what about rei

highdesertranger

Adventurer
well looking though the clothing threads i saw alot of people saying how good rei is. well i joined rei in the early 70s and stayed a member until around 2005. that's when i looked into the groups they donate money to, anybody here like to hunt, or maybe go 4 wheeling, or maybe prospecting. well if you are buying rei your giving money to groups who are trying to stop these activities and many other outdoor uses. btw patagonia, and other companies do the same. i am trying to buy my gear smarter nowadays. highdesertranger
 

keezer37

Explorer
I don't know how you managed to make this about REI. You could just have easily made it about Amazon or any number of stores selling outdoor gear. Cabela's sells some of these brands and they sell guns, now what?
Furthermore, their support can be interpreted as protecting the industry they serve. You know, where they make their money.

I love the outdoors. I want to see God's great creation not man's mess. If I just wanted to off road, I'd go to an off road park. Mud is mud. I like to get out and walk. That's right, I said walk. You cannot experience the beauty of nature from behind a steering wheel. I always have and always will, tread lightly.
 

LandCruiserPhil

Expedition Leader
REI is a great place to shop, they have everything, then I go home and order off the internet. I love the looks I get when I pull up in my fitted Land Cruiser. %$#* REI
 

Christophe Noel

Expedition Leader
I will always support the environmental ethos within organizations like Patagonia. I may not always agree with their projects, but the alternatve of supporting organizations that want all protections of natural resources to be contested seems ridiculous. As is true with all things, moderation is the ideal goal. Campaigning to have all the gates opened is a silly as campaigning to have all the gates closed.

There's also been much hyperbole and posturing based on unfounded accusations against some of these organizations. But, misinformation is a fun thing and can be bent to your intended purpose as long as no one checks the facts.
 

nuclearlemon

Adventurer
i refuse to support companies that pretend to support the outdoors while trying to shut down a lot of recreationalists. rei, patagonia, teva, camelback...they all are off my list.
 

nuclearlemon

Adventurer
I love the outdoors. I want to see God's great creation not man's mess. If I just wanted to off road, I'd go to an off road park. Mud is mud. I like to get out and walk. That's right, I said walk. You cannot experience the beauty of nature from behind a steering wheel. I always have and always will, tread lightly.

well, i'm glad you think everyone should enjoy ohv's in an off road park. let me know when you find a park with enough land to "expedition" in. remember, this sight is for those of us that enjoy four wheeling, hiking, biking, two wheeling for days with no contact. you will never get that in a park. besides....once they shut public land down, do you really think they won't try to stop wheeling on private land too?
 

Mel.Specs

Adventurer
i refuse to support companies that pretend to support the outdoors while trying to shut down a lot of recreationalists. rei, patagonia, teva, camelback...they all are off my list.

:mad: Add these companies to the list:
Adobe Systems, Inc.
Aerojet
Aetna
American Express
Ameriprise Financial
Amgen
Anheuser Busch
Bank Of America
Bank of New York
Bank of the West
Black & Decker
Boeing
Bristol Myers Squibb
Chevron
Coca-Cola
Expedia, Inc.
Exxon Mobil
GE
Glaxo Smith Kline
GMAC Financial Services
Goldman, Sachs & Co.
Google
Greater Horizons
Honeywell International
Houston Endowment, Inc.
HSBC
IBM
Johnson & Johnson
JustGive.org
Levi Strauss
Lexis Nexis
Macy’s
Markel Corp.
Merced Systems, Inc.
Merrill Lynch & Co.
Microsoft
National Semiconductor
Nestlé
Pepsico
Pfizer
Progressive Insurance
SAP
Sage Publications, Inc.
State Farm
T. Rowe Price
TPG Capital, L.P.
Tyco Electronics
United Technologies
The Vanguard Group, Inc.
Verizon
Yahoo! Inc.
 

Christophe Noel

Expedition Leader
remember, this sight is for those of us that enjoy four wheeling, hiking, biking, two wheeling for days with no contact.
Yes, and many of us are still very pleased we have national parks, protected wilderness areas and other protected lands. I have yet to even scratch the surface of what's available to me with or without wheels. There's ample land for both wheeled, and non-wheeled travel.
 

sisu

Adventurer
There are companies that support closing down areas so only certain user groups can "play" there, that I don't agree with. Been a member of REI for a coons age and an employee of them, Mountain Safety Research back in South Park days when Larry Penberthy and Ray Coulter (could be Colter also I Don't remember) both companies were active in the recreation business. Both companies were trying to raise awareness of land use. What I don't like is businesses using their power to try and stop fishing, & hunting on public lands. The danger we all run into is looking at one user group and saying: wow we need to control that or stop that. Remember it only starts with one and then another to lock up e very thing.
 

