The snow is melting, or it will be, if there had been any this year. Regardless of the case, it is March, which suggests out of doors retailers are slashing costs to filter final yr’s gear. The factor about final yr’s gear is … it is nonetheless nice gear, and now it is low-cost. Listed here are our favourite offers from REI’s annual Member Sale, which matches by way of March 11. We have gone by way of the REI website and picked out one of the best offers from all of the gear we examined final yr.
For those who’re not an REI member, worry not. The offers are open to anybody; members simply get some additional reductions. For those who’re not a member and also you need to grow to be one proper now, you can also make a $50 buy, add a membership to your cart for $30, and get a $30 gift card.
If you would like some extra shopping for recommendation, take a look at our guides to the best tents, best sleeping pads, best camp stoves, and best hiking gear.
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REI Offers on Tents
{Photograph}: Massive Agnes
The superlight Copper Spur HV UL tent is our favorite bikepacking tent. It weights simply 3 kilos, 11 ounces, options twin vestibules and doorways, DAC Featherlite NSL poles, and exterior webbing for hanging out moist garments. There are additionally some good bike-specific extras, like hidden helmet storage. The poles fold quick and match between drop handlebars. Our one gripe is that you just’ll want to hold climbing poles if you wish to create two awnings from the vestibules, which looks as if an odd requirement for a tent aimed toward bike riders. It you are apprehensive about area, seize one of many Massive Agnes hammock-style Gear Lofts ($20), which create an enormous stash area with out cluttering up the tent ground.
The Massive Agnes Copper Spur sequence is the king of ultralight tents. I’ve used each the two-person and four-person fashions over time, and Massive Agnes has regularly refined the design to the purpose that I’ve nothing left to complain about. This can be a high-quality, well-designed tent that is very livable, with steep sidewalls to maximise inside area. Mesh pockets assist with gear storage and offer you a spot to stay your headlamp for dispersed gentle. The ingenious “awning” design makes getting out and in a snap. I like to recommend sizing up; this three-person tent is an efficient alternative for backpackers who do not need to be too near their companions.
We have not examined Massive Agnes Tiger Wall line, but it surely’s typically similar to the Copper Spur line. The distinction is the Tiger Wall tents are lighter, utilizing lighter materials (a 15-denier ground versus the 35 within the Copper Spur). That does make them much less sturdy, however what you lose in sturdiness you make up for in weight financial savings. The Tiger Wall UL 2 is 8 ounces lighter than the Copper Spur UL 2. For those who’re an oz. counter, that is the tent for you.
Offers on Backpacks, Daypacks, and Extra
{Photograph}: REI
REI’s Flash backpacks are excellent for a bag you possibly can preserve by the door and seize on a spontaneous journey to the paths. It is simply large enough to hold a rain jacket, light-weight insulation layer, lunch, sunscreen, and water. That is final yr’s model, but it surely’s nonetheless an important pack. The Flash 18 is one other nice pack, however we just like the exterior water bottle pouch on the 22L model.
Thriller Ranch was as soon as a little-known pack firm with a cult following. That is most likely going to vary now that Yeti has acquired it, however at the very least I am going to be capable to assume everybody has heard of Thriller Ranch and skip intros like this. I’ve been testing the newer model of the Gallagator, which has wider chest straps, which I like higher, however at this value I can stay with out the broad straps. You continue to get the three-zip system that made Thriller Ranch a legend. The 13L model can be on sale for $50 ($20 off).
{Photograph}: REI
I’ve not examined the Glacier, but when I have been out there for a gear-hauling monster, this pack could be excessive on my checklist. The Thriller Ranch packs I’ve examined all have among the best suspension methods for making absurdly heavy masses comfy. I do know everybody obsesses about ultralight packing, however with three children tagging alongside … “ultralight” is just not a phrase I take advantage of. Thriller Ranch packs are well-made, sturdy, and if something over-engineered (that is a very good factor).
If you wish to dip a toe into the ultralight waters, Granite Gear’s packs are a great way to do this with out overspending (which is straightforward to do within the ultralight backpacking world). With a 50-liter capability (3,051 cubic inches) and weighing solely 3 kilos, 1.6 ounces, the perimeter has a very good weight-to-strength ration. I discovered the suspension system allowed for numerous totally different carries, letting my shift the load relying on terrain. The spring-steel rods on the perimeters give the pack a 40-pound load score, however in my testing it feels and rides greatest at about 25 kilos.
