hill with fresh morning legs and then walk the relatively flat rest of the grounds through the rest of the day.
Make sure you go to Williams grove speedway for the sprint cars Friday night. Always a good time. cheap to get in!
Make sure you get a program when you enter the flea market area....it has a map of the vendors....the rows are in alphabetical order and every spot should have a marker number and letter.....stan
I will take my motel room with me(Freightliner Condo),get paid to drive it down,stay at the Flying J for free get free showers may even plug into Idleaire for entertainment at night. Got this all figured out.Just hope they don't freak out about parking semi-tractor.
All the decent hotels were booked in Carlisle...so I ended up booking in Enola PA about 13 miles away....oh well could have been farther out
.......You'll be fine, just don't wait 'til mid-morning to head out. Traffic gets pretty heavy. Many of the local homeowners sell parking in their yards. Sometimes it's the best bet. Pack some energy bars.
One of my friends that has been a vendor with me at Carlisle for thirty-plus years made an excellent observation a couple of years ago. He said, "Have you ever seen the movie Groundhog's Day?" I ***ured him I had and he said the Carlisle Swap Meet was just like that. We get up every morning early and watch people troupe by from dawn to dusk , get up the next day and watch the same scenario all over again. He's right. Maybe we need to have a HAMB friendly "rest stop".
My brother and I haven't missed a Spring or Fall Carlisle in 25 years... that's over half our lifetimes!
My 15 yr old son and I will be there. We started coming as a father- son tradition last year.. Good times!!!! Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Very cool comparison pictures ! My Sons and I have been going to TR in Daytona for about that long too.......it's our Thanksgiving tradition. As for the wagons, I can't believe anyone has any complaints about someone bringing one, EVERYONE at TR has a wagon or some means of carting heavy/bulky items and they are never a problem, you just steer around people. We take two. Wish I would have gone to Carlisle and Hershey when I lived in Pa. Don
if the weather holds out on saturday, i'll be there buying all the good deals you early birds missed Wed-Friday!
went there yesterday and expected to stay for 3 days. all i needed was one day, found a few good deals and filled up my car with goodies. my observation was anything that was semi interesting to interesting was overpriced to the extreme, so much so I cut my trip short. i find much better deals at the local swaps. still a interesting time and glad I went once, probably won't go again though.
The mans word is golden. I found his spot but he said the HAMB banner had blown down. We shot the **** a while and he gave me a discount on the stuff I bought. Great guy to deal with and he has really neet DVDs and posters.
Had a great day yesterday with my son, brother & my nephew. One observation - man, has the meet changed. Instead of a bunch of guys hunting for stuff for their projects after a long winter, it seems as though it's turned into a walk in the park for a bunch of guys and their wives I'll bet 40% of the crowd yesterday were guys walking around with their wives. I don't get it - the last thing I would want to do is go on an all day shopping trip with my wife like one of the girls Maybe this is just another sign of the pussification of our society I know that it was miserable in the "lower" isles and grandstand area because of the crowds, and when around half of them are wifes standing in the aisle while the old man is looking at a part it's a pain in the *** after a while
Carlisle, and most swap meets are no where as good as the past. Dis appointing) The internet is the cause and also old parts are running out. Ago
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