Is an REI membership worth it?

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I'd say as a general rule lifetime-anything for $20 is a good deal.

Also: the war's over, REI won ;-/

As mentioned previously, items purchased on sale do not count towards dividends. Extolling the virtues of their sales or conservation activities is somewhat of a strawman given that the initial question was whether the membership was worth the small fee. I think that has been answered- good return policy, good value if you purchase at full price in store. I neither return items nor purchase full price in store, so I would not get a membership today if I had not done so a decade ago.

Also, I was told by an REI manager that the only customer purchase that does come with a commission is memberships- hence my initial tongue in cheek post.

Lastly, calling people who do not like REI small minded fools is both foolish and small minded. I have no seething hatred for the store, but unless abusing a return policy was more important than employee knowledge, good selection, and local information I do not see a reason to use REI over the numerous small stores in the MidAtlanatic and Northeast. Over the past 15 years I have been in almost every REI from NJ to IL and south to TX. The experience and knowledge of REI employees as compared to those in small shops is not comparable; perhaps this is not the case out west, or perhaps my sample is not representative because I keep getting the cycling guy in the climbing section. Of course, that does not happen in the Mountaineer or Ragged Mountain.

I received my REI membership as a gift several years ago. I do buy stuff from time to time. Just used my dividend to get a pair 5-10 Guide Tennies for $45. Whenever I need something, I look for the best price in the right size. Sometimes its REI. I also shop at Campmor, Moontrail, Mountain Gear, etc., etc. I am frequently in places that have REI stores, so perhaps I use it more than if I did all of my purchasing online.

Yes, its worth it.

If nothing else, their stores quite often have a lot of literature on the area.

No, they don't have the most knowledgable staff. They are a BOX store. Small shops will always be better in this regard like Pro Mountain Sports or Feathered Friends or Marmot etc.

They do have a very wide selection of goods including that giant group of people who go car camping out in the ol' west. Power Stretch Tights are the same at REI as they are at Marmot. A camp chair is the same at REI as it is at Sports Authority or Dicks.

The membership was only $10 when I got it (1980's) and it has been worth it. Or maybe it was $5! I primarily use REI for odds and ends (like fuel canisters, maps and socks), or if I think I may have to return an item. Even back then, in the days of 40-50 lb. packs, I bought more gear from Campmor than from REI–even with the postage and no dividend, Campmor had the same stuff cheaper.

I still think REI membership is worth the membership fee. Even with only a few small purchases a year, you'll earn it back in dividends in a couple of years. You'll earn it even sooner with those 20% off coupons. If nothing else, you'll get the $20 back just on the reduced tuition for REI members for the NOLS Wilderness First Aid classes they now offer frequently, and which I highly recommend.

In the late 1980's there was a big campaign among members to elect a board that would get REI out of the yuppie clothing business and back to its roots. The campaign failed, and I've had a low opinion of the place since. That doesn't mean I don't shop there if they have something I want at a reasonable price!

I’ve had a membership in REI since the mid 1970s ( I am older than dirt) so the fee is long forgotten. In fact I don’t even remember if there was a cost. That aside, I’ve been known to rent a car and visit the REI store in Anchorage while waiting for a jet on my way from Juneau to western Alaska. Sure, not everything is ultra light, but I’ve found that the breadth of their selection — and the ability for me to see and touch stuff — is a great incentive.

My store is only 2 hours away, but that’s by jet, so I’d say a 3 hour drive is probably worth the cost. Maybe my view en route is nicer….

My wife and I got an REI membership shortly after we got married back in 1973. At that time, it was one of the very few places one could get good backpacking equipment at decent prices.

Over the years we've used it for a lot of gear: backpacking for us and the kids, car camping, cycling, etc. While the cottage industries own ultralite and hammocking, REI carries a good bit of gear that works with those just fine…and as it's been said above, the chance to try and return gear is well worth the price of admission!!!