Offers on Camp Gear and Binoculars
{Photograph}: REI
It is large, however the Stargaze is the closest you may come to bringing a La-Z-Boy within the woods. I have been testing one for a number of weeks now and I like it. It is easy to arrange and break down, comfy to take a seat in. I do not suggest making an attempt to eat in it, and utilizing the cup holder might be dangerous, but it surely’s very comfy. My children can curl up in it like a papasan. I ought to most likely add that my spouse hates it, so it isn’t for everybody. You may need to strive one out at your native REI for those who can.
Earlier than Stanley took over the web, Hydro Flask was the selection of outdoorsy people, and we nonetheless love this water bottle. It is not on sale, however Hydro Flask’s 6-oounce mug is the best coffee mug I’ve ever had. Nicely, the lid is not one of the best, however the mug is excellent.
The important thing to backcountry group is the stuff sack. Everybody wants extra stuff sacks. I like these mesh Sea to Summit baggage as a result of the color-coded draw cords make it simple to determine what’s the place, and there is a deal with on the underside that makes it simple to tug them out of your pack. This set consists of 5-liter , 8-liter, and 13-liter sacks. They’re all made from 150-denier black mesh, which has held up properly in my testing.
{Photograph}: Nocs Provisions
These are splendidly compact and lightweight (11.8 ounces) binoculars, and the value is correct. The picture high quality might be higher, however you get good magnification with a water-proof (IPX7 score) and fogproof design. The rugged development and rubberized grip make these a great option for kids.
REI Offers on Sleeping Luggage and Pads
{Photograph}: REI
Mountain Hardwear’s Bishop Move baggage rank excessive in our forthcoming information to sleeping baggage. That is the Gore-Tex mannequin, which nets you the Windstopper membrane, which is windproof and weather-resistant. It is not the waterproof Gore-Tex you discover in rain jackets, however I’ve discovered it fares higher than common nylon in opposition to a dew-covered tent wall. The 15 diploma mannequin right here makes use of 650-fill-power goose down, which earns it a examined consolation score of 26 levels. I discovered it a lot heat down beneath that in my testing, however I do sleep heat. The 0-degree mannequin can be on sale for $352.
We now have not examined any Massive Agnes sleeping baggage, however we’re trying ahead to making an attempt them, as a result of in the event that they’re something like the corporate’s tents it is arduous to go mistaken. The 600-fill-power DownTek down is PFC-free water repellent down. That does not imply it is innocent, but it surely’s a step in the correct path. The shell is made from recycled 20-denier polyester ripstop nylon with a PFAS-free water-repellent end. The consolation score is 23 levels.
We are saying if you are going to go large, go large. The MegaMat Max 15 is large in each sense of the phrase. That is the beefy, ultra-luxury pad that began the pattern of giant automotive tenting pads. The MegaMat does not pack down as small as our prime choose, the ThermaRest Mondo King (not on sale), but it surely has extra insulation and makes an important possibility for those who sleep chilly. The MegaMat Max 15 Duo is also on sale for $375 ($125 off)
For those who’re eager about an inflatable Exped however aren’t absolutely dedicated to shelling out for the MegaMat above, there may be the DeepSleep. The DeepSleep is 3 inches thick as an alternative of 4, and we do not prefer it practically as a lot, however it’s a sturdy mattress and possibly effective for some folks. But it surely’s not the Exped expertise most sleepers are on the lookout for. We are saying follow the MegaMat above.
{Photograph}: Exped
Exped’s Extremely 7R is our favorite 4-season sleeping pad. It affords (because the identify suggests) an R-value of seven in a pad that weighs underneath 2 kilos for the broad model. And I do counsel going for the broad model. I discovered the common to be a bit on the slender aspect, and the load distinction (5 ounces) does not justify the misplaced sleeping area. I used this pad all the way down to 30 levels Fahrenheit and was very comfy (in a 20-degree bag). Exped charges it to –20 levels Fahrenheit.
Nemo’s Tensor sequence are a few of the greatest ultralight sleeping pads in the marketplace. As with most issues on this sale, that is final yr’s mannequin, however having slept on each this and the brand new one, at this value go together with the previous. The Tensor is thick, comfy, and most vital, dang close to silent. I hate that swish of nylon that is just about synonymous with backcountry sleeping and there is little or no of that right here.
All of the Sea to Summit sleeping pads I have tested have been ultralight fashions, and my total gripe is that they weren’t fairly sufficient padding. That is the place this Consolation Plus is available in. At 3 inches thick you are not going to really feel that pea—or small twig. It is 2.2 kilos, which is heavy, however generally a snug night time’s sleep is value a number of extra ounces.
