Is there a mountain shop near Denver?

We cannot bring everything with us from France, so we will probably need to buy some camping gears there...And moreover, I'm pretty sure that exotic climbing gears (Camalot, TCU...) are cheaper than at home!

Any clue?

Is water wet?

Just kidding.

The REI there is the best one I've ever been to. It's HUGE! Three floors of recreational goodness and within walking distance of downtown. I'm sure some of the locals can tell you about some of the more specialized gear shops. If you are up in Boulder you should check out the Boulder Sports Recycler. You can get a ton of used gear there for pretty good deals.

Thanks for kidding a poor little franchy lost in the US

;)

On my guidebook was mentionned "grand west outfitters", but seems to be off now, hence my question

And "REI" stands for...

oops, sorry for the last one, there is a complete web site for this shop:/

Wilderness Exchange is a block away from the Denver REI flagship
Bent Gate in Golden
Neptune's in Boulder

REI tends to have rather pedestrian equipment, and is over priced. For general camping gear (if you are not backpacking) try an Army Surplus Store (one in Arvada the other is in Englewood). With REI, you should "join" them (one time fee), then they give you 10% of your purchases back the next year. But the 10% (and more) is included in the costs, so its like you are lending them money interest free. If you don't join, you basically give them an extra 10%. It is better to support the local shops instead.

Mike Lane wrote:Wilderness Exchange is a block away from the Denver REI flagship Bent Gate in Golden Neptune's in Boulder REI tends to have rather pedestrian equipment, and is over priced. For general camping gear (if you are not backpacking) try an Army Surplus Store (one in Arvada the other is in Englewood). With REI, you should "join" them (one time fee), then they give you 10% of your purchases back the next year. But the 10% (and more) is included in the costs, so its like you are lending them money interest free. If you don't join, you basically give them an extra 10%. It is better to support the local shops instead.

Well said, well... said

cafuccio wrote: And "REI" stands for...

...Baby Walmart

clear...

the same distinction whe have here between "vieux campeur" auvieuxcampeur.fr/

and "chez françois"
maps.google.fr/maps?hl=fr&u…,

the local one without even a website (prefers spending time in fixing our skis for next winter!)

As someone told me on this site, don't let the facts ruin a good story, but I don't think the local shops are cheaper than REI any way you cut it. Better selection of climbing equipment, more knowledgeable staff (which just means more than zero), and all around cooler, sure. But I haven't noticed them to be cheaper--quite the opposite. Throw in far more frequent sales including the 20% coupons and crazy (favorable) return policy, and REI gives the local stores some real challenges. It's not just the "Life is Good" T-shirts.
One thing I would commend some of the staff on at Boulder REI--they have not tried to act knowledgeable when they are not and they have referred people to Neptune's more than once when I've been there.
In addition to what's been mentioned, I like Bent Gate in Golden (edit--it was mentioned). Bought an AT ski setup there when Neptune's couldn't compete on price (and I don't mean to the last dollar--it was significantly more).

cafuccio wrote:"REI" stands for...

Return Every Item ;P

some things are cheaper in the states (camalots/tcus) but im' still able to find better deals here (paris) on uk products (dmm/wild country)

+1 for Wilderness Exchange in Denver
+1 for Bent Gate in Golden (especially for rock shoes)

Tony B wrote: ...Baby Walmart

Hey now, we are a large co-op, not even close to Walmart! We don't build stores unless there is a large enough membership base to support them. You know you like REI T. Bub. I'm all for supporting local shops though, but when that 20% off one item comes around, it is hard to beat!

+1 more for Bent Gate in Golden. It's the only place I shop and its not just because I work 1 block away either! They have a great staff of very knowledgeable and experienced climbers who are always friendly. BG is easy to get to from the airport. Just take I-70 west to CO-58 into Golden, turn left on Washington street and go a few blocks into town...they're on the left. The REI in Boulder is cool too, and an MP.com member works the climbing section of that store.

Neptunes is o.k. I don't shop there but its cool to stop in and see the climbing artifacts/history if you're in the area. I think there are several other climbing shops in Boulder but I'm not aware of them. I try not to visit Boulder if I can help it! ;-)

Skeeter Westgate wrote: I try not to visit Boulder if I can help it! ;-)

snap!

pfwein wrote:As someone told me on this site, don't let the facts ruin a good story, but I don't think the local shops are cheaper than REI any way you cut it.

FWIW- my comparison of REI's prices was aimed at general merchandise that can be found elsewhere, but climbing stuff tends be about the same price anywhere. But an good example is the Asolo hiking boots I use for work. Typically $30.00 to $40.00's less at Dicks. As with all retail, sort of depends on the moment.

Speaking of Dicks, what a cryin' shame the 55' wall at Park Meadows just sits there collecting cobwebs.

Dan Dalton wrote: Hey now, we are a large co-op, not even close to Walmart! We don't build stores unless there is a large enough membership base to support them. You know you like REI T. Bub. I'm all for supporting local shops though, but when that 20% off one item comes around, it is hard to beat!

I've bought a few things at REI in the past, but generally not. The problem there is a lack of selection- how can such a big shop have such a small selection of shoes? And in a few examples (not Boulder, however), the staff talks too much crap when they don't know what they are talking about. That, and it's kind of presumptuous to spray 5.8 beta at me... again, not in Boudler.
According to the folks at Wilderness Exchange, the Denver REI people also on occasion send people there to look for something REI doesn't have. So yes, they can be good neighbors.
But they are still a large chain that seems to push out small shops when they can. They killed the small store in my old hometown. Perhaps not with intent, but you know, they did result in the end of the small shops. I never said Walmart was evil, I just meant to express that REI can be the same sort sort of thing to smaller competitors.
I guess I prefer to do my shopping at smaller shops in general, where climbers are working...

Bent Gate is by far my favorite climbing shop. The staff is really cool and they have unbelievable sales.

Check out the REI flagship store, don't worry about what REI stands for, if you used the whole name a lot of people probably would not know what you are talking about anyway. ( Recreational Equipment...... something or other )

Neptunes in Boulder is well worth the drive. I can spend hours just checking out the climbing history old climbing gear. Those pioneers did some amazing things.

Mike Lane wrote: Speaking of Dicks, what a cryin' shame the 55' wall at Park Meadows just sits there collecting cobwebs.

Yeah, I've noticed the same at the Flatirons location....

The REI coop was initially started for the sole purpose of purchasing high quality ice and rock climbing gear from Europe and make it available to us in the United States.

Before I continue I should say that I am a member of the coop and do buy gear from REI along with other local shops such as Bent Gate, Neptunes, Wilderness Exchange and so on.

I do however wonder how a coop that started for the sole purpose of providing high quality ice and rock climbing goods to its coop members and general public, now has the most limited selection in gear and (for the REI near my house, Littleton) the customer service reps have the least amount of knowledge on said gear.

If you plan on purchasing at REI, do your research before hand. That said I do love the 20% off and the 10% I get back every year.

REI has its place, and the 10% dividend is decent. However, if you're an AAC member or college student, Bent Gate gives you a 10% discount on anything (except sale items) all year, all the time. That 10% you save is money in your pocket now, to be spent anywhere you want, not just on more REI gear next year. It pays for the AAC membership in no time I've found.