Shout out to Mario (Store Manager) and Maci at REI Santa Barbara--both were so kind, professional, and patient today (Sunday). They worked hard to help me solve a tricky issue and made it easy. Great store, great selection, and even better customer service. Highly recommend! read more

Not my favorite REI location. They just didn't have as much stuff available like they do at some of their larger locations. I hyped up REI to my friend who has never been to one, took him to this location only to be let down. They just didn't carry a big enough selection of anything to keep us there for long. read more

Great place to shop. Excellent selection, good prices, knowledgeable and polite personnel.

First off, super kudos to John in the bike area for helping me find a bike for myself and my son. He was patient and so helpful! I was nervous because i haven't ridden a bike in over a decade but he made sure everything was good to go. You were awesome John! I do have to say, this place has some of the greatest employees. They always seem to be in a good mood and are helpful. The store is clean and well stocked. Garage sale section is in the back left corner. IYKYK. read more

Thank you to the young gentleman with glasses from the bicycle department! Professional and enthusiastic, thank you very much! read more

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I came in for their Memorial Day sale. Deals here, deals there, deals everywhere. I purchased some hiking boots 25% off! These were the second pair of hiking boots I purchase from them. Despite the plethora of people, the employees helped me find what I needed. The line was super duper long but they had all registers opened and it didn't take forever. REI has great brands and prices. read more

I had a wonderful experience at REI last Sunday afternoon. I had only been in the is store a couple times prior to this visit. I started looking at the shoes and as soon as the associate was finished helping a customer try on some shoes, she happily came over to me. She asked if she could help and I told her I was looking for some Merrell shoes to hike in that needed to be waterproof. She kindly asked if I was looking for women's shoes (I was on the men's side, whoops!) she showed me what they had available and brought my size to me. She explained how the correct fit would feel and suggested I try wearing them while resting out a small climbing area in the store, where you can walk up and down the rock to test the fit of the shoe. This was very helpful and the shoes fit perfectly. They also have various socks (including wool) that you can try on with the shoes. Next I went to look for waterproof pants. I asked the same associate if a certain pair of pants was waterproof. She scanned the tag with a device she had and a wealth of information popped up on the screen. She informed me that the pants were water resistant, not waterproof and explained the difference. I went back to looking at clothes and asked another associate if they carried Merrell pants. She informed me that they only carry shoes with the Merrell brand. A little while after I left the store, I called to ask the names of the associates who helped me. Their manager, Tyler, happened to pick up the phone and knew exactly who I was describing and provided their names: Meg and Kathleen. He was very friendly, thanked me for calling and said that he would acknowledge the associates. Great experience all around :) read more

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Mario in the bike shop was extremely helpful and kind and helped me figure if my bike conversion was worth the time or not with full attention. Great customer service read more

I had the greatest experience shopping for trail/street running shoes here today. We were greeted as we walked in and saw lots of friendly employee faces on the way to the shoe section in the back. I was greeted by not one but two shoe department employees, which I find rare. Most shoe stores I go to I have to wait a few minutes to try to get the attention of an employee to help me, but even though it was busy and they were handling other customers they made a point to welcome me and offer their help. One employee, in particular, helped me for over an hour as I tried on shoe after shoe with the international of getting a feel for ever brand. He was extremely patient and had a great attitude the whole time. Not to mention, he was an encyclopedia of shoe knowledge! He nailed the sizes from brand to brand and the specs of each shoe. Without hesitation, I would trust him to pick out the best shoe for me, and I don't trust many people lol...maybe I should work on that. If I ever need to try shoes on again I know where I'm coming and who I'm going to ask for! read more

REI - Quality Employee in the Shoe Department - Outdoor Gear Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

This REI needs to inspect their product returns more carefully before putting items back on the shelf. Two items I purchased were obviously used. I purchased a Goal Zero Sherpa 100 Power Bank and when I opened it I noticed one of the stickers (that keeps the box closed) looked ever so slightly tampered with but I figured it was just manhandled in the store. The box says it comes with 4 cords... but it was MISSING THE MAIN CHARGER CORD! The photo is showing everything it came with and you can see the black cardboard packaging around the power bank is bent and has a white mark. One of the papers inside the box even has dirt on it. The power bank itself clearly had some dirt and white marks on it and had weird oily feel to it. I later took this to another REI to return and the associate also noted it looked like it was obviously opened already and confirmed it was missing a cord. I also purchased a Eureka Camp Stove and noticed it had some scuff marks on the plastic carrier but the sales associate at the counter mentioned it was probably from when it was shipped over since it wasn't too noticeable and it was the only one on the store floor so I decided to purchase it... but when I opened the stove there was literally a small leaf in it and a purple thing that looked like a dried flower petal so someone had used outside it and returned it. Stove still works so I've kept it... I could understand if I purchased one product that was unfortunately used, returned and claimed as "new" but two on the same day? This store needs to get it together! Those items should have been part of the Garage Sales not as a new product on the shelves. While the guy who helped me was super friendly, knowledgeable and helpful I did find it strange he didn't unlock the Goal Zero product on the store floor and went to "the back" to get one which ended up being an unusable one which I returned to a different REI. read more

