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Exactly what you should expect for The flagship store.
I grew up going into REI with my dad 30 years ago. Back then the clothes were displayed on old wooden crates and cable spools. Times have changed, but the selection, quality, and customer service have just gotten better.
The shopping experience is at a high point here.
Plus, this is the only place, in Washington state, that carries Vibram Five Fingers shoes!!
I tried on about fifteen different pairs of VFF and they staff was patient and helpful the entire time.
This place is stunning and if you explore it well you can find special places and deals that others are unaware of. ;)
The patchouli oil soaked beating heart of granola munching sustainable free range Seattle. Complete with climbing wall and vegan smoothies, naturally.
I don't know why I'm even writing this review as everyone in Seattle has already been here to buy a fleece jacket, but I guess I'll continue anyway.
This is a co-op. A real one. You get a dividend as a member in the form of a rebate on future purchases. This is cool for the consumer and for the business. Nice thinking.
They also have a lot. A LOT. Of completely amazingly expensive camping and outdoors gear. Astonishingly expensive considering people have been outside for quite some time now. It's not like we're walking on the moon when you leave the asphalt.
Come here if you want to do the hippie equivalent of going to a dive bar with your hair flicking emocut stylings, brand new ramones t-shirt, with a PBR in one hand and a bummed cig in the other.
I had to extend my stay just to check out the place. This is mecca of REI. Service was just what you'd expect from REI, funny and good sport. Though it's a little overwhelming store and I miss smaller REI on east coast (am I cRaZy!?)
I wish I had my own harness and shoes on that trip, I didn't know they had wall.
I love that fact that REI is a Co-Op, and I get dividend. This is type of biz I like to support.
COOL place to shop and u can even climb a wall. It's gr8t!!
Wow, flagship REI... pretty awesome. The architecture was as great as I had been led to believe, and this is a BIG STORE. It has EVERYTHING. Seriously. It put the puny little Boston branch I used to visit to shame.
I went on a Saturday afternoon during their fall sale so probably about as busy as it gets... I did find that there were so many people that it was hard to find someone to get advice from. But I had a good chat with my cashier who had some first-hand commuting-biking in the rain tips.
Overall, its a cool place... its expensive... but you get great quality and an excellent selection.
This kind of store isn't really my cup of tea, but for what it is...it's amazing! A disneyland of sorts for the outdoorsy kind of person. I always avoid going downtown, but this REI has it's own parking garage which is free for the first hour, and validated after that. I recommend looking for what you want online and calling in. The staff are extremely helpful, and it helped make my trip as quick as possible. Have yet to try the rock climbing wall, but intend to someday!
Flagship store, it is.
Much stuff, they have.
Visit here, you must.
***
If you like REIs and have never been here, you are MISSING OUT.
This place is the mecca of REIs.
The mothership.
The one and only.
Where else would you emerge from the underground parking garage and be surrounded by foliage and the gurgles of a small waterfall? The place is designed like a lodge-y retreat type place. Large wooden pillars, lots of windows.
Inside, there's everything you'd ever want. Almost IKEA-like. In a good way. Plenty of helpful staff to help you find whatever you need. A cafe on the top floor. Ever wanted to rent mountaineering boots? They have that too...
Sweet!
I have a love/hate relationship with REI. Every time I go here one of two things happens: 1. I find nothing I want and leave quickly or 2. I spend 4 hours and ~$500 here. Guess which one happened this weekend.
First I got a new sleeping bag and Thermarest. The guy who helped me was very informative and patient. He explained about the new rating system versus the old and helped with comparing ratings for different bags I was interested in. I settled on a synthetic bag (no freezing in a wet down bag for me) and it is super toasty. I found the same bag except in the regular length for $80 in the Gear Garage. Decided on the long (so the bf can borrow it for super cold weather) but somebody is gonna score a sweet bag at a sweet price.
