REI is a summer and winter wonderland of equipment and information for all outdoorsy types. It's a really cool place for climbers, hikers, campers, winter sports enthusiasts, backpackers and other people in need of quality gear. I've bought a few items of clothing here, which I'm not crazy about. They tended to have synthetic fiber stuff which I think is not so good for hot weather. Also the prices for the synthetic-fiber clothing was pretty high. I've personally been backpacking with an REI rig since 2001. It's in need of a thorough wash, but he bag has held up through years of flights, busses, ferries and other adventures. There's always staff around who are in-the-know about what you need to safely do any given activity. They have ideas for you about the gear and how and where to use it. read more

Got to use my shoes today. Do not need to break it in, very comfortable. I wear wide size shoes and Lowa is it. I might try vasque next time. Love my shoes and Love REI best store and helful stuff. read more

REI is the place to go in Austin for outdoor enthusiasts. The store carries the tools and equipment for all kinds of outdoor excursions, and the items themselves are of a high quality. Since REI sells such high quality goods,the prices can seem high at times, but I always feel comfortable in making a purchase, knowing that if I ever have any problems with the item, I can take them back into the store. The employees are amiable, and are themselves outdoor enthusiasts. I have had long conversations with a number of employees over topics ranging from kayaking to backpacking. If you are planning on partaking in an outdoor adventure, I suggest that you stop by REI. read more

C'mon guys. Store was EMPTY. I was in the women's area for 15 min looking at hiking clothes trying to find right sizes, right style of pants, etc. Two salespeople are right there talking to each other and not once was I asked if I needed help. Another salesperson walks by and I asked where dressing rooms were and she points to three areas. Doesn't ask if I'm ready to try on or walk me to a room. I went to one of the doors and it's locked. The fitting rooms are locked by default. So now I'm back to the women's area where the two salespeople are STILL talking and I had to interrupt to ask one of them to unlock the door. He walks over to the room unlocks it and says "there ya go". I can go to Academy and get similar clothing, but I don't. I like the quality and brands REI carries. I was at the 5th/Lamar location on a Saturday (ummm busy) and the customer service was impeccable. Need to work on those skills. read more

went here on a rush trip for a tent. we never were approached by a sales person. the pricing and tent area were confusing. I'm used to going to the campmor store in new jersey where tents are built in the store along with model tents for EVERY model. It was amazing. REI is a major bummer in comparison. The prices were worse. I did talk to someone who went 2 days after me and found the secret 1 day sale and got a ton of gear for practically nothing... but that was never mentioned to me by a sales guy (thats how this other guy found out) because a sales guy/gal never approached me once in the 20 minutes i spent circling the 10 foot area of tents. i reallllllllly wanted to love the store too, but it just made me miss campmor more. read more

I would like to recognize the outstanding customer service at this store. We bought two packs for full price and brought them into the store to be fitted. At that time we noticed the same packs had gone on sale for a much lower price. They were flexible and give us the discounted price even though we were just outside the time frame of eligibility. They were so friendly and treated us with the best service! read more

I am very happy with my recent experience buying a bike from REI. I came on the Garage Sale Saturday, when they were very busy, and the staff here are great - they still found time to be very attentive and help me find a bike that was just the right fit and on a great sale too! I was right in between sizes and they carefully adjusted both bikes until we got it just right. Then, they held it for me over the weekend, and I came in just before closing and got the bike and they were super nice and clearly very passionate about talking about all the components of the bike. I also have a mountain bike from them (this is a road bike) and I've found the brands they carry - Ghost, Novaro - to be just as good as Trek and Cannondale and often at a significant discount. I'm very happy with both my bikes and their free check up policy. I also like other bike shops in town, but the discounts I've gotten here have been an unbeatable value. read more

