Have been to this REI a couple dozen times. Everytime I am there I am always asked if I need any help and when I do have a gear question or concern they always seem to have someone on staff who can actually answer my question. I had a backpack question and the guy actually gave me his cell # and agreed to bring in his personal pack the following day to let me try it on to see if I liked it better then the one they had in stock. I REALLY appreciate people going the extra mile for things like that especially when your about to drop $400 on a backpack. 5 stars REI