Deep deals hide in the first weekend. May 15 to 17 is when the real money lives. You want that REI Co-op Half Dome 1 Tent and a Magma 30 bag? They drop 40% right then. Miss it? After May 18, everything settles into a steady 25% discount for the rest of the event. There’s a weird middle bit too. From May 19-21, the REI Outlet goes 50% off. Members hunt clearance then.
Not a member yet? It costs $30. A lifetime fee. It buys you entry to these deeper discounts, sure, but it’s also a year-round thing. You get 10% back on buys as an annual reward, free standard shipping, and that Re/Supply program for used gear. Plus, there are coupons just for you.
Is the sale meaningful without the card? Hardly.
These are the things I’d actually put in my cart. The rest is just catalog noise.
(Pricing is accurate at time of writing. I might earn a tiny commission if you click, but I don’t care enough to lie to you.)
Camping: The Core of the Deal
REI’s own brand tents and bags earn this sale its reputation. The opening weekend doorbusters are worth setting a specific alarm for. Then the broader 25% cut hits all other REI Co-op camp gear. If you’re still sleeping on that mat from college? This is your exit strategy.
REI Co-op Half Dome 9 Tent with Footprint
This is the tent REI got famous on. Normally $329 for the 2-person model with a footprint included. Opening weekend? 40% off. You’re looking at roughly $197. Freestanding, three-season, color-coded poles, a rainfly that actually covers everything. A footprint alone usually costs $40. For under two hundred bucks? Hard to beat that entry price into backcountry sleeping.
REI Co-op Magma S80 20 Sleeping Bag
The other big hitter. 40% off during opening weekend too. This bag has 850-fill goose down. It weighs under two pounds when packed. Usually $349? It drops to about $209. You are competing with bags that cost $200 more. Nine sizes available so you aren’t hauling excess fabric. Weight matters.
NEMO and Big Agtes
Rest of the sale shifts the focus. NEMO camping gear sits at 20% off. Big Agnes tents, bags, and pads drop 25%. Want a Copper Spur or a Disco quilt? Look now. These brands rarely go this deep. It’s the whole lineup, not just the broken leftovers.
Clothing: Replace The Rotting Bits
Clothing offers the long-tail value here. Twenty-five percent off Smartwool, Outdoor Research. Mountain Hardware, some KUHL. It adds up when you realize your base layer finally gave up the ghost last week.
Smartwool Merino
Everything. No exclusions. The Classic Thermal Merino crew is $115 usually. Now ~$86. The hiking socks? The ones that actually last? ~$18-$22 a pair. This is the week you fix your sock drawer. Do it once a year.
Outdoor Research
Rain shells and insulated layers are all 25% off. The Foray or Aspire jackets—favorites for bikers and hikers alike—drop from $229 to roughly $172. Helium wind shells and softshells get the same chop. Good time to plug a hole in your layering system.
prAna Stretch Zion
All bottoms are 25% off. These pants are the uniform for climbers and people who have to fly then hike then eat dinner without looking ridiculous. Men’s pant goes from $89 to ~$67. Women’s version gets the same deal.
Travel: The Silent Savers
Travel gear usually keeps its prices high. Until now. You save the most on stuff you don’t buy every week.
Garmin Fenix 8
$250 off the Fenix 8. Starts at $1,000? This is a real discount on hardware. Multiband GPS. Offline maps. Battery life that lasts weeks. Durability that justifies the price if you wear it every day. Not just on summits. The InReach Mini 3s get $50 off too.
KEEN Footwear
All KEEN is 25% off. Targhee IV boots drop from $165 to ~$124. The Newport H2 sandal—the only travel sandal that handles wet docks and dry trails without killing your feet—falls from $130 to ~$97. They don’t sell hard often.
Thule and Yakima
Racks. Roof boxes. Accessories. All 20% off. A Thule Motion XT box is usually $900. That’s $180 back in your pocket. If you’re doing a road trip heavy summer or planning for ski season, this is the one moment those brands blink.
