Omg! I ve heard legends about the REI locations on...

Omg! I ve heard legends about the REI locations on the west coast but I never believed em. After seeing one for myself, all I can say is Holy Granola Bars Batman! The shopping area at this location is two stories tall and has a HUGE amount of floor space compared to the pitiful REI in my hometown.

Add to that, a three story, 100 foot tall, indoor climbing pinnacle for training classes. But wait. It doesn t end there! They even have an outdoor mountain bike test track to test their mountain bikes BEFORE you buy them.

That s one of the things I love about REI - you can test anything out before you buy it. You can even walk around their store for an hour in a pair of hiking boots before you decide to buy them. And everything in the store includes a one year money back guarantee. If you bring your hiking boots, back pack, or mountain bike back within a year, because you decided you didn t like it, or it wore out quicker than you thought it would, they will give you your money back - NO. QUESTIONS. ASKED. PERIOD.

The staff are also superb. If you go in as a novice and have questions about hiking boots, camping gear, backpacking, etc. they can answer it all. If you are new to something, I recommend finding an REI near you for expert advice. Don t go to an Academy Sports Store, or something that - those folks don t know jack!

P.S. - pay a one time, lifetime membership fee of $20 and you get a dividend coupon for 10% of everything you purchased that year. You get other perks too, and you ll make your money back in no time. Look online for membership details.