For many of us, the past year has changed the way we take vacations and spend time as a family. We haven’t traveled to our typical (and often crowded) locations; instead we’ve opted for a more isolated and closer-to-nature types of experience. We’ve laced up our hiking boots and ventured into the great outdoors – usually because we had nowhere else to go (and we just needed to go somewhere)!
Our kids absolutely love to be outside, so a slower-paced, more nature-focused vacation is something we already try to do at least once a year. And even if we’re not taking a full-on “frontier life” type of trip, we often try to incorporate a little bit of outdoor adventure into our normal vacations, even if it’s just a little half-day hike.
If you’re already a lover of the outdoors, you’ve most likely stepped foot inside an REI at some point. Many people see REI as expensive, but it only seems that way because just about all of their products are from high-quality, reputable brands (think North Face, Mountain Hardware, Arc’teryx, etc.). But if you’re a serious outdoor adventurer, you know that you usually get what you pay for when it comes to gear, apparel, and footwear.
And while it’s understandable that good equipment usually costs a good bit of money, spending that much can still be hard to stomach. Luckily, it’s the time of year when REI has their annual Anniversary Sale! From May 21 through May 31, a large amount of their inventory is on sale to everyone – as much as 30% off. While not everything is marked down for the sale, if you are an REI Co-op member, you can apply discount code ANNIV21 to get 20% off any one full-priced item AND 20% off any one REI Outlet item (any product with a price ending in $.73). You can get a lifetime Co-op Membership for just $20 – you can even tack it onto your purchase to take immediate advantage of the discount code. More information regarding membership benefits can be found here. Personally we think the one-time $20 fee is totally worth it, and if you’re looking to make a big purchase it practically pays for itself with the first use. Let’s be honest – it’s not hard to find good products that are $100 or more at REI – it is what it is!
We’ve listed a few family-specific items that we personally own and totally recommend (even when not on sale). These items have gotten us (and our kiddos) through some highly memorable adventures, and we’d absolutely buy them again if we had to.
Washable Kids Shoes
Kimberly found these shoes for Hunter awhile back. Unfortunately, the boys get their smelly feet from me (not to mention their shoes tend to get dirty pretty often), so she wanted something that could be washed. These shoes can get wet and they dry pretty quickly; they have solid foot beds, and provide very good toe protection (prefect for clumsy kids like ours). They have a velcro strap and a pull tab to help them stay on securely. Hunter likes wearing them and says they’re comfortable. In all seriousness, the biggest con to these shoes is the cost. And that’s why they are on our list for this sale! Catching them at 20% is one of the best deals you’re going to find out there & we’ve already grabbed some for us!
Kid Carrier
We’ve had our first kids carrier since Hunter was about 6 months and we went with the Phil & Teds Escape carrier at the time. Hunter has always been an excellent walker, so when Gage was born, we didn’t feel the need to purchase a second carrier. He was good about walking next to us and holding our hand – total first kid! Gage, on the other hand, is not trustworthy 🤣 He still needs to be in the carrier for long hikes or in situations that we can’t risk him running ahead of us or throwing a toddler tantrum. The Phil & Teds carrier is great (super collapsible and a fair price point) but didn’t really size down enough to fit Kimberly comfortably. We had been searching for a while to find one that would comfortably fit her 5’1 frame. We had the opportunity to try some carriers out at an REI store during our last visit to Atlanta. This one was definitely the best choice for Kimberly!
Unfortunately, you’re not going to see this exact model as part of the sale because Osprey is in the process of redesigning/updating it. And honestly, we mainly bought this model because it best fit Kimberly’s 5’1 body – we realize that she is shorter than most people, so you most likely won’t need to worry as much about that. Every particular carrier model will have various “bells and whistles” that are all very nice to have; but at the end of the day, fit and comfort are most important! And if you plan to share carrying duties with your partner, make sure the carrier you choose fits both of you (extra important if there’s a major height difference). The specification to look for is what torso length the carrier fits – the Osprey Poco series fits a torso length range if 15″-21″, which is a good range for most people (for more details on how to find your torso size, look here).
We both tried on a bunch of carriers and would recommend just about anything REI carries – Osprey and Deuter are names you’ll typically see at the top of most product rankings, so you can’t go wrong with either of those brands. The Osprey models are known for having more ventilated padding on the frame, but people also rave about the comfort of the Deuter Kid Comfort (guess it lives up to its name!); if you’re looking for a more female-specific fit, check out the Deuter Kid Comfort Active SL (the only one designed especially for women).
Kid’s Backpack
REI Co-op Tarn 12 Pack – Kids’
We just happened upon this backpack when we were in Seattle last year. It was on sale because they were discontinuing the color. It was a good deal at the time & Hunter was outgrowing his current tiny backpack, so we got it. Hunter was so excited that he wound up using it the rest of the trip. It’s been his go-to hiking and travel backpack ever since. It holds the perfect amount of stuff for Hunter & limits how heavy it’ll get for him to carry. It also includes space for a water bladder (sold separately).
There are larger sizes in the collection, and we know for sure that we will get them for the boys as they grow. We think this 12 liter pack will last Hunter until about 5 or 6 & then we’ll pass it down to Gage (the product description states that the 12L pack is sized for kids 5 to 8 years old, but our boys are on the bigger side). Hunter will get either the 15L pack (which also comes with a hydration pack) or the 18L pack next, which should last him until he’s ready for a more adult-sized backpack.
There are obviously many more products from this sale that are worth looking at, but these are some of our kid-friendly favorites. Are there any REI products that you’ve been patiently waiting to go on sale? If so, leave a comment below and let us know!
