Izzy,

Did you mean the Oregon Mountain Community? (e-omc.com) I couldn't find anything on "Oregon Mountain Co-op". Canada has a Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) but the closest thing to that in the USA is REI.

Thanks for the clarification!
~L

Hey no worries! Your informational tip is great to know! I will be moving to Portland, OR soon and its great to see there will be a local store I can rely on for great gear at a reasonable price.

Cheers,
L

I did SAR in Alaska for 5 years, from 1994 to 1999. I still apply the same techniques to my BOB and Truck bag and my "Man Bag" as I pack and plan for them. They are a little heavier than the average persons bags but mostly they server purposes that most don't think of or even consider why I would need an item.

The thing about SAR here is that I am just confounded trying to find a SAR team at all. The best I found ws the MNSAR Dogs that do K-9 SAR. My town doesn't even have a CERT team!! The best I can get is to become a glorified trafic director.

I had even offered to help with the technical rescue team and well you would have thought I slapped them in the face. LOL teach me to make more money in th IT industry,,, aparently being a geek means that I have no skills to offer the Fire people.

OK, kids, I joined in 1963. I've got a five digit membership number, which is kind of fun to flaunt at the cash register. I have had great experiences with REI over the years, especially the time when we needed an odd size pair of crampons, and REI mailed the crampons, while we simultaneously mailed the check (credit cards had not yet come into use).

They are not what they used to be, when they had low prices and a dividend, but they still can offer a good value, and a huge inventory.

Poseurs are everywhere, and they are the reason that all outdoor gear companies eventually wind up with an extensive line of casual, outdoor-like clothing - Patagonia, North Face - it happens to the best.

There are tax breaks - I could deduct mileage and expenses for missions, training,and meetings, as well as specialized gear purchases. I kept careful track of that stuff.

I was fortunate that my employer had a provision for up to 40 hours administrative leave for charitable organizations per year. That helped when missions ran over into the work week. I was eventually able to get a four day 10 hour work week, Tuesday to Friday, which was nice.

When people see you are for real, they will help..

You have me beat, I joined in 1973, so I have 6 digit number.

Pete

Agreed, I cringe too, but I shop carefully and save my coins and eventually get the appropriate item, whatever it costs. Note I said appropriate, not necessarily expensive.

Story time. Throw another log on the fire...

Two of my climbing buddies and I volunteered to help search for three Boy Scouts gone missing on a local mountain in a ferocious and unseasonal storm. Using snowshoes we were dispatched to a forest service cabin high on the slopes, from which we could reach the summit and determine if they had gotten that far. When we got to the cabins, one of my companions had frost nipped feet, and the other was totally exhausted. I was in relatively good shape, and was able to get a fire going, produce hot liquids and food, etc. The reason for this was my recently purchased, insanely expensive Swiss mountaineering boots which cost me the princely sum of $35. That was a lot of money in the 50s for a college student, but those boots proved their worth. I realized that night, as my friend tucked his frosty feet into my bag for rewarming, that, indeed, expense is in the eye of the beholder. It is just that perspective changes radically when you get into the wilderness. Money doesn't matter there.

The friend who clued me into REI joined about 1959. He has a four digit number.

I believe REI is currently honoring the wife of one of the original founders, still alive and kicking in her 90s.

1987 -- 8 digit membership #, feels like I'm late to the party

Okay, I'll throw my REI card into the mix. BTW, isn't it great when you walk up to the counter and tell the employee you're going to use your REI # and not your phone #.

I got my membership in 1979 and it has 6 digits, Though I would like to petition the moderator for some leeway. I was 9 when I got my card.