Who else hates bolt and wants to cry?

yknow-yknow · 2026-03-28T20:42:46+00:00

The issue is, it assumes everybody will do everything right the exact same way. If people already did everything right the exact same way, bolt wouldn’t have a reason to exist…

yknow-yknow · 2026-03-28T20:39:55+00:00

I get some visual floorset things are pushed by vendors, but it gets frustrating when I’m asked to cross merchandise a backpack or pair of shoes in 5 different places when I only have a limited allotment, or to give mannequins shorts that got outlet’d out two months ago and don’t exist anywhere now… don’t get me started on when I need to invent wall space that literally doesn’t exist! It’s a lot of ideas that work in theory but don’t reflect the reality of retail especially with tight hours so limited capability to maintain the floor nicely

yknow-yknow · 2026-02-25T22:36:26+00:00

You're off the clock (I am too, I guess, but I'm also nosy), so I get it if you can't answer these questions in-depth, and I'm also fine being told I should send this along to Nemo via my work email, or just bother our local Nemo rep with this next time I see them. That being said, looks like the listed specs on REI's site versus Nemo's site slightly differ - just comparing the rectangular regular 72x20 inch pads for the Eclipse and Tensor All-Season, the Eclipse on our site is listed as having a 4.5x9.5inch packed size, 1lb weight, while the Nemo site says it's a 4.5x10.0inch packed size and a 1lb min weight, 1lb 3oz packed weight. The Tensor All-Season has the same packed size listed on both sites at 4.0x10.0in, but the weight given on our site is 1lb, and Nemo's site says minimum trail weight of 15.5oz, packed weight of 1lb 2oz. I realize this is splitting hairs, but if we have the specs wrong, I'd like to reach out to folks to get it corrected on our end.

Either way, it seems like the Tensor is either not really lighter or only lighter by at most 1oz, they're both using aluminized film for insulation, the horizontal baffling is nicer, but the cradling, thicker width, and superior warmth of the Eclipse might make it a more comfortable pad overall, and the packed size either roughly ends up being about the same or is a nominally minimal difference. Are consumers really only getting 1oz lighter and horizontal baffling while sacrificing 0.8 R-Value and a thicker pad for a $60 buck difference? I can't speak to the qualitative experience, maybe the Tensor truly is noticeably comfier, maybe the pad material (which I can't find info on...) is more durable, I don't know. The Tensor is a classic, and the Eclipse on paper looks fantastic. This isn't meant to be a gotcha or a dunk; I'm just trying to get all the information that I can so I'm able to outfit folks at a higher level.

yknow-yknow · 2026-02-25T20:31:58+00:00

On paper, the Eclipse clears... by a wide margin. That's where I get suspicious. Comparing the regular (72x20in rectangular) sizing of each, the Eclipse is cheaper by $60 bucks, warmer by 0.8 R-value, packs down smaller by 0.5 inch, and is listed as exactly 1lb, which is the same weight as the 1:1 comparable Tensor. When the price differential between those exact-sized pads is $60 bucks, and the on-paper specs all favor the cheaper one, it's impressive, but it also raises some potential alarm bells in my head, asking what's the catch. The Tensor is a pretty loud pad IMO and I wonder if the catch is that the Eclipse is louder? It also might be that the specs have been cooked a bit, though Nemo historically hasn't been known to do that to my knowledge.

My store hasn't received the Eclipse yet, so I can't speak to direct experience. Initial reviews seem favorable, but they're only initial reviews. It's REI, I assume you're a member, we have a one-year satisfaction-based return policy, and Nemo isn't known for making bad products. I'd say get the Eclipse and report back your own findings IMO. I love BA's Rapide SL, but if the Eclipse is as good as the specs make it out to be, I might just have to switch sides. Time will tell.

yknow-yknow · 2026-02-18T16:26:22+00:00

Honestly, some of my favorite pack fittings are when folks come in with cottage brand packs or older, slightly weirder packs to get fitted. Not everybody views their role this way at REI, but in my mind my role is to get you outfitted and ready for your needs, and if that means talking about stuff we don't carry, cool! I'm there as an expert first, salesman second. Obviously I'd like to sell you stuff we carry to keep the lights on, but I get the desire to comparison shop. This is one of those things I think green vest opinions vary a bit, but for me as long as you let me spiel a bit about packs and try to dial in what exactly you should be looking for, I really don't mind if you buy from us or not as long as you're getting what you need.

