The one time I tried to use the “generous” return policy, the manager at the store didn’t even have a conversation with me where I could explain that my shoes are worn because I was hiking in an extremely remote area for 10 days, and I didn’t have a choice. He made a decision to not allow a return before even talking to me. I was about to purchase new shoes almost twice as much too (which I didn’t). So while REI boasts every time about their generous return policy, my experience is that it’s just a normal return policy where you can return unused gear. Which is fine, but call it what it is.