REI return policy

I think there's some confusion about whose "lifetime" the product is warrantied for. It sounds to me like you're interpretting it to be *yours* but I believe it refers to the product and I also believe that REI can, at its discretion, decide how long a reasonable lifetime is for its products.

I agree with others who think your shorts are well within its "life expectancy" and should have at least been replaced with a new pair.

I think 7 years of regular use for CF hiking poles is pretty much near the end of its life.

I think your binoculars have lived a full life. Not saying that you should expect 20 year-old binocuars to fail or that many don't, just that I don't think you can point to its condition after 20 years and call it a "manufacturing defect".

That said, I recently had a pole fail on an REI tent that I've had for maybe 3 years (i.e. purchased before the policy change) and when I contacted my local store about where to get a replacement — and I never mentioned or even hinted that I thought this was a warranty issue — the salesperson definitely took a VERY defensive attitude. Basically started lecturing me about how I "must have" mis-handled the poles. Had me pretty steamed. And this was the store that practically tore a Marmot jacket off my husband when a salesperson noticed that he was struggling with the zipper and insisted that he take a replacement AND a partial refund because the jacket was now on sale. We'd gone there to buy my son a jacket… and came home with a new jacket for my husband and got my son's for "free" because the refund covered the cost of his.

Things have definitely changed.

I guess it may depend on whether one considers wear and tear to be equivalent to age. The pants were used twice before the zipper pull broke in half. But, I dug my on grave by delaying returning them for so long, even if they did look brand new. The poles had less than 100 miles on them, even if they were 7 years old. You could tell by looking at them they weren't used much. The binoculars were stored and used indoors for pretty much their entire life, except for perhaps a sporting event or two. I used them to look at wildlife out my kitchen window. Never took them backpacking or camping. Nothing wore out or was scratched. Just the material they were built of disintegrated after 20 years.
I see 3 camps here. The first believes lifetime warranty means lifetime (I would define that for as long as I own the product), period. The second believes it means lifetime, with the understanding that that does not include wear and tear. The difference between wear and tear and manufacturing defect is the issue here, and different folks have different opinions on that. Also, does mere age equal wear and tear? Maybe. The 3rd camp would say "after it has enough years on it, even if it has never even been opened, the warranty is no longer valid".
I am not a rip off kind of guy, I had my own business for 25 years and I didn't like people with unreasonable claims looking for refunds or whatever. Some of your comment have made me step back and consider whether I was being unreasonable. In my business I did stand by my work and whatever warranties I gave, even if I later wished I hadn't given that promise. I am surprised at how long this thread has gone on, it sort of makes it look as if I am way more worked up about this than I am. Some of you may even like me if we were to meet. Life goes on, I understand REI's new policy now. On the other hand, maybe it is a little fun to stir up a hornets nest every now and then, as long as you are fast enough to get out of the way.
I do appreciate everyone's opinion.