Last edited by Mags; 10-04-2013 at 12:47. Reason: :)
Keep the Deva. Its a good pack and you will find use for it again even if as a loner to a friend that might want to do a hike with you. Or sell it online if that doesnt work for you. But don't return it.
Spend the 150-200 on a pack that suits your upcoming needs. You have obviously considered that returning it may be questionable so just buy a new pack and sleep better.
I'm going to be the odd man out and make a suggestion no one seems ready to make:
I've heard it argued that hiking the AT is just a series of multi-day hikes. Since you love this 5.5lb pack for your current hikes, why not just skip the moral dilemma and plan on using this pack you so "love"? Go a head and start loading up on the other gear you're going to need. You can always come back and change your mind about the pack at a later date. After all:
1. You're not talking about changing the size of your pack.
2. If you are indeed still under the old return policy, then you can return it a year from now just as well as you can tomorrow.
(And if you're not under the old return policy, then too much time has already passed for you to return it anyway).
It's not a guarrantee to be free of defects, it's a satisfaction guarantee. After a reasonable amount of use he was no longer satisfied. That's the policy (recently time limited for good reason), which amounts to a contract.Originally Posted by Old Hiker
"It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how." ---Dr. Seuss
I'm thru-hiking this year too. I have the same pack and have seriously been considering returning it as well... I love the pack and the suspension, so I've been trying to get my weight down in other places first. I was looking at other packs such as Osprey but just can't compare it to the Gregory so the weight difference is just not worth it. If I were you I would go find the pack you want, and if you really do love it more, then don't feel guilty for returning the Deva. When I was trying my pack at REI the sales associate pretty much told me straight up that it was OK to return the pack after a few trips if I wasn't happy.
I went through something like this a few years ago, before the policy change.
In 06, I bought a pair of Vasque Breezes. Great boots. Then, 2-3 years later, my feet grew 2 sizes. Obviously, can't wear the boots anymore. They were scuffed, but in decent shape. I thought it was a stretch to return them, even with the policy in place. I obviously used them, and was satisfied for a while. I sold them on ebay for about 75% what I paid for them.
Somehow I don't think the OP meant for a discussion about capitalism and moral relativism to come out of this discussion. You all sounds like Freshmen who took their first philosophy course. "This is way deep man!"
From the op:
Would it be wrong to return it for these reasons even though I love it?
She is discussing if it is wrong to return a freakin' pack to REI in light of the return policy. Not how capitalism is destroying us or if "Morality IS emphatic."
Cripe.
Keep it on track.
Last edited by Mags; 10-04-2013 at 12:47.
Paul "Mags" Magnanti
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The true harvest of my life is intangible...a little stardust caught,a portion of the rainbow I have clutched -Thoreau
Forgive me if this has been covered. REI has recently changed their return policies. It is not as liberal as it once was which was one of the reasons why I always gave REI high marks for customer service in this regard. I recently had two high end apparel torso pieces w/the REI tags still attached in unused condition. They were both too small. The gifter bought these pieces with cash and not under a REI Members account. REI would not even allow me to exchange these pieces for a larger size or offer me a Merchandise Credit because I had no receipt. I understand businesses need to protect themselves from unreasonable or fraudulent returns however I thought my recent REI return experiences have led me to shop elsewhere more often!
REI buyer beware!
No receipt? That's standard practice. Those items could have stolen for all REI knows.
I've never ever been banana'ed before, It sort of felt good in a weird way
Your experience would likely have been the same even before REI changed their policy. If you have no proof of purchase, REI is not obligated to honor an exchange or a refund. Otherwise, it would be far too easy for someone to lift something off the shelves, march back to the customer service desk, and return the stolen item for cash/credit. I've actually caught people doing this. More than once.
People also buy stuff at attic sales and try to return the items for full price. Most stores will mark attic sale items in some way to deter this from happening.
It's people like these that you can thank for the change in REI's return policy...
The guy that wanted to return a bike that he'd owned and ridden for years because he moved and no longer had space to store it in his new place.
A woman who tried to return several pairs of padded bike shorts that she'd obviously used. Without underwear. And didn't bother to wash them before trying to return them.
