I love REI. The place is like paradise, like a candy store. Given my recent return to the great sport of mountain bike riding, I found myself there this afternoon. I had bought an American made climbing rope there before the holidays. So I assumed there would be some American made bikes and bike products there. With no less 43 gorgeous mountain or road bikes displayed beautifully in the store, I got that feeling one gets when they're about to buy something brand new.
  Cannondale = China  REIs house brand, Novara= Taiwan.
  Ok. There ARE bikes available of American manufacture so i wont cry or preach here. That's not what this log is for. I figured while I was there I could get some riding gloves or a Camelbak. Man we don't manufacture shit in this country! Of the more than thirty choices in gloves, none of American manufacture. The best Camelbak could do? Assembled in America with imported materials.
  There, at the king of all adventure goods stores, I was struck with a question. Is there any benefit to me buying only American made goods? I mean, if Americans en masse started buying only American made goods, a lot of stores like my precious REI would be in real trouble. Aren't I trying to help the American economy at large? What's the point?
   Pause.
   The point is, we could use a trend. A trend of citizens going into retail stores and leaving empty handed BECAUSE they could not find goods of American manufacture. Just a trend. A trend of people politely telling sales associates "I love everything about it, but it's not made in the USA." A slow smoldering trend. And when upper management and corporate ask employees at the store level what has happened to the numbers, as they are wont to do. They'll learn about the trend. In the great words of Fugazi, "It's not what they're selling, it's what you're buying."  



   One item I did find at REI, a bite valve for my Camelbak. $4.00