MEC Toronto

Looking for something to do if you're broke or just really cheap and you want to impress your girl? Come to mountain equipment co-op for the free bouldering wall they have. All you have to do is sign a waiver. 😁❤️ Now besides that, the store had amazingly artistically displayed displays; very visually appealing, and the texture of the clothes are very ... skin-aully appealing. 🏕️☘️ I specifically liked a white collar shirt with thin vinyl material that I forgot to take a picture of. Fortunately, the store is very easy to navigate, so I'll be able to find it perfectly fine if I want to buy it. The staff is very friendly and it's very child friendly. 🌈😁 I highly recommend coming here ❤️❤️❤️

This has always been my go-to spot for outdoor gear, sports apparel, and travel bags. But I only recently discovered their exceptional bike repair service—and it truly stands out! Every staff member I’ve interacted with has been knowledgeable, fair, and patient. They take the time to diagnose the issue and fix it efficiently. MEC continues to be my favourite store in the area. :)

Today I had the best customer service I've had in SO long! The team member was absolutely brilliant and was so helpful with giving direction on where to find products I was looking for and teaching me how things worked. The store itself is bright and well-signed with everything you need outdoor-related. I didn't get the employee's name who helped me, but he was so proactive with offering assistance to everyone who walked by. (If the manager is reading this, he's on the upper level in the backpacks area in one of my pictures. I asked the cashier his name and he wasn't sure who was working in that department today) Thank you for all your help!

Had the absolute best experience at MEC today thanks to Peter! I came in to find a hiking backpack, and he went above and beyond—taking time out of his lunch break to walk me through the entire fitting process. He is incredibly knowledgeable, patient, and clearly passionate about both gear and the outdoors. Peter didn’t just hand me a pack and call it good—he made careful adjustments to ensure proper weight distribution, explained what to look out for in terms of comfort and stability, and even had me walk up and down the store stairs to make sure the pack stayed stable with hip movement and didn’t cause any pressure points. You can tell he really cares about making sure people are set up for success on the trail. It’s rare to find someone this genuinely invested in helping customers. Thanks again, Peter—you’re awesome!

2023 October 4★ MEC offers a variety of outdoor gear for all ages. From camping, swimming, hiking, rock climbing, cycling, etc. There's plenty of things you'll find here. 2 levels of clean organized products. Prices are a premium. Though discounted items aren't bad. Also features a mini rock climbing area to practice on.

Nov2024 Get a feel of Canadian's innate relationship with the outdoors in this megastore with 2 levels with a climbing wall. The major sections are hiking and camping, cycling, climbing, and sking. They also have an extensive section for children. Service staff are always on hand for queries

I had the the most incredible customer service today. Especially thank you to the (kiwi?) gentleman who helped me pick out my trail shoes today! Very knowledgeable, helpful and kind. Will definitely come back again for new gear.

First visit since MEC moved its flagship Toronto store and it was a good one. Nice to see shelves well stocked and excellent variety of products in every category. Most of the staff kept to themselves and didn’t talk us but Kudos to Phillip who did. Good to see someone cared about customer service! The store itself is well laid out, but could use some signage to find the washrooms. I was hoping the climbing wall feature would have been retained but they went for a smaller bouldering wall.

A few Sundays ago, I was in the Spadina-Queen Street West area. I walked by this MEC on my way to an eatery for lunch. Walking back to my car after lunch, I decided to stop by this store and check it out. I like MEC. On the first floor, freeze-dried food was in front of me. Pad thai sounded great. I then saw electrolyte tablets and waffles. If you are looking for a water bottle, there are lots to choose from. From Hydro Flask, to MEC's own line, you can find something that will suit your hydration needs. I saw lots of camping items. Tents. Cookware. LED lanterns. This store has everything imaginable. The downside is that I didn't see any sales items. I find it expensive to shop here, especially post-co-op memberships. There are two floors to this store. You can take the stairs or find the elevator. I didn't buy anything. However, it was nice to browse. (433)

The worst online customer service; they have a chat function that clearly doesn't work. After tons of waiting, they ask you to email. Which they also haven't replied to (almost a month for an order that's 'PROCESSING'...). Annoying.