Also found rock climbing shoes and mountaineering boots from the Garage for a total of $60. I was planning on renting for the time being and saving up and getting them in the next couple of years but then they just fell in my lap. The lady in the climbing section was super helpful with making sure the shoes were a good fit. Tried them on the little test wall and they were great. Score! An alpine harness and belay device, shoe waterproofing stuff, and a workout shirt later I was out of there.
The Gear Garage is definitely hit-or-miss but when it hits, it is amazing. Filled with all the returned goodies that people just decided they didn't like. And the dividend is great (like 10% on full price purchases) so you basically get your sales tax back at the end of year.
I came for an external frame hiking pack, and left with nothing. The store only had ONE fair condition external frame hiking pack out of dozens of other variations of types of packs such as packs with wheels, internal frames, etc. I know that external frames are falling out of vogue for whatever reasons (likely marketing and brainwashing), but I expected a larger selection of external frames for a ginormous flagship national outdoor store. I did call a couple days before heading to REI to inquire if they had a particular pack I was looking for, and they said it was in stock. I also asked the sales clerk if the pack was in stock while I was in the store, and the computer system showed that pack was in stock, but it was nowhere to be found on display or in the back.
This event reminded me that although we a lot of choices in America, most of the choices are crap. So what good are the choices of thousands of crap if they are mostly crap? Look at most supermarkets, they sell a crap load different packaged process crap of many variations but a tiny selection of real healthy food. To find quality goods nowadays, one must scrounge through heaps of crap.
As good as it gets, folks.
They have an outdoor course to test bikes and shoes.
They have a fucking ranger station INSIDE the store!
The have clocks that see time in different areas of the world!!
ok, that last one isn't that cool. But besides...this is the fucking flagship for REI. If you have any inkling of interest in outdoor stuff, this place is like the chocolate factory in the wonka movies.
What helped me the most was the ranger station inside. They gave me all the info I needed for my backcountry hiking trip I took in WA. I also bought the wilderness permit there. Perfect.
Obituary for August 3rd 2009~
REI, formally known as Recreational Equipment Incorporated, passed away today. REI has been ill for several years, gradually slipping away in a cloud of senility (randomly shifting departments), confusion (about what it is they actually sell and to whom), and incontinence (relieving yourself all over the idea of a co-op).
I will choose to remember REI for the good times we had.
The days when I could find the true outdoor gear I wanted rather then the t-shirt or keychain that announced to the world "hey, look at me. I am outdoorsy....really!".
The days when they still had "the" garage sale. Come on, you remember. Buying a raffle ticket (money that was spent on trail maintenance), standing in line at 5am on Saturday. Hauling 90 pounds of stuff around until you could find a corner of the garage to sit and try things on. And who could forget 1/2 price Sunday. Good times.
The days when you knew where to find the gear you wanted on any given day of any given month. Rather than having to search and search for 15 minutes for the new section location in between the wall-o-crocs and the high tech all-terrain mountain-strollers.
The days when our beloved "Flagship store" was just that...the flagship. When you could find anything you wanted, in stock, anytime. Unlike yesterdays tragic and retaily fatal situation where I went in looking for two items that are listed on the website. Both were neither in stock nor even had a place on the shelf. In fact when I asked an employee to look up the item on their inventory he told me that they only carried one item from the manufacturer of the product I wanted...whilst we were standing next to a wall of products from the manufacturer of the product that I wanted. With both items I was told that I could buy them online.
REI you have died as the retail Mecca of quality outdoor gear that I once knew. But beyond the life you once had you now live on as a cheesy, expensive, tourist attraction (AKA purgatory).
I will carry on though. I will continue to do things "Outdoor and More". "O.R." perhaps on my "Second Ascent" I will find new "Feathered Friends". (hint: those are other outdoor stores in Seattle...geesh!)
Goodbye REI......goodbye.
Good staff, they care about the choices the customer makes. Things can be returned also which is good.
Too expensive in many cases, so that is one reason that might be the best choice.
This store is huge.
But I mainly go there for the Pinnicle which was my first indoor climbing experience.
Loved it.
Yeah, this place is pretty great. Total toy store for adults. It is difficult to find something they don't have. They have pretty much every outdoor sport covered. Also, they have rentals on most expensive equipment.