I am usually a big fan of REI. A few years ago, a kind REI employee at a California store fitted me with an Osprey backpack that was perfect for my trek across Spain. That's why I consulted with the folks at the Austin store when I was unsure about the proper fuel for a camping stove that a friend had loaned me. My friend told me to use butane, and the only butane I could find at REI was a small canister of zippo lighter fluid that didn't seem to fit in the slot on the stove. I walked up to the register, and I asked the check out woman if she thought that the fuel would work for the stove. She called over another guy who specialized in camping and they were concerned that the fuel didn't have any way to securely fasten to the stove because the canister was too small. I made a joke about using a bungee cord. Apparently, they both left their senses of humor at home that day because they were not amused by my idea. The woman shot me a sneer and replied, "No. That's not going to work. And I think I need to tell you that you shouldn't ever cook in your tent." Her condescending tone was legendary. Did I really look that stupid? While I certainly appreciate a good camping tip from a pro, I am not completely green, and the fine folks at REI treated me as if I had never been outside before. I was a Girl Scout until I was seventeen, and I have camped many times. This REI employee was not trying to be helpful; she was just being a jerk. REI, if you'd like to have repeat customers, your employees should employ their expertise for good instead of evil. Don't make your customers feel like they are unfit to go camping. Exploring the great outdoors should be available to everyone, not just skinny blonde ladies with pixie cuts. I will not be returning to this store, and this experience definitely turned me off to REI. read more

I lived in Austin for four years, and then abroad for eight. While I lived in Austin, I visited this store now and again, and while I was abroad, I would come back to Austin for a visit and always make a point to go to this store. Whether I was buying something or returning something, the staff at this REI store always gave me great service. They were so knowledgeable about their products, often saying something like, "I used this lamp when I was camping in Nevada and..." What they say to you isn't what they say, verbatim, to someone else, because each person has very different needs (if you doubt me, eavesdrop on their conversations with customers -- I have!). They are never, ever pushy in selling you anything, they ask questions of you so they can steer you to the right product for you. They also really listened to my husband and I over our complaints about the Teva sandals (our have broken because of a design flaw -- you can't pack these sandals with *anything* on top of them anymore, and that bites). If you hit the store when its busy, you can expect to wait a LONG time to talk to someone, and staff members can seem rushed because there's a line behind you of others waiting to talk. I try to go in an off hour, or I try to do some research online before I go in, if I have the time. Absolutely become a co-op member -- it's beyond worth it. I just wish every store had a bargain bin -- sometimes the closeouts are hard to find. read more

The staff was good and knew what they were doing. It's not like they push you to spend extra money. When I bought climbing gear they asked about what I was planning to do with it, how much experience I had, and what I was looking for. Has a good selection of products for outdoor things. Pretty store, good location, good products. The only catch is....price. Don't expect to walk in and buy all your camping supplies for under $200. Buy the stuff that you know you will use, know how to use, and can afford. Not the place for beginning sports enthusiasts, but for experienced users. read more

This is most definitely the best REI in the Austin area. They have the best selection of gear and clothing (may just be a bi product of having a large store) and I believe the best employees as well. While they sometimes seem to have inventory problems and not knowing exactly what they have in stock, the employees always try to make it right. I recommend everyone I can to this store and who can argue with their return policy?? read more

REI is a great store but go to the one on N. Lamar or in Round Rock. The store manager at the Gateway store is much more interested in his bottom line than in doing the right thing for his customers. My son bought a pair of $145 boots for his 2 year tour in the Peace Corps in Africa. They broke after 3 weeks and Jim, the store manager, would not replace them unless we could return the shoes which my son couldn't do from his remote village in Africa. Jim said he couldn't send us new shoes since he would not be able to return the defective ones to the shoe manufacture to get his credit. It took multiple emails to the corporate office but finally REI did the right thing and sent us a new pair of shoes. Kudos to REI but I won't be shopping at this location again. read more

I've bought a number of clothing and backpacking items at this REI location and I've always had a pleasant experience. The staff are not pushy, but are usually available and knowledgeable about the products in their section of the store. The prices are expensive, but the quality of the things that I have purchased there have been excellent and I have been pleased with every purchase. read more

Best customer service ever, thanks Jessica! I just purchased my very 1st item from REI, the sold out online Balance Gym Bag in a plum color. In bad judgement i passed it up twice only to find it sold out online when i made up my mind to get it. I havn't yet received it, once I do and i I love it I will up the rating to 5 stars. I live in San Antonio, called the Austin store spoke with Jessica who took down my info and then proceded to call other locations, managed to track down and order the bag for me from their Houston store. She called me in less than 45 min to let me know she had found it. Seriously what store does this? This is a 1st for me. Can't wait til the Sa, Tx location opens this Oct! read more

Best REI in the Austin, TX. Typical REI. Wish they carried more men's clothing though.

