My friend Steve told me that I would love REI. Was he ever right! The store has rows and rows of incredible camping and outdoor sporting supplies, and the customer service is excellent. Tom, in the photo above, patiently guided me down the aisles, carefully explaining the merchandise at hand. I had told him about my pack light concept and blog so he was well aware of my need for practical and well-made products that would take up little space in my suitcase. They were out of the GoToobs that Steve had bought for me, but they had plenty of other travel containers to consider. I ended up buying a light-weight expandable bag that folds up into its own 3-inch pouch as well as a package of paper toilet seat covers. As a first time shopper to REI I really was pleasantly overwhelmed. I will definitely return to report on other must-have "packlightables."
