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That is a shame to hear. As recently as 2011 I thought that MEC's house brand gear was much higher quality and had better design and features than REI's house b
by sedachv 10y ago
That is a shame to hear. As recently as 2011 I thought that MEC's house brand gear was much higher quality and had better design and features than REI's house brand. The MEC stuff I bought was comparable to some of that made by more specialist outdoor manufacturers and was a fraction of the price. I still have most of it, and the things I gave away are still in use. I think REI very much caters to the car camper and Instagram hiker consumers who don't really go outdoors. You really have to be careful with the stuff you buy there.
- my_username_is_ 10y agoREI has actually begun a fairly substantial investment in improving the quality of their private brand in recent years, actually building an engineering team to take a critical look at everything that they're putting out instead of just relying on the word of whoever they're sourcing it from. I would expect the REI brand to improve a good bit in the coming years
- hbosch 10y ago2011 is a long time in gear years! I went to a flagship REI here in Seattle the other day and was happily surprised when I played with the REI house brand gear. I'd recommend giving them a visit and seeing if they have improved (I have no idea what it was like in '11).
- Tiktaalik 10y agoQuality at both places seems all over the place. I bought a great bag at REI a few years ago that was praised by the ultralight hiking community for being a great, cheap ultralight pack, but now I've heard that REI discontinued it and everything available is a lot heavier.