REI has a great return policy- if you bought something that doesn't work, or you don't like it or whatever, they can look it up you and get you a return.
The flagship has a cool rock climbing wall too.
Some items are a little on the pricey side, but with the return policy, selection, and knowledgeable staff this is a great store.
I become more disenchanted with the REI Flagship Store every time I go in there. The selection of "real" outdoor gear become supplanted by "outdoorsy" paraphernalia like beach chairs and frisbees.
The service is great and the staff knowledge is pretty good but inevitably I hear, "Yeah, we don't have it here but you can order it online." I know I can order it online but the reason I pop in is to try it out, see if it works and buy it if it does. The place is almost 100,000 square feet! You should have it!
Like many things in Seattle, it's gone the way of the dodo bird and quasi-exclusively caters to the yuppie posers and their larvae.
At one point in time, this mega-outdoor co-op catered to the likes of Ray Jardine and yours truly… Read more »
Ugh, what can I say that others haven't said already?
I -love- this kinda store. Almost more than Nordstrom.
OoooOOooohh wait, I know what to say.
YES! YES! YES! OMG, YES!
*takes long drag off of a cigarette*
Yeah, I love REI. Especially -this- store.
Enjoyed our time here - looking for some new outdoor clothing for when the AWESOME winter comes around...found what I needed, parked outside of the garage a few blocks down (super easy parking and a close walk), nice employees, but still looking for the perfect pair of cord pants - I will find them! =) Good overall though, and the area reminds me of the Portland REI in Pearl District, so it was a nice similarity.
=)
L.
I need constant adult supervision when I am in REI.
No, seriously.
Try leaving me alone and see what happens. It's not pretty, let me tell you.
I can't get enough of this place, specifically this glorious location.
OM-f'ing-G.
Seattle has a Disneyland? Oh wait, it's a REI? They sell stuff here? Are you sure?
But there's a mountain trail outside. And a rock climbing wall. And... and... a treehouse to climb in!
REI, you rock my world.
REI is the go to store for outdoor stuff. This store is more top of the line than cheap, but, you still can get some good deals on clearance items for some top notch brands now and then. Everything from tents, to rock climbing equipment, to boots...this place has a lot of stuff.
The only thing that I miss is the old "bargain basement" where you could do trade ins on equipment before the remodel. Still, this place is great.
Plethora of goods here. Helpful staff as always, up to REI standards. Dividends with the REI membership keep me coming back.
Not cheap but the products are durable and they have an awesome satisfaction guarantee.
Sorry REI. I am a member. I used to be a huge fan. I don't know what has happened, but you have really gone downhill. Still a ton to choose from which is nice. We are experienced skiers/mountaineers/outdoor people. It used to be you could go to REI and depend on quality. Not any more.
REI has moved into the mass market, and lost its usefulness if you have anything above beginner level interest.
Our December experience: husband and I are alpine and backcountry skiers, and wanna be XC skiers. Our anniversary gift to ourselves was skating ski gear. We went to REI- of course! The guy in the XC ski department I'm pretty sure was forced to be there- it was pretty clear he wasn't a XC skier (which he admitted- he was a snowboarder). We picked out skis, using the little paper guide, since he couldn't really help us. He tried to make a generalization about weight and quality, but it didn't jive with the paper guide. Frustrating since we wanted something we could grow into- middle of the line stuff.
Then boots. We were trying to be cost conscious, so picked boots with the snowboarder salesman off the shelves with middle of the road prices. Found some we loved. Oh, we remembered, we probably need wax, right? Right, the sales guy said. He walked us over to the rack and handed us two SWIX wax things. Great. Went to the register.
The fact sheet indicated that if you got "the package" there was a discount. We indicated that to the checkout woman who disagreed. At this point, after immense frustration at the lack of expertise guiding this decision for us, I went back to the department and got the form. The checkout lady glared at me and said she'd been buying from REI since 1972 and that wasn't how things worked. Well, what about the advertisement? Finally, glowering, she honored it. I've worked in retail and customer service at several points in my life. This is definitely not how you treat customers. In fact, it's about exactly how you DON'T treat customers.
