REI Labor Day Sale: 33 Backpacking Deals on Gear We've Carried
Seven tents, seven sleeping pads, six stoves, and three water filters. There’s one category missing.
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August 28, 2026
REI's Labor Day Sale & Clearance runs from Friday, August 28, to September 7, 2026. There are over 1,000 discounted products that a backpacker might actually use. Thirty of them are gear a Treeline writer has carried, tested, and written up in a guide.
Of those 33 picks, seven are shelters, seven are sleeping pads, five are sleeping bags or liners, six are stoves, three are water filters, and three are headlamps. This is a sale if you’re replacing the heavy, expensive, slow-to-wear-out core of your backpacking kit.
And then there's the hole. REI did not discount a single backpacking pack that we have tested. Not the Osprey Exos Pro or Eja Pro, our Best Ventilation winners. Not the REI Co-op Flash 55. Not the Gregory Maven, Osprey Aura AG, Osprey Ariel Plus, or Granite Gear Crown3 from our women's guide. The Osprey packs that are 25% off — Kestrel, Kyte, Stratos, Sirrus, Manta, Mira — are perfectly good packs we haven't put miles on for this guide, so they aren't here.
On the discounts themselves: don't spend energy hunting for the deepest one. Of the 1,000+ products in this category, only 28 are marked down more than 25%, and 44 are marked down less. Nearly everything is a flat quarter off, which means the ranking below is a judgment about gear, not about math.
Late September and October are the best backpacking of the year in a lot of the country — no bugs, easier-to-get permits, no crowds — so this isn't only next-season buying. But it's good next-season buying too: tents, pads, bags, and stoves don't iterate much, don't expire, and don't change size while you own them.
Everything below has been tested by a Treeline writer.
If you’re not an REI member yet, $30 buys a lifetime membership with benefits:
10% member dividend on eligible purchases
free U.S. shipping
extended window for satisfaction guarantee (in most cases, it’s one full year)
member coupons, such as 20% one full-priced item
The Top 30 Backpacking Deals at REI’s Labor Day Sale
Save on Treeline-vetted Gear
| Product | Retail Price | Sale Price | Discount | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 Tent | $599.95 | $449.89 | 25% | $150.06 |
| NEMO Hornet Elite OSMO 1P | $599.95 | $449.89 | 25% | $150.06 |
| Katadyn BeFree AC 1.0 L Water Filter Bottle - Double-Layer | $59.95 | $44.89 | 25% | $15.06 |
| Platypus QuickDraw Filter | $39.95 | $29.89 | 25% | $10.06 |
| REI Co-op Magma 15 | $399.00 | $299.19 | 25% | $99.81 |
| NEMO Disco 30 Men's Women's |
$279.95 | $209.89 | 25% | $70.06 |
| Therm-a-Rest NeoLoft | $249.95 | $187.39 | 25% | $62.56 |
| NEMO Tensor All-Season Pad | $219.95 | $164.89 | 25% | $55.06 |
| MSR Guardian Purifier | $399.95 | $299.89 | 25% | $100.06 |
| NEMO Forte 20 Endless Promise Men's Women's |
$199.95 | $149.89 | 25% | $50.06 |
| Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLITE NXT | $239.95 | $179.89 | 25% | $60.06 |
| MSR WindBurner Duo Stove System | $229.95 | $172.39 | 25% | $57.56 |
| MSR PocketRocket Deluxe Stove | $84.95 | $63.69 | 25% | $21.26 |
| Jetboil Flash 1.0L Cooking System | $144.95 | $108.69 | 25% | $36.26 |
| Sea to Summit Reactor Fleeceweight Liner | $84.95 | $63.69 | 25% | $21.26 |
| Petzl Actik Core Headlamp | $87.95 | $65.89 | 25% | $22.06 |
| Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Dry Bag Set | $69.95 | $52.39 | 25% | $17.56 |
| NEMO Dragonfly OSMO 2P Ultralight Backpacking Tent | $549.95 | $412.39 | 25% | $137.56 |
| BioLite Range 400 Headlamp | $59.95 | $44.89 | 25% | $15.06 |
| Sea to Summit Aeros Ultralight Pillow | $49.95 | $37.39 | 25% | $12.56 |
| Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 Tent | $499.95 | $374.89 | 25% | $125.06 |
| Petzl Tikkina Headlamp | $19.95 | $14.89 | 25% | $5.06 |
| Mountain Hardwear Nimbus UL 1 Tent | $420.00 | $314.99 | 25% | $105.01 |
| REI Co-op Half Dome 2 Tent with Footprint | $329.00 | $197.39 | 40% | $131.61 |
| Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm NXT | $269.95 | $202.39 | 25% | $67.56 |
| REI Co-op Zephyr 25 | $189.00 | $141.69 | 25% | $47.31 |
| MSR WindBurner Duo Stove System | $229.95 | $172.39 | 25% | $57.56 |
| REI Co-op Helix Insulated Air Sleeping Pad | $169.00 | $126.69 | 25% | $42.31 |
| Sea to Summit Ultralight XR Insulated Mat | $149.00 | $111.69 | 25% | $37.31 |
| Jetboil Stash Stove System | $164.95 | $123.69 | 25% | $41.26 |
| MSR WhisperLite International Stove | $159.95 | $119.89 | 25% | $40.06 |
| La Sportiva TX Hike Mid Leather GTX Hiking Boots Men's Women's |
$219.00 | $164.19 | 25% | $54.81 |
| Garmin inReach Mini 3 Plus | $500.00 | $449.99 | 10% | $50.01 |
Read more in our complete REI Labor Day sale coverage
Turn your summer kit into a shoulder-season kit with these gear swaps
FAQ
When does the REI Labor Day Sale start and end?
The sale runs Friday, August 28, through Monday, September 7, 2026 — eleven days, ending on Labor Day. Prices are the same in stores and on rei.com, but some deals are online only.
Why isn't there a single backpack on this list?
Because REI didn't discount one we've tested. This is the most common question we get about sale coverage, and the answer is always the same: we don't fill a category because it looks empty. Our top picks skew toward cottage manufacturers REI doesn't carry, and the two mainstream packs we recommend that REI does carry — the Osprey Exos Pro and Eja Pro — aren't on sale. Buying a pack is also the purchase where fit matters most and price matters least. Go get sized now; buy in November.
Almost everything is exactly 25% off. Is this a good sale for backpacking gear or not?
It's a good sale for specific gear rather than a good sale generally. The flat markdown means a $600 tent saves you $150 and a $20 headlamp saves you $5, so the value is concentrated in the expensive items — shelters, pads, sleeping bags. If your kit needs a new stove or a new pillow, the savings are real but small. If it needs a tent, this is a meaningful moment.
Should I buy now or wait for Black Friday?
Depends what it is. Black Friday is usually deeper on packs, electronics, and apparel. Labor Day is competitive on shelters and sleep systems, and it comes with a full fall season of use attached — a tent bought in November sits in a closet until May. Our rough rule: buy shelter and sleep gear now, wait on packs and anything with a battery in it.
Where are the ultralight brands?
Not at REI, and not in any REI sale. Six Moon Designs, ULA, Zpacks, Hyperlite Mountain Gear, Gossamer Gear, Katabatic, and Feathered Friends all sell direct. They also discount rarely and run long lead times, so the strategy for cottage gear is the opposite of sale-chasing: decide early and order in winter.
Warmer sleeping bag or higher R-value pad — which is the better buy?
I’d go with sleeping pad. You lose far more heat by conduction into the cold ground than by convection into the air, and pads are cheaper to upgrade than bags. Going from an R-4.5 pad to an R-7.3 pad costs about $23 in this sale; the equivalent step up in bag warmth costs about $60. Buy the pad first, sleep on it, and reassess.
Six shelters is a lot. How do I choose?
Roughly: the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 if you want our Best Overall two-person tent and don't mind the price; the NEMO Hornet Elite OSMO if weight is the priority; the REI Half Dome 2 Plus if you want a burlier, cheaper tent that will outlast the ultralight options; the Mountain Hardwear Nimbus UL 1 if you hike alone. Plenty of solo backpackers carry a two-person tent for the elbow room, and at these prices, that's an easy call.
Down or synthetic?
Down is lighter, packs smaller, and lasts longer — and it's useless when soaked. Synthetic keeps some warmth wet and costs less up front. For most three-season backpacking in a dry-ish climate, down wins, which is why the REI Magma 15 is our Best Budget bag. If you backpack in the Pacific Northwest, the Southeast in summer, or anywhere you expect sustained rain, the NEMO Forte 20 is the safer call, and it's on this list too.
