I've used the Epic Jacket for many trips to the North Cascades where the rain showers last for hours. The jacket has always kept me dry, and it’s well ventilated. The Epic is lightweight (less than 1lb) and doesn't take up much room in my pack. My only complaint with coat is that the zipper has gotten caught on the fabric a few times on the pit vent. Other than that, it's been an outstanding rain coat.

I've used the MSR Whisperlite stove for years. It's an outstanding stove for extended backpacking trips. The stove weighs approx. 14 ounces (w/o fuel and canister weight) and doesn't take up much room in your pack. Since the stove is a liquid type stove it needs to be primed prior to use. Priming the stove causes a carbon buildup that needs to be cleaned before storage. The stove's pump is also made out of plastic which cracked after 5-6 years use. A replacement pump is available from MSR.

In Minnesota the winters are cold and windy. After purchasing this hat, I tested it out at -20 deg F (-40 deg F wind chill). My ears stayed warm, much warmer than any other winter hat I've owned. Windstopper lining around the ears is outstanding. The Dome Perigon is definitely a 5 star winter hat. Because the hat has windstopper it may be a bit warm for many folks at 32 deg.

These are great summer shorts for around town or for cruising through the neighborhood on short bike rides. Very comfortable! Since they are made of cotton, they wouldn't be my first choice for a hiking short.

I purchased the long version of the Hydrogen bag and used it recently during a 10-day August backpacking trip to the Maroon Bells/Snowmass area in Colorado.

The size of the bag concerned me a bit because I'm 6'3" and 240 lb. I had no fit issues. There was plenty of shoulder, hip and foot room for a larger person.

The bag's 1.5 lb weight and its ability to compress is amazing! It freed up all kinds of pack space!

The bag kept me perfectly warm on a couple 34 degree nights. 900 fill down, draft tube and hood worked well to prevent heat loss.

To save weight Marmot installed only a half zipper on the bag. My only complaint with the bag is that I wish the zipper was about 6-8" longer. It would making getting into and out of the bag a bit easier. It did however, only take a couple nights to get use having only a partial zipper. Not a huge issue.

Bottom line is that I loved this sleeping bag!

I recently purchased the Marmot Hydrogen bag for a 10 day summer trip to the Maroon Bells in Colorado and wasn't disappointed. On a couple of nights the temperature dipped down into the mid 30s and bag was very warm.

The Hydrogen also has ample room for larger folks. I purchased a long version and the it was able to handle my 6'3" 235 lb frame well (plenty of girth and foot room).

Marmot constructed the bag with a 1/2 zipper to save weight. It took a couple of nights to get used to only having a 1/2 zipper.

Bottom line is that I'm extremely pleased with my purchase.