Posted: January 24th, 2009 | Author: storl | Filed under: Gear, Preparations | Tags: multitowel, REI, towel | No Comments »
I’ve long been a fan of the REI multitowel thanks to its light weight, comfort compared to other camping oriented towels, and great performance. REI claims that you can wring out something like 90% of the water, meaning that you can carry a smaller towel than you normally would have to thanks to its immediate reusability. REI likes to put the towels in its super clearance at around 30% of the original price, so I have accumulated quite a few over the years. I like adding to my vast piles of gear a la Scrooge McDuck and his gold, so I picked up a few more at this year’s at the recent super clearance, but was surprised to see that the towels have changed since my last purchases of them.
On the left is the old one, on the right is the new one. One of the big reasons that i liked the old version was that it didn’t feel like rubbing a wet suede jacket against your skin, unlike the REI Multitowel Lite or the MSR towel. The new Multitowel does not have the same textured surface that the old one did (you can see the checkered pattern that the old one had), so I was skeptical about its comfort and performance. I am happy to report that although it does not feel exactly the same, the new towel is still comfortable to use, even on the body of hairy beasts like myself. It also still wrings out an admirable amount of water, enabling you to wring it and then reuse it right after you have soaked it full of river water. It does take up a bit more room compared to the chamois type ones, but being lightweight cloth, you can stuff it in just about any crack in your pack.
The Multitowel appears to temporarily be unavailable on REI’s site, but i am sure that they will have the same or a new version up soon. Hopefully it will be as nice as their last two versions.
Posted: January 22nd, 2009 | Author: storl | Filed under: Deals | Tags: outdoor gear, REI, super clearance | No Comments »
I was browsing REI today and noticed that they still have a good bit of nice clothing and gear as a part of their super clearance. I guess the outdoor industry is really hurting this year, because stuff this good would normally be long gone this far after the start of the sale. Take advantage of the sales slump and pick up some sweet gear. Here are a couple of the better ones:
REI Slickrock Pants -14.83
– I have a couple pairs of these and love them. I’ll post a more detailed review soon.
REI Peak UL Carbon Trekking Poles – Pair – 54.83
– I picked up a pair of these at the beginning of the sale and have been really happy with them so far. They weigh something like 12 oz. for the pair. I was initially concerned about how strong the they would be, but I have been abusing them as much as possible, with no hint of slippage or failure.
REI Summit Lake Jacket – $29.83
– I just saw this one, so I don’t know much about the jacket. It looks like a 3 layer jacket, which is crazy at a $30 price point. With REI’s fantastic return policy, this one is surely worth a try.
Posted: January 8th, 2009 | Author: storl | Filed under: Deals | Tags: Deals, outdoor gear, REI, super clearance | No Comments »
Just a heads up that REI’s super clearance is active online. Go to REI and REI Outlet and look for sale items ending in .83 to see what they have. Some of the good stuff is gone, but there is still a lot left to grab!
More details
Posted: January 5th, 2009 | Author: storl | Filed under: Deals | Tags: Deals, outdoor gear, REI, super clearance | 1 Comment »
REI sent out some post cards to its customers letting us know that the January Super Clearance is starting early this year, on Friday Jan 9th. If you are not familiar with their super clearance, now is a good time to make that acquaintance with one of the best outdoor sales out there.
The deals will be in store and online, on REI’s main site and in the REI Outlet. Your best bet is to look through the clearance items ending in .83 NOW, add them to your cart in advance, and check out as soon as the clearance starts. You should see the updated prices in your cart when the sale starts, so you will be able to remove items that have not updated their price yet or are not part of the sale. If you want to see the clearance items, use the menu up top, hover over a category, then click on the “sale and clearance†link. Look for items ending in .83. Your cart is the same for REI and REI Outlet, so feel free to jump back and forth between the sites. Place small orders for in store pick up instead of spending a lot of time shopping, because everything good will be gone by the time you are done.
A little background:
Read the rest of this entry »
On the left is the old one, on the right is the new one. One of the big reasons that i liked the old version was that it didn’t feel like rubbing a wet suede jacket against your skin, unlike the REI Multitowel Lite or the MSR towel. The new Multitowel does not have the same textured surface that the old one did (you can see the checkered pattern that the old one had), so I was skeptical about its comfort and performance. I am happy to report that although it does not feel exactly the same, the new towel is still comfortable to use, even on the body of hairy beasts like myself. It also still wrings out an admirable amount of water, enabling you to wring it and then reuse it right after you have soaked it full of river water. It does take up a bit more room compared to the chamois type ones, but being lightweight cloth, you can stuff it in just about any crack in your pack.
