Sports & Play
Comparison Shopper: MEC vs. Europe Bound vs. Canadian Outdoor Equipment
Toronto's outdoor adventure stores have all decided that King and Spadina is the best intersection from which to sell thermal underwear. Mountain Equipment Co-op domineers over the north end of King Street, while Europe Bound and Canadian Outdoor Equipment share the south side. The latter is the newest arrival to the area, having opened up in November and humbly began offering its Gränsfors Bruks axes. To the novice outdoor enthusiast, the stores may seem one in the same, but there are indeed clear distinctions that may determine where you spend your money. Here are a few factors to consider.
Size
The newest is also the smallest, with just one floor of products in the COE space. Europe Bound is in the middle with three (seemingly disorganized) floors of clothes and equipment, and MEC, obviously, is the most grandiose with a central staircase and ample natural light. Based on the amount of space, MEC offers the greatest variety and selection.
House brand?
The MEC label makes almost everything. I'm not sure if it has expanded to the realm of freeze-dried food yet, but I'm sure it will soon. Same goes for Europe Bound. COE, on the other hand, only designs a select few products, including wooden toboggans and folding saws.
Who goes there
Generally speaking, of course, MEC is the everyman's outdoor store, while COE and Europe Bound are perhaps better options for the seasoned adventurer. (Europe Bound devotees would argue that MEC falters when it comes to its selection of true quality brands.) While I've found service at all three stores to be more than exceptional, MEC might be the first stop for an overview look at equipment. COE does not offer seven different types of dry packs, for example, but rather, a honed collection of choice brands. Europe Bound does offer a little more variety, but newbies might find the store overwhelming. Of course, true backpackers know that if you can't handle a little mess, you'll be back on a plane in no time.
Services
Europe Bound offers pretty great rentals for everything from ice climbing gear to sleeping bags and tents. Same goes for MEC. COE doesn't really offer rentals at the time (other than the odd tent, perhaps), but co-owner Chris Scerri says it may be rolling out a program in the near future. As for bike shops, MEC wins by default, since COE is out of the running and Europe Bound's program generally operates out of its Front Street location.
Price
It's hard to say which store offers the best value, and I'm aware that that's somewhat of a cop-out answer. You really can't beat MEC's prices for, say, a plain organic cotton tee ($12-$14), and you can certainly grab some great bargains when products go on clearance. COE carries specialty items you won't necessarily find in the other two shops, such as Woolpower t-shirts, so in that way, it's sort of tough to compare. But I did notice that prices for Trangia cookware, for example, was a little steeper at COE. Europe Bound is sort of in the same boat as COE, though perhaps more in line with MEC.
Eco-Impact
MEC wins again in terms of its impact (or attempted lack thereof) on the environment. Undoubtedly by virtue of the fact that it is simply a larger business, its environmental efforts, such as donating 1% of its gross annual sales to green efforts, go beyond just selling you a sleeping bag. The shop itself also houses a green roof, battery recycling program, and more. COE hasn't gone quite as far, but it has taken the small step of not heating its second floor (which is poised to host regular seminars in the spring).
Overall Impressions
MEC is my personal pick for outdoor shopping at King and Spadina. In sporting goods selection, as in life, I never quite know what I want, so I appreciate the organization, abundance of variety, and plethora of helpful salespeople MEC has to offer. And the value pretty much can't be beat. Those looking for unique products created the traditional way, such as Helle knives from Norway, might be wise to check out Canadian Outdoor Equipment, and for the veteran, informed backpacker (who can also handle a little clutter), there's Europe Bound.
Photos by Jimmy Lu, with the exception of the one depicting MEC's green roof, which is by David G. Tran
Discussion
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C.O.E. staff when I dropped in their recently were great, even though I didn't buy anything and was amazed by their curation of product.
MEC, like REI in the states has great staff and actually gives something back to its members and the environment.
I'm surprised this article is even written..there's no question about it. Time for Europe Bound to go the way of the McRib.
Total unprompted rudeness. Messy store, too.
MEC is great, the staff are knowledgeable and friendly and their products last through years of abuse with minimal wear and tear.
You can keep the yuppie emporium on the north side of King...I am sure that rebate check will buy a nice box of granola.
