hobart22

thanks for the thoughts. makes sense. I just want to make clear the store is Marmot Mountain Works, I don't know their association with Marmot the company.

My girlfriend bought a Mountain Hardwear Monkey Fur jacket a few months ago and loved it. Unfortunately the fleece became disgusting very quickly. It turns out it was a bad batch of fleece and Mt. Hardwear had her mail it back in (it was originally bought at Marmot, Bellevue and they only allow a 30 day window to return). Mt. Hardwear said they'd replace it, no problem. It turns out they don't have anymore of the jackets to send her a replacement and will only credit her with the cost of the jacket to use towards other mountain hardwear products. She really just wants that jacket and doesn't want to wait a year to get it (or spend another $140). It seems to me that Mountain Hardwear should just give her a refund. Am I just spoiled by REI's return policy? It seems pretty unfair to me.

thanks. I am learning alpine/downhill?. My foot is mens 10.5. I have a friend who will sell me skis and bindings for $25 so now I'm looking for comfortable boots that work relatively well (performance is not a top priority by any means). thanks for everyone's advice!

sorry...seattle

I am learning to ski and looking to get some gear for cheap as I'm a student and don't have a lot of money to spend. A friend will sell me skis and bindings for $25 but I still have to get boots. Is it a good idea to get cheap used ones or should I try to find really cheap new ones? Any ideas where I could find them? Thanks a lot! -seattle

At REI I was told the quality of boots has decreased markedly over the last 5 years as a result of outsourcing. Has this been generally observed?

Scrambled, I'm looking for snow camping/hiking. Sorry for the confusion! I live in seattle. I'd like to do some easy backpacking in the snow, probably on snow shoes. I'd like to gain some experience in the snow before I push it much beyond that. thanks all!

I am looking to do either some winter camping or easy backpacking. Other than bringing addition fuel and warm layers, what is necessary to do this safely? Also, what areas in Western Washington are good to check out? If other messageboards would be more appropriate to post this question on, please let me know! thanks so much