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I ordered an XXL Thule cargo box during REI's Labor Day sale and when I went into the store to pick it up, Tyler the manager was there to help. He went above and beyond by not only carrying it out to my vehicle but helping us install it, giving us tips and then throwing away and recycling all the packaging. We had planned on strapping the thing on our roof and getting it home to figure it out but Tyler made it incredibly easy and simple. What a nice surprise and such a helpful manager- REI is lucky to have Tyler in charge, offering such amazing service and setting a wonderful example for his employees. Thank you Tyler! read more

Super great place for gear. Shopping experience was awesome, sales folks were helpful. In Santa Barbara for a week and needed a good backpack. read more

REI - REI Ruckpack 28L - Outdoor Gear Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

I took my ebike in to have the brakes adjusted. They told me my frame had a crack, it was unsafe to ride, and they wouldn't work on it. I'm glad I didn't listen to them. I had a mecanical engineer take a look at it. He said the crack is almost certainly only the paint. That, based on the stresses on the frame, if there were a crack, it would be on the other side of the tube, and finally, since the location was on the seat tube above any frame brazing, as long as I installed a longer seat tube, there little danger were there a crack in that location. Both the mechanic who took my bicycle in, and their "master mechanic" were certain there was a crack and that my bicycle is unsafe to ride. Had I listened to them, I would have gotten rid of a perfectly good bicycle with a half-inch hairline crack in the paint read more

Worst and most insulting service I have ever had from an employee. I won't name names but the youngish scruffy bearded fellow with brown/blonde hair implied that I did not have enough money to shop there when I was looking at bicycle helmets. His words were "Why are you looking at bike helmets when you don't own a bike I assume." then asked me to leave the store. Before leaving I informed him that I recently bought a Canyon Grizl and before that a Giant Revolt and while I was working at performance bicycle I built a Santa Cruz Chameleon from the frame up using sram red and a fox float 32c fork. I have been working as a bicycle mechanic going 15 plus years and I have never experienced such a rude and insulting employee. If his manager was there I hope for the sake of the store that he is fired so that he cannot keep giving the REI name such a bad reputation. Disappointing. read more

I will take my business to mountain air sports or Amazon! My family purchased all our bikes from this location. All co-op bikes. When we purchased our bikes we were told that they had a one-year warranty and that we could bring them in for one free service in the first year. All of the bikes have a service need whether it's not shifting into all the gears or like my bicycle a really loud brake chatter noise since the first day I bought it. I have tried for a year to bring it back to this store to have it serviced. I have always gotten the runaround and not been able to get an appointment. Most recently they didn't have a technician to work on bikes for about 6 months. Now that they have a technician they are asking me to bring my bike in so that they can look at it before they'll give me an appointment and then I must bring the bike back for the appointment weeks later. I asked for a manager, explained the issue and the model of the bike and asked if we could just avoid bringing it down two times and just get an appointment to get the brakes looked at. Tyler, the manager started flip-flopping and giving me all kinds of rigamaru lying out the side of his mouth saying that this is how all the REI's Do it. When I pointed out to him that I had brought my children's bikes to the REI in SLO to get them serviced and they were serviced the same day while we waited and shopped around the mall, he began to flip flop again. Like I said, I'll take my business elsewhere and I'll be returning that bike now a year used... read more

I went to this store to return a pair of shoes. I bought these shoes at REI and was specifically told if I was not happy with them I could return them. I chose the same pair of shoes because I loved them so much. When I went to the cash register to do the exchange the cashier was rude and degrading. She asked me questions about the shoes like I was defrauding her and REI. At the end she said I was within store policy of returning the shoes. I am disgusted and disappointed at this store. I don't know how they are training their employees about returns. I would fire the cashier if I knew this is how she treated customers. It was unprofessional and a horrible representation of REI. If you need to return anything at REI make the extra effort to avoid this store. read more

Very neat store. Pricey but worth it. REIs are well-known for their quality items and this location is no exception. It's in a strange section of downtown Santa Barbara with a fairly hidden, small parking lot. Blink and you may miss it. If you're able to find it, though, you're in for a treat. This store is large, clean and spacious with well-stocked shelves and friendly staff. I feel that the staff here are experts when it comes to all things outdoors. You can ask them just about anything and they'll be able to quickly assist. I enjoy places like these where you know the staff are invested in the product. The merchandise isn't cheap, but its quality is a cut above the rest. All items I've bought here have lasted much longer than the lower-priced competition. Sometimes, it's good to pay a little more for something you won't have to replace as often. I look forward to coming back here the next time I'm in need of a good outdoors item. read more

