Posted by: PaulB
The mid-90s were definitely peak MEC... loved getting those dividend cheques to spend on even more gear! Their Serratus house brand packs were pretty good, and a lot of stuff was still made in Canada. As a climber, it was like a candy store, you could not get better prices anywhere. My commuting backpack is a 25 year old MEC brand one which seems to be indestructible.
Depending on how it plays out, this is potentially a huge opportunity for local shops to further fill niche markets and leave the trendy stuff to Forzani.
My 25 year old Serratus pack is still kicking and in pretty good shape I am told. I lent it to a buddy about 10 years ago and he still uses it. :)
I never made any conscious decisions to go to MEC less, but it always seemed that when I did pop in and browse I wouldn't usually buy anything. I can buy name brand bike shorts from an LBS.