Find Any Kind Of Outdoor Gear That You Need at REI
Written: Dec 02 '03 (Updated Jan 03 '04)
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REI, or Recreational Equipment, Inc., is one of the most well known stores in the outdoor recreational world. Based in Washington on the west coast, REI has both brick and mortar stores throughout the country and an online presence at REI.com.
Just a warning, I’m extending myself out into unknown Epinions review territory here – never before have I ventured into the “online store” category.
What’s REI all about?
Back in 1938, REI was formed as a cooperative between a group of climbers who were looking to obtain quality outdoor gear at reasonable prices. Many decades later, REI has grown significantly, but remains at its base, a place where people who enjoy the outdoors can get quality gear at fair prices.
REI itself is a generous company, donating money to various outdoor causes. This includes various grant programs for outdoor activities, money and volunteer support for trail maintenance, environmental rehabilitation and more. REI has supported all of these causes for years and is (at least in my eyes) genuinely concerned and committed to helping with these causes. I feel good about purchasing items at REI, my money is helping out with causes that I believe in.
The other difference at REI is that you can join the co-op program and become a member of REI. Membership is open to anyone and costs $15 to join initially. This is a one-time fee that you will not be required to pay for again. The only requirement of the membership is that you make at least one purchase each year. Once a member, you earn roughly 10% on each purchase (excluding tax, sales items and shipping) towards your yearly dividend. So if you purchase $100 worth of gear over a year, in January, you’ll get a dividend check of $10 to use at REI. Pretty nifty – and a good deal if you purchase a lot at REI. However, should you not want to become a member, it is not required to shop at REI.
How’s REI.com?
Both REI’s brick and mortar stores and REI.com have an extensive selection of outdoor gear, both REI branded and from other suppliers including the North Face, Patagonia, Sierra Designs and Marmot to name just a few. The gear includes everything that you may need to equip yourself for a short day hike to everything you would need to mount a mountain climbing expedition.
When shopping on REI.com – the selection is even greater – as you can find just about any type of outdoor gear that you are looking for. REI.com stocks hiking, camping, bicycling, paddling, skiing (cross country and alpine), and climbing gear just to name some of the areas covered.
The organization of REI is clean and simple. Stock is broken down into the various activity areas (such as hiking or skiing) and then further broken down by gear function or type. Most items include a picture (I have yet to run across something without a picture online) and a short description. Size, color and price information is clearly shown, along with any sale information.
When you find an item that you wish to purchase, you choose the size and color (if it’s applicable) and then click on the “add to basket” button. You will be brought to your basket that shows everything that you have marked for purchase so far. At this point, you can either check out or return to shopping.
And this is my one complaint with REI.com (and with many other online shopping sites), when you click on “return to shopping” you are brought back to the homepage, not to the page you were shopping on. So what I do is when I am on the basket page, I just back-click to the page where I was – it’s easier than navigating back to the page. If you are planning on shopping for other types of items, then going back to the homepage isn’t such a bad thing.
When you’re done shopping, you proceed to the checkout section of the site. Checkout is a fairly straightforward process and allows you to either log-in as an existing user, create a new user account, or checkout without creating an account. You are able to enter coupon codes in the process (REI is always sending out email coupons to members) and enter your REI membership number (if you are a member) at this point. Make sure you enter your number if you have one, otherwise your purchases won’t go towards your dividend.
When you are finished with your purchase, REI.com sends you an email with your invoice and with tracking information for your purchase. You can return to REI.com to check on the status of your order. However, generally, even with basic shipping, orders are filled right away and your package will arrive in a few days. On my last online purchase, I received my package 4 days after I ordered it.
Should your order be incorrect, return information is included in the package. REI also offers online customer support and telephone support.
I have shopped at REI.com many times and have never encountered a problem with the accuracy of my order.
Should I shop at REI?
If you are an outdoors person who needs outdoor gear, not many other places rival REI.com for selection and quality. In my mind, the only store that comes close is EMS (Eastern Mountain Equipment), an east coast outdoor gear store. However, with both a brick and mortar REI in Natick, Massachusetts and REI.com available anywhere, I do most of my outdoor gear shopping at REI because, among other things, I want to get a big dividend at the end of the year.
You can’t go wrong with REI, selection, price and quality are all there. REI even runs some great sales throughout the year and members will often be given special opportunities on sales that are not available to the general public. So if you need some gear, go and check out REI.
Other Outdoor/Hiking/Camping Reviews
Magazines and Books
Backpacker Magazine / Outside Magazine / National Geographic Adventure / Hiker's Guide to the Mountains of Vermont / Hiking Guide to Mount Washington and Presidential Range / GPS Made Easy / AMC White Mountain Guide / Wilderness First Aid / Rescue from the Backcountry / Maine Mountain Guide / Day Hikes in Yosemite National Park
Destinations
White Mountain National Forest (NH) / Catskill Mountains (NY) / Acadia National Park (ME) / Bellayre Mountain (NY) / Hunter Mountain (NY) / Ski Windham (NY) / Burke Mountain (VT) / Catamount (MA) / Jiminy Peak (MA) / Whiteface Mountain/Lake Placid (NY) / Tuckerman Ravine (NH)
Retailers and Products
REI.com - Outdoor Gear / Dermatone Lip Pomade / Carmex Lip Balm / Kestrel 100 Wind Meter / Magellan GPS 315 / MSR WhisperLite Backpacking Stove / CamelBak StoAway Hydration Bladder / Petzl Tikka Headlamp / Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight Tent
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? various pieces of outdoor gear
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