BikeSkiClone, where do you live?
Colorado High Country.....prefer not to give a specific town/area, but it's not within 50 miles of I-70.
And why do you buy so much stuff at REI? Stuffs suppose to last forever.
I'm on skis about 6 months a year and on a bike about 6 months a year, so gear gets beat up with that much use -- still, I'm cheap and use gear until it absolutely has to go, usually for safety reasons. I don't buy a ton from REI every year. I can get most of my gear on pro-deal and industry discount or at gear swaps locally. But sometimes when you add shipping to those deals it's worth it to buy from REI, especially since pro-deal and industry discount programs almost always have a "no returns" policy. I buy Pearl Izumi bike chamois (another brand loyalty), bike components, ski gear and am getting more into climbing so I picked up quite a few things (PAS, assortment of carabiners, anchor materials, quickdraws, etc.) from REI in addition to bigger ticket items that last multiple seasons. I shop at local shops a fair amount as well but unfortunately their selection tends to be smaller and higher priced and I've had a couple poor customer-service experiences at a couple so I'm hesitant to shop/support them.
