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Many of the best REI deals are on gear from the company's house brand. But there are also good discounts on other brands, like Mountain Hardwear, Nemo Equipment, Big Agnes, and Coleman, among others. I’ve also pulled some deals from competing sales at Backcountry and other cottage industry retailers. Below, find the best deals on all our favorite tents, backpacks, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, cookware, outdoor apparel, and more. Be sure to check out our outdoor gear guides, like the Best Tents, Best Sleeping Bags, Best Sleeping Pads, Best Backpacking Tents, Best Merino Wool, and Best Base Layers.
The best-value backpacking tent: REI Co-op Half Dome 2 Tent With Footprint for $198 ($131 off)
A great ultralight sleeping quilt: REI Co-op Magma 30 Down Trail Quilt for $247 ($82 off)
The best deal we've seen on a great puffer jacket: Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer Down Hoody for $199 ($200 off)
Our favorite canister stove for backpacking: MSR PocketRocket Deluxe Backpacking Stove for $64 ($21 off)
A great way to record all your adventures: Insta360 X5 360 Camera for $465 ($85 off)
REI Co-op Half Dome 2 Tent With Footprint for $198 ($131 off)
The REI Half Dome 2 is the best budget two-person backpacking tent. I’ve toted it on many backpacking trips and found it plenty sturdy, quick to set up, and capable of fitting two people along with their gear. It even comes with a footprint (which I never bother with, but it's nice to have it if you have to deal with pointy rocks).
Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 2 Bikepacking Tent for $488 ($162 off)
The Big Agnes Copper Spur series is our top pick among freestanding ultralight tents. This is the bike-packing model, which features shorter pole segments that are easier to haul on a bike, but I really prefer it for the more subdued colors. The Copper Spur is a high-quality, well-designed tent that's lightweight, easy to set up, and roomy enough to be livable in the backcountry. The “awning” design (with trekking poles or sticks) is a nice extra.
Nemo Dragonfly Osmo 2P Backpacking Tent for $412 ($138 off)
Nemo's Dragonfly tents are roomy for the weight. There's a generous amount of mesh at the top, which provides some nice ventilation on warm summer nights and is perfect for falling asleep under the stars when the weather permits. The Osmo fabric is a blend of nylon and polyester that absorbs less water than pure nylon rainflies.
MSR Groundhog Stakes (6-Pack) for $26 ($9 off)
MSR's Groundhog stakes aren't cheap, but they're the best tent upgrade you can make. They're superstrong—I've never had one bend or pull out on me—and considering their strength, they're pretty lightweight. I suggest carrying a mix of stakes when backpacking—some of these, some carbon fiber pegs, and some shepherd hooks. That way, no matter the terrain, you've got something that'll work.
Now is a great time to score some new base layers and mid layers ahead of the cooler months.
Smartwool Classic Merino Base Layer Top for $60 ($65 off)
Smartwool's 100 percent merino base layer is my top pick for cooler weather in our guide to the Best Base Layers. Its loose fit allows it to work as a long-sleeve T-shirt in the shoulder seasons. That extra bit of roominess also makes it possible to use it as a second light layer over something thinner. Note that colors and sizes are limited on this deal.
REI Co-op Merino 185 Half-Zip Base Layer Top for $30 ($60 off)
This is an REI Outlet deal because it's been discontinued, which is a shame (hopefully that just means new colors are coming next year). REI's 100 percent merino base layers are some of the best values around, even at full price. On sale, they're a true steal. I like this half-zip for the extra ventilation the zipper provides, but if you prefer, the regular top (on sale for $30) is also on sale, as is the base layer bottom (on sale for $30).
Fjällräven Vidda Pro Ventilated Trousers for $133 ($57 off)
Nothing says outdoors like a hatchet loop on your pants. Fjällräven Vidda Pro trousers give you that and great ventilation. The Vidda Pro uses Fjällräven's G-1000 fabric, a 65 percent recycled polyester and 35 percent cotton blend, with pockets everywhere and extras like ventilation zippers, reinforced knees (with openings for pads), and that sweet, sweet hatchet loop on the leg.
Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer Down Hoody for $199 ($200 off)
This deal is limited to one color, with sizes disappearing fast, but it's a pretty outstanding deal. The Ghost Whisperer Down Jacket is my top pick for a backpacking puffer jacket. The men's large I tested weighs just 7.3 ounces, packs down to a tiny little thing (stuffing into its own pocket), and the 800-fill-power goose down offers one of the best warmth-to-weight ratios on the market.
Nothing says camping like roasting marshmallows over open flames and burning beans on the camp stove. Check out our guides to the best backpacking stoves and best camping stoves for more picks.
MSR PocketRocket Deluxe Backpacking Stove for $64 ($21 off)
MSR's PocketRocket Deluxe is our top pick for a backpacking stove. It wins the title thanks to its larger burner area, which allows the flame to spread out for faster boil times and better fuel efficiency, especially with larger pots. It also fared better in the wind than smaller burners. The genius of the deluxe model is the small curved lip around the burner, which helps keep wind from getting to the base of the flame. It's a small design element, and one that you certainly want. During long-term testing, I found it more effective at maintaining a simmer in the wind, should you want to do any actual cooking.
Jetboil Stash Cooking System for $124 ($41 off)
You can put together a lighter cooking setup, but Jetboil's Stash is the lightest all-in-one system out there, and it does boil water a bit faster than the rest. The heat diffuser design speeds up boil times (Jetboil claims 2.5 minutes, which I could only match indoors in still air), but the re...
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