Best of Boston

With its vast selection of gear from backpacks to headlamps, this chain is the most reliable purveyor of everything you need when setting out in the White, Green, or Berkshire mountains. And whether you consider yourself a novice adventurer or an expert trekker, you’ll want to join REI’s Co-op Program: Just $20 is all it takes to unlock discounts on classes and workshops and access to exclusive “garage sales”—for life.