I bought one of my sleeping bags at the mountain shop-- my Nemo Forte 20…read more I remember buying it on clearance for less than $200, which, at the time, seemed like a good deal. It's been an okay bag. It was also my only option. In the year and a half since I purchased this bag, the Shop has not curated any other bags. The only option (for male or female) is the Forte 20. It's unclear why it was ever on clearance. Since temperatures in Yosemite Valley regularly drop down to 16 degrees Fahrenheit from November-March, I wonder why the only bag the shop carries is one that's only rated down to 20 degrees. I would also note that this rating is for survival, not for comfort. In order to survive the sub 20 degree temperature over the past few weeks, I used two sleeping bags, two blankets, and two insulators. The shop must be missing out on so many hundreds of thousands of dollars of sleeping bag sales. Would anyone else have bought a more expensive Mountain Hardware 0 degree bag, if that had been an option? I might have. This pattern applies across most backpacking categories. Want a tent? You have one option under $500 that might actually be in season. Want a stove? You've got one option. Want any niche women's gear, like maybe a kula cloth? Well piss off, because your one option for everything seems to have been curated by a 19 year old male climber. Whoever does the purchasing for this store does a great job of listening to what teenage male climbers want to buy-- and that's it! Why does the product selection suck so bad? It's not like there's not enough room for more inventory. Literally an entire side of the store that's meant to be a display wall is just blocked off. It looks terrible. Anyone who is a professional retail merchandiser would literally grimace looking at the outside merchandising of the mountain shop. I know I do. It looks awful. It could look a thousand times better. In a pinch, you might get what you need, maybe. Unless it's a decent selection of seasonally appropriate tents or sleeping bags-- you won't find that here, for some reason. Here is the selection of tents mid-December: Nemos over $500, an MSR. Elixir 2 for $300 (when it's in stock, which is less than half the time) and... make this make sense... a Kelty summer tent for $60. Why the summer tent? The two spaces it's taking up could be two Coleman options or like, any reasonable option that could be used in fall or winter. If you don't buy what you need before you get to Yosemite, you might find yourself driving back out to the nearest REI in Fresno, or ordering your supplies via Amazon Prime.

We came in to check out the store and the selection is rather large. Since we were there towards…read morethe end of the season, there were some good sales going on. Please come and create your own adventure.

Been here many times and I love it! Great selection of hiking items and accessories! Prices are…read morehigher of course but I love the quality including their own brand. Everyone that works here is so nice and helpful everytime. They're always super knowledgeable about everything including sleeping pads for backpacking and the gear they would recommend for any level of hiker. Will always come here for my hiking items and even just look around for fun. Overall, I would recommend coming here!

I've stopped by this REI location in Fresno multiple times now, and have had mostly great…read moreexperiences. This REI is spread across two floors, with a giant staircase in the middle of the sales floor. The top story is mostly clothes, while the lower floor has all the bikes and gear. Overall, Fresno REI seems a bit smaller than Folsom REI, but Fresno ends up having more inventory, because they are better at keeping their shelves stocked. It's hard to remember exactly which gear I've bought from exactly which REI, since I shop across at least four different locations. But, from this location specifically, if I remember correctly, I've bought some stickers, some bug spray, and a packable clothesline. This store really excels at cleanliness and merchandising. They keep it looking great, even though they are presumably a high volume store. On the other hand, this location isn't as great as some others at offering customer service on the sales floor. Last time I was here, I walked around the building a few times in hopes of getting the attention of a sales associate before finally just getting in line to ask my questions. One associate seemed to be ignoring me in favor of using his cell phone to text on the sales floor. He didn't seem to be on break-- he seemed to be on duty, but avoiding me. When the cashier asked if anyone had helped me, my "no" might have had some attitude. But, luckily, she was super helpful, and answered my questions. Overall, I love REI, and will probably continue to shop at this location when I'm in Fresno.

Pedal Forward is absolutely legit. Great service, tons of inventory, super friendly to…read moreout-of-towners. What really sets them apart though is they actually give back - they're heavily involved with trail stewardship days and support the Yosemite South Gate Trail Cooperative with both time and money. If you're in town looking to ride, stop by. You won't regret it.

I grew up at Bass Lake in the early '90s, right as mountain biking was taking off. I still come…read moreback every summer, and I'm grateful a shop like Pedal Forward is here. Serving locals and helping visitors find the good stuff. Now that I live in Seattle, I've love watching all their YouTube trail videos. They've filmed all the classic trails, even some new ones like 'Blind Squirrel,' and make planning rides easy. Over July 4th, I rented a Specialized Turbo Levo. They did a professional fit adjustment, free of charge, and the staff pointed me to new trail improvements I would've missed, even as a former local. Thirty years on, the sport keeps evolving. Shops like Pedal Forward are a big reason why. Keep it up, brothers.

