Sounds like she should head for the fair city of Philadelphia. Handy for New Jersey and New York. It never occurred to me there might not be anywhere near to where she was going. (But then there are 60 million of us here in britain crowded into a country you could fit in a corner of texas. We can't be too far from anywhere)
Thanks everyone; between that lot of advice I'm sure she'll manage to financially cripple me! :-)
simon

Eastern Mountain Sports & the Campmor retail store are both a short drive away from NYC in Paramus, NJ.

There is also:

Paragon Sports located on 18st and Broadway which carries probably the best selection of outdoor gear I've seen (besides REI) but their prices reflect that. They also have large selction of surefire, knives and other equipment. (http://www.paragonsports.com/Paragon/Shop)

EMS on Broadway and Houston is also good but they mostly carry their brand gear with some sprinkle of North Face.

Swiss Army Store is located on Spring St adn West Bway has all the knives and watches plus their line of clothes.

Patagonia store is also few blocks away from there.

Iceberg Army and Navy shop is located at Canal and Broadway and has some surplus stuff and also nice selction of cutting gear, zippos and surefire. This is also Chinatown area so enjoy the culture shock. Little pricey but nice to visit.

Tents and Trails is located at Park Place and West Bway has great selction of gear at really good prices. They always run sales on stuff. (http://www.tenttrails.com/) I bought a lot of my climbing/hiking gear here really cheap in comparison to other stores.

When I need to check out what's new in the world of gear I start off with Paragon Sports and make my way down to Tents and Trails. All you have to do is walk down Broadway. By the end of the walk I'm at the South Street Sea port where they have J and R music world (www.jr.com) with probably the best and cheap electronic gear in nyc plus some other stores and few decent food places. This is also home of the Twin Towers if you want to pay respects. There is also very famous exhibit called Bodies (http://www.bodiestheexhibition.com/) and possbility of visiting financial district (wall st) and taking some cruises around nyc harbor and statue of libery. You are also two steps away from Brooklyn Bridge if ya want to walk about it.

What!? You're staying in New Jersey and asking about shopping in New York?? Where do you think New Yorkers shop?

Kidding aside, in my old age I don't remember specific dates for sales, depending on post cards, circulars and e-mail from stores letting me know of sales. Typically they coincide with major holidays and end of seasons. For instance many of the major outdoor retailers like REI and Cabelas are having their 4th of July/Summer Clearance sales right now. Friends willing, you can save on overseas shipping by delivering to your friend's house and then lugging the stuff home yourself.

In northern New Jersey, Campmor on Route 17 in Paramus, NJ is your best bet for your outdoor needs.

For your other shopping pleasure Garden State Plaza Mall is also in Paramus. 350 stores anchored by 5 major department stores. About 30 miles north, in Central Valley, NY is the Woodbury Commons Outlet Mall. If high end/designer shopping is your game, this place is for you. Sak's Fifth Ave, Neiman Marcus, Barney's, Calvin Klien, Donna Karan, Armani, Gucci, Movado, Burberry (oh wait you don't need that one ) and others all have outlets there. Everything at a discount.

If you decide on Philidelphia, hit the Franklin Mills Outlet Mall. The Sak's Fifth Ave Outlet and the Neiman Marcus Outlet are bigger here, but there are fewer of the other high end designers. About a half hour away is another mega mall the King of Prussia Mall In King of Prussia, PA. Over 400 stores anchored by no less than 7 major department stores.

All the above, have websites for more information.

Don't forget poor New York tho it's still a great place to visit and for shopping. Several major department stores like Macy's, Bloomingdales and Lord and Taylor have their flagship stores here, Not to mention specialty retailers like Barneys, Bendels and Bergdorf Goodman. There's always Madison Ave, Fifth Ave and other shopping meccas.

Have fun.

Thanks very much for that. Good idea to give the sights with the gear locations.
Will certainly want to pay my respects at Ground Zero. There was tremendous sympathy here in England. There still is. We had 2 minutes silence the week after and people had US flags (the papers printed pages with them) in their windows.
The Iraq war is a seperate issue. Lets not go there.
No one here doesn't mourn your loss on 9/11.
So in NYC is there a best time of year for outdoor gear?
Simon

Well sale seasons correspond to big holidays such as Labor day, Memorial Day, 4th July, Thanksgiving, Xmas and few others I cant remember. Thanksgiving happens on fourth thursday of november. Friday after thanksgiving is called "black friday" and officially kicks off xmas shopping season. Stores open at 6 am and you can get really good deals on stuff. The sales will last on and off until xmas. After new years you will also see reduction in prices since everyone slows down in their shopping sprees... Next time you will see sales is around tax day which is April 21. For sure victoria secret will have a sale on feb 14 .

Now one word of advice. My parents are from Poland and I get a lot their friends trying to buy things (mostly electronics) when they visit. You can get good deals in NYC but remember you always pay tax which is $8.75 on every $100 you spend. Little much regardless how low the dollar is on the market now. A lot of times I tell them to do their homework and find the cheapest deal on the item on the web and then run it thru me. I order a lot of stuff from amazon becasue of their free shipping and get items delivered to my house tax free. So if you bought a $500 camera it is an extra $40 saving in tax that you can spend on better fleece or jacket. And don't believe what other salesmen tell you that you can get your tax back at the airport. It is not true. When I worked retail in my young age we always told tourist that they can get their tax back at the airport so they wouldn't go other places or get their items shipped from mail order. I know that 8% is not as bad as VAT but every dollar counts.

Think you've covered just about everything there!
Thanks, I'll compare your recommendations for outdoor gear.
And I feel it's my duty as a husband to check out the Victoria Secrets models for her ladyship....
Simon