It has been for me. I've been a member for over a decade and it's paid for itself many times over at this point. I'm about to purchase an Exped Synmat UL 7 and just that purchase alone pays for the membership ($155 – 20% = $124). And if it develops a leak I can take it back to the store and they'll hand me a new one on the spot. That's what they did when my Big Agnes pad started leaking and it's one of the reasons I keep going back.

> Lastly, calling people who do not like REI small minded fools is both foolish and small minded.

If you're replying to me, you should read what I wrote again. There's a big difference between people who don't like REI and people who bash REI.

Even if you just shop online every now and then you could easily recoup the $20 that the membership cost. They usually have a 20% coupon on a regular priced item 3-4 times a year. They have one right now until APR 10th, MEM2011 is the code. I'll be buying a carbon reflex 3 when the next one rolls around in May, $600 dollar tent save $120.

Members since the early 80s. Totally worthwhile for us. We started using the REI credit card a few years ago, and pay pretty much everything with it (paying it off each month…) So in addition to the 10% on full price items, we get 5% on sale items at REI, and 1% on everything else we buy. Our dividend has paid for some nice big-ticket items over the years. This year's dividend is comfortably over $500. So yeah, that one-time fee was pretty worth it.

Note that you can have a membership for each family member. So you can get multiple versions of the member sale 20% coupon.

I'm surprised others haven't already brought this up, but one of the greatest benefits the membership offers to me is the discounted lift tickets to the local ski resorts. This season they offered discounted tickets, generally about $15 less, to eleven ski resorts. Totally worth it to me.

If all you ever do is UL backpacking, and you don't buy anything from REI, then it's not worth it. However, as an assistant Scoutmaster in a Boy Scout Troop, I need all sorts of equipment… climbing harnesses, rope, basecamp tents, etc. and I love REI because I can actually go and see the equipment in person.

From a UL perspective, I'm transitioning from heavy equipment to lightweight equipment (not necessarily UL) in preparation for Philmont. A couple of weeks ago I bought an REI Flash 65 pack. I took it on a weekend backpacking trip last weekend and felt like the model I got just didn't fit quite right. I took it back (after using it for 3 days) and was given a full refund no questions asked. I then ordered a ULA Circuit which should be here tomorrow.

Earlier this year I took my $15 dividend and 20% off certificate and bought a Thermarest Alpine down quilt for $50 off. That paid for the membership. I'm not sure I'm in love with the quilt, but it works well enough and I got a really good deal on it.

FWIW, and YMMV.

I work part time at an REI, and no, memberships are not commissioned. Employee evaluations (and store evaluations) include meeting membership targets, but this is not a commission. And there is a good reason for aggressively promoting membership. As anyone with a background in consumer cooperatives knows, coops live or die by their memberships.

Now, if a member gets an REI Visa card, using my referral code (because I gave them the Visa card form with my code on it) then I get a payment of $20-$40 depending on whether there's a promotion going on or not. Plus the member gets a gift card for $20-$50, once again depending on whether there's a promotion. Which there is at the moment. $50 gift card for you!

The membership is worth it for me. I wanted to purchase the Merrill trail glove for a running shoe priced about $110 everywhere, went into the local REI and somebody had returned them because of fit. I picked them up for 50. I also had the same happen for my -20 down sleeping bag. Got it for $140 when regular price is over $400. I prefer to do most my shopping at AMH (local store) but that $20 dollar membership has sure payed over and over for it's self.

Great place to see gear you are considering. And you can take back anything. I'm cheap and buy most stuff there and still got a dividend this month that was more than the membership of $20 (dividends are not earned on sale items). I bought a SteriPEN Adv. Opti with my 20% coupon, which they give each member once a year. Some gear I've bought and its sat for a month or two and never got used. I decided to move to a better piece and just took back the item I had'nt need. REI doesn't have lots of stuff that fits into the BPL frame of mind, but they are moving there slowly. If you have a store nearby, the price of membership is worth it.

It's worth it even if you never buy any REI brand gear but stick to "name brand" stuff. This year my $36. rebate paid for my new Camelbak bladder.

(And one year I got a $100. rebate. Don't tell my wife.)