Foo - Outdoor shops in Seattle?

Hey all, I'm looking for recommendations for a good outdoors shop in Seattle, specifically near Seattle University.

My sister lives there, and I'm looking at getting her a gift certificate to a good local shop. She's into hiking, backpacking, and ultimate frisbee. She has a bike, but I'm pretty sure it's mostly for transportation, so a bike-specific shop may not be the best option. Sorry!

I'd like to avoid the yuppie shops who sell %95 outdoor fashion (ie: NorthFace), but instead find a shop that sells useful outdoor gear, at somewhat reasonable prices. Also, I definitely want to go local, so no Dicks, MC, REI or EMS.

Any input is appreciated, so let's hear it! :D

REI is local. It's based in Seattle.

REI is local. It's based in Seattle.

Hmm, learn something new every day. Any other suggestions?

Not in my manner usually to flame anyone ...........however

REI is a coop owned by members who are returned a dividend each year depending on amount purchased, You will be hard pressed to find any of the name companies who don't give excellent value for price charged, the price may be more than you can afford, but that hardly means the company is overcharging nor making huge profits.
North Face may in your eyes be a YUPPIE company but their gear is first rate, as is Colombia,Gore-Tex,Patagonia, Vasque,Mountain Hardware, and many others
Spend a few bux for a copy of Backpacker Mag, they test equipment every issue, I have purchased based on those tests and climb, bike, hike and camp.
Why not send her the cash instead, she lives in Seattle? she would prob know exactly where and what she wants to buy

REI wouldn't be on the 100 best places to work in the USA if it was mediochre

The REI headquarters store in downtown Seattle is a fun place to go and is pretty close to Seattle U. It's local. Their original founding store was on 11th and Pike on Capitol Hill about 2 blocks from SU.

Not in my manner usually to flame anyone ...........however

REI is a coop owned by members who are returned a dividend each year depending on amount purchased, You will be hard pressed to find any of the name companies who don't give excellent value for price charged, the price may be more than you can afford, but that hardly means the company is overcharging nor making huge profits.
North Face may in your eyes be a YUPPIE company but their gear is first rate, as is Colombia,Gore-Tex,Patagonia, Vasque,Mountain Hardware, and many others
Spend a few bux for a copy of Backpacker Mag, they test equipment every issue, I have purchased based on those tests and climb, bike, hike and camp.
Why not send her the cash instead, she lives in Seattle? she would prob know exactly where and what she wants to buy

REI wouldn't be on the 100 best places to work in the USA if it was mediochre

I'll give you some background info. For the last 10 years I've lived in the Detroit suburbs, now I live in Bloomington, IN. Many of the "outdoor shops" near me seem to sell everything required to make people "look" like they are outdoorsy, but often don't carry even the most essential gear. Instead they focus on clothing like fleeces, fancy boots, cashmier gloves/scarfs, bookbags with carribeners (sp?), more fleeces; usually from brands like Northface, Columbia and Patagonia. Mountain HW, Montrail, Vasque, MSR and others typically don't "*****" themselves out to the city slickers as much, focusing mostly on gear, not fashion.

My point is, I want a shop that actually sells useful gear, as opposed to just fashion apparel. Also, I wanted to do something local, or even better a small business. I like supporting the little guys, so does my sister. At the same time; she doesn't make a bunch of money, so she'll try to maximize the gift certificate, as would any thrifty person. Probably no NorthFace for her. So any help is appreciated.

Another vote for REI. It is a fantastic store. If she's into climbing, you could maybe buy some passes for her to climb the wall so she's got a place to go in the winter months.

Koffee

for her taste you can not go wrong with REI there isn't really much out here except outdoor places that specialize in fishing and hunting. REI is a very local company and I bet sh will be thrilled with a gift certificate from there. Koffee I think the wall is free to climb its is very popular so there is usually a wait..

edit: checking their website it does cost $5 includes shoes and helmet

Yeah... you could also give her a membership to REI if she doesn't have one, and she can climb the wall for free. Otherwise, for non-members, it's 5 bucks.

Koffee

REI in seattle rocks. There are 3? floors of outdoor stuff If I remember correctly, a short outdoor MTB loop to test ride MTB bikes, a room where you can try on rain gear and they spray you with water...all in downtown seattle.

REI in seattle rocks. There are 3? floors of outdoor stuff If I remember correctly, a short outdoor MTB loop to test ride MTB bikes, a room where you can try on rain gear and they spray you with water...all in downtown seattle.

There's 4 floors now that they opened up a clearance shop in the basement. REI is the only store I can stay in for more than 20 min without my eyes glazing over :D

There's 4 floors now that they opened up a clearance shop in the basement. REI is the only store I can stay in for more than 20 min without my eyes glazing over :D
ay!

I gotta get back to seattle!

Maybe I'll ride my bike there. Someday.

Ok, fine. I got her an REI gift card. :lol:

Thanks everyone ;)

Not really in the gift catagory, but there's a store called "second ascent" that sells lightly used outdoor gear. They also sponsor a racing team! http://www.secondascent.com/

It's in Ballard, in case your sister doesn't know about it already.