This review is more for REI Corporate / Online Orders fulfillment than the local branch, where my experiences are typically good... REI had a Memorial Day sale and I ordered a Thule cargo carrier from their website on 5/28. I selected in-store pick up since this location is a few miles from my house. The estimated in-store pickup date was 6/4. I had a trip planned for the following weekend of 6/10 so this was going to work out perfectly. On 6/4 I had not received a "ready for pick-up" email so I called online orders department. They had no ship status whatsoever and suggested that I visit the store for more information. That's what I did, but it turned out the store didn't know the status of the order either but they did tell me that due to the Memorial Day sale many orders were delayed. No big deal, I thought, I'd just check back in a few days... A few days came and went, no update. Finally, I got a ship notice on 6/8 -- two days before my trip -- so I called the 800# and was given a store delivery ETA of 6/15, which meant I would not have it for my upcoming trip. I checked back on 6/15, no update. By 6/17 the order had still not been received at the store. The store had no idea when it was going to be ready for pick-up because they were relying on the online fulfillment department who continued giving everybody inaccurate information. Fed up at this point, I called the store and asked them to cancel the order, which they could not do until the order was actually received, so to keep my happy they offered me an additional 10% discount on the item and told me that the order would definitely be available for pick-up on Tuesday 6/21 -- almost one month after my original order. I was irritated, to say the least, but I appreciated the gesture and agreed. Guess what? I got a call from the store on 6/20 saying "Looks like the order is lost but we can re-order it if you want..." and, needless to say, I did not want to re-order the item. I wanted the order cancelled and I wanted the hold removed from my credit card. What a complete and total circus these guys are running. I could have ordered this item from Amazon, which is what I plan to do now since I have another trip coming up in August, and gotten it within a few days. These retailers wonder why they continue losing so much business to online retail giants like Amazon and the answer is simple: Amazon has order and fulfillment down to a science whereas at no point during the past 4 weeks did REI's local store or online fulfillment center have any clue where my order was or when it would be delivered. My consolation prize was a $25 gift card, which I plan to use at the store, but I will never place another online order with this retailer again. read more

I am sad to say this as I have been a member of REI since 2006. My husband and I spend lots of money here. Actually, just spend $700 this week. It's expensive. Has always been expensive, but it's worth it, because they have an awesome return policy, until this week. I had purchased some hiking boots 2 years ago. Yep. Wore them once. Found out they cause pain and burning. Due to a medical situation, our hiking days were put on hold until this year. Enter the need for hiking boots. I took them back to the store, knowing they were in like new condition, to seek out a different shoe that would not cause me pain. I was informed that they would no longer take returns on shoes after 2 yrs. After attempting unsuccessfully to get in contact with the store manager, John, I called REI corporate in Washington, and they said, "absolutely we will take your boots back, and we will send you a prepaid shipping label and please tell us how you would like your refund". Shame on gateway! Just so you know, REI has not changed their return policy even when the shift supervisor at gateway tells you they have. It is still 100% guarenteed. Now, I don't support abuse by returning worn out items. But, if your return policy is stated as such, and changes are not noted in the store, on your receipt or on their web site, how can you enforce them? I did make a formal complaint about his store to Legal Department that this location is attempting to verbally enforce a return policy that is 100% OPPOSITE of REI's corporate policy and mission statement. If you have complaints, send it to Attn Legal Department 6750 S. 228th Street Kent, WA 98032 read more

first experience!!! it was great, I walked in and looked around, now I wasnt greeted nor did anyone ask if I needed any assistance, because everyone was working. but it didnt bother me because I wasnt looking for anything specific. when I decided I needed help, I asked the first person who I seen, which was this cute short girl, I asked her where were their tents at.with a smioe she showed me, and said they only have small models...at this point I was disppointed. but she said she dont know much about this area, and got someone for me... this is when I met john. a cool guy walking around in shorts and flip flops lol... first thought in my head was " man ill love to have his job".. so I start asking john about tents and things I seen or read and researched about. He was very helpful. but I was still upset they had no life size display models..without me asking or hinting, he said " we can take one in the back of the store and set it up if u want?" now I do alot of shoppinyg but never have I been to any store were they offer to setup a 8 person tent in the back of the store for you. and we set it up in their conference room!!! I asied if we could take the two I was curious about, and he said sure!. me and John spent. the next two hours setting up eureka 8ppl and 6ppl tent whioe talking and laughing.. I walked out the store happy and satisfied, buying the best tent and becoming a member. with customer service that john gave me, I feot obligated to buy something, onoy to find out they dont work off commission!! so it was that much more great, to know he was that helpful because he wanted to be,not because he was trying to get paid. read more

REI - Off of capital tx hwy right pass 183 - Outdoor Gear Near Me - Austin, Texas