Colorado-Denver

has anybody registered at REI?

or know anyone who has?

truthfully i feel weird about the whole registry thing but i know we need at least a small one.  one of my bridesmaids suggested REI - but the things we want/need from REI are upgraded tents, sleeping bags, etc, and i feel funny putting a $399 tent on a registry.

i also feel like we would have to register at another place for traditional gifts, since nobody wants to ooh and aaah at my bridal shower over me opening a headlamp.  :)  although this is denver so maybe people would??

what would you guys do?  i really, really, really do not want or need one more friggin thing from bed bath and beyond.




Re: has anybody registered at REI?

  • edited December 2011
    I say go for it - we're contemplating the same thing since our weekends revolve around the outdoors. I also know of someone that registered at REI for outdoor equipment for her 2010 wedding. She had some great camping accessories, including some fantastic stainless steel wine glasses!
  • edited December 2011
    Ah, must be a sign of true Coloradoans.  We just registered at REI.  I had to reign it in because my guy would have loved to register for $100k worth of stuff. Just kidding.  Kind of. 

    I know this is more than you asked for but I made rules (I'm not normally that kind of girl, but this time it was necessary).  Only stuff we would use together and only a couple big ticket items.  I personally think a tent is fine.  If you guys are anything like us, you'll use the heck out of it.  We also registered for a two-person sleeping bag (the granola girl's equivalent of romantic  silky sheets?).  If you're worried about price, people often go in together for gifts and/or get you a gift card to go towards a big ticket item.  A couple of expensive things aren't crazy.

    You'd be surprised how many small things you can come up with there.  Water bottles, camping cooking items, margarita maker, camping pillows, lots of climbing gear (if you're into that).  We also registered for guides for areas we'd like to explore, in state and internationall\y.  A lot of that stuff was under $30. 

    If I were you, though, I'd still register somewhere more traditional.  You could do something relatively useful, like Target.  I'm sure you can come up with a couple of things you'd like from a place like that.  Adding on one more traditional store will  keep people in comfort zones if needed. 

    Ack, sorry for the novel.  I get excited about REI talk on wedding websites. Laughing
  • edited December 2011
    PS I would much rather watch someone open a head lamp than a pair of salad tongs but that's just me.
  • edited December 2011
    omg i LOVE the denver board!!!!!  

    megan the rules are super helpful, thanks.  and i've been DYING for the 2 person sleeping bag!!!!!   nothing kills the romance like separate mummy bags. :)

    which double bag do you recommend?  looks like there's a couple brands on REI.com and some of the ratings were hit and miss.
  • edited December 2011

    I know right?!?  Where else can I geek out about romantic camping?

    I've never owned a 2 person but we registered for the Big Agnes Cabin Creek extra long.  While I'm pretty short, he's 6'4", so long it is. It's expensive, but, seriously, I think my boyfriend proposed just so we could register for a sleeping bag.

    I really would have liked one you can zip apart just in case you want to use them seperately.  They had one last season that was great (that's right, we *gave* it as a wedding present) but is now out of stock. Oh well.  Maybe they'll come out with another this spring.  I think the 2-person will never be as technically good as a single but I'm a sucker for the idea.

  • edited December 2011

    I've actually been registering for this n that using Amazon.com's Universal Registry.  You download it and then any website where you can buy something, you can click the universal registry button and it will add it.  I'm still probably going to do Bed Bath & Beyond as well for those who actually like to go to a physical store to do their registry shopping, but I am hoping more people will just go off of the universal registry.

    I'm a professional wedding photographer who FINALLY got engaged and get to have my own dream wedding:) http://www.apriloharephotography.com
  • edited December 2011
    My best friend registered at REI for her wedding...
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  • edited December 2011
    not weird! colorado!!!
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  • edited December 2011
    My FI and I have registered at REI, my moh and her FI are registered at REI, I know other couples who have also registered at REI.
    Its a CO, thing, kind of like DIA is the only airport that knows what a nalgene looks like in the x ray. 

    Do it.

    Just make sure you have a variety of price points.  Why is registering for a $400 tent different than registering fora $400 set of pots and pans?  its not.