Jen was so kind and helpful, I wish I could force her to be my next door neighbor. We rented two…read moree-bikes for a half day. Jen gave us great directions on where to go to see the best scenery. It was lovely. We went up the hill to Twin lakes, George and Mary lakes, and many more. So pretty. Prices were good, but service was outstanding! We had a wonderful time and even stopped at Mammoth Brewing for a beer, like Jen had suggested. Great time. Super fun day. Thanks Jen, you rock!

The most unprofessional and greedy ski shop I've came across in my 7 years of snowboarding. I…read morebrought a friend to rent here and she got the demo snowboard package. It came with very old looking bindings and they claimed that it was all they had. Day 2 on the slopes, front binding became loose and back binding ankle strap couldn't click in. My friend was stuck on the mountain without safe equipment to get down, so she had to call ski patrol to get her down with downhill lifts. A fun blue bird day was cut short for her. When returning the gear and asking for a refund for the second day, the shop had the audacity to deny responsibility and claim that the gear was working when it was rented out and that my friend should've brought the gear back while being stuck on the mountain. They ended up offering a 5 dollar discount, when the old equipment they rented out wasn't even worth the 2 days demo price was that was charged. This shop does not belong in the ski industry. It showed zero concerns about the safety of their patrons and zero responsibility for the garbage equipment that they rented out.

Has a chalk sign outside that said clean indoor bathrooms. We traveled three hours and stopped…read morehere. The Indian man at the front said the bathrooms are closed at 8:30 am and if we want to use it we have to wait for him to clean it first then he will open it. I think he was lying. Why bother putting the sign outside then? Had to go down the street to the other gas station and use the nastiest portopotty of my life. I'm really upset about this as a traveling female

Stopped by because the little one needed to use the bathroom…read more Extremely friendly, welcoming and personable! Everything is neat and clean. Great deals on drinks! Thank you :) it was a wonderful pit stop on our way to Yosemite

Amazing prices! Got a Daiwa for $35. They spooked it for free for me. The best service! Everything…read moreyou need for fishing. We always stop at Rick's while we're on the mountain. They always give you inside scoop of where the fish are biting and what they're biting on. 10/10 recommend.

Great guys. Super nice and helpful. Super friendly and knowledgeable staff. Really easy to rent and…read moreaffordable. Great selection. In and out really fast!

One of the best supply shops for any Mountain/Hiking needs. They really have everything. Only…read moredownside is it come at a price, but that's expected for a small town supplier. Come prepared or otherwise feel welcomed home here to buy anything you may have forgot or need. They have everything for climbing, hiking, backpacking/ any way into the Sierra. The employees are excited to share info, it's a gear place to stop and learn more about the area and get gear.

This shop is a paradise for the mountain gearhead. So nice to find a shop that actually sticks a…read morelot of different things so you can walk in right now and check it out! I'd been interested in the latest version of Black Diamond's Beta Light ultralight tents. I've been hunting around and had not found any sporting goods stores that had it in stock. Until I came here yesterday. Jake and Theresa of the store's crew were chill and helpful on this, my first visit to this store. I saw all the Black Diamond heat around when I first entered the main store and felt hopeful. And...yes! They had one in stock! I was able to examine it and look at the quality construction/sewing of this spiffy tent. And bought it. Thanks, Jake!

I have shopped here for myself, my family and many of the Scouts I have worked with through the…read moreyears. Always great service and a kind proactive nature to help in what ever way the can. The small store front is deceiving. One can spend hours in the store just going over all that's here. And always fair prices. Hope to be back soon to get my next pair of desert boots. So glad they made it through covid.

Very friendly owner and a great selection of merchandise. As good as, if not better, than any…read morearmy-navy store.

What an amazing gem to find for last minute outdoor essentials at the doorstep to the Sierra…read moreNevada. We were short on a few supplies for our backpacking trip, and The Approach came through for us in a big way. The owner, Michael, was incredibly helpful and knowledgeable and had clearly spent a lot of time in the mountains. Besides finding everything we needed, the prices were really reasonable for such a small town. I highly recommend this place if you are traveling towards Yosemite or the mountains, and need a few last-minute items. They even have fishing flies! On top of all of this, there was a lovely selection of jewelry made by his wife and I was able to get my mom a beautiful necklace for her birthday that she really loved.

Really great local shop with lots of gear for camping and backpacking. Two brands of backpacking…read moremeals, sleeping pads, bear canisters, different outdoor sunblocks and mosquito repellents, head lamps. Went in to grab a couple of things I was missing for camping. Would recommend. Nice to not have to drive to Fresno.