31 Best REI Labor Day Deals (2023): Tents, Sleeping Bags, and Outdoor Gear

Summer is winding down, which means great deals on outdoor gear. The REI Labor Day Sale runs from August 25 through September 4, and retailers like Backcountry are joining in on the discount bonanza. It’s the perfect time to get new gear, like tents, sleeping bags, and pads, or some merino wool for those increasingly cool nights in the outdoors. We’ve rounded up the best Labor Day outdoor deals right here, and we’ll continue adding more over the weekend. 

Be sure to check our other Labor Day deals coverage for more, including the Best Early Labor Day Deals and the Best Labor Day Mattress Deals, as well as the Best Back-to-School Deals.  

Updated August 30, 2023: We’ve added several new deals, including an Osprey backpack, Ortlieb panniers, and the AeroPress Go.

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Camping is intense! No, really. These are the best deals we’ve found on our favorite tents. See our Best Tents for Campers, Backpackers, and Families guide for more options.

Our favorite ultralight backpacking tent, the Big Agnes Copper Spur series is lightweight, roomy, and livable, with interior mesh pockets and an ingenious “awning” design that makes getting in and out a snap. They’re not cheap—which is why this sale is great—but if you can afford one, this is one of the nicest backcountry tents you’ll find. The one-person tent is on sale for $337 ($113 off), and the bikepacking versions, which feature shorter poles to fit between bike handlebars, are also on sale.

REI Half Dome SL Tents are our favorite option for backpacking. This deal is on the two-person model, but the three-person is also on sale for $265 ($114 off). Both are rugged and easy to set up, plus they offer generous living space for two (or three) with gear. The mesh design, when coupled with the rainfly and good staking, will stand up to storms and not roast you when camping in the midsummer heat. This deal includes the footprint, which will help protect the tent floor on rough terrain.

MSR’s Freelite (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is one of the best two-person tents I’ve ever used. The clever design makes it lightweight but still spacious, with steep sidewalls, plenty of internal storage plus organization pockets. It also has two large vestibules for stashing gear and double zippers for ventilation. My favorite part is the mesh upper, which is great for stargazing on clear nights.

Ever since REI discontinued the Kingdom 6 tent, I’ve been hunting for something equally great to recommend to families looking for a stormproof, handle-anything shelter. We have not tested this Nemo, but it has three of the things that endeared the Kingdom 6 to me—steep side walls,  standing room, and two large doors with vestibules. 

We haven’t tested this particular model, but I have used a previous iteration and liked it a lot. There is one design issue: There’s only one zipper on the door, which some people dislike. It didn’t bother me, but it’s something to be aware of. While this is theoretically a backpacking tent, it’s on the heavy side, and we like it more for car camping.

The key to a good night’s sleep in the outdoors is a good pad. These are the best deals we’ve found on our favorites, along with a few sleeping bags. See our Best Sleeping Pads for Camping, Backpacking, and Travel guide for more options.

REI’s sleeping bags are like the company’s tents—great value for the money. We tested this Magma 15 on a late-fall trip into North Carolina’s Pisgah National Forest and stayed wonderfully, toasty warm in below-freezing temps (the bag is rated to 16 degrees). The 850-fill goose down and lightweight nylon shell make for a light, compact bag that weighs just 28 ounces. Alas, this one has been discontinued. Grab it while you can.

This Mountain Hardware sleeping bag ranks high in our forthcoming sleeping bag guide. The 650-fill down offers a great warmth-to-weight ratio (the bag weighs 2 pounds, 5 ounces) and the DWR finish means the down won’t get wet even if your partner keeps you pushed up against the side of your tent. The women’s cut is on sale for $229 ($76 off), as is the warmer, 0-degree version, which we have not tested.

My son loved this bag when he was younger. It’s a little heavy for backpacking, though I did lug it along once. It proved plenty warm on a couple of nights that dipped below freezing and ended up being useful for a surprisingly long time. If you want something child-size that’s lighter and packs up smaller, the Down Time 25 Kids’ bag is also on sale for $94 ($96…