    We are skipping the double sleeping bag, but I am upgrading my sleeping bag and getting one that I can zip together with his.  Zipping on opposite side, fully detaching zipper at the bottome and same brand will zip together so we can separate if need be.  You know on the third day of camping we are way too gross to be in the mood. :)
  • edited December 2011
    DNAtime- mind sharing links on those bags? ;)
  • edited December 2011
    yeah - DNAtime - ditto megan on the sleeping bag info!  would love to see which one(s) you got.

    i have another snow day tomorrow so i'll be lurking around posting lots of questions for all you lovely ladies!!!  if this weather keeps up i may have my whole wedding planned before i ever get back into the office, which would be awesome since i might actually start getting work done again. :)

    xo!
    kris.
  • Maichan3Maichan3 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We registered at REI as well as Macys since we would like upgrades from our hand-me-down dishes and silverware. FI was totally on board with REI and we registered for items that ranged from $9 - $300. This ranged from a fire starter to an ax w/ a knife (FI wanted this one) to a tent and the double sleeping bag :) I like doing traditional things a wee bit untraditional and I hate asking my parents for their camping gear so, why not register at REI right?  A lot of our friends and family thought it was a great idea!
  • edited December 2011
    I recently got married, and we chose to register at REI, among other places.  I would not recommend this establishment for a gift registry, online shopping, or in store shopping.  I would like to share my experiences with you to help you avoid the frustrations I experienced.
    First, the registry.  While signing up is relatively easy, managing your registry is not.  REI does not keep track of who purchases what (all other registries that I am aware of do).  Purchased items simply are listed as "fulfilled".  This wouldn't be a big deal, except that several of our fulfilled items (fulfilled months before the wedding) have yet to be delivered.  Our wedding was over a month ago.  This means that we have no ability to figure out who purchased us a present, or to write them a thank you note.  We also have no recourse to have that party refunded.  Twice we tried speaking with REI customer service via phone, and twice we were told "good luck."  At this point I am left only with the difficult task of calling the few people that didn't get a present and making myself sound like a real jerk, or just not writing thank you notes.
    Products.  We received both incomplete as well as damaged products from REI.  These products were shipped directly to us from REI.  Deficient products were made our problem by customer service reps who told us "you can pay to have it mailed back or bring it into one of our stores."
    The store.  To make exchanges we drove the 30 miles to the San Carlos store.  Twice.  I can tell you that my experience in this establishment was nothing less than awful.  The first time we went in it was because they item we were exchanging was listed as "available" at that specific store.  When we got there, they didn't have it.  The woman we made the exchange with honestly took 30 minutes to make the exchange, blaming it on a "slow" computer system.  She attempted to sell me a membership (my wife is a member, I am not), and I politely declined.  When she continued her sales pitch, my smile disappeared but I remained polite.  My wife met me at the counter after doing some shopping, and noticed a promotional flyer and said "oh, I want to go to this", the customer service agent snapped back "thats for members only" with a smirk on her face like she was enjoying the ability to be exclusionary.  My wife replied sheepishly "i'm a member" obvious embarrassed.
    Our second visit was to retrieve a product shipped to the store.  The gentleman that helped us, Scott, was even worse than the first woman.  From our first interaction he was aggressive.  Since my wife didnt have her ID and the order was under her name, I wasn't expecting the world, but I thought a copy of the confirmation email and my own ID would suffice.  For him, it did not.  He told me he wasn't going to get me my order, because those were the rules, whether I liked them or not.  I asked him to not be rude, and he responded that he had not been.  His fists were balled and his stance was one of extreme aggression.  My wife offered her old ID to help calm the situation, which he initially accepted but then immediately demanded why her name didn't match the one I had told him initially.  We were treated as if we were thieves.  I explained that her name had, of course, changed a few weeks earlier after we were married.  I calmly asked him to get his supervisor, who was, thankfully, able to quickly and courteously get the product.
    I honestly and truly would like to be an REI customer, but at this point I just don't believe that I can be.  They seem to have great stores, and carry great products at reasonable prices.  Unfortunately, i've been disrespected as a customer too many times to want to return here.  As far as the San Carlos Store goes, I felt physically threatened during my second time, and even considered the threat of Scott having access to my registry information. 
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