We came here specifically for the skate rental, and it was a smooth process. You bring your skates…read moreto the back and drop them off at the desk. It did take longer than I expected--about 20 minutes--but overall, the experience was smooth and easy. The price was $9, which I thought was a great deal. The staff were friendly and welcoming, we were greeted right when we walked in.

Condescending employee wasn't too helpful. If you buy used and return it, it's only good for store…read morecredit. Would be nice if that was made known ahead of time. Their new gear is typically marked up compared to Pure Hockey, Scheels, etc. Some used gear may be worth it but the new stuff is usually always more expensive here. Just an fyi.

They are incredible in their customer service! And the most recent return experience I had was…read morefabulous. Highly recommend them!

I brought my daughter here for a little shopping trip, we looked at clothing then moved on to…read morebikes. Her birthday was coming up and I wanted to get her a strider bike. I had her stand on one to check out some measurements. The bikes weren't put away, they were just stacked by boxes in the corner. My daughter stood on one for a minute--I was standing right by her and giving her my undivided attention. At this moment, an employee (older man, white hair) walked by us and rudely said "no riding in the store." And kept walking. Not "can I help fit you for a bike?" Or "can I help you find the right kind of bike?" Not even a "please". I don't expect everyone to adore my kids, but I do expect people to be respectful to them and them to be respectful to others. REI will never get a single dime from me again. This is the second time I've had an unsavory experience with the same employee. I don't understand how it can be difficult to treat people nicely, I can find much better customer service and better prices at Target.

If you have fond memories of Midwest Mountaineering, that longtime Cedar-Riverside staple, this new…read moreoutdoor activity gear shop is definitely good news for you! That shop's manager has now opened Lake State Mountaineering with similar wares and similar values. So we're talking high quality canoeing, climbing, camping, and hiking gear from a combination of large, small, and local vendors. They have a website you can order from, but if you want to browse in person and get knowledgeable advice from this passionate crew, you can pop into the shop. They have some pretty high-end merchandise, but I'm seeing some tempting sale offers and they have a rental program that might help you get kitted out for an adventure. This storefront location might be tricky to find at first. Enter through the building's Washington Avenue door, next to the barber shop, then follow the signs through the door there and up the stairs, where you'll spot them. I promise there's a nice store up there! You're on your own for parking but it's easy enough to find metered street parking. If you want to properly gear up for this kind of activity and want the best equipment, sold to you be a locally-owned store who will give you honest recommendations that come from deep experience, this is where to go.

Despite not finding what I was looking for what I did find in this store was even better! At the…read moretime I visited they're going through their end of season sale and practically the entire store is on sale. They also carry high quality gear like marmot and Patagonia and those are not excluded from sale which is a rarity. Definitely a hidden gem of a shop and where I will be coming back to get gear for a good value. It's nice to have a local option that caters to the outdoor market besides REI.

Vados was recommended to me from a guy in my fishing club. I was not disappointed. Greg…read morecommunicated with me as a new customer to set expectations and help with care for my order. I placed the order on a weekend, Greg emailed me on Monday, and I had my bait on Tuesday! Checked the bait as instructed and it was more alive than the stuff I bought at my local bait store the day before. Great people at Vados!! Very friendly and very knowledgeable. They've been doing this a long time and have the freshest stuff I've seen aside from the maggots crawling on my garbage cans in the summertime. Everything was perfect!! Can't wait to hit the lakes this weekend for our trout opener. Thanks Greg and team!!

I order a ton of bait on Vados. Family business values quality because every shipment is fresh,…read morepacked amazingly and catches tons of fish. Fresh live bait is my secret to catching fish and Vados ships me many live baits that are MORE fresh than stores (who get bait from distributors). Getting bait direct from source also saves me lots of money. Try to stock up bait for your next trip or just for several weeks of fishing bait supply! You will catch more fish.

Ordered a snowboard here and got a way better deal than from other sellers. It came within a week…read more Sadly, the packaging was the bare minimum and caused some damage during shipping. I was able to easily get in touch with customer service and get offered a replacement. I haven't returned my board yet, but I am relieved that they have immediate customer service given that their reviews are negative. Update: I got my free return label and a perfect snowboard in return with padding. The customer service was great, thank you Dylan and Josh for the updates and respect.

I placed online order on 12/19/2022. Then I waited because the email I received, it said that I…read morewould get another order acknowledgement email and tracking number. On 12/21/2022 I still didn't get the other email or tracking number, and I started reading all the bad reviews on Yelp. I became nervous but the initial email I received, didn't have any link to cancel order. On 12/22/2022, I received this package. I opened the package and to my surprise, I received the items I ordered 3 days prior. And I paid $0 for shipping, I totally didn't expect to get the items this early. Only 3 days after my order. There was no packing slip, I still don't know what would happen if I were to return it. But I'm gonna keep the items. I got 600 down filled Columbia jacket for my hubby for a great price.

Tony knows his stuff and this river is a hidden gem. If you live kayaking and unspoiled nature,…read morethen put this on your list

I had such an incredible experience Ice climbing. Tony, our guide and shop owner, was incredibly…read moreinformative, easy going, and truly made the experience enjoyable. He even worked with my limited availability. You can tell he is passionate about what he does. He provided me with quality gear to use! I would come back ! Highly recommend.