I had a complicated question about hiking boots. Christy in shoes gave me great advice, made sure I didn't get something that wouldn't have worked for me and came up with a perfect solution. She even went and got a product from the back that store doesn't carry (it was a return from a web order) so I could check it out. There's a lot of high tech gear out there for hiking and backpacking but anyone who's spent a lot of time on the trail knows that your boots are the most important. I'll certainly keep getting mine at REI.