Service was horrible called for a bike repair they said it was okay never asked for information on the bike when I took it they said they couldn't do it. It was a waste of time and gas read more

My husband & I were shopping for a pair of shoes! Our podiatrist recommended REI for carrying Altra shoes that she highly recommends. The Santa Barbara store carries them. The nicest young man helped us both & helped us choose the right size & told me how I could order the right size at the check out since they weren't in stock right then, but would be soon!!! Very helpful & great staff!!! read more

I love REI With a great selection of outdoor gear from hiking and biking to camping and skiing, REI had a void selection and competitive prices. What's clear is that the people who work here love their job and know from experience what you want to know. Can you find the same products on line at discounted prices? Sure, but what you won't get is the great service. I've been visiting REI since Dallas got their first in the mid 90's. The quality of employees has stayed the same and I still enjoy shopping here. Popped in on Saturday and was excited to see nothing has changes. Happy, smiling people working and buying everywhere. read more

REI - Outdoor Gear Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

REI bike store treated me with kindness and speed for a simple request. Dave on the phone was excellent and the mechanic was fast and polite. Thanks for your help today read more

I purchased an REI brand E-Bike, and just took it to their bike shop for a tune up. Daimon is INCREDIBLE!!!!! He is the lead mechanic there, and not only is he brilliant and a true doctor of bikes, but he's such a good guy, and gives you old-fashioned service. He really knows his stuff, and I felt I was in excellent hands with him working on my bike. In fact, he's the one that I was hoping would work on it. He gives care to every single bike he works on, has an exceptional work ethic, and is very friendly and kind. He is juggling a big load, but that never phases him or causes him not to give excellent attention and customer service! As I said, old-fashioned! In this day and age, you don't get service like this! And he's like a dying breed of mechanics, so I was pleasantly surprised that REI would employ someone of his caliber. Great work, REI, I would not bring my bike anywhere else, as long as Daimon is working there! Thank you, Daimon! read more

The sales team at the Santa Barbara REI location was instrumental in educating us on the benefits of Gortex and how this material differs from other options. We ended up purchasing Gortex raincoats for our Alaskan adventure. It was a great purchase! read more

This REI is pretty hidden if your not from around these parts. On my mini Santa Barbara vacation I didn't realize how much walking I was going to do so I decided to stop by and purchase a backpack for easy traveling. For the past 2 days I've been walking around with a 15 inch laptop that was just too heavy for me to lug around everywhere. As soon as I came in I found exactly waft I was looking for. A light weight green and lime 2 strap backpack with multiple compartments for $80. It was a tad pricy, but I didn't have time to shop around so I just stuck with it. I also got some goodies for the road and was able to fit everything I was carrying. The staff here is friendly and helpful and I received a $20 gift card for my $100 purchase. Awesomeness!!!! read more

REI - Signage - Outdoor Gear Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Another bad review for REI in Santa Barbara. I walked in Aug 28th about 6:45pm to return a defective THERMAREST Mondo King mattress with a large 12"x18" air bubble. When I leaned it against the counter to ask about a return, one employee (male) started yelling at me "You are going to put holes in it!" I said I just want to return it and ignored his rude comment. When I pointed out the large air bubble on my mattress, he again was rude and said "it has a stain," which was a flat out lie! I may or may not shop there again. read more

Terrible employees. I was recently shopping at this store for sunglasses and I had couple of friends with me. We had a very unusual experience at that time. We bought a pair of shoes and trying out sunglasses and at that time we noticed there was an REI employee keeping watch on us, one of my friends brought that to my attention. We didn't pay much attention at that time. But at the checkout, the REI employee scanned our items and before we could make payment she was called aside by the same REI employee. When the she returned for checkout, she grabbed the shoe box she had already scanned and opened it to check if there was something else as well in there. When she didn't find anything else in there except for the shoes we bought, she seemed startled and just told us that she was trying to make sure both the shoes are of same size. This was totally abnormal. Apparently she was checking if we stole sunglasses or something but she didn't call that out. We felt disgusted by this behavior of the REI employees and this is not the first time this has happened. The employees at this store have tendency to keep watch on people, we know this from the past. Some employees are nice but most of them generally look at the shoppers suspiciously. I'll try and avoid this store and REI in general. Not a good company, so obviously not so good people they employ. read more

Good for land gear but for water gear it lacks, kinda funny considering this is in santa barbara

Tyler was sooooo helpful and knowledgeable ! You have a gem of an employee ! He should be a manager ! We will be back . Thank you! read more

