REI

I was in North Conway on December 1st with a focus to buy new hiking boots. I am a long time member of RIE Coop from New Mexico. We showed up right when the store opened and went directly to the footwear section. I spoke to a woman working that section talking about hiking boots that would work for me. I was needing a hiking boot with a large toe box and waterproof. She directed me to two brands La Sportiva and Topo. I tried on the La Sportiva Nucleo High II GTX Women's hiking boots and knew immediately that these were the ones for me. I also tried on the Topo hiking shoe. The sales gal was so knowledgable and helpful finding the right boots for me. I ended up purchasing the Topo Athletic Women's Terraventure 3MM Drop Trail Running Shoes online when I got home and got rid of my regular hiking shoes. Just wanted to point out that the folks who work at REI are outdoors folks with the experience and understanding of the needs for hikers. So happy that I can continue to hike wearing appropriate footwear.

What is happening to REI? I walk in on Dec 20th (North Conway of all places!) and maybe 10% of the floor space is devoted to somewhat serious winter gear. 75% of the floor space is meant for people that care more about looking outdoorsy over actually doing serious outdoor pursuits. It's sad to see REI moving away from it's loyal outdoor customer base. If you are looking for gear that will actually stand up to the conditions found in the Whites, I'd recommend looking elsewhere.

We had a wonderful time Christmas shopping today! I was unaware of the new no bag policy but luckily they found 2 paper bags for our purchases. I forgot the girls name but she was so friendly and grabbed stuff out of my hands and brought them up front for me so I could continue shopping. Thank you!

Special thanks to J.P for his help. I felt he was steering me in the right direction even if REI may no longer get that sale. Excellent experience as usual at REI.

Matt was so incredibly helpful! It’s our first time winter hiking and Matt helped us pick out all the right gear and even gave us tips on some nice hikes!

Dean and JP at the REI bike shop are exceptional in their understanding of various bike options and their ability to customize bikes to suit individual needs. As certified service providers for Canyon bikes, they offer the added benefit of assembling the bike for me, which is the primary reason I would consider purchasing from Canyon.

Four stars only because they have such low inventory !! It was very tough getting what I wanted to get (found size, but not color ,, or color was good but no size). The staff was very helpful though! I hope they can figure out their supply chain issues soon.

Thank you to the bike department at REI. We were in desperate need of help to keep the bikeloud.org crew going on our journey from Wilmington NC to Quoddy State Park ME and they delivered. Pulling stuff from other bikes, improvising, spotting coming critical failures on the rims and helping us pick the right gear to keep us moving. Coming in unannounced is always risky, these guys are busy, but they worked us in to keep us on schedule. Thank you from the whole crew!

This is one of our favorite REI locations, and a must stop after every NH trip. This location is well laid out and highlights area sports such as biking, backpacking, hiking and snow sports. They also feature a large clothing and shoe department. Staff is always available but not overly pushy offering to help. We always end up buying a fun new gadget or piece of clothing after our backpacking trips. A must stop if you love outdoor gear and clothing!

I live in REI home territory (near Seattle), so of course I'm a fan of REI in general. Their private brand products are mostly excellent, and prices are very competitive with outside brands of comparable quality. (They might look expensive compared to discount store junk, however.) Their selection of outside brands is very good, and prices are good too. Most of all, they are a great resource for outdoor activity knowledge. That's what I like about REI in general. But this is a review of this REI store. I was in New England in July 2021 during a lull in the pandemic. I bought my old Lowa hiking boots at the Seattle REI flagship store in 2010 when I started hiking with my new girlfriend (now my wife). They've been great boots, but the heels are wearing thin. It would be nice to get more life out of them with new heels, but I didn't have time to investigate that for the New England trip (and still haven't followed up; out of sight, out of mind). I needed new boots. I went to the footwear department, and tried a bunch of different types of boots and shoes. I tested the fit, and discussed the merits of various types of boots with footwear specialist Brooke. Eventually, her guidance led me to the conclusion that for my kinds of hiking, my best choice is probably something called "approach shoes", so named because they're used by mountaineers for the easy hiking to the point where they change into hardcore mountaineering boots. They're more like really sturdy sneakers than actual boots. Of the approach shoe options they had, I chose a pair of La Sportiva shoes. I was very impressed by how knowledgeable Brooke was, and asked how long she had been there. Only three weeks, she said. I commented that they must have trained her really well, but she already knew hiking footwear because she "has tried practically every hiking boot there was." That's the kind of great people REI hires. This store is in the North Conway village, population 2000, within Conway town, population 10000. For such a remote place (locals, no offense intended; metro Seattle is 4 million), this is an amazing store. The only store in northern New England that compares is in the suburbs of Portland Maine. That's worth a five-star "as good as it gets".

Decent selection, and super knowledgeable and friendly staff; always ready to help. They know the local area and trails. Yeah, it's EXPENSIVE, so join the co-op; it's worth it if only for the flexible return policy. Hiked a bunch of trails and don't like your boots? Bring 'em back and they'll help find ones that you do. Plus, you get a dividend back on your purchases each year.

The store was extra clean , w- limited shoppers during covid. JP in the backpack Dept was incredibly helpful to us figuring out & sizing backpacks to haul a toddler. Bradley at the checkout counter was super polite & helpful. We'd definitely return to shop again!

Our cashier today, Anya, couldn't have made it any more obvious this afternoon that she did not want to do her job. After ringing up our 4 items, she said "there 'ya go".... We had to ask for a bag, which she 1/2-opened for us as she set it on the counter, and then she stepped back away from her register and just stood there staring at us, with clearly no intention of putting our items in the bag. Needless to say, we bagged our own items... Perhaps REI should just consider self-checkout if this is how they do things now.

Brenna was super helpful for my boyfriend and me to get fitted for day packs. The store is doing an excellent job promoting social distancing and making this a safe shopping experience while keeping all the warmth and customer service expected of REI!

This place is horrible! Everything there is completely overpriced. Most of the store consists of cheap jackets that you could get elsewhere for half the price. They are also selling average sleds for $30 - $50 dollars; Don't waste your time, go to Walmart instead.

Went in to grab ski and snowboard rentals with the help of Mac G and JP. They were super respectful even with us coming in last minute. They worked well with my little nephew as well. Very good customer service

REI staff member Hannah Blizzard is a dream come true. I made a personal outfitting appointment with her and she walked me through all kinds of considerations about the type of cycling computer to get, what to look for in a hammock sleep system, what my options were for lumens on bike lights. She went far beyond the call of duty - conferring with the cycling staff about bike helmets, researching the best items ahead of time, telling me about useful apps, filling me in on great cycling routes in New Hampshire, and so much more. I'm so thrilled to be on my way with this great knowledge, and feel so supported to have a companion wilderness-sports and outdoor-lover soul to be wishing me well on my journey.

Joe was extremely helpful and knowledgeable. He helped us choose the best mountain around and fit us for boots for an easy experience while on vacation.