I'm going to Chicago on business in a couple of days. Any good stores for (light) gear to be recommended.

Jörgen

I lived there for five years. I wasn't backpacking at the time, just preparing for it. REI in Oakbrook comes to mind, but that isn't a revelation and they have a great website. North Face has a store downtown and my friends were impressed, but my impression is they focus heavily on clothing. In short, I don't think there is a must-see store.

If The North Face is still located at the base of the John Hancock Center, check it out. That 96-story building anchors the north end of Chicago's "Miracle Mile," which is a street worth walking (from the Chicago River north to Oak Street Beach). Have a drink at the 94th Floor bar, check out the view. Buying lightweight gear isn't everything. Seeing cool places is.

Moosejaw has a store there....near the Goose Island restaurant. Also, there's an independent backpacking gear store in Lincoln park near Depaul. Don't remember the name but it's on Lincoln ave near Wrightwood.

I went to the Moosejaw store yesterday. I must say, I was pretty disappointed. 80% of the store was clothing and jackets, and about 5% was climbing gear. The remainder consisted of a few packs, a little bit of cooking gear, maybe a bag or two, and then general accessories.

Unless you're looking for clothes or planning to be in the area already, I'm not sure I would recommend going there...

The Lincoln Park REI is a pretty nice store though. And if you're looking for some Patagonia stuff, there's a store along North Clybourne, just down from REI.