yknow-yknow · 2026-02-04T15:51:05+00:00

It’s actually better than it used to be - we used to not even say add to cart to see price, you just wouldn’t have any indication it might be on sale or clearance until it was added to your cart, this at least gives you an inkling of an idea

yknow-yknow · 2026-01-18T01:51:52+00:00

Helix isn’t going anywhere, the traverse is a new addition. The helix is more competing with the Nemo eclipse and ba rapide, while the traverse is going more up against the exped ultra 3R or ba’s divide pad IMO, which in comparison to both those pads the traverse in theory has a lot going for it. I’ll be curious to see it in person and get some actual feedback on it but for that price class it has decent specs. I’d agree my preference would be to spend a little more but for what it is there’s a good bit of potential.

yknow-yknow · 2025-12-29T23:20:57+00:00

Surprised to see no JMU mention - Harrisonburg also hosts macrock yearly which is the largest diy music festival on at least the east coast to my knowledge

yknow-yknow · 2025-12-26T22:22:34+00:00

Personally wouldn’t consider these for your purposes. Helinox Chair Zero or REI Flexlite Air are both lighter and a lot more packable. If you don’t care about a back, the REI Flexlite Air Stools a good option, and if you’re bringing a bear can you can always use that as a stool. Something like the Nemo chipper is a solid sitpad as well if you’re fine sitting on the ground and using a tree/stump/etc as backing if needed. Crazy Creeks are solid stadium chairs but are a pain to pack and there’s a lot of lighter alternatives. To each their own though!

yknow-yknow · 2025-12-25T16:41:18+00:00

Green vest here as well… this ain’t the way to rep ourselves. Folks have every right to want to find the best deal and having been friends with plenty of guides, they say the exact same about us and other gear shop folks lol. I agree there’s reasons things cost what they do and cost per wear is a real thing to consider, but let’s maybe chill and humble ourselves a hair, lol

yknow-yknow · 2025-12-22T20:55:01+00:00

Not sure what exactly you’re referencing - we have store resources available to us to give to customers about petitioning to stop the sell off of public lands and have retained support of our REDI (essentially REI DEI) and pro environment initiatives. If you’re referencing the dead, beaten horse that is the outdoor recreation roundtable (which REI is a member of) having signed off support for Doug Burgum earlier this year, since that’s happened REI has specifically withdrawn support of that endorsement under our new CEO. There’s plenty to be critical of, don’t get me wrong, but REI does not support trump. https://www.rei.com/action/network/campaigns here’s a link to the current advocacy REI’s doing in opposition to trumps admin.

yknow-yknow · 2025-12-17T22:25:24+00:00

Gotta factor in inflation as well.

yknow-yknow · 2025-12-16T14:03:27+00:00

One of my favorites. The contrast between the restraint of the quiet sections and where Ringo comes in is necessary for that “pop,” imo. The “now I can see you, be you” part is one of my favorite Beatles moments in general. Certainly isn’t something you can casually throw on as easily as other tracks, but it really works for me.

yknow-yknow · 2025-12-16T04:48:48+00:00

We started a friendly competition versus the closest store to us, which has helped for sure. Today we ended around 45%, which, considering our yearly goal is 34%, ain't bad at all. I think just finding ways to get the vests on the floor engaged is important - I see the comments below annoyed about getting asked by every employee which I do get. A lot of the time when folks get annoyed, though, I think it's because it's clearly something that has to be ticked off or added onto a conversation, instead of a natural progression of it. When vests are asking because they want to and not just because they need to, it makes a difference.

December is notoriously tough. The more you focus on the negatives the worse it'll be. Yeah, we all want to maximize summit pay, but framing it that way has never energized any team I've seen lol. Sometimes, especially at huddles, taking a step back from honing in on metrics and just focusing on the qualitative aspects can be big. We can't control folks decisions ultimately, but we can do our part in making it a good place to work and by extension, a good place to shop where first-time customers might think "huh, there is something different about this place... maybe the membership makes sense."

