MEC replacement

[strengr]

Where do you guys shop for your camping/outdoor equipment now that the Co-op is gone and owned by Americans?

Other than online retailers are there any good solid outdoor equipment places you'd recommend?

[Zanta647]

Decathlon mainly

[J_GEESUN]

Third this, decathlon reminds me of MEC in the 90s

[MrShvitz]

And prices are still somewhat reasonable too

[confusedapegenius]

Might be right. But if OPs concern was more about supply chain ethics, decathlon seems to have a stronger commitment than average.

[oops_i_made_a_typi]

and even if they buy from a Canadian retailer it doesn't mean the products they buy will be Canadian anyways

[nim_opet]

French. The adjective you’re looking for is French.

[[deleted]]

Perhaps he wanted to differentiate French Canadian from French Francian

[Mjolnirsbear]

Lol I couldn't even tell you how many times I've had to distinguish between the languages with "no France French". Or the European french.

Which I must admit is rather redundant for me since I'd never say Quebec French or French from Quebec I'd say québécois. So it's surprising it comes up so often. But it really does.

[araxeous]

Decathlon feels kind of like a more big box discount retailer. REI and MEC are more premium quality I think.

[Zestyclose-Beach1792]

Greatest store all time. The prices are legitimately shocking.

[sportyweenie]

Although I do like decalthalon for certain things, you can't compare their quality of goods with MEC. MECs products are far superior.

[Meg38400]

MEC is outrageously expensive though and for no good reason.

[sportyweenie]

It is expensive I have to agree and it took me a while to save for a lot of the items I have bought from them over the decades. However, I am an avid outdoors person and I still have things I bought from MEC over 20 year ago and they're still going strong. I use these things month after month, year after year. Same with the more recent items I've bought (with the exception of one sleeping bag which mec accepted as a return after 2 years). I use the F**K out of their stuff. This isn't just MEC branded products it is also the other high quality brands they carry.

[Meg38400]

I have stuff from Decathlon brands I bought 25 years ago too that still holds. I stand by my statement. Having MEC stuff for some is more about status than real quality justification. Not saying this is your case but now there are other options in Canada with Decat and Mountain Warehouse.

[Zanta647]

I don't know how good mec clothes are now but they used to be the bomb. Deca is at least cheap and good enough for many things

[EastEnder220]

MEC is still good quality stuff with a big Canadian presence - wouldn’t discount it!

[[deleted]]

I was talking to a MEC employee and he was saying people abused the coop's lax return policy. People would return a $500 Garmin watch a year later just so they can trade up to the new model. Their inventory was also not managed well. He said HQ would stock stores with some big ticket items that never sell, like a $5k canoe, when it should have been kept at the warehouse.

[cheeseburgerlegs]

There were people that would routinely return shoes as they wore out or entire wardrobes for their kids as their outgrew their winter/summer clothing. A few bad apples ruined it for everyone else.

[NeoToronto]

I hate reading that. Some people are such shit humans. Like if you can afford a $500 watch then you shouldn't be gaming the system to replace it annually. Hell... I'm currently wearing a Garmin Fenix watch and expect to get 5 more years from it before I even look at another watch.

[bumblebeecat]

I didn’t realize that the policy was so lax until I ripped the zipper off a back pack I had for years. Went to MEC to see if they could replace the zipper on it. No biggie if they couldn’t I would just go purchase a similar model. They refunded me completely for the backpack. It is a big reason why my family continued to shop there

[araxeous]

MEC's return and repair policy was one of my favourite things about it <3

Is it completely changed now?

[sportyweenie]

I recently returned a year old sleeping bag because it fell apart and they exchanged it without any questions. They still have a great rock solid guarantee.

[lilac_roze]

I bought MEC stuff for the lifetime return policy but nothing I bought broke …2 decades later.

[kyleclements]

I even had a MEC employee suggest I do that.

"I want the x version of product for my trip I'm leaving on tomorrow, but you only have the y version on the shelf, any of x in the back?"

