REI slashes summer gear prices by up to 70% in outlet sale

REI is discounting summer gear by as much as 70% on outlet items, including shorts, trail sandals and backpacks, as the co-op leans harder on off-price markdowns to move seasonal inventory before warm-weather demand fades.

The pricing push fits a pattern. REI ran a Labor Day sale from August 22 through September 1, 2025, with up to 30% off and extra member savings on selected outlet items. Its Fourth of July promotions have also deepened, from up to 40% off clearance in 2024 to up to 50% off clearance, sale and REI Outlet gear in 2026. The company has used its biggest tentpole event, the Anniversary Sale, to anchor the calendar as well: the 2025 edition ran May 16-26 and marked 87 years of outfitting members and the outdoor community, while the 2026 sale ran May 15-25 and covered more than 6,000 products.

For shoppers, the appeal has been the breadth of the discounting. REI’s outlet assortment has featured brands including Patagonia, Hoka, Osprey, Brooks and Merrell, with some items starting as low as $4 or $7 in later markdowns. REI also relaunched its digital outlet business as REI Garage, replacing REI Outlet with a more focused off-price assortment handpicked by co-op experts.

The cadence of those promotions matters for a discretionary retailer selling gear that is often bought before a trip, a race or the start of school. Repeated sales across the calendar suggest REI is trying to pull purchases forward while households remain price-sensitive and willing to wait for clearance. That is a familiar move in outdoor retail, where summer merchandise can quickly become stale once fall inventory starts to arrive and markdowns become a way to keep cash moving.

REI is making those decisions while managing labor tensions of its own. In July 2025, the company and a coalition of union locals from UFCW and RWDSU agreed to establish a national bargaining structure for the 11 unionized REI stores. Workers at those certified stores later voted 98.5% against ratifying the contract proposal, a reminder that the co-op’s pricing strategy and its operating pressures are unfolding at the same time.

The result is a retailer relying on frequent promotions, member perks and a sharper outlet model to compete for late-summer dollars. For a company built around outdoor seasons, the discount calendar has become nearly as important as the product calendar.