Mountain Equipment Co-op
Mountain Equipment Co-op
3.5
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
Closed
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
About
Though the flagship location of this Vancouver-born brand on West Broadway will be replaced by a new structure, co-op members can still choose from a great selection of outdoor gear and clothing.
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: East Vancouver
How to get there
- Main St–Science World[e] • 6 min walk
- Pacific Central Station • 7 min walk
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Best nearby
Restaurants
2,944 within 3 miles
Attractions
693 within 6 miles
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
3.5
51 reviews
Excellent
21
Very good
9
Average
4
Poor
5
Terrible
12
BHJR1
Vancouver, Canada35 contributions
Sep 2019
MEC always stocks quality gear. It does seem very expensive these days, especially considering that the place is a co-op (with tax advantages). Occasionally I find a helpful staff member, but they're often inattentive, and way too cool to be helpful. That's definitely a change, unwelcome, over the past dozen years or so. Inventory management's definitely not their strong point.
Written October 26, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WandererOnTheRoad
North Vancouver, Canada405 contributions
Sep 2014 • Solo
It's hard not to compare it with REI, its closest US counterpart. At REI (particularly at the Seattle flagship store), you can choose from a huge selection of gear, plus an entire floor devoted just to clothing. You can even get something to eat or drink, or try out climbing gear on the indoor climbing wall. MEC is the downsized, sensible, version of this. The clothing is much less interesting, and there's much less selection. There seems to be a bias against larger women, since women's XL is often not stocked, even when the manufacturer makes it. Larger men, on the other hand, are well-served, since men's XL and XXL is always ordered in such amounts that you can find them in abundance on the clearance racks. In recent years, MEC's own clothing lines often mix recycled polyester in with the natural fabrics; since I try not to buy plastic clothing that must eventually end up in a landfill, I now have to avoid much of MEC's clothing. The staff have actually gotten better, since the attitude used to range between passive unhelpfulness and outright hostility (I think they thought that anyone who was shopping when they could be out climbing or kayaking was a poseur). And if you can find what you're looking for, it will probably be cheaper here than elsewhere.
Written September 16, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
xaghy
Vancouver, Canada10 contributions
Me and my wife just moved to vancouver, and its her first time to experience the north american winter. According to her she was never warm until she got the necessary gear from MEC. For me i enjoyed the variety of the gear, especially since i go camping a lot. They should make a jacket with a tie in fleece though, it helps in winter camping.
Written December 19, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Laird H
2 contributions
Sep 2023 • Business
Every since Kingswood Capital took over MEC the customer experience has gone downhill. It seems they are riding on whatever community goodwill the cooperative had made while milking it for whatever profitable return they can. I visited the new store in Vancouver, then I ordered two items online, and only one showed up, months later. After many phone calls and emails they agreed to refund me. It was like pulling teeth to get that far. Unfortunately I need a set. I then proceeded to give a one star review on the product, and it seems the new Kingswood Capital policy is to screen any bad reviews of their products and deny their publication on the MEC website, which just inspired me to write this review instead. Everything that was good about MEC seems to have disappeared in the pursuit of the new owner's profit. It's my last time visiting a MEC store.
Written October 10, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jean E
1 contribution
Nov 2020
MEC has gone so downhill this year.to start with they have had a big problem keeping stock in the store so you must always order online.we went out of our way to shop local this year.i ordered darn tough socks for my girls in November. almost two months later i am still waiting and yet MEC refuses to file the service ticket required so that Canada post can investigate.i was told finally by a supervisor that tifg i did not receive the item in the next week i could call and they would put it through .i called today to be told no they still would not do it.as well i called a couple of weeks ago nd a call person just cut me off put me on hok,d and never came back. these socks were available on Amazon and would have been here way before Christmas but we were loyal to MEC sadly they were not loyal back. plenty of other good outdoor stores many with better sale and service and stock on hand
Written January 14, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ravi s
1 contribution
Nov 2023 • Solo
I bought a Suuntu compass from MEC in 2015. It sat on the shelf for years and was in pristine condition. It developed a huge bubble and the declinometer stopped working. I took it to the Edmonton store downtown. The manager was sympathetic but refused to exchange it, despite suuntu having a lifetime warranty. Take your business to Amazon or somewhere else.
Written January 10, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
pilar s
3 contributions
Oct 2020
A classic store in Vancouver that needs to take a bad turn correction. The new Flagship store is an architect's achievement! Bravo. The store needs to re-focus on hi tech, hi quality outdoor equipment. Lately, the last several years, has items or sizes always out of stock. Trying to be the Urban fashion boutique store. It seems to me that In Vancouver we hardly need a MEC mountain and road bike store, MEC ski and board store, MEC kayak store. The individual staff in the return and shoe departments very helpful. Personally, I'm very sad to see my favourite local store going belly up but from my experience for a good reason.
Written October 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Scoopa16
Winnipeg, Canada88 contributions
Mar 2024 • Couples
The service is outstanding in the Winnipeg store! The salesperson, Emmery was incredibly knowledgeable, helpful and went out of his way to help us prepare for walking the Camino. He fitted us for our backpacks, gave amazing information about hiking shoes, clothing etc… Unfortunately, the Winnipeg store has very low inventory and we weren’t able to purchase anything from him that day bc nothing was in stock. But he helped us navigate how to find it online after spending over an hour with us. This guy should run to place. Truly, we have never received such great customer service anywhere. Amazing.
Written March 21, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nicholas S
Vancouver, Canada7 contributions
Aug 2020
We tried the new MEC store in Vancouver on W. 2nd Ave. today. We have bought lots of things from them over the years. They have only just moved to the new location and it shows. Limited goods in stock (we were looking for a Swiss Army knife - they didn't have one), prices not shown on many items and confusing signage to the different areas, now on 2 floors. Add to that the fact that the changing rooms and washrooms are closed - really there does seem much point in shopping there when there are more customer-friendly competitors that could benefit from some extra business.
Written August 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lisa N
Waterdown, Canada129 contributions
Jul 2012 • Family
I have shopped at the Toronto and Burlington stores and frequently found that stock was somewhat limited by the space. Had a chance to hit the Vancouver store and my jaw hit the floor....absolute nirvana for a toy geek! A bit out of my way, but well worth the trip to shop here. They have everything that you could ever want for outdoor lifestyle.
Written July 9, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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