That is sort of perhaps helpful.
coe is a nice boutique store that sells some cool stuff. wooden snowshoes and handcrafted swedish axes are rad, but i'm not going to load up on them before an expedition.
mec is hands down, not even close, no question, the best of the lot. always friendly, helpful, knowledgeable (and experienced!) staff, astounding prices, leading environmental and labour practices... i'm proud to be a co-op member and will continue to shop there even when the bigger box stores begin to encroach.
http://www.mec.ca/AST/ContentPrimary/Services/WarrantyAndReturns.jsp
Maybe one day I'll learn more, but when MEC staff are observant enough to see that I have a list I'm working off of to climb Kilimanjaro and start walking me through what I might need... that's just a lot more comforting.
The very epicenter of all that is wrong with this city.
Tho true! I got tho fruthtrated the latht time I wath in there that I walked thraight out the door and acroth the threet to MEC.
I also prefer the Europe Bound shopping experience because it's more of an adventure, squeezing through the tightly packed goods to discover yet another product you didn't know existed. And no, I am in no way affiliated with Europe Bound or any other outdoor store.
I have, however, had some experiences with the MEC staff being indifferent—not outright rude, but a bit useless. Maybe they were just new. My overall experience at MEC has been pretty positive.
My problem with outdoor stores in general is that unless I happen to be there very, very shortly after they’ve received stock, it’s very difficult for me to find my size. It seems as if the only thing that’s ever left are the larger women’s sizes and all the extra-smalls and smalls are sold out. MEC’s own brand tends to be a bit big anyway, so it can be difficult for me to find things there. I pretty much have to stalk the website if I’m looking for something specific.
The place is an utter mess. Old half empty Tims' cups with mold floating on top, everywhere ... dust an inch thick all over inventory.
Last summer, I went to purchase a tent, but walked out, because I wasn't exactly sure how long things had been sitting for. There were a few items I pulled out of corners that were rotting -- the plastic was all stuck together, and I couldn't' separate it, from sitting so long.
The guy who owns the place is a rude prick.
I had asked him a few basic questions about necessities for camping (i'm obviously a non-camper but wanted to be prepared) and he flared his nostrils at me, and gave me a smart ass response to the serious question I had.
I walked out, and went across the street to MEC.
just came out from there and saw staff member was making big sale sign.
store looks much better than last summer but MEC
is cleaner.
going to check them out tomorrow for deals.
maybe owner decided to put inventory on big sale finally.
Once at Europe Bound on Front, I had to return an item I paid for in cash. I had to watch three staff members argue with each other about who forgot to stock the cash till with change. They tried to convince me to leave and return the product another day since I would force them to go to the bank once they refunded me. Before that, they led me to believe they were out of cash. I just stood there until they finally gave me my money back.
Some people might not like going there because of the hunting and fishing gear - but it's nicely tucked away upstairs in a loft that you can hardly see if you don't look up :)
Highly recommend it - parking is more peaceful than at MEC, the selection is varied and neatly presented...no rotting coffee cups such as those commonly found in Europe Bound.
Apparently a Sail store is opening near Sherway Gardens.
We also asked about their rental program but were surprised to find out that all of their gear has been rented out weeks in advance. We then checked out Europe Bound. Yes, the store was cluttered but the service we received from Mike (store manager) was absolutely great! After realizing that we will need to spend over $2,000 on four 4 season tents, we decided to rent the gear.
They didn’t have the gear available for rent, but did suggest that we either try out Sail (www.Sail.ca) or Sport Rentals (www.SportRentals.ca) located in Vaughan.
Long story short, we ended up renting all of the camping gear and had an amazing experience. Now, that the summer is here, I can’t wait to go camping again!
And yes Sail is opening another location near Sherway Gardens.
I see a lot of people make ill informed comments about Europe Bound I have to say over the last 15 years I've been shopping there they have treated me great, the owner IS a nice guy contrary to comments I have seen here. LKong story short NO COMPARISON. Also Europe Bound has BETTER PRICES!!
GO EUROPE BOUND!!
I have shopped at MEC for a long time and I just discovered Europe BOund. Granted it is a bit cluttered, but man the prices are better, the selection is better and the staff actually seem to care! I read some of the comments posted here and I just don't get it. Comparing the two stores I have to say Europe Bound is much more enjoyable to me and has better stuff/prices!
Thanks for your time