As many of my US readers will be aware, the Labor Day sales are now in full swing. It’s a great opportunity to pick up wishlist hiking and backpacking gear at heavily reduced prices.
Over the last few days, I’ve been scouring the web for the best deals from REI and a few other companies I’ve regularly used, including Cascade Designs, Sea to Summit, and Backcountry. I’ve either carried all of the discounted items listed below myself or hiked with folks who have.
Unless otherwise noted, the sales listed below run until Monday, September 7 (Labor Day). I’ll start with links to the storewide sales, followed by deals on specific hiking and backpacking brands at REI.
As always, if you have any questions about the gear, please let me know in the comments below.
Storewide Sales
- REI.com – Members, save an EXTRA 20% on one REI Outlet item with code LABORDAY26, thru 9/7.
- Backcountry.com – Up to 60% off equipment, clothing, and more.
- Cascade Designs – Save 25% off MSR stoves and tents, and Therm-a-rest sleeping pads, sleeping bags and quilts.
- Campsaver – Save 20% off one full-priced item and 20% off any item in the OUTLET. Ends 9/7.
- Sea to Summit – 25% off sitewide including dry bags, sleeping pads, and sleeping bags (and their excellent camp pillows).
Cowboy camping with the Therm-a-rest NeoAir XTherm (and the Katabatic Sawatch 15) on Peru’s Ausangate Circuit (2017) (Note: Both items are still going strong in 2026).
REI Labor Day Deals by Brand
- Altra: 25% off Altra Lone Peak Trail Running shoes
- Arcade: 25% off belts (I often use the Atlas model when hiking in pants)
- Big Agnes: 25% off select tents (including the Copper Spur and Tiger Wall) and sleeping pads.
- Darn Tough: 25% off socks
Wearing an earlier model of the Altra Lone Peaks during a traverse of the Arthur’s Range in Southwest Tasmania.
- Exped: 25% off Sleeping Pads
- Garmin inReach Satellite Communicator: $50 off the Mini 3 and Mini 3 Plus
- Katadyn: 25% off Filters & Water Treatment Systems. Includes the excellent Steripen Ultra UV Water Purifier, which I used extensively during a recent multi-month trip in the Nepal Himalaya.
Getting a weather update with the Garmin inReach while riding out a storm in the Nepal Himalaya (April, 2026). Pretty sure it called for more snow.
- KEEN Footwear: 25% off sports sandals, trail runners, and hiking boots.
- KUHL: 25% to 50% off selected clothing items (including the very comfortable Renegade Rock pants)
- La Sportiva: 25% off trail running shoes and hiking boots (my long-time favorites are the Ultra Raptor, Akasha, and as of a few months ago, the noticeably roomier and more cushioned, Prodigio Max).
Wearing the La Sportiva Ultra Raptors on a 15 day hike in Alaska’s Brooks Range (2021).
- Leki: 25% off trekking poles
- Marmot: 25% off sleeping bags (including my old favorite, Helium 15, which I used on the PCT in 2007)
- Merrell: 25% off selected trail running shoes and boots
- MSR Gear: 25% on select tents, camping stoves, filters, and last but not least, Groundhog tent stakes.
Crossing the Salar de Uyuni in Merrell Moab’s during the Altiplano Traverse (2017).
Justin “Trauma” Lichter with his Leki trekking poles during the Copper Canyon Traverse (2013).
- NEMO: 25% off sleeping bags, tents, and sleeping pads (not so sure about the sleeping bags, but I have a couple of buddies that swear by the Hornet Tent and Tensor sleeping pad).
- Osprey: 25% off selected backpacks (packs of choice for sweaty-backed hikers for decades)
- Platypus: 25% off filters and bladders
- Prana: 25% off Stretch Zion pants (l generally prefer the lighter OR Ferrosi’s for hiking, but for travel, going out, and/or hiking in dry and cold conditions I’ll often opt for the Zion’s)
Platypus and Smart Water convention – prepping for traverse of South Dakota’s Badlands National Park (2016).
- REI Co-op Brand (may not be the lightest items, but almost always well-made, durable, and very good value for money)
Yours truly in the REI Sahara Shirt with a fully loaded Mountain Laurel Designs Burn 38L / Continental Divide Trail, 12 Long Walks, 2012. Believe it or not, the shirt is still going strong(ish) some 14 years later.
- Sea to Summit: 25% off sleeping bags
- Sea to Summit: 25% off dry bags
- Sea to Summit: 25% off sleeping pads
- Therm-a-rest: 25% off sleeping pads (All I’ve used since the 90’s. Models have included the Z-Lite, Ridgerest, ProLite, NeoAir XLite, and NeoAir XTherm).
Therm-a-rest NeoAir XLite (top/center) as part of my backpacking kit for Iceland (2023).
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means The Hiking Life may earn a small commission if you purchase an item after clicking one of the links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps pay the bills to keep the site running. Thanks for your support!
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