Midwest Mountaineering

Friendly and very knowledgable staff. My go-​to for any outdoor clothing or gear needs. Definitely more of an outdoor community charm than your typical REI or Gander Mountain. Fun place to shop!

It’s a cool place that’s was about it honestly. Everything was way way out of the average persons price range. Especially for a lot of Chinese made stuff. The people were kind of snotty who were shopping and working there. I will not be going back to this place again. I can get the same items for a bit cheaper and better environment elsewhere.

I love it here. They have a great selection of gear that gives me a range of the best options for whatever I’m looking for, and I’ve scored great deals at Thrifty Outfitters upstairs. Their staff is knowledgeable and helpful and has always given me good advice and even helped me plan trips. I love that they’re centrally located in the city so I’m able to walk or bike right over, and that they’re such an anchor in the community. Bonus: Free classes, talks, and bouldering downstairs.

Midwest is a great spot of you want to try on any gear before buying. They have boots for you and your pets, and a huge supply of gear and clothing ware for any outdoor sport. It’s amazing. My personal favorite is the wall of wool socks. With men and women sizes and a plethora of styles and thickness options you can’t go wrong. They run about $ 20 each so they are pricey but so worth it. I don’t know how, m I never had wool socks until college. Personally I see this as a crime being its Minnesota!
Anyway the store is a really fun spot and if you sign up for their newsletter you get updates on sales and discounts. You can also bring your dog in, which I love because my dog is spoiled and likes to go places with me. If you like supporting local businesses then go here. You won’t regret it.

Poor, judgmental service.
Inconvenient parking and location, even with parking validation.
Limited selection, need to goto REI to complete a shopping list. Why not just goto REI for everything then?
Unorganized.
Thrifty outfitters has some good deals, but also has no name direct to discount brands as filler.

They ran out of the promotional item after I made a special trip to the store. Not cool.

Stop here for my climbing gear needs as often as I can. Love the Bouldering cave! The staff has a vast knowledge of gear and how to use it. Just remember to bring your shoes and liquid chalk if you want to climb in the basement. The cave has features that I have not found anywhere else, totally rad, you’ll see what I mean when u get there.

Great array of items.

Eh… a decent selection of gear, but honestly the person who helped me, Kat, was kind of snotty — in a really passive-​aggressive way. So you think you’re better than me because my gear was several years old and not the newest?
Save your attitude. I’m going to REI instead, where they’re always really nice — not judgy, but very down-​to-​earth — and have a much larger selection… and a climbing wall.

If you ever find an elderly Asian couple wandering through a Minnesota forest dressed in outdated 1990s clothing, they’re probably my adorable parents. Ever since my father joined some mushroom society half a decade ago, every other month or so, my parents choose a random county park and scour its forest to hunt for mushrooms. Aside from cooking, this is their only other hobby they do together. (This is not counting watching Korean dramas.) They’re pretty skilled, too! Usually in one trip, they bring back thousands of dollars worth of morels, maitake, and more.
Fast-​forward to the Christmas Eve 2014. My girlfriend and I dropped by Midwest Mountaineering to look for some mushroom hunting related gear. While there, we snagged a hydration pack and a first aid kit, and paid a reasonable amount for some these high quality goods. *Note: Prices are comparable to online (maybe slightly more expensive), so it’s not too bad.
Other awesome things:
+Inside reminds me of a log cabin.
+Items are very well organized.
+The staff rocks.
+Sometimes they have complimentary cookies and hot chocolate.
Yes, there’s validated parking the back, but if for whatever reason there’s no parking available, try the lot behind Keefer Court (and across from the high rises). There’s some street parking, and a lot for about $ 3 for the first hour. Not sure about the cost after one hour.
Will be back!

Midwest Mountaineering and Thrifty Outfitters always make me one happy naturalist! I can always get my Patagonia fix (I’m proud to say I’m addicted!) and usually find an extra sweet treat like Alpaca hiking socks or delicious prAna dresses. The staff are top shelf and always very positive and inviting. This is easily my first choice for clothing and outdoor gear shopping in the Twin Cities! Their annual winter Outdoor Adventure Expo will help you find your happy place whether that is winter dog sledding in the MN North Woods or a birding excursion in Costa Rica! Midwest Mountaineering brings the business!

