Young’s Backpacking & Mountaineering

Very small selection, prices seemed to be about the same as in other stores, and customer service is lacking (and that’s putting it mildly). Neither the old lady or the old man at the cashier station were helpful. Actually the opposite, eventually saw a backpack that interested me a little, and the old lady came over and took it from me. First she asked, «What are you doing?» I replied, «Looking at the backpack.» Then she says, «Is that what you’re looking for?» And I answer, «Yeah, something like it.» Then, when I’m not even done looking at it, she takes it and goes back to her area. WTF. Never had that experience at any store before. And that was pretty much the only contact I had with a store worker/​owner. It wasn’t busy either and the semester just ended which means less foot traffic because people are going back home or going away on trips, so not sure what the rudeness and wierdness was about.
I’m not sure what type of customer service they practice, but I won’t be back. When shopping for backpacks and messenger bags, I’ll stick with North Face, Nordstrom, and Sports Basement (which has a bigger store, more supplies, and gives back to the community).

Went yesterday and a nice young woman was working there who was extremely helpful. Went today and they were doing inventory in the back by the big backpacks that we wanted to look at. They didn’t make any attempt to stop inventory or move the sea of boxes to help us access the packs. Basically ignored us.
Also, said that a large climbing rope was for sale and a harness… When I went to try it on the owner kept insisting that it wouldn’t fit me because it was a small «and for someone very skinny» (I wear a size 4 – 6 and fit in a lot of size small/​medium things), and then he said, «Actually it’s not for sale. It’s on hold for someone else,» and threw the rope and harness back up on the rack. We put some fuel on the counter to buy and he said: «You’re going to Yosemite — you don’t need this, you can buy it there, don’t buy it here,» and took it literally off the counter. Seemed like he was trying to shoo us out to finish his inventory. Two people walked in and looked around and then walked out and left — I assume because no one was there to assist them. When my boyfriend checked out with a climbing bag the owner said: «You spent an hour and a half in here just to get that?» We probably would have spent $ 150 on a big backpack… If we could have gotten to one.
The gear is really good, lots of vintage day packs and backpacking packs, decent prices. Hopefully when you go the nice young lady with the nose ring helps you out — or you may have to put up with an obvious lack of customer service and rudeness like we did.

This place is a one stop shop for any hiker, backpacker or outdoors enthusiast. These guys will help you find whatever you need for your trip, or just for day to day life. Excellent prices, especially on day packs and waterproof shells. I recommend this place to anybody looking for inexpensive, high quality gear!

Well-​stocked and excellent service. Felt like they had more Patagonia gear in stock than an official Patagonia store. They have a great selection of backpacks, jackets, sleeping bags, and all the little stuff you need for camping.

The selection is small but well chosen. I grabbed a Patagonia fleece for 20% less than the price from
. Glad to have a decent neighborhood outdoor shop!

I bought two pairs of the same merino wool socks because my feet get pretty cold during the night. The socks were too big and they were not warm enough. I was hoping to get them exchanged. Understandably, I couldn’t switch the socks I opened and instead exchanged the socks I didn’t open. I don’t know about the owner in the picture of the website but when I came back to exchange the socks, the owner was female (his wife I presume) and she was not friendly at all. She thought it was ridiculous that I was cold and called me a weirdo for feeling cold in California. I got a new pair of socks but boy did she make the experience unnecessarily uncomfortable.

Five stars for the kind owner who helped me select a pair of Chaco sandals I couldn’t find at the nearby Any Mountain outdoor gear shop. Although I only purchased the shoes, I browsed around and found the water bottle, sleeping bag, and backpack selection to be copious and well-​priced! Like another Unilocaler wrote, it really does feel nice to support a local shop such as this.

Like most people, I shop around for everything. Like good people, I want to support my local economy. Like very few people, when it comes to what I want the deciding factor is the color.
And now time for a poem:
So save your time shopping around. Young’s has the best prices in town.
With a wide selection from North Face to Crome,
Your eyes will be pleased with what you take home.
You will use your new knife, backpack or hat,
Walking to the Berkeley Bowl and back.
So make haste,
Young’s is a great store.
You’ll kick yourself for not shopping here before.

