I'll ignore the assumptions you made about me as a person and take it as us just not knowing each other. I'm not exaggerating, and my point is that I don't nee

I'll ignore the assumptions you made about me as a person and take it as us just not knowing each other. I'm not exaggerating, and my point is that I don't need high end gear. I want the equivilent of Quechua, an excellent, affordable, mid quality outdoor gear supplier in EU (you can find in surplus stores here occasionally). I have an 18 dollar raincoat from them that I have summited Washington with several times over 8 years now years, that I picked up in ireland after literally forgetting my raincoat. I cannot walk out of REI with a raincoat that is "lightweight and breathable" (meaning, a cheap shell) for less than 110 dollars. Would you like me to take a photo of the YKK zipper on my Quechua raincoat that again cost 18 dollars? In fact, I can probably guarantee you, to your point, that REI sources from the same manufacturers as Quechua, at 10x the cost. I have merino wool socks made for lineme/winter laborers that cost, no joke, 7 dollars for 4 pairs. They absolutely blow REIs out of the water, not even considering cost.They are a no name brand and I got them from the TJ max at the base of a mountain in new hampshire. Trust me, I want to think like you do, but REI is now an "experiences" company, not a company interested in furthering the middle class's ventures into the great outdoors. I say this as someone who chose to work there in my off time as a "hobby" job before the real sh*t hit the fan when they stopped sending actual checks for the co-op payments.