I attended college on the West Bank in the early to mid seventies. I remember going to the downtown MM location once or twice. But I don’t recall really appreciating it until it moved to its Cedar/​Riverside location in ’76 just as I was leaving school.
I love this place. I’m an REI member and fondly recall the lost and lamented EMS Lob Pine and Burger Brothers. But MM has a vibe all to itself. Great staff and a huge selection of gear, clothing and other stuff you may not find elsewhere around town.
Bargains galore at Thrifty Outfitters. If you love the outdoors and have never been here before, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

I was looking for an internal frame pack earlier this year. Of course, checked prices, reviews, fits, recommendations and the like online. But if the research and friends taught me one thing it’s: FIT. You can’t get that online, gotta get into the store! This place was great. They only carry the products that they themselves have used and the rep spent 30 mins with me to fit it with weights and make sure that I was comfortable. iE no pinching.
I just went but to purchase a headlamp and again a great customer service experience and I walked out with a lamp I’m excited to use.
If you’re on 94 through Minneapolis or live in the ‘hood, then you DEF should stop in for a browse or a food chat about camp stoves.

Everything you could ever want for enjoying the great outdoors… and then more. It was a lot to take in — don’t know where to start. But now that I’ve visited — I know where to go.

Stop going to REI, go here! I’ve been to every outdoor gear shop in Minnesota, this is hands down the best.
The customer service and community involvement makes this this business a roll model. I want to buy everything in this store and share it with everyone I know.

Wall to wall camping equipment store for anything that can be done on the lakes and trails of mighty Minnesota. Rafting, canoeing, hiking, etc.
Definitely a city markup, the recycled coffee mug that I bought earlier that day at Target was a cool double the price here, but for the things that matter, say, a life vest, this is where I’m gonna buy a good product.

Being the Chief Financial Officer of the household is a tough job generally, but you step foot into this place and it’s like trying to be stern to an 8-​week-​old golden retriever puppy. You want to be disciplined, you really do, but there’s
.way​.it’
.happen.
We do bike trips, BWCA trips, and backpacking trips, and I can tell you with assurance that Midwest Mountaineering is The Spot. Forget REI. MM is local, and high-​quality, and has absolutely everything you need. Plus, you don’t have to drive to damn Bloomington to get what you need as you’re scrambling to get out of town. They have a parking lot out back that will give you free parking with a validation– GOLD in the Cedar/​Riverside neighborhood.
1. They have a FREE (that’s F-​R-​E-​E) bouldering room downstairs with $ 3 shoe rentals. The routes are pretty gnarly and chalk isn’t allowed, but if you’re just starting out it’s the perfect way to get hooked on climbing without losing your paycheck.
2. Their gear is well-​curated. They don’t have the 103 910 392 square feet that REI does, but half of the shit REI carries you don’t actually NEED on the trail. MM’s gear focuses on the essentials– great mountaineering stoves, high-​quality lightweight pots and pans, water filters, etc. If they don’t have what you’re looking for… you probably don’t need it anyways.
3. Their Thrifty Outfitters section upstairs is bargain city. I got a camp towel up there for $ 6, and they have tent patch kits and a repair service for your gear. Repairs on tent tears are a little expensive for my taste, but so is being eaten within an inch of your life by mosquitoes the size of your face in the BWCA. Pick yer poison.
4. If I could afford to wear only clothes offered in the women’s section of this place, I would. Words for their clothes: airy, comfy, durable, darling, and sexypants. You could trample through the Porcupine Mountains in their dresses and then go to dinner*.
5. Their staff is crazy knowledgeable. They’re obviously outdoor enthusiasts in every way, and when you’re trying to decide what sized pot to buy (quintessential CFO question: Invest $ 25 in sub-​par pot, or drop the $ 52 for the high-​quality set– aiyiyi), it helps when the sales person can talk to you about quantity of couscous per person, per pot, and specific instances where the flexibility of a certain product would make a difference.
All in all, they’ll hook you up with everything you need for a stellar outdoor excursion. AND THEY’RE LOCAL.
*Healthy dose of perfume in between highly suggested.

DUH. I don’t know how it took us so long to figure this out, but there is a parking lot right behind the store and they validate parking. Make sure to turn into the LOT and not the DECK.
Also, we discovered that Midwest is a dog-​friendly store… we took our dogs there to look at doggy jackets and the staff were all really happy to see our four-​legged family members. Many of them came over to say hi and play with the dogs.

Midwest is a great outfitter with a good selection and if you are on their mailing list, you get coupons throughout the year.
Knowledgeable staff, etc
Thrifty outfitters upstairs is a great place to score a bargain!
Don’t forget about the spring and fall Expos as well.
Typically have many events throughout the week for outdoor knowledge, climbing, etc. Different film fests come through during the expos as well and are fun to check out!

I bought my boyfriend his first pair of boots. Store associates were helpful, but service can take a long time (ie, more than 10 minutes to fetch a pair of shoes from the back).
The bogs sold here were exactly the same price as in online stores.
And I think I saw a kayak that was half off! ($ 1000 from $ 2000)
I signed up for the store’s email list and some of the deals seem decent. The last one was for a free pair of SmartWool socks in exchange for a pair of other socks you don’t mind getting rid of.
If you park at the back of the store, you can get your ticket validated.