Christophe Noel

Expedition Leader
Anyone who thinks companies like Patagonia are out to shut down "wheelers" is just daft. Patagonia, just as one example has walked the talk. They have invested millions in projects to revive salmon habitat, remove unnecessary dams, address the crisis of decreasing fresh water for the world's population, and much more. They haven't singled out users like "wheelers" and threatened their recreational outlet. Patagonia has a wide sweeping set of projects they pursue not just to make the environment a better, more sustainable and protected place, they extend those practices to improve the lives of humans around the globe. Their manufacturing ethos is also the EXACT model for what many overlanders here are constantly clammering for. Well paid indiginous tradesmen, using local sustainable resources, getting paid fair wages.

Patagonia has a little too much oovy, groovy hippiness for some people, but I for one will forever champion their brand. I dont assume all overlanders are short-haired hippies like me. Don't assume all of us are hopeful that some day wheels will win and get to go where ever they want.

Not saying you should rush out and buy some Patagonia surf shorts. Just saying you probably shouldn't paint all envirnomentally inclined companies with the same brush.
 

762X39

Explorer
this sight is for those of us that enjoy four wheeling, hiking, biking, two wheeling for days with no contact.
No I disagree with you on this statement. I am human and a social animal (not unlike my dog). I like seeing people on my travels and some of our best trips into the "bush" have been the ones where we met nice people, shared stories, supplies, meals or just information (come to think of it, our trips anywhere were made memorable because of people). Yeah sometimes it was because we stopped someplace and caught a nice fish or had a nice campfire or even had a nice meal but if it were not for the people, the trips would not have been as memorable.:coffee:
 
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theksmith

Explorer
I love the outdoors. I want to see God's great creation not man's mess. If I just wanted to off road, I'd go to an off road park. Mud is mud. I like to get out and walk. That's right, I said walk. You cannot experience the beauty of nature from behind a steering wheel. I always have and always will, tread lightly.

I too support Tread Lightly. However, Tread Lightly is not only about responsible and ethical use of our outdoor resource. The organization is also a champion of shared and equal access. Your comments come across with a decidedly anti-OHV tone.

To insinuate that everyone offroading is destroying god's creation is disingenuous. I've seen public land trashed by irresponsible people from every single niche group you can imagine. The people that are heavily involved in an outdoor community or club, regardless of the type, are not often the ones destroying things. The fault more often lies with the uneducated casual public land user (both motorized and non).

Public land should be enjoyed by everyone, not just those that want to walk. That's right, you have to share with ATV riders, equestrian enthusiasts, 4x4 people, mountain bikers, shooters and hikers. Do I like riding through horse ********? No. But I'll defend their right to use the same land I enjoy hiking, ATVing and Jeeping on because that's the fair thing to do.


I will always support the environmental ethos within organizations like Patagonia. I may not always agree with their projects, but the alternatve of supporting organizations that want all protections of natural resources to be contested seems ridiculous. As is true with all things, moderation is the ideal goal. Campaigning to have all the gates opened is a silly as campaigning to have all the gates closed.

The undeniable fact is that environmental groups, including the radical ones, are more organized and more effective at lobbying than the entire OHV world. Therefore I'm not dying to spend money to support any environmental group except Tread Lightly. I'd much rather give money to the very few groups fighting for equal access to public resources such as the Blue Ribbon Coalition.

As you said, moderation is the key. However since the current tilt seems to be towards "having all the gates closed", we need to do all we can to fight for balance.


I don't advocate running out and boycotting anyone based on a single action, nor without doing your own research (since there is so much misinformation). However, you can watch over time and see if a company exhibits a pattern of behavior and association that you don't want to support.


Not long ago I posed the question on our forums of who is anti-OHV? I didn't get many responses since I asked for just the facts. It seems the answer, as with much of life, is "it's complicated".
 

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