Fresh Air Experience

What visitors say

Fresh Air Experience is an independent outdoor store in Regina, with a sister store in Prince Albert. From the outside it's modest, but shoppers say it's packed with gear: tents, packs, sleeping bags, outdoor clothing, canoes, kayaks, paddleboards, cross-country skis, snowshoes, snowboards, disc golf and freeze-dried meals. It also rents out equipment, including cross-country skis.

Staff get the most praise. Reviewers describe them as outdoor enthusiasts who ask the right questions, don't upsell, and will even steer you away from an expensive item that doesn't suit you. Canoe and kayak buyers were walked through paddles, safety gear and loading, and one was shown how to lift and portage. The store also stands behind what it sells, fixing old zippers and snowshoe bindings, and ordering hard-to-find parts.

It's a good first stop for paddlers, campers and backpackers in southern Saskatchewan, whether you're planning a canoe trip, a first backpacking outing or a West Coast Trail trek. One customer from Ontario tracked down a sold-out tent here and had it shipped across the country. The twice-yearly 60/40 sale gets repeated mentions for big savings.

Negatives are rare and mostly old: one shopper waited too long for help several years ago, and the Regina store doesn't stock bikes, which are handled through Prince Albert. Prices are fair for quality brands but not bargain-bin, so the seasonal sales are worth timing a purchase around.

Summarised from visitor reviews on Google Maps. Based on 160 Google reviews. Details change — confirm hours, prices and bookings with Fresh Air Experience directly.