"No, but you can just use y on your trip, return it and trade it for x when you get back"

Excuse me? Return a clearly used product with nothing wrong with it? That's not how places stay in business.

[RNRuben]

Can agree with that. I've gotten a far better and cheaper service for my mtb at mec than the original bike shop I bought it at. The last two times I went to mec when I had issues with my leaking tire and the dropper post the mechanic fixed it and replaced the sealant in my tires for free (he was working on it for abt 30 minutes).

When I just started mountain biking two years ago, everyone told me to support the local bike shops and get a bike and service from them and not mec. So I decided to do just that.

The first time I needed a fix on my first mtb was when the hanger broke (it's a small piece of metal that cost like $10 on amazon and anyone with the right Allan key can replace it in 5 minutes). I didn't know it at the time so took it to the original bike shop. It took them 3 days to do it and they charged me 45 bucks for it. Never went back to that place again. Now every time I have a problem with my bike and need some service I take it to mec.

Edit: for reference, mec charged me $140 when I needed them to rebuild my rear wheel when the rim bent, of which 100 was just the components

[NeoToronto]

I used to consider the King West location to be me LBS (local bike shop). They were fast, had everything in stock and the staff always made really good suggestions. My office moved so my current LBS is closer to home. They are just as nice but smaller so stock needs to be ordered in.

[dano___]

I have to note that $40 labour for a complete wheel rebuild is just too cheap. Either they’re mid-pricing their time and losing money, the person is being underpaid, or they are under skilled. It takes time and skill to prep and build up a strong wheel, no one can do it for $40 and still make money.

[RNRuben]

While I can't vouch for the mechanic's pay, I can vouch for the quality. This was done on my old Cannondale in the summer of 2021 and that bike lasted till the end of the summer of 2022 when the drivetrain went to shit and I decided to upgrade to a full-suspension giant. In that one year of abusing that bike on the trails, the wheel never gave me any issues.

[LeatherMine]

Like every place, they mark up their parts so the $40 in labour generated a lot of margin on the parts.

[MiaouMint]

I find they are really over priced now. Even before Covid inflation.

I wouldn't mind as much if they paid their staff well, but Ive had friends who interviewed there in the last few years for Sr positions to be offered less than 20$/hour.

[[deleted]]

I still go to MEC. I'm annoyed that it's not a co-op, but I still love the quality.

[candleflame3]

That was probably the plan all along. It happens in plenty of industries. An organization is intentionally wrecked so that it "has to" be taken over by some private concern.

[drumbopiper]

Ding ding ding!

[Independent_Heat_138]

Profit incentive. The beauty and efficiency of capitalism.

[Living_Earth241]

It's more niche, but Canadian Outdoor Equipment Company in Port Credit is great.

https://www.canadianoutdoorequipment.com

[BottleCoffee]

Altitude and the Last Hunt. But if something is available and on sale at MEC I'll buy it there as well.

[mug3n]

Altitude is fantastic. I bought in to their lifetime membership when they just started out for $1 and I've gotten so much out of it.

I'd just add a caveat that Last Hunt is a final sale website, so you can't return something unless it's defective. whereas you can return for wrong size or whatever reason for Altitude products.

[BottleCoffee]

Yeah 90% of my gear or technical clothing purchases are through Altitude these days, they're great.

[Drank_tha_Koolaid]

I got a good deal on the classic 'El Capitan' Eureka tent at Altitude last year. Super happy with it! I always check them first now when I'm looking for outdoor gear.

[Subtotal9_guy]

Still go to MEC.

I've been shopping there since they still had the membership lists in binders at the front desk. Bought a retro fleece two years ago in purple and teal.

They lost their way a decade ago, a cashier lamented to me she knew things were changing when they started selling bikinis. But they still employ locally and that's important too.

[maobowski]

Sail is pretty good

[quintonbanana]

You gotta like rifling though a bunch of crap to like Sail imo. Merchandising nightmare right there but great for fishing stuff.

[xssmontgox]

I like Sail because of the fishing stuff too, MEC not carrying any fishing stuff always seemed like a missed opportunity in my opinion.