Great staff! I was in town for work and needed some supplies. Tyler the manager and his team took a lot of time to make sure I found the right gear. The staff was very knowledgeable about the inventory and had helpful suggestions. Also the shop was extremely well kept with a good selection. Highly recommend read more

I like the store a lot. I like everyone that works there. I like all the products. I like what they stand for. Why four stars? There's only two reasons. Santa Barbara is a very dog-friendly City and out of every place I bring my dog you would think REI would be one of those places. You cannot bring a dog inside REI. I go here a lot and every time I do I have to leave my dog out front and it doesn't make him happy. I like my dog happy. Change your policy cuz it sucks. Okay and the other reason is the temperature inside of the building. It seems to be very hot most of the time in which I am so hot that I can't stay too long. Now that hasn't been lately so maybe they fix the issue if it really was an issue to start with. Alright so my two reasons to downgrade the five stars fl to 4 stars is quite Petty but they're in my head so they mean something to somebody including me. Remember I'm using voice text so if something you miss review doesn't make sense figure it out. JRB read more

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This itty bitty REI reminds me of the one in Corte Madera -- very tidy and packed full of lots of clothing for soccer/yoga moms. I just wanted to find a pair of socks and was facing a HUGE wall with so many types and sizes all spread out that it was hard to read the packages and find what I wanted. At the front -- there was a fair haired man at a register, and I asked if I could pay him for my purchase. He looked annoyed and said he'd see me at another register -- but continued his conversation with another coworker. I asked if he knew how close Adama restaurant was and he just gave me a "Are you dumb?" look and said "No, never heard of it," handed my receipt and walked away. However, the employee next to him said "I know where Adama is" and gave me directions. He also advised I try on the socks to make sure they were right and I did just that -- he was friendly, kind and very warm (and darned handsome - dark curly hair and blue eyes with a tan) -- wish I had invited him to lunch he was so nice! Other guy was a meanie. read more

I like most REI's, but this one is nicely stocked associates are very helpful, and they are very professional, I just love this place, good work people!. read more

A smaller REI than we are used to but it was clean and well stocked with all the basic gear for running, trail, cycling and much more. The staff were all very nice even though It was exceptionally busy when we went. It's REI so it's quality and if they don't have the exact item you can always order online. We were looking for hats to protect from the sun with a high UPF rating and had visited another place and were just glared at, but not at REI. Thank you REI. read more

Went to REI today to help find a new backpacking backpack. Met Patrick and he was awesome! Super friendly and helpful. Listened to me, understood what I needed it for/planning for upcoming trips, and spent the time to answer my questions and try out 4-5 different packs. Thank you for all your help and time! read more

Do not go here if you need your electric bike repaired for a flat tire or anything really I called them trying to ask them if they repaired electric bikes they said they did I go down there ask for a tune up and they say they only take their own electric bikes but they'll start servicing any other bikes in about a month so I leave disappointed I might add and a waste of time I try them again to get a flat tire repaired I call them they said they can do it I go down there the same shit happens they say they can't do it they don't have the right parts now what kind of shit is that you could've told me that over the phone huge waste of time and now I have to lug my flat tire bike all the way home literally no competence from the bike shop employees there whatsoever one star. read more

This was my first time at REI and the store was well kept and cleaned. I came to this location due to me needing to return some snow boots for my kids that I had purchased online. I would say the cashier was friendly and knowledgeable of product and thanked the customers for shopping at REI. I would definitely comeback to this location. read more

Mitch in bicycle repair is amazing. Great mechanic and customer service. Thank you for all your help and tuning of my bicycle. I will be in to pick up up mid April read more

I had a great experience at this store a few weeks ago with a manager bri! She was so helpful and sweet and talked to us about great local hiking trails and places to take our dogs. read more

Glad we have an REI in town. Great for all kinds of sports and outdoors stuff. Even though it's near downtown, parking is usually pretty easy and available in the lot in the back. Stuff is usually on the pricier end, but I would say it's worth the quality. read more

Bottom Line: The people the work here actually know things....this is confusing to me Every single dammed time I walk into an REI I have this bizarre experience. The people that work there actually have experience with the products and then they go about being helpful about stuff. This always throws me off because I am SO used to walking into a shop and everyone that works there has NO idea about anything. My most recent visit to Sears was such a painful reminder of that and raises questions about how/why these people work where they do. Either way every time I visit an REI the person that I talk to at least knows the product or has used it in a practical application. "Nahhh man - you want THIS stove. *brushes dreadlocks aside* when I was out at burning man this worked perfect for me" thats an exaggeration but.....a nutshell. Quite a lot of the time they are practicing what they are preaching. This last time I was in looking for a helmet for my toddler and they made it about as easy as it could have been. As much as I always am a cheerleader for local business, these guys are always good and their prices are pretty fair. read more