REI has always offered the most complete inventory of high-quality outdoor gear and clothing in Dallas, but the problem in the old days was its location in a place reachable only by an almost inaccessible LBJ Freeway service drive. Now in their second year in a sleek new store on Northwest Highway, across Shady Brook Lane from Half Price Books, REI is easy for most city-dwellers to get to and well worth the effort. Prices are competitive on tents, packs, bags and all kinds of gear for a wide variety of outdoor pursuits from climbing to paddling. You can also spend a fortune here, if you've got one to spend. This is one of those stores where the problem is never finding what you really need. It's finding what you don't really need but buying it because it's cool.
Readers' Pick:
REI