When I first wrote about how I save money on outdoor gear back in late 2023, I never imagined how far that strategy would take me. Fast forward to today—after years of careful shopping, stacking discounts, and watching for the right deals—I’ve officially reached a major milestone: my 500th REI transaction.
📊 The Numbers So Far
Since 2019, I’ve purchased $17,292.00 worth of outdoor gear from REI. My total out-of-pocket cost (after taxes) comes to $5,087.10. That’s an overall 72% savings across six years of steady, intentional purchases.
Here’s how it breaks down:
- Coupons: $5,562.42
- Gift Cards: $5,780.24
- REI Rewards: $1,921.66
- Merchandise Credit: $69.16
Those numbers include every purchase, return, and gift card redemption since I began tracking in 2019. The process hasn’t changed much—just sharpened over time.
🧭 Refining the Strategy
My original article, How I Save Over 60% on Outdoor Gear at REI, laid the foundation: stack coupons, wait for sales, and leverage REI’s generous return policy. Then came Shopping Smart, where I explored used gear and manager markdowns, and REI Purchase Strategy Update, where I broke the $6,000 savings barrier. Now, I’ve passed $12,000 in total discounts and rewards combined.
Over the past year, I’ve continued to improve the same methods—tightening the timing, streamlining my records, and expanding into a few additional online programs that offer free gift cards. The core principles remain the same; I’ve just learned to execute them better. These are the steady habits that make the difference:
- Timing Purchases: I continue syncing my Discover Cashback and Microsoft Rewards redemptions with major REI sales for maximum leverage.
- Used Gear: The REI Re/Supply section remains a gold mine when you’re patient and know what you’re looking for.
- REI Mastercard: That extra 5% on co-op purchases adds up more quickly than people think.
- Ask: I go visit my local store often, look for deals, and ask when upcoming sales are on the calendar. The staff is quick to share. If you don't have a local store, you can always chat with their online customer service crew for the same information.
- Discipline: I stick to my list and wait for deals rather than impulse buying. It’s the long game that pays off.
🛠️ Why This Matters
Gear is capability—or more accurately, gear that you have with you and know how to use is capability. A good tent, stove, or rain shell can make the difference between comfort and crisis. Getting those items at a major discount means I can equip more areas of life: home, car, camping, urban go-bag, get-home bag, ditch bag—all without overspending but also with redundancy built in. I don’t need to re-pack any bag in an emergency; it’s ready to go. I just review and refresh on a schedule.
🎯 The 500th Purchase
When I noticed that my purchase count was sitting at 499, I figured I might as well do one more to
Besides, I just dropped nearly $400 after tax on a White Duck Rover Scout Tent (8'×13')—still saved a bundle there; you can review the details here.
The 500th item: Metolius FS Mini II Carabiner (black) — retail $7.95, purchased at “retail” price but paid entirely with gift cards, including free delivery.
Nothing flashy—just practical. A carabiner that cost me nothing out of pocket and checked one more box on the list. Every prepper can appreciate that.
Disclosure: This link is provided for reader reference only. It is not an affiliate link and I receive no compensation if you make a purchase.
Some Issues with Microsoft Right Now
Since late July 2025, the Microsoft Rewards program has failed to deliver the REI gift cards as they advertise. This is not a reflection on REI, but on Microsoft. They still show the program available but do not provide the gift cards. The message I receive back is a generic apology. My Microsoft points still exist in my account and I could apply them to something else, but it’s disappointing that a company the size of Microsoft, which is supposed to be a technology-based, web-savvy company, is not capable of fixing this issue after nearly three months.
Hey Microsoft--fix this, it looks really bad for you.
🚀 Looking Ahead
My next goal: reach $20,000 retail value with under $6,000 total out-of-pocket by the end of 2026. I’ll keep tracking the data, sharing insights, and proving that preparedness doesn’t have to be expensive—it just requires discipline and a good spreadsheet.
Here’s to the next 500 purchases—and the adventures they’ll enable.
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