I loved this store when it was a co-op shop, when membership meant something, when prices were better, where quality gear and outdoor participation/accessibility was the focus. Unfortunately, the old co-op went bankrupt and got bought out by an american company around 2020. MEC is now a regular profit oriented retailer hiding under the old MEC name in hopes no one would notice the change. The bulk of their merchandise is expensive and fashion oriented. Makes me sad.

I want to express my wholehearted support to the MEC Toronto workers in their campaign to unionize. Unions play a crucial role in ensuring that your rights are protected, that you receive fair compensation, and that your voices are heard. MEC staff have been invaluable in my journey with outdoor activities, but aside from that, they deserve to have their rights protected because they are people. Good luck MEC Toronto staff - I am rooting for you!!

With limited MEC choices across the GTA, this is a decent location to come to. It's located downtown on Queen West but is still full sized and doesn't skimp on scale. We were looking for climbing shoes. They have a full climbing section on the second floor. There's even a bouldering wall for you to try out potential shoes. I did also see a top rope possibly for testing harnesses. There were a few employees just in this section helping shoppers out. The one down side to this store is that they are chronically understocked in beginner climbing shoes. We were told they got off the shelves, so finding the appropriate size is tricky. The sales associate mentioned that we could purchase online and return in store if they don't have the size. We were able to try on a few pairs easily since they had seating there and we were given helpful recommendations on what watch brand offered. At the end of the day we could find the perfect shoe so we left empty handed.

Terrible online shopping experience. Cancelled my order twice with same reason: no stock after I made full payment. This problem happened twice (I tried small size, cancelled my order then I tried medium size), worse online shopping experience ever.

The new MEC is open and we stopped by since this is our 'hood. The first word I thought of as I entered the brand new store, just opposite the infamous Black Bull patio, is WOW, this is SPACIOUS. There's 2 floors to the space, similar to the one on King Street, but it immediately feels bigger. I love backpacks and always check out what's on the racks and walked around the first floor. Nope, couldn't find any so I wandered up the stairs. There were so many to choose from! On a side note, there is also a CLIMBING WALL on the second floor - so cool! Overall, nice space!

I didn't think the new location, even though its brand new, would have been better then the previous king st west location, boy was I wrong. this massive upgrade of a location is replacing an old parking lot that in the summertime would have jewelery and tourist items for sale. this location is pretty intimidating with how much more space this location has, and also how bright everything is. and oh man the rock climbing wall is back! something that used to be at the king st location, but has been resurrected for this location, sadly only a single wall but still something awesome (see photos) everything is clearly labeled into its sections and so much room to walk around, it truly is a site to be seen. you should definitely go out of your way to come to this location, I thought the methods that they put forward for the north York location was great, but they made improvements from that store to this one parking is directly on site for this location in the bottom of the store and im not sure if a break is given for people who shop at mec or not. transit options are the 501 queen st streetcar, the 510 spadina and the osgoode subway station on the YUS line. very happy with this location.

MEC used to be a good place to go but suffered from suspiciously terminal mismanagement when it was a co-op. Following the hostile takeover by USian investors and conversion into a private company, both quality and quantity of products offered has suffered. Management at this location also clearly prefers to run lean on staffing as well as product, resulting in long check-out lines and even at off-peak hours. The employees themselves are nice enough, but this is just another overpriced big box store now and that's what you should expect from the experience.

Love this place! I used to roll my eyes at MEC for being an REI dupe. And that it is but it's a good one! Great selection of anything you may need to enjoy the outdoors plus lots of quality stuff for city life in Toronto: hats, gloves, jackets, water bottles, warm walking shoes shoes, etc. I also really like the travel line! Staff can be MIA sometimes but when you find them, they are super helpful. I appreciate the co-op model and that returns are possible at any time.

Same old wonderful store - new location on Queen. In terms of what MEC offers - everything you need for your outdoor adventures, in one place. What you get at MEC is depth and breadth of product offerings. Need a sleeping matt? You'll have ample to choose from at various features and price points. In terms of pricing, some things are priced higher than other stores, while other things remain competitive. For the products marked up higher, is it worth it to purchase from MEC? Absolutely, for two primary reasons: 1) You've got lifetime warranty on most of the products so the slightly higher mark up is really an excellent insurance policy, with excellent customer service 2) The benefits of a co-op and the amount that MEC gives back to the local community (especially its environmental endeavours and support of local charities) isn't just business green washing - its a genuine value and mindset of the organization - so those extra dollars really go far.