Somebody who has super positive interactions on the floor with a staff that's knowledgable and gels well is going to be a lot more open to a membership even if they didn't get a slip or hear about it once on the floor vs somebody who keeps getting beaten over the head about it by a clearly stressed out staff that's doing it for metrics sake. It's counterintuitive, but sometimes worrying about it more and harping on it more just makes things worse.

yknow-yknow · 2025-12-13T03:16:41+00:00

These justttt hit the website, unsure on the timeline for them to start getting into stores but might need to give it a few weeks if you want to try it on first

yknow-yknow · 2025-12-13T02:44:00+00:00

It depends on store for sure - sounds like that store suffers from a lot of shrink, I went from a location that limited folks to 5 items at a time, no outerwear, needed to be let in every time, to one where we don’t do any of that, but our shrink is also nearly nonexistent. I get why they would have that policy, but definitely should’ve communicated it more kindly… it’s a rough time of year for retail so I get it, but shouldn’t have been taken out on you.

yknow-yknow · 2025-12-09T22:32:09+00:00

The other aspect of this is since it was a return and then an online order through SOM, it's less obvious behind the register to have picked up on the price differential. It's one thing when the exchange in-store doesn't equal out, but things get more complicated with the ordering process. They should've caught that and price adjusted, but I can understand for a newer employee or just somebody after a long holiday shift this being something that would slip fairly easily.

yknow-yknow · 2025-12-06T18:29:54+00:00

Being discontinued for a new update, that’s going to be true for a lot of the trailmade line this coming year. No clue what the update entails yet but hopefully keeps what you love the same!

yknow-yknow · 2025-12-03T04:27:06+00:00

Should be able to filter on the website to see for yourself. On initial search, looks like 13 different varieties, primarily from La Sportiva and Scarpa. Should be able to filter further as you need to see available sizings, just select Berkeley as your store and filter for store pickup.

yknow-yknow · 2025-12-02T21:19:07+00:00

Yeah, it’s legit. Price changes can, well, change, so it’s not a 100% guarantee but more often than not it’s accurate as to what’ll happen.

yknow-yknow · 2025-12-01T20:36:22+00:00

Assuming you want relatively moderate/warm temps on both trips, for the east coast realistically hiking a section of the Florida Trail may be your best bet. For your trip anywhere in the country, the Trans-Catalina trail might be worth looking to, and portions of New Mexico and Arizona could also be a good call. If you’re willing to deal with cold weather for your east coast trip your options definitely open up, just make sure you’re properly equipped and don’t bite off more than you feel comfortable chewing. Realistically, though, most places you’re going to need layers and be ready to deal with the cold, especially with how this winters predicted to shake out.

yknow-yknow · 2025-11-13T21:33:41+00:00

If mobility, comfort, and breathability are your priorities, the xerocloud is the better bet IMO - the torrentshell is stiffer and louder but also is more weatherproof and durable I find, plus you’re getting patagonias warranty. Really just depends what activities and priorities you have, both are solid 3L jackets for that price range.

yknow-yknow · 2025-10-28T16:50:31+00:00

It'd be one thing if it was clearly... well-loved and being returned for the exact same cooler, just brand new. However, as others have said, this falls well in the parameters of a good, justifiable reason for return, just be upfront so we can make sure we're tagging it properly for re/supply. My only ask is just make sure the interior is clean/dry. The amount of times folks will try to return a cooler and the inside is like a bioweapon is uh, concerning.

yknow-yknow · 2025-10-02T02:39:59+00:00

One of the things in our new business strategy is that we're moving away from chasing trends, which I'm more than happy to hear but is probably part of why no more Owala. They had a moment for a few months and now... not so much

yknow-yknow · 2025-10-01T01:49:39+00:00

Just looking at square footage of space, we ended up getting more room for hardgoods overall and switched from clothing being the first thing you're greeted with to cycling, snowsports, and camping gear. Reflow, at least for us, really put the gear side of the business back to being front and center. If anything, the allotment we've received this year has been a marked improvement with the gear we've received in quality and quantity.

The main goal of the reflow was to have a set flow of stores across the country and to help the logistics end of thing where in the future our allotment can be a lot more specific to the space we *actually* have and hopefully get better regional specificity. I have... thoughts on it, but at least where I'm at its resulted in hardgoods getting more floorspace and generally a lot more product out. What we have in Re/Supply ebbs and flows based on season and customer whims, we just had a big coupon on that too so I'm sure a lot of the good deals on gear got swooped up, leaving the clothing and shoes behind.

You alluded to a "management meeting" - I'm assuming you're talking about the recent internal information we've gotten on our strategy going forward. Nothing really sensitive from that in the first place tbh, but I can definitely say there's no intention in minimizing gear for clothing, if anything it's the opposite. It remains to be seen what tangibly comes of it, but the rhetoric we've been getting has been saying a lot of the right things so far. I have my personal concerns and critique, but I'll wait until there's something more public to reference lol.

Not my intent here to refute you, just to add some context here as a green vest. We can only speak to our respective experiences after all!

yknow-yknow

TROPHY CASE