REI, either you think it's super bougie and overpriced, or you think it's awesome you
love the REI membership. The main thing i like about REI is that i know when i buy something
from there it's going to be a quality product. Amazon is the wild wild west. Yes you could
probably get stuff super cheap like socks for three dollars, but i trust these socks to
work well. If anything doesn't work or i don't like anything i have a full year to return that to REI
no questions asked. I can return it by mail or i can go to one of their locations and return it
there. If you order something from Amazon sometimes you're not sure if you have to exchange it with
Amazon or with the third party seller, and i do understand that REI can be a little pricey. So i
went down the rabbit hole of trying to find the cheapest hiking outfit that i could buy
from REI without any sales. The REI co-op brand is going to be the cheapest item
in every single category and that makes sense. If REI can sell their own product there's
more margin for that instead of if they have to sell a Nemo product or a Columbia product. So i am
wearing the entire REI outfit. So the first thing i got on are the REI boxer briefs. They retail for
$19.99, they're 87% polyester 13% spandex. Do i think that you need to spend $20 bucks on underwear?
Probably not. The second thing i have are the REI co-op sahara convertible pants.
One of the cool features is that they color mark these so i know which side to put my bottom
pants, i don't even know what those are called. These are made totally from nylon with a relaxed
fit. They're $69.95. I usually wear Columbia silver ridge pants which work really well and they're ten
dollars cheaper. The one thing that the Columbia ridgelines come with that these didn't was this
little woven belt. I would typically like to see one of these belts or get one of these belts with
the pants. Other than that they're sturdy, they're nice. These are the REI co-op lightweight base
layers. They are $39.95. Now i usually rock smartwool intraknit 200's and those retail for $120 so a huge
price difference i do like the price of these. This base layer, i might like something a little
bit thicker to keep me warm when i'm at a place like this. On my feet i have the REI co-op cool max
ultra light socks that retail for $11.95. I might like a little bit thicker sock the mid-weight sock
retails for about $14 that might be the one i recommend. I'd like a little bit more cushioning
but REI socks are the way to go. They're moreno wool, they work really well. They
would probably work well with my speed goat trail runners that i usually have
but today i am rocking the new REI co-op flash hiking boot, it retails for $130 bucks.
It weighs 2 pounds 2 ounces it's 99% recycled polyester. A couple of things about this boot,
one, they're supposed to be waterproof and they are. But like i've said before i would prefer to
have non-waterproof shoes. It's just, it's super hot and hiking in these in the heat they don't breath
the best and i don't think that's REI's fault i think it's just the way waterproof boots are
made. I think they're kind of outdated if you'd like to see the kind of shoes that i recommend
check out this video right here. If i could say the one thing that i love about these
is the tread. I feel like i could climb a mountain in them. They also have a larger toe box in them
and so when i'm going downhill my toes don't bump against the front, they have room to wiggle
room to move. I don't really like how the laces are just right there on where your
joint moves. It kind of digs into your joint, but again i'm kind of biased i'm not a big boots
guy. Now my top is the REI co-op sahara t-shirt it's a really nice t-shirt, retails for $30 bucks.
It's nice and breathable it's a good shirt. Now $30 bucks for a shirt it's a little pricey. The next
layer i have is the REI midweight base layer. This is their fleece mid-weight this retails for $54.95.
I really like this midweight, it's super warm, it's super comfy, it's really warm, but it's really thin
so it packs up nicely. I really like this product, i really like it at this price. This is the REI 650
down jacket 2.0. It weighs in at 11 ounces. The shell is a recycled nylon that's been treated
with water repellent. It's kind of drizzling right now and so far it's doing great repelling that.
Now the price of this is $99. I do have a couple of faults with it. One is that it seems to leak
down in the seams. At night i usually keep my down close by. Mostly i put
it as another layer under my pillow. When i wake up this morning there's a few too many feathers
in my sleeping bag. The other thing is the fit is a little weird it's a little too tight in the arms
and i know you're like Jon, of course you're super ripped. But no it's a little too tight in the
arms i'd like a little bit more room in the arms. But for $99 bucks, i think this one's pretty good.
It's going to leak a little down on you and you might have to work on that fit a little bit but
for $99 dollars i mean it'll keep you warm. And finally the beanie. This is their REI polar
tech beanie it's fleece and it's a little bit bigger than the beanie i used to use
which was a smart wool beanie. But this is like three times as comfy, it's a one size fits all
and it doesn't feel like it's squishing my cranium it feels like it's hugging my ears.
Now for all this gear without a sale it's going to run you $476 dollars and 60 cents.
All of these things are what they usually run on sale and their gear is good, it's good gear
it's high quality gear. So there you have it the REI hiking outfit. If you want to see it in
action i tested it on a 20 mile loop to idaho's highest mountain lake which is right behind me
and you can find that video right here. For more gear reviews and tips check out
this playlist right here. Thanks for watching, we'll see you next time. As it starts to rain.