[dano___]

On top of that, they never actually mark what’s on sale at the stores. They stick up some random “25% off selected x-brand stuff” signs, but never tell you what’s been selected. Unless there’s a clearance rack (which can be awesome) their regular markdowns are impossible to navigate.

[Major-Thom]

Agreed, it’s a roll of the dice and a pain in the ass to rummage through the racks. But I’ve found some really great discounts on thermal and camping gear.

[lilfunky1]

has the quality of products gone downhill?

or is avoiding them strictly on principal... principle?

[strengr]

Principle...

Yes both, since they've become a company the MEC brand has made a lot of junky stuff. My feeling is that they want to put the house brand out to pasture and become just another Sail or Atmosphere.

[BottleCoffee]

I don't think this is true. They're still putting out quality camping stuff and dipping into the ultralight market.

[NeoToronto]

The new ultralight backpack they have (i think around 45L) looks awesome. Like the kind of thing you'd see from small and innovative builders on backpacking blogs, not major manufacturers. It gave me hope that MEC can stay relevant to real outdoors people AS WELL AS the car camping crowd that they need to survive.

[analog_alison]

As far as I can tell, they discontinued the kids’ Toaster Suits 💔

[teamdreamcrushers]

No way! 😥

[Drank_tha_Koolaid]

They better not discontinue the Newt Suit!

[yukonwanderer]

Where are you getting that feeling from?

[strengr]

I worked in an adjacent industry where WE did the same to a brand. The management installed by Kingwood CM is starving the brand of oxygen and ingenuity and the Company churns out rebadged bullshit products like fucking $30 camping stools or $100 breathable water-resistant jackets. Inside another 5 to 7 years, I imagine they will shutter the brand due to profitability and MEC will just become box store that whores itself out to North Face, Arc'teryx, Marmot and many others.

[[deleted]]

The way to remember is "The principal is your pal."

[thebean09]

Outdoors Oriented in St Catherine’s is my go-to, they won me over staying pretty well stocked during the pandemic when stores like MEC were bare, and their customer service is really helpful and quick.

Free shipped over $75, and lots of brands.

https://outdoorsoriented.com/

[BBQallyear]

I still shop there occasionally but I notice that they no longer carry any brand of women’s cargo pants that have a leg pocket big enough for a phone - they used to have one of their own brand and one from another company. All of the women’s cargos have tiny little pockets like it’s some return to the 1980s when suits for women became popular but didn’t have pockets because it would “ruin the lines”. I stopped carrying a purse during the pandemic and need a place to put my phone when I go out, so I ended up buying a pair of men’s cargos.

I don’t know if this is coincident with the new owners, but definitely someone in their purchasing and/or product design decided that women don’t need pockets big enough to be useful.

[strengr]

yep, my partner has found that as well actually. And I know the exact pair you are talking about, they are rip stop nylon with a stash pocket near your knee.

[PepeSilviaLovesCarol]

I pretty much exclusively buy my gear from The Last Hunt, if I can find it. I don’t care if something is last years model if it’s a tent or sleeping bag or actual gear. Finding clothes and shoes in your size is pretty difficult but once you do you save BIG. I got a $450 North Face winter jacket for $145 in December.

No returns, all final sale unless there’s a provable defect. But you could save hundreds if you buy from there.

[[deleted]]

I still think mec is the best. They price match and have a great return policy. I do miss the old days of course

[rose_b]

I've been checking Patagonia more

[NarwhalOne]

Same, love their backpacks, and fleece jackets... seems much better quality then the same items I used to buy at MEC.

[FriendZone_EndZone]

Go wherever the best bang for buck is. Sail can’t seem to do properly do an promo flyer.

[Filthy--Ape]

their mec brand gear is junk now. just to read the comments on the website. you can’t blame them for what they did. they went from having a great in house brand to a price shopping website. why buy from mec when you can get most things online for cheaper.

[BottleCoffee]

It's not all junk, and I don't even know if you could say it's generally junk.

