REI Outlet is where last season’s best gear goes at real prices. Here are 5 picks from this week’s inventory worth pulling the trigger on.
If you spend time outside, you know REI. America’s biggest outdoor co-op, member-owned, not investor-backed, has been outfitting athletes, hikers, climbers, and adventurers since 1938. The REI Outlet is where last season’s gear lands when the next model drops. Previous versions, overstock, closeouts. Real gear from real brands, Patagonia, Arc’teryx, Salomon, Black Diamond, REI Co-op, at prices that actually make sense. Not clearance junk. The good stuff, marked down. If you’ve walked into an REI store before, you already know the quality. The outlet is just a better entry point.
I went through the outlet this week. Spent more time on it than I probably should have. These are the 5 things I’d actually buy, no affiliate agenda, no brand deal, just what caught my eye and why.
01. Patagonia Fieldsmith Hip Pack
I don’t wear fanny packs as a style statement. But there are two situations where nothing else makes sense, travelling and enduro riding. Phone, wallet, GoPro, passport, snacks, small water bottle. Everything you need in one place, no backpack required. On shorter dirt bike rides where I’m not carrying extra fuel, a hip pack is the move. Patagonia at $33 is a no-brainer.
02. Smith Cheetah ChromaPop Polarized Sunglasses
I have bright eyes and I don’t go outside without sunglasses, full stop. The thing that keeps me away from sport frames is the look. I want something that works on the mountain and works at dinner. This rounded cat-eye frame from Smith has been around since 1988 for a reason. ChromaPop lenses, polarized, half the retail price. Take care of your sunglasses and they take care of you.
03. Marmot Fairfax Lightweight Flannel Shirt
I have a lot of shirts and I’m not sorry about it. The formula that never fails: jeans, plain t-shirt, shirt over. Plain colour, clean silhouette, works anywhere. The Fairfax is lightweight enough to layer under a jacket or wear on its own on a cool day. Marmot builds it with recycled polyester which matters. At $48, it’s the kind of thing you just add to the wardrobe without overthinking it.
04. O’Neill Lennox Stripe 21″ Board Shorts
You can always find cheaper board shorts. You only understand why you shouldn’t bother once you’re actually at the beach. I have an older O’Neill model and they’re dry in minutes, wear them in the water, come out, keep moving. Beach camping is the test: these shorts are the only thing I’m wearing all day, every day. No shoes, no shirt, just shorts and sunglasses. Wash the salt off at the end of the day and that’s the full maintenance routine.
05. Helly Hansen Panorama Pile Block Jacket
There is no such thing as too many fleeces. That Lynx colourway, the tan with charcoal panel, is exactly right. Helly Hansen has earned its reputation the hard way, building gear for people who actually work and move in rough conditions. This pile jacket works as a mid-layer in winter or a standalone in spring and fall. At $75 from $150, it’s the kind of outlet find that makes you check your size first and ask questions later.
REI Outlet inventory moves fast. What’s sitting there today might be gone by the weekend, and it won’t come back. No pressure to buy anything. But if something on that list clicked for you, don’t wait on it. That’s not a sales tactic. That’s just how outlets work.
Gear is a tool, not a trophy. Buy what you’ll actually use on your next session, skip everything else. We’ll keep checking the outlet and flagging the best finds when they’re worth your attention. That’s the job.
Filip Petreski is the founder of AFIELD and a multi-sport outdoor athlete. A two-time national cross-country MTB champion, snowboard instructor, and former dirt bike rider, he writes about the people, gear, and culture worth paying attention to in the outdoor world.