Like a first love, my first gear purchase is etched in my memory: a Gregory J28 pack. I bought it in 2014 in preparation for my inaugural backpacking trip—a mul...
Gary Rose came into work the other day. This was unusual, considering he’s been retired from REI for nearly 30 years. He walked in with the slow but confident g...
Summer mornings are glorious in North Lake Tahoe. The sun shines, the winds are calm, the temperatures are mild, and the streets and sidewalks are nearly desola...
Nature is often the backdrop for the stories we tell. It’s the glacier lake we jump into; the pillowy snow we send our skis down; the wind that whips at our ten...
This story was originally published on September 27, 2023 and was updated on May 22, 2025.
Biking roughly 3,000 miles from the northern tip of Maine to the s...
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 adventu...
It’s the end of September, and the air is thick with humidity. I’m not sure when, or if, I’ll return to Fire Island and run here again. Every routine feels...
I used to run alone. I’d get up early to jog around my neighborhood or squeeze in an evening sprint before darkness fell. In fact, solitude was what drew me to ...
As an undergrad at Santa Clara University, Mike Carey was a running back: He’d receive the football and rush through a sea of players that tried to shove or cru...
How did 23 friends become 19 million members? To celebrate 82 years of the co-op, we asked our community to tell us their favorite outdoor stories. More than 10...
For our 82nd anniversary, we’re highlighting 82 of your outdoor stories. Share your favorite story on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with a photo or video and t...
In this series, we interview our members and share why they believe a life outdoors is a life well lived.
Ted Lo participated in a research project for our R...
