Whether it’s a childhood camping trip, learning rock climbing as an adult or finally planning that intimidating multiday backpacking trip that’s been on the bucket list for years, a life of outdoor adventure is full of firsts. And those memories can last: Many co-op members still remember the brand of their first pair of hiking boots or where their friend took them on their first mountain bike ride.
How do we know? Because they write in and tell us.
Over the years, REI Co-op Members and customers have sent in heartfelt handwritten notes (and emails, too) sharing how the co-op and wider REI community have touched their lives. You might be surprised to hear that quite a few letters arrive every month—they’re postmarked from all over the country, sent by all types of outdoor adventurers, from champion campers to budding backpackers and everything in between. REI admin Jessica Schmidt carefully reads, records and then arranges to store handwritten cards and letters in the Co-op Living Archive, a collection of historically and culturally significant pieces of co-op history. (The archive includes more than 35,000 digitized photos, 410 reels of film and thousands of documents, including European travel logs written by REI co-founders Lloyd and Mary Anderson in the 1960s, when they were sourcing gear for the store.)
For the second installment of the Dear REI series, we selected some favorite recent letters Schmidt and REI Living Archive program manager Will Dunn have processed from the REI community. This month, we hear from letter-writers looking forward to exciting new adventures, while reminiscing about getting interested in the outdoors—sometimes with a new partner, or with the help of a special piece of gear.
A recent grad builds a life outdoors
I shoes you
I (Ariel) grew up in a very outdoors household. I’ve been a member at REI for probably a decade. REI is a brand that has been a constant in my life. One of the things I’ve had the pleasure of doing since meeting Ashwin is introducing him to the outdoors lifestyle. For his birthday two years ago, I took him to REI to get his first pair of hiking boots. Since then, he’s logged over 100 miles on the boots while walking with me.
In fact, he proposed in those boots on a hike in the Blue Mountains in Australia last December. Now that I think of it, I was also in my boots from REI.
This is all to say that REI has been such a loving and bright spot in our relationship as we embark on marriage. We wanted to acknowledge just how much you mean to us! Thank you.” – Ariel and Ashwin
New adventures on the horizon
“I adore hiking and mountain biking in your stuff with my dad and my friends and I hope to pick up rock climbing when I go to MA for school—always empowered by your awesome gear” – ♡ Sox
Opting outside with pride
Birthday surprises and happy trails
“REI, thank you for being such a big part of my relationship. I grew up camping with my Dad, and I knew it was something I wanted to continue as an adult. When my fiancé, who had never camped before, turned 30 I got him all new camping gear from REI. I coordinated with our families to have all of his gifts be camping related and surprised him with a trip to Shenandoah. He loved it of course, and we’ve gone camping at least once a year ever since. REI is always our go-to spot to prepare for a trip, and when we decided to do a camping themed engagement shoot we knew it would basically be REI themed as well. So I wanted to share some of the photos and just say thank you for making it so easy for those that are new to camping to jump right in and join the fun. We are sure to drop by again soon!” – Rebecca
Couples who hike together…
“Dear REI, one of my many cherished memories is me and my partner’s first hike ever. We hiked Ship Harbor Trail at Acadia National Park. Since then we have hiked hundreds if not thousands of miles together, even getting engaged at Hawkbill Summit in Shenandoah National Park. Through it all, we have spent countless hours in REI replacing gear, getting advice or just shopping for gifts for each other. We would love to include you in our special day. Please see the included save-the-date for details.” – Charlotte and Rose
Learning new things together
“Hello REI! We would like to extend to you an invitation to our wedding. Jonathan has had a love for your products and stores dating back to childhood. Since we began dating he has helped me find a love for outdoor activities and nature. Our relationship grew strong due to dates of hiking and snowshoeing. I have also learned to snowboard through your products, staff, and Jonathan’s patience.”
Want to write to REI Co-op?
We love hearing from you. Whether you have a funny story from a camping trip, a thank you for a store employee or a love letter about a favorite piece of gear, drop us a line.
Address mail to REI Co-op at 1700 45th Street E, Suite 101, Sumner, WA 98390. Or email your story to stories@rei.com.