1. Agreeing to the hike The absolute peak moment of an outdoor adventure is when your friend sends a stunning Instagram post of a breathtaking view from the top of a moderate-to-hard trail, and you reply, “OMG, so beautiful––we should go!” while you’re blissfully horizontal on the couch.  2. Getting in the car after the hike  Folks, fasten your seat belts––we’ve now reached cruising altitude. You haven’t fantasized this much about getting in your own car since you were clutching your learner’s permit. Everything about this moment is a win: the significant barrier between you and the ..read more

Co-op members know that REI is a different kind of company: Not only can you can find top-quality gear and a wide range of expertise to aid your outdoor adventures, but a visit to REI can also start lifelong family camping traditions, help you hike to more breathtaking destinations and maybe, if you’re as lucky as some members, introduce you to that special person. (Don’t worry: Expert store staff can help you buy a tent for two when the time’s right.) Over the years, REI members and customers have sent in heartfelt handwritten notes (and emails, too) sharing how the co-op and wider REI commu ..read more

Transcript Alastair Humphreys is an author and adventurer who has walked 600 miles across Southern India, ran an ultra marathon through the Sahara Desert, and hiked and rafted across Iceland. Alastair’s newest wild idea is to embrace the concept of “microadventures,” an adventure that is short, easily accessible, and affordable while still being fun, challenging, refreshing, and rewarding.  Connect with Alastair:  Website Instagram Order Alastair’s new book, Local: A Search for Nearby Nature and Wildness Thank you to our sponsors:  Capital One: Check out the REI C ..read more

Dedicated runner J Solle likes to be expressive with their clothing, whether in daily fashion or when running the streets and parks of New York City. Yet, until recently, the 29-year-old program manager struggled to find technical apparel that fit the bill. As a nonbinary athlete, Solle had two options for running clothes: men’s or women’s. The choices left them feeling “trapped in a box that didn’t feel right.” About a year ago, however, they learned of an athletic brand that’s removed gender labeling from its line. Today, you’ll often find Solle sporting a crop top from ..read more

A total solar eclipse will blanket a wide swath of the U.S. on Monday, April 8, 2024. Lasting up to four-and-a-half minutes, it will be the first total solar eclipse visible in the continental United States since 2017. When the moon passes between the sun and the Earth for those few brief moments, completely blocking the sun, it will send chills up the spines of millions who live in or are visiting the path of totality—a swath of the U.S. that extends from Texas to Maine, where you can best see the total eclipse. If you want to join in on the viewing, you’ll want to act fast: Public campgroun ..read more

The Camino de Santiago, or the Way of St. James, is an epic Catholic pilgrimage to the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela, where St. James the Greater’s remains are thought to be located. The hike isn’t only for the pious, however. While there are many religiously significant stops along the way, a wide array of international trekkers enjoy the pilgrimage route every year.  The Camino is actually a network of trails, and its most popular route, the Camino Francés, spans from the city of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port at the base of the French Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela in northweste ..read more

With the giving season near, it’s time to make gear lists of a different sort—the kind that include gifts for the adventurous loved ones in your life. We’re here to help with the hard part of choosing that perfect present. In this story, we asked 12 REI Co-op Members (who are also REI partners) to share their favorite outdoorsy gifts for the bikers, hikers, campers and runners in their lives. Their suggestions run the gamut, from water-resistant blankets to velvety-soft joggers. Read on for some gifting inspo.  Skip Ahead: Gift ideas for hikers Gift ideas for campers Gift ideas for runn ..read more

Sports have long celebrated winners. And in the outdoor space, winning typically means going fast. This go-quick mentality spills into many areas of people’s lives, even when slowing down can benefit them more.  It’s not just athletics traditionally associated with paces and finish lines, like running or biking, that venerate the speedster. Hikers compete for Fastest Known Times, or FKTs. Backpacking has spawned fastpacking. The sport climbing disciplines in the Olympics involve a race against the clock. Consistently, those who move from point A to point B in the least amount of time get ..read more

More than anything, Jasmine Star remembers the “freakish,” subfreezing October temperatures on her long-distance hike across Oregon, traveling south from the Washington border on the Pacific Crest Trail.  Her water was frozen, along with her water filter and toes. She had pain in the top of the arch of her foot. Her phone battery was draining fast. And then her navigation app failed, making it significantly harder to find a water source.  Her destination was Old Station, still 200 miles south, the endpoint of a previous section hike in northern California. It was 2019, and she had r ..read more

Carol Shu spends her days thinking about gear that’s going home with customers right this minute. As senior manager of global sustainability for The North Face, she is constantly wondering how to make outdoor goods with a smaller environmental footprint that still perform everywhere, from sidewalk to summit.   But she also thinks about that gear’s future—after it’s had a nice life, with countless adventures and a few patch-ups, when it’s just about on its last (pant) leg. Once it’s no longer repairable, the piece is ready for its next phase—and if Shu and her colleagues have anythin ..read more