We paid. Then looked at the receipt. The boots were TWICE what they had been shown as. We went back. At this point it was almost a matter f principle. What do you want me to do? Asked customer service to my husband. (I was mortified I had already made such a stir). The sales guy came up and admitted the boots had been misrepresented in the display. Customer service gave us a partial refund.
Given the incredible lack of expertise and hassle, I was disillusioned, but decided to try to put it behind me. Then we arrived in Mazama. It turns out- as anyone would know who has skate skied- that you don't use kick wax (what we were sold) on skate skis. Now I'm honestly just disgusted.
REI has downgraded into a mass market mediocre outdoor store at best- North Face selling out to the hoods comes to mind. I'll shop Patagonia, Feathered Friends, Second Ascent, or just about anywhere else first at this point. Its funny- I've been going to REI for probably 25 years. I almost feel like a friend has seriously let me down. I have a sad sense of nostalgia. But I'm pretty much done, too.
I had to buy a fanny pack. I'm not a dork, I swear. When you carry around a large camera on your shoulder, and you need a place to put an extra battery, a fanny pack is the only way to go. I've been fighting it for years, but the time has come. I must give in to the fanny pack.
If I have to have one, it better be as cool as it can be and to find the biggest selection, you have to go REI, right? Right. So, I spent a good 30 minutes trying on fanny packs, convincing myself that I'm still hip, despite this ass-enlarging accessory. I went back and forth between a couple, had a guy check in back for a black version (slimming, you know) and he happily went back there to look. He knew there wouldn't be one, but checked anyway, just to make me happy. Good man. That narrowed it down, and I walked out with, what I consider, the best possible option.
I still think fanny packs suck, but this one doesn't suck as much as some of them. Thanks REI for having a nice selection.
As almost everyone else has said, this is the flagship REI store. They literally have EVERYTHING here. I love this REI because unlike some of the other area Seattle stores, they have large sections for everything.
I only gave 4 stars because the parking garage is horribly designed and always, always, always, a disaster to get in and out of. Seriously, who designed this garage?!
Anyway, the real "Garage" in the basement where you can get discounted used items is sometimes a gold mine. We have bought a few items from here that were extremely discounted and in almost new condition. The rentals are also very convenient (just be sure to get a membership before renting, since it's a lot cheaper).
I love this location though because they have everything and you can spend hours here or just a few minutes (if the lines aren't too long).
holy moly, i died and went to outdoor heaven! this is, hands down the best REI i have ever been to! the landscaping- which includes a pond and mini waterfall along side a tower of stairs, was a nice surprise coming out of the parking garage. they have it all, tons of goodies for all your active adventures.
but i do recommend going elsewhere if you're in need of a kite. : ] i just wanted to fly for under... hmm.. $10? rei's selection of kites are between $40-$80, yikes! *target- star wars kite for $7, cant beat that.
Some call it the Flagship, I call it the mother ship. This place is so big, all other REI stores imperceptibly orbit around it. You start to get a sense of that as you walk up, and up, and up to the door, passing waterfalls along the way. Inside, you're greeted by the giant rock wall, and maybe starting to get an inkling of the scale of this place. Ginormous does not begin to describe it, and really I'd have a hard time conveying the size, so just know that it's huge, with 2 stories fully stocked with every kind of outdoor gear ever invented for everyone in your family, including your kids and the family dog.
What's really cool are the extras you will only find here: bike trails surrounding the building (go ahead and test drive that bike you're drooling over); a little fake trail for trying out hiking shoes; a room for classes, lectures, and community meetings; and even a little information kiosk staffed by the National Park Service where you can get all the details you need on visiting Washington's national parks. It's more than a one-stop shop - here you can not only gear up, but leave knowing you're headed in the right direction. How's that for full-service outfitting?