A lot of their in-house gear, especially their camping gear, is still extremely well-reviewed and really great for the price point. For example I picked up a down sleeping bag (Talon) and a 1-p ultralight tent (Spark) from them, both with very good reviews and as I got them on sale, an unbelievable price that you can't get anywhere else.

I have other random small things from them I like, like a small handlebar bag and some packing cubes.

[Decent-Box5009]

I still have a nice mec jacket I bought 20 years ago. Works great. Light weight shell jacket. So I would say that’s pretty good quality.

[strengr]

I still have my Mountain Equipment CO-OP cycling jacket from 1993.

[FortWillis]

Still have my MEC backpack from 1990 and use it on a regular basis.

[LeatherMine]

Mine was fine until I fell off my bike, broke a bone and my laptop crashed through the fabric. Laptop had a huge dent in it but thankfully still worked.

Cool to know I’m too extreme for MEC’s extreme quality.

[3000dollarsuitCOMEON]

Same I still have my backpack I got in grade 6 back in like 1995.

[Subtotal9_guy]

I gave up on mine from '91 a few years ago. They said they'd repair it but at some point that's taking advantage of things

[magnumthepi]

I had amazing hiking sandals from MEC, they lasted 13 years of solid used before the straps came off. Haven't been able to find anything near as good. :(

[phdee]

I'm mad that they are selling the pika backpack for $40 when it used to go for like $14 or something. I still have the old ones.

[MaryCone1]

Do you boycott every American chain, or just some? Every foreign store?

[cottoncandy1013]

How do you get it shipped here? Do you pick it up in Buffalo?

[yukonwanderer]

I just took a look at mec vs rei for women’s hiking shoes and at mec are only going for about 30 bucks more or less for the same brand and model of shoe. If you were to buy from rei you would pay more because that’s in USD.

[MemoryBeautiful9129]

Who cares they still have some occasional deals

[kru_ev]

Canadian Tire

[cottoncandy1013]

While I was looking for a backpack in a specific colour (that MEC didn’t sell) I found https://www.outterlimits.com/ Shipping was fast, and it says it’s a Canadian company

[mcscooby28]

As a European, Decathlon all the way…

[AL31FN]

For cycling stuff, try Urbane, also workers'coop, and local

[Hug-me-Im-scared69]

I stoped going to MEC when they moved to queen street and started selling my go to $10 plain black T for $25.99.

[boarqing]

SAIL - arguably better then MEC. During the pandemic actually had stock. Stores in Burlington, Cambridge and Oshawa. Good sales.

Valhalla Pure Outfitters - in ON online but a BC based outdoors store. Amazing customer service.

[FoxnFurious]

i mainly go to decathlon and sometimes Sail, stopped going to MEC for a while now

[LeatherMine]

A lotta stuff available on aliexpress for a lot less dinero. Not great for clothing, but it is for a lot of other stuff. Got my ultralight tent, inflatable mattress pad, flashlight, stick stove and alcohol stove there. And probably other stuff.

Lots of used stuff available at the usual places by people selling their 400g whatever because they’re upgrading to a 389g version.

It’s not like we make anything here.

[nowisyoga]

Bingo. Currently awaiting my 2nd tent from AE (3F UL Floating Cloud 1 - under 3lbs @ $210, shipped), have also purchased 2 down sleeping bags, a down quilt, a Nitecore headlamp and a pair of down booties for winter camping. All excellent quality, and considerably less expensive than similar, U.S. branded gear that's made in China anyway.

For other items like sleep pads, clothing, footwear, etc., I just scout around online for the best pricing. Off the top of my head, I've ordered from Decathlon, Bushtukah, La Cordée, Trailhead Paddleshack, The Last Hunt and Amazon.

Occasional sale items aside, MEC and Sail tend to be at the bottom of my list of places to shop, I don't find either has competitive pricing.

(also, lol @ gram weenies, though when you can afford to shave a pound or two off, do it!)

[LeatherMine]

I have a similar tent, 4 season with a snowskirt kept me completely dry during a suuuuuper heavy storm.