Another woman who bought 3 $350 tents because the school she worked at needed them for a single overnight. She tried to claim they were unused, but when I pulled them out of the bag, they were covered with leaves and dirt. (Our store rented comparable tents to the public.)
Another couple -- with $10,000+ in purchases on their account -- who came in on a Saturday morning with no less than 6 shopping bags full of clothes that were so old and worn that you couldn't even read the labels. They were cleaning out their closet and no longer had use for the clothes and expected a refund.
Or the guy that bought a Thule car top bike rack set up and had it installed by us on a Friday only to return it the following Monday when his weekend bike trip was done.
you left to walk the appalachian trail
you can feel your heart as smooth as a snail
the mountains your darlings
but better to love than have something to scale
-Girlyman, "Hold It All At Bay"
Ah yes, the old Friday night cocktail party dress return on Saturday scheme. Complete with tags of course. (that's not a wine stain)
"Hiking is as close to God as you can get without going to Church." - BobbyJo Sargent aka milkman Sometimes it's nice to take a long walk in THE FOG.
....................
Last edited by Rasty; 10-04-2013 at 15:24.
This obviously was NOT the situation and I have returned things in the past without a receipt or proof of purchase for a Gift Card or even exchange. NO, this is a change in return policy by REI! I was informed of such by the Customer Service Mngr. Again, what I was asking was simply an even exchange to a larger size. The apparel was brand new this fall's version unworn with the REI tags still attached and the items would in all most likelihood have had electronic security devices attached to avoid unscrupulous returns. I will strongly consider going elsewhere with my gear purchases considering REI's new return policy.
Someone has already explained why REI changed its return policy. It's because too many people abused it. Even LL Beans is asking now for receipts when you want to return something. It's unfortunate that LL Beans existed with this policy for decades, then within the last five years has had to change it, REI too. It's because many people feel that morality is whatever benefits them at the moment. That absolves them from having to do the right thing.
When you hear that little voice in your head telling you not to do something, that's your conscience. Listen to it. It's what distinguish you from everything else on earth.
I worked at REI in customer service. This was our policy back in 2005, when I started working there, and it still stands today. The customer service specialist can -- at her/his discretion -- honor an even exchange, but REI is not obligated to unless the customer has proof of purchase, either in the form of a receipt or on their member purchase history. I am pretty sure that the customer service manager was just using the "new policy" to enforce their position. It's easier to blame it on the "new policy" than to explain that it's been their policy all along and no one's really enforced it with you until now.
The only items REI routinely puts electronic security devices on are things like electronics and Arcteryx and North Face jackets.
you left to walk the appalachian trail
you can feel your heart as smooth as a snail
the mountains your darlings
but better to love than have something to scale
-Girlyman, "Hold It All At Bay"
Cutting stuff out would vary depending on what you take out, and it's ounces, not pounds. For me it was more about getting all the kinda useless stuff out of the way. So many extra straps and buckles and things. I did take out the mesh pocket dividers in the side pockets. Getting along just fine without it all.
"Your comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there."
Same thing happens with prom dresses, from what I understand. So much so that some stores don't do returns on prom dresses.
Please don't read my blog at theosus1.Wordpress.com
"I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. Thank God for Search and Rescue" - Robert Frost (first edit).
This is precisely what I have been thinking about all day today! As I look at other packs I wonder if their lighter weight will make up for how amazing the Deva is. I love that I can access the main compartment three different ways and I like that the side pockets are zippered. The kangaroo pockets are way too small, but that's neither here nor there.
Ultimately I have decided to bring my backpack and all of my backpacking gear to REI this weekend. I'm going to see if they'll let me shove my stuff into different backpacks. I want to see how accessible the other packs are and how easy it is to get to my gear. If any of them can make it past that stage then I'll cruise around the store for an hour with the weighted pack and see how it feels. If I like the pack, then I will explain my situation to the salesperson and see what they say. If they tell me, "Nah, you really shouldn't return it," then I won't. If they say, "Heck yeah! No problem!" then I will return it. It's their policy and their profits so I'll leave it up to them.
They will probably let you return it. But you should emphasize that the pack is really too heavy for your needs and not that you want to 'trade up.'
you left to walk the appalachian trail
you can feel your heart as smooth as a snail
the mountains your darlings
but better to love than have something to scale
-Girlyman, "Hold It All At Bay"
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