It's big. Real big. Try out a bike on the dirt path that spans around the store! Bring your kids to the indoor playground with an in store restaurant. Very clean restrooms. Friendly staff. Climb the wall for less than $16 - it's $7 for REI members. Reserve your climb ahead of time by calling the store in advance. The workers seem to be happy working here.
I can't believe I've not yelped this REI??? What was I thinking?
So yeah, this is the mecca for any outdoorsy person. The huge building is several stories of backcountry wanderlust. Heck, if you really need to get a hike on...they even have a little stream and forest-y landscaped area flanking part of building on the outside. It goes without saying that there is a huge rock to climb on the inside as well.
I can just go here to hang out, walk and daydream about my next excursion Into The Wild. ;)
I'm moving into different branches of working out. I've been fixated on the cardio versions of kicking someone's ass that I've neglected other aspects of it; recently picked up spinning and yoga. I like the way i feel after both of them, sweaty and can take on the world.
After a few yoga classes, I decided that it was time I get serious about it and buy my own mat, as the communal ones don't have any stick whatsoever. Did a little research (the best yoga mat thread was exceptionally helpful). I ended up going to REI after my workout yesterday and picked up a GAIAM mat (orange!!!) and a DVD for those days I can't make it to the gym when it's offered.
I love this store, it's amazing. Expensive no doubt, but it's great. You can get anything from awesome camping gear, dehydrated food.. (if you're going to the moon, i suppose), packs, shoes, shirts, etc. I like their selection of jackets (but will always buy my jackets @ helly hansen).
A great place, you can even practice on their rock wall.
I was feeling playful after my work out and decided that this sudden discovery of all things country would be put to the test; I would speak only w/ a Southern accent the entire time I was in the store.
"Excuse me, sir. Can you tell me where yoga mats are?"
*Does double take* "Uh, yeah. they're .. you see where it says 'Fitness?' "
"Yessir, I do. Of course it's right in front of mah face. Thank you very much."
The same thing happened when I went to check out. The lady was so nice, but couldn't wipe off the confused look on her face.
My BFF says next time someone says anything racist to me I should bust out the accent.
anyway, I love this store and will get more from it once I have more skrillah. Fo sheezy, ya'll.
i love love love REI. But after every experience i've EVER had at this particular branch, i will resort to do my REI shopping strictly online.
EVERY SINGLE TIME i've been here i've had the worst customer service experience of my life. But, alas, i continue to return because of my love for the product, and a shop that sells so much great stuff in one store. But after 6 different negative experiences, i have thrown in my towel.
They don't care about the customer. You have to seek out someone if you need help, and even then (if you can find an employee on the floor) they act as though they are put out that you, the customer, has a question. Hunny and i tried to get our snowboards waxed and edged 3 separate times, and every time we got turned away without even an apology for the 2 week wait time -- it's like, get some more help back there! the gal was sitting doing a crossword puzzle for chrissake...
http://Rei.com from now on... all i can say.
UPDATE!:
I went back this past week (July of 09) and the customer serice had GREATLY improved! wow! we had at least 3 people ask us if we needed help as we were walking the aisles. Of course, i'm assuming it was this yelp posting that did the trick. ;) whatever did it, thank you REI, i love you once again!
Little 10 year olds have Disneyland.
I have REI. I have the advantage.
REI over Disneyland any day of the week. I will even take my unborn, non-existent children to REI.
This is the flagship store; prepare to be awed.
Holy Crap I LOVE this place. I remember going to REI with my father when I was a little girl and had a ball picking out new sleeping bags, climbing in and out of tents, Nowadays, I still pick out sleeping bags but refrain from climbing in and out of tents. While tempting...my back just couldn't take it.
At the beginning of summer I came here more often to stock up on my hiking needs. From hiking backpacks to water bottles, freeze dried food to portable kitchens...this place has everything. In fact...whenever I come here and peruse the fine wares I find myself wanting to try new outdoor activities based on trying out the merchandise.
REI has to be the only place where I can shop non-stop for hours and walk away without any regrets.
1 star for it's good location and nice facilities.
1 star for excellent products for just about everything you would ever need outdoors (maybe except for surfboards!).