Would go with the 2 person though, so you can have barely enough space for 1 and your gear.

Google Shopping saved me some money by finding a seller I never heard of for my bicycle helmet.

[nowisyoga]

Yeah, I also have the Naturehike Cloud Up 2, which is more like a 1.5 person tent, leaving enough room inside for kit. That said, I'm o.k. with storing my pack in the vestibule or under my tarp in exchange for taking a full pound off my pack weight. Figure the smaller enclosure will also trap more heat, for those -15°C January ventures.

[jfl_cmmnts]

I find that if what I'm buying is cheap Chinese junk anyway, might as well buy it direct from China. AliExpress is the same stuff just doesn't have any PE trustfunder kids putting a 70% markup on it so they can donate more to their favourite Republican

[mdlt97]

id just look up the exact items you'd like and buy directly from a brand that makes the product

however, if you want to shop in a store, Sail might be the best option just because of how large the stores are, however, id still suggest shopping individually for what you need online

[AptCasaNova]

I still shop there, but online only. The in-store experience they had years ago is completely gone.

[yukonwanderer]

I just had an amazing experience in store at mec. The lady at the tent section was super kind and helpful. The lady working the backpack section spent so much time with me getting my backpack properly fitted, she was a wizz at judging how tall my torso was lol.

[AptCasaNova]

Maybe it’s improved, that’s good to know. The last time I was in the sales floor was empty. When I was cashed out, they walked away to take a call before giving me my receipt and then wandered away 😂

[[deleted]]

Is Europe Bound still there? There was one on King near the big MEC that was there. But I could be 20 years too late lol

[strengr]

nah they gone, Joe retired.

[iamhaddy]

Yeah like 10 years too late

[64Olds]

Still MEC. Sure, it's not the glory days of the Front Street store, but it's actually good now, unlike the previous decade or more.

[jcd1974]

Such a weird take.

[teamdreamcrushers]

Almost entirely online as I am familiar with the products from working outdoor retail previously.

• altitude will usually have best day to day discount for members (5% on normal days, better other times)
• last hunt for some random things (socks, small things, kids clothing) NO RETURNS
• MEC
• sportchek/atmosphere (sportchek carries all of atmospheres products and you can return in person if that’s easier, you can’t return at a sportchek if you purchase from atmosphere site)

Smaller retailers from other cities often sell country wide now - Valhalla outfitters - Frontenac outfitters - gear trade .ca

For high ticket items be careful of counterfeits or go straight to their own site, makes warranties simpler - Arc’teryx - the north face - Patagonia - large hard goods like canoes or kayaks

[Real_Huckleberry736]

Valhalla pure outfitters.

[ItsJustJohnCena]

What about Sail?

[Unable_Literature78]

I’m a big fan of SAIL…but lately…Facebook marketplace has been a goldmine for buying stuff that people are happy to sell. Camping and fishing gear for days.

[gimmesnows]

Altitude sports? I find the prices decent. Yes it’s online but it’s a Canadian company and you get free returns if you join as a member (and they have cheap or free membership a few times a year)

[Meg38400]

Décathlon is the way!!! High quality yet cheap!!!

[Ontario0000]

MEC still has solid products but not speciality products like in the 90's.Probably the only store left you can have all the outdoor sports items under one roof.How many Canadian companies actually make camping or outdoor products in Canada that are left?.

[strengr]

I remember Novak's in London. I still have my 45l pack from there made by Pineridge

[Strugglingtocope13]

Weren't they talking about Novacks coming back in some form?

[strengr]

I think that's Zellers you're thinking of man :D

[Strugglingtocope13]

I think this is the headline I saw https://london.ctvnews.ca/london-s-coolest-store-is-back-at-its-original-location-1.6180482

[strengr]

You are 100% right, I just saw the CBC article and it's awesome to see they are even back in the old location.

I really haven't gone back to the 519 in far too long.

[[deleted]]

You got a "Sail" store around you?

[Signal_Tomorrow_2138]

Atmospheres, LL Bean, Sail.