18 REI Deals: Tents, Backpacks, Sleeping Bags, and Outdoor Gear

The snow is melting, or it could be, if there had been any this yr. Whatever 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. Here are our favourite offers from REI’s annual Member Sale, which matches via March 11. We’ve gone via the REI website and picked out the very best offers from all of the gear we examined final yr.

If you are not an REI member, worry not. The offers are open to anybody; members simply get some additional reductions. If you are not a member and you wish to turn into one proper now, you may make a $50 buy, add a membership to your cart for $30, and get a $30 present card.

If you need some extra shopping for recommendation, take a look at our guides to the very best tents, finest sleeping pads, finest camp stoves, and finest mountain climbing gear.

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REI Deals on Tents

The superlight Copper Spur HV UL tent is our favourite 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 brief and match between drop handlebars. Our one gripe is that you just’ll want to hold mountain climbing poles if you wish to create two awnings from the vestibules, which looks like an odd requirement for a tent aimed toward bike riders. It you are nervous about house, seize one of many Big Agnes hammock-style Gear Lofts ($20), which create an enormous stash house with out cluttering up the tent ground.

The Big Agnes Copper Spur collection is the king of ultralight tents. I’ve used each the two-person and four-person fashions over time, and Big Agnes has regularly refined the design to the purpose that I’ve nothing left to complain about. This is a high-quality, well-designed tent that is very livable, with steep sidewalls to maximise inside house. Mesh pockets assist with gear storage and provide you with a spot to stay your headlamp for dispersed mild. The ingenious “awning” design makes getting in and out a snap. I like to recommend sizing up; this three-person tent is an effective alternative for backpackers who do not wish to be too near their companions.

We have not examined Big Agnes Tiger Wall line, but it surely’s usually 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. If you are an oz counter, that is the tent for you.

Deals on Backpacks, Daypacks, and More

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’s simply large enough to hold a rain jacket, light-weight insulation layer, lunch, sunscreen, and water. This is final yr’s model, but it surely’s nonetheless an amazing pack. The Flash 18 is one other nice pack, however we just like the exterior water bottle pouch on the 22L model.

Mystery Ranch was as soon as a little-known pack firm with a cult following. That’s most likely going to alter now that Yeti has acquired it, however at the least I’ll be capable to assume everybody has heard of Mystery 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 worth I can dwell with out the vast straps. You nonetheless get the three-zip system that made Mystery Ranch a legend. The 13L model can also be on sale for $50 ($20 off).

I’ve not examined the Glacier, but when I have been out there for a gear-hauling monster, this pack can be excessive on my record. The Mystery Ranch packs I’ve examined all have among the finest suspension programs for making absurdly heavy hundreds snug. I do know everybody obsesses about ultralight packing, however with three youngsters tagging alongside … “ultralight” just isn’t a phrase I exploit. Mystery Ranch packs are well-made, sturdy, and if something over-engineered (that is a great 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 great weight-to-strength ration. I discovered the suspension system allowed for quite a lot of completely different carries, letting my shift the load relying on terrain. The spring-steel rods on the edges give the pack a 40-pound load ranking, however in my testing it feels and rides finest at about 25 kilos.

Deals on Camp Gear and Binoculars

It’s huge, however the Stargaze is the closest you will come to bringing a La-Z-Boy within the woods. I’ve been testing one for a couple of weeks now and I find it irresistible. It’s straightforward to arrange and break down, snug to take a seat in. I do not suggest attempting to eat in it, and utilizing the cup holder will be dangerous, but it surely’s very snug. My youngsters 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 would possibly wish to strive one out at your native REI in case you can.

Before Stanley took over the web, Hydro Flask was the selection of outdoorsy people, and we nonetheless love this water bottle. It’s not on sale, however Hydro Flask’s 6-ounce mug is the very best espresso mug I’ve ever had. Well, the lid is not the very best, however the mug is excellent.

The key to backcountry group is the stuff sack. Everyone wants extra stuff sacks. I like these mesh Sea to Summit baggage as a result of the color-coded draw cords make it straightforward to determine what’s the place, and there is a deal with on the underside that makes it straightforward to drag them out of your pack. This set contains 5-liter , 8-liter, and 13-liter sacks. They’re all manufactured from 150-denier black mesh, which has held up nicely in my testing.

These are splendidly compact and mild (11.8 ounces) binoculars, and the value is correct. The picture high quality may very well be higher, however you get good magnification with a water-resistant (IPX7 ranking) and fogproof design. The rugged development and rubberized grip make these an amazing possibility for youths.

REI Deals on Sleeping Bags and Pads

Mountain Hardwear’s Bishop Pass baggage rank excessive in our forthcoming information to sleeping baggage. This is the Gore-Tex mannequin, which nets you the Windstopper membrane, which is windproof and weather-resistant. It’s 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 ranking of 26 levels. I discovered it lots heat down under that in my testing, however I do sleep heat. The 0-degree mannequin can also be on sale for $352.

We haven’t examined any Big Agnes sleeping baggage, however we’re wanting ahead to attempting them, as a result of in the event that they’re something like the corporate’s tents it is arduous to go incorrect. The 600-fill-power DownTek down is PFC-free water repellent down. That doesn’t suggest it is innocent, but it surely’s a step in the precise path. The shell is manufactured from recycled 20-denier polyester ripstop nylon with a PFAS-free water-repellent end. The consolation ranking is 23 levels.

We say if you are going to go huge, go huge. The MegaMat Max 15 is huge in each sense of the phrase. This is the beefy, ultra-luxury pad that began the development of big 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 amazing possibility in case you sleep chilly. The MegaMat Max 15 Duo can also be on sale for $375 ($125 off)

If you are fascinated by an inflatable Exped however aren’t totally dedicated to shelling out for the MegaMat above, there’s the DeepSleep. The DeepSleep is 3 inches thick as a substitute of 4, and we do not prefer it practically as a lot, however it’s a sturdy mattress and most likely high-quality for some individuals. But it isn’t the Exped expertise most sleepers are in search of. We say follow the MegaMat above.

Exped’s Ultra 7R is our favourite 4-season sleeping pad. It affords (because the identify suggests) an R-value of seven in a pad that weighs beneath 2 kilos for the vast model. And I do counsel going for the vast model. I discovered the common to be a bit on the slender aspect, and the burden distinction (5 ounces) does not justify the misplaced sleeping house. I used this pad all the way down to 30 levels Fahrenheit and was very snug (in a 20-degree bag). Exped charges it to –20 levels Fahrenheit.

Nemo’s Tensor collection are a number of the finest ultralight sleeping pads available on the market. 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 worth go together with the previous. The Tensor is thick, snug, and most necessary, dang close to silent. I hate that swish of nylon that is just about synonymous with backcountry sleeping and there’s little or no of that right here.

All the Sea to Summit sleeping pads I’ve examined have been ultralight fashions, and my general gripe is that they weren’t fairly sufficient padding. That’s the place this Comfort Plus is available in. At 3 inches thick you are not going to really feel that pea—or small twig. It’s 2.2 kilos, which is heavy, however typically a cushty evening’s sleep is price a couple of extra ounces.