MEC tried to remove my review because I did not share my experience apparently, so allow me to go in more detail. This used to be my go to place for my work equipment, I work outdoors I rely on dependable outdoor wear and bike equipment. The inventory has dwindled yet the prices go up the quality has lowered. It barely feels like a co op anymore when I step in, and I can barely flag down anyone for assistance on a good day. To top it off... MEC is no longer a Canadian-owned co-operative, but is now owned by a US private equity firm. It will no longer be a co-op, the return policies will change, Shop Canadian instead. savemec.ca

I came to MEC because my bike tire deflated. They said they could get the job done in about 2 hours which is very impressive as it's summer and they are probably super busy. I ended up needing more then just the tire replaced - a tune up and the cables changed. Although it was much more money then I initially anticipated to spend, I couldn't believe how great of a job they did. It honestly felt as if I was riding a new bike! I'm so happy with the job they did! I highly recommend coming here for any type of bike related work!

I love the new store! Huge, inviting, spacious, easy to navigate, organized, plentiful staff, and of course, great gear. You'd think the number one reason I attend MEC is for the equipment (which essentially, it is), but it's really the staff. I have an outdoor store closer to where I live, but their employees don't compare to MEC's, who are friendly, keen to help, experienced, and knowledgeable; if you have technical questions this is the place to go. I've bought product both online and in store and their return policy is amazing. Getting here is easy by foot, car, subway, or streetcar. Check it out; you're unlikely to be disappointed (unless they don't have a brand you want to try, which is why I took away one star).

Horrible experience. Used to be each department had an expert, an "older dude" who knew the in's and out's, a specialist if you will. Now they are GenZ'ers who know Sh** all. I went yesterday to get a pair of Phd Smartwool socks. The website said the model and size was available at this location. Went there and lo and behold the whole section was a train wreck, no ordering, items thrown in disorderly fashion. Could not find the pair that was allegedly available. Went up to counter asked a guy to help. Turns out he knows nothing and when I questioned about sock types, etc he got frustrated and said he was about to leave for the day... WTF?? Terrible attitude and shud be fired asap! Turns out this idiot was a cashier on the lower floor. So why the hell did you attempt to help in an area you have NO expertise, genius?? Asked another guy... he was more customer friendly but knew nothing either. Then he asked a lady who allegedly knew more about socks. She didnt know anything either other than she goes hiking at times and purchased a few pairs. Yikes!!! Turns out the pair I was looking for was out of stock (thanks crappy inventory at web site mec.ca). I was able to find 2 pairs which were equivalent by myself. This, after nearly 30 min waiting for so-called experts (teenagers who looked 19-20) who then referred me to other so-called experts who then wasted another 30 min of my time. Geesh! All the staff I asked were in the shoe/socks department. MEC get ur crap together!! Good way to lose customers. Not what it used to be... SAD!

BE CAREFUL - MEC's lifetime guarantee is a scam, don't fall for it. And they will overcharge you to do any repair. I bought a "high-end" winter jacket of their own brand (MEC Coldtreader Jacket), paid almost $400,00 for it PLUS $5,00 for a membership with the promise of a lifetime guarantee for their products. Well, the coat works well but the zipper is made of plastic, and it happened to slightly melt two teeth when my coat was near a heater so it wouldn't close anymore. I brought it to the store to be repaired and was told that the guarantee wouldn't cover it, even though it was as a result of a bad quality product (no good winter coat will have a zipper melted). Without any other option, they offered to replace the zipper for no more than $45,00 (I trusted their word). After waiting for more than 1 month, the coat was fixed but now they charged me $105,00 for the service, I argued that they said another price but the employee was rude and simply said was it or no coat. So I had to pay 25% of the jacket's original price. In total, it cost me more than $500,00, which I could've bought a decent product somewhere else. In the end, I was lied to by a marketing false statement for guarantee (see below from their website). And I was overcharged for their repair service and felt disrespected as a customer. I'll never return to MEC again and wish other people to be aware before buying there. MEC FALSE STATEMENT (from their website): Our Rocksolid Guarantee - We guarantee the quality of our products. If the quality of an item hasn't met your expectations, you can bring it back. We also guarantee the product selection advice we give. If something you purchased based on this advice turns out to be unsuitable, you can bring it back for an exchange, refund, repair, or credit.