-3 stars because I actually signed up for a membership, paid and all I got were REI Visa credit card offers in the mail. Nothing else. I asked for a refund because I did not even receive a member i.d. number or a temporary card when I signed up and ended up speaking to someone on the phone at REI to refund my money.
Other than that, I like to just run in and grab what I need and run back out because I hate being pestered by everyone asking if I'm a member or not.
This is definitely REI's flagship location and is the largest REI store in the world. It has a mountain bike test trail, 65-foot climbing wall, and a few floors filled with gear and accessories. It's certainly worth a visit if you are in the Seattle area and are an outdoors enthusiast.
+REI's flagship store and largest REI.
+Staff was helpful
+Contained a small restaurant that served sit-down meals.
-Very busy when I visited.
-Unexpectedly limited selection of items
While there is a multitude of items in the store, some of my friends did seem to notice that they didn't have quite as varied a selection as one might expect in such a cavernous REI. This location also seemed very busy but the one time I did ask something of the staff, they were friendly and helpful.
Went there for the first time today. They had an awesome Labor Day sale! 70 bucks off a 6 person tent. I feel so thrifty!
I like walking around outside. Nice scenery. I will have to take my parents to REI next time they are in town. It reminds me of the Rainforest Cafe if you could climb up the walls. The non-sale prices were also pretty steep, not unlike the rock wall... or the Rainforest Cafe!
Did I just blow your mind? I hope so because while I didn't stay up all night thinking of that, I did get to be around 2... 2:30.
And now, for your reading pleasure, a review of the REI grand opening. I wrote this 4 hours after they opened back in 1996.
9-13-1996
MY REI EXPERIENCE
It seemed fitting that the new REI was opening on a Friday the 13th. I've never found those particular Fridays to be any weirder than the other Fridays in my lifetime, but then I've never attended a grand opening like this one. Actually, I don't think that I've ever attended a grand opening of a store before, or at least one that I will never forget, try as I might. This one will certainly remain etched in a corner deep inside the recesses of my brain, right next to the time that I shook Bill Clinton's hand in 1992, or the time I knelt before a toilet in a Hungarian bathroom drunk on East German beer, and threw up. I think I was the only cynical person present, or at least it felt that way, what, with the manufactured enthusiasm of the crowd, documented by every major TV and radio station in the city (a few minor ones as well, I'm sure) and maintained by a sense of some impending retailing cataclysm we were all about to become a part of, forever. I chose not to camp out the night before, which as it turns out was a terrible mistake on my part, for those people who did camp out will forever be able to say, "I camped out the night before REI opened" to which some will hopefully respond, "Get a life. It's a store."
It started with the requisite speeches by local politicians, including King County Executive Gary Locke, and Seattle Mayor Norm Rice. Both warmed up the crowd with short speeches on the importance of REI and their own qualifications for being present (the fact that both happen to be running for Governor of the state of Washington was conspicuously not mentioned - I'd have appreciated a little spontaneous debate on the issues. "I'm for trees." "I'm for trees and squirrels."), and the ribbon cutting, followed by the dividing of the crowd into two streams entering the store, one shaking Gary Locke's hand, and one shaking Norm Rice's hand. I shook Gary Locke's hand. It was a firm handshake, and quite satisfying. Not like Bill Clinton, who didn't even go to the trouble of grasping my hand at all, as if the contact of skin were enough to vote for him. It wasn't; I voted for Perot.
Holy crap, you are still reading this? I bumped up against the 5000 character limit, so you'll have to read the rest here -
http://web.me.com/thom...
Whatever REI.
It's all fun and games for you when I forget to put pants in my gym bag and am too brain dead to drive out to Big 5 on my lunch hour, isn't it?
"HAHAHAHA! Diana has to pay through the ass for pants she doesn't even like!!! We're going to send her a dividend at the end of the year that she can spend on ONE PAIR OF SOCKS!!!! MWAHAHAHA!!!!"