I must confess. I went to REI first. They didn’t have the Gregory daypack I was looking for so I stopped by here.
It is true. The prices are better than at REI. And so is the selection.
If you ask for help, the owner will be right there for you. He is sweet and it feels good to support his store.

I have shopped here a couple of times.
The first time I replaced a backpack that was very much a part of the family. I received excellent service and advice. If you know me it is very hard for me to part with ‘Stuff”.
So flash forward to today. I had a couple items on the counter and the owner was ringing me up and he was going over the bags I wanted and said that he was sorry but there were couple of flaws in the bags and he couldn’t sell them to me.
WHAT?!
He said I would not be happy with the purchase and didn’t want me to be unhappy.
I will never buy another backpack/​bag anywhere else.

Pretty good variety of items and a very easy to get to shop. Didn’t have what I was looking for, but it was okay. The staff here was really nice.

Heard that this place had Chrome messenger bags and sure enough, they have quite a collection of them, and in a large variety of colors.
It’s been a while since I bought my Chrome messenger bag but I remember it being cheaper than buying it online. The owner of the store was super nice and helpful :) He loves the outdoors and he’s a lot of fun to talk with.
No returns on the merchandise, but if you’re buying Chrome, there’s no reason you’ll ever find the need to return your bag; it’s too perfect.
I usually don’t recommend buying in stores cause of tax and whatnot, but I would highly, HIGHLY recommend Young’s Backpacking & Mountaineering.

After buying your Tilley next door at Berkeley Hat, come on over to Young’s for your other needs for the Great Outdoors. And now that Wilderness Exchange is closed, this is the place to go as a supplement to REI. They have a lot of brands and selection tucked into this cozy space and prices are very reasonable. Nice folks too and very much worth the trip down this seedy section Telegraph Avenue.

I stumbled into this place one day on my journey to find a backpack for my sister as her birthday gift. The service was very helpful, and they were very knowledgeable about all kinds of gear. The selection was big, and the prices were amazing. Definitely recommend this to all of those folks in the market for new sturdy bags that will be entrusted to safekeep your academic livelihoods.

Small little shop that has had more in stock for my needs than REI, Any Mountain, and Marmot. He stocks little things and repair stuff that is often sold out of other stores. Also I noticed that he has a number of patagonia down sweaters in a bunch of gorgeous colors that the big guys do not have. The price for my repair tape and the down jacket was the EXACT same price as REI. Not sure if he watched them, but I would pay a little more just to keep him in business downtown. I like smaller shops where I don’t have to walk all over the place for things.

I’m a huge fan of Young’s Backpacking! And, if you’re into the outdoors at all, they are a hidden goldmine right in your backyard — I definitely suggest checking them out. I always find exactly what I’m looking for & the owners/​staff are super helpful, knowledgeable and really friendly which is not always the case in the bigger stores.
I used to get supplies from either REI (for the selection) or the Northface Outlet (for their sales) but Young’s has both of them beat & with better service — they always have the highest quality gear and really good deals. Best of all, they’ll help you find exactly what you need. Highly recommended!

VERY REASONABLE PRICES. Kind staff; not too knowledgeable, but they’re very kind and have good product.

A small outdoorsy shop close to campus if you don’t have a car. They carry a bunch of stuff considering the size of their store at reasonable prices, nice selection of pocket knives and camping knives as well, including Benchmades and Spydercos.
Oh yeah the people at the counter are nice too.

If you need a bag/​back pack/​messenger bag/​camping stuff etc… Young’s is the place to go. Forget north face, REI, blah blah blah, because Young’s carries all of those brands and more. Come here to browse around, try on, and compare different bags and brands. Not only do they normally sell items a few dollars cheaper than surrounding places, but the owners are stand up guys. I was in the market for a new backpack/​messenger since some A$$HOLE broke into my car and stole my favorite one. Not only was this same bag cheaper than other places, but he even gave me a few more dollars off and threw in a free photon light… YESSSS time to get one more and bring them to a rave. Wait, do people still go to raves?

I love this little store. When I don’t feel like dealing with REI (which is often), Young’s is a great alternative. The store is really small, but they pack so much stuff in here you wouldn’t believe it. In fact, it makes you trust that they know something about backpacking. The people that own it are really nice and helpful — if you don’t see what you’re looking for, they probably have it somewhere, so just ask. Great selection of backpacks and jackets, and they often have good sales and deals on last season items.