Yeah, really nice. You can't have basic fucking Adidas track pants can you? No. They have to be some skin tight spastic "ladies" thing or a $80 mens option that is either too long or too short (????). Cute.
Don't think I've forgotten the ass ugly hiking boots you had in tiny feet sizes in the '70s either. I remember those painfully stiff, brown, nightmarish things like it was yesterday. You couldn't have just stocked high-top Chuck's? It was bad enough the pops thought it was fun to drag my bony little 5 year old ass on 5 mile hikes, did you really have to make it possible for him to make my feet weigh 5 pounds each?
You get three because the mini-hero LOVES the waterfall - but honestly I can get a better deal on everything I need from you elsewhere. If you weren't walking distance from my office you would get NOTHING from me.
Update: OK REI, I will give you one more star because when I spaced my shoes today it just happened to be 20% off for members day and your nice employee at the register reminded me that I had yet to spend my dividend on socks, so could apply that to my runnies purchase. At the end of the day I spent $72 incl. tax on a $100 pair of running shoes. Sometimes I'm just a bitch - sorry.
Yes, any mainland trip isn't complete without a trip to the local REI. As many of you already know, this is the main location and has quite a selection of anything related to outdoor activities. I was admiring the building's design along with the interior decor, what a job that must have been to take on a project like this! Very well organized that is mindful of the many things. My wallet came out much lighter here while lugging out a bag full of stuff.
Beware!
Yikes, where do I start....Ok, I am an outdoor nut and gear whore....I've tried to quit (cold turkey, over time, w/ shock therapy) nothing helps.
The awesome thing is that there is so much cool shyte that I want that my mind usually short-circuits and I walk out with nothing....my wallet is a huge fan...cause there is one thing I've learned over my years of getting rain/snowed/sleeted on, baked, or frozen...GOOD GEAR MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE....or more commonly known as YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.
That doesn't mean you can't cruise the clearance racks & bins, shop REI-OUTLET online and pick up your order here, or if you are a member spend last year's hard-earned dividend*...REI sells quality and backs its merchandise with excellent customer service.
My goal is to have a superlight backpack w/ all the best to make my time about the outdoors, not worrying what the outdoors will do to me. This means ultra-light waterproof fabrics, enough down to turn a goose on, and Titanium, Titanium, Titanium...Thankfully/regretfully REI fills the bill w/ a blinding array of options...
This place just goes on and on....Climbing Wall, WA State Park Ranger on Duty, Outdoor Mountain Biking Test Course, Espresso on site(Although Vivace is across the street), Rental/Repair Shop, Outdoor Training, demonstration areas, hot red-heads riding Alpacas and squirting whiskey in my mouth from a camelback....Sorry bout that last one, it's a re-occurring dream that I've been sorting out with my therapist.
Needless to say....last nights 2 hour visit put in me in the mood to finally write the review this Outdoor Mecca deserves.....got 40' of shock-cord, titanium alcohol stove, flint/steel, and some sacks to stuff my new sleeping bag in......
*ps for all you who don't know: REI offers a membership for $20 and you get special sales and 10% back from last year's loot to spend when your tent from 4 years ago finally gives up the ghost...
pps....if you need me, I'll be at Deception Pass...soakin it all in...
Remember when th eoriginal member took stuff out of boxes during the annual clearance sales?
Time passes. Things change.
I miss the feeling of ownership. Replaced by a glitzy store. Excellent customer service, fancy ads, prices to match.
I am impressed by the wide selection of lectures and social action and causes which RWEI sponsors.
Neighborhood: Belltown
Category: Outdoor Gear
Neighborhood: Ballard
Category: Gyms
Seattle, WA
Category: Coffee & Tea
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill
Category: Coffee & Tea
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Department Stores
South Lake Union has exploded with business.…
I don't live in Seattle, but I'm over there just…
My local dry cleaner, watering hole, deli, cafe,…
Just a list of some of the stuff I did while…
From grocery stores to sporting good…
These are the places that'd be an A- or B+ that…
Yeah it was Cascadia, and that name is…
My strategy is to weaken her defenses by showing…
