These pants are great. I used them this past Saturday on a day that I thought was going to be pretty hot but ended up being quite windy. I was able to use the sidevents to stay the perfect temperature all day long.

Pros:
1. I got the longs- I'm 6'4" or so and they are long enough for me
2. the sidevents have mesh inside
3. I got XXL- the waist is far too big but I wear a belt with suspenders attached and the room in the leg is awesome. (I'm not a parkrat, but do have large thighs-room matters).
4. For the price I think these will do nicely for a couple of seasons skiing and teaching
5. I run hot, and the soft liner in the uninsulated pant is soft when I'm just rocking boxerbriefs underneath

Cons:
1. no suspenders, but does have belt loops.
2. sometimes the liner may grab polar fleece and be "catchy", but no big deal overall
3. the bottoms are VERY wide in opening diameter so they will drag when you're wearing normal shoes. but not with ski boots.

these are great, I'd buy them again given the chance.

This thing is awesome. I was a little hesitant before buying this because for some reason I was set on a roof rack. I'm VERY glad I didn't get a roof rack and ended up with this. It's SUPER simple to use, my bike loads in less than ten seconds. It bounces on the road a little (if it were totally stiff it would just snap, the flexibility is likely good for it). I've driven 1000's of miles with a bike on it, and it's solid, never released prematurely yet. When there's no bike on it it folds up nicely. You do have to take the bikes off or drop the rack into it's lowest position to open the liftgate, but I end up just opening my rigs window and reaching in from there. You won't be disappointed by this rack. The lock works nicely as a little more peace of mind on the road...

First of all, I'm a picky picky shopper. I actually bought a Patagucci MLC from the cardiff Patagonia store and returned it the next day because the shoulder straps cut into my neck like most other Patagonia packs (Yvon, the owner of patagonia, is something like 3foot2inches and wants everyone else to be his height too...;)). I then ran to the Timbuk2 store on Hayes street to check out this bag, then bought it from my favorite "store", Backcountry.com. Here's the rundown...
This bag is fricking sick, and here's why...
a. Unlike the MLC, this bag has one large main compartment, allowing you to pack a LOT in there. I'm a bigger guy (6'4", 285 pounds-but not a fatty), so I've got size 15's to put in the bag, and much larger clothes than normal. The large compartment means you can put those workboots in the bag and they'll fit without weird squeezing...
b. The bag has an expandable pocket on the "bottom" side(when in backpack mode). I threw my shoes in there, but you can throw wet clothes in there too. You could technically put dirty clothes in there too, but it doesn't expand enough to throw all your dirties in there from the main compartment at the end of your trip.
c. The bag on the top(in backpack mode) is not expandable, but does pooch out a little bit allowing you to throw some shtuff in there just fine. I threw my carryon ziplock toiletries in that pocket to allow me to run through security quickly.
d. The zippered pocket on the large mainflap works great for throwing documents, keys, wallet, phone charger, etc. in it. Absolutely perfect and LARGE.
e. Being able to zip the main flap out is way more convenient than you'd think. You can see everything in your bag immediately. It definitely beats the slit opening on some duffels.
f. The compression straps are a nice touch. I didn't NEED them, but I still used them and they do their job.
g. The shoulder strap is bomb-proof, but I never really used it. The backpack straps are fricking awesome. I didn't think I'd use them much, but it's all I use on the bag to carry it (save the grabhandles).
h. Though Patagucci states that the MLC is the maximum legal carryon (hence the MLC), it's not. maximum is a cumulative exterior dimension measurement of 45 inches or less. so 20"Wx20"Dx5"H or something like that. The Timbuk2 is an inch bigger in two of the dimensions compared to the patagucci, and still is under the 45 inches. This thing easily works as a carryon.

On to what I packed for the trip, and still had room for it.
pair of size 15 dress shoes, 2 long-sleeve buttonups, pair of jeans, pair of workout shorts, 2 v-necks, a polo, a sleeveless shirt,3 boxers, 3 boxerbriefs, 4 pair dress socks, pair of short cotton socks, bag of toiletries, a thick paperback book (5oo+pages), Smith sunglasses case, and numerous knickknacks in the flap-pocket+2magazines in the laptop pocket... I could have packed much more.

In short, if you're looking for a kickass carryon, you will love this. And now that it's on sale it's an even better deal

notes on color (I've seen all three in person...)-
The potrero and violet bag is nice-looking. the Potrero has a brownish tint and the purple is dark enough it doesn't look like it's a female-specific color
The black and grey is simple and clean-looking, with a gray interior that will help locate things inside the bag...
The blue and gunmetal is a lighter color blue than the picture shows, and the interior color is darker than it looks in the picture. I bought this color, and I do like it a lot...

Hope this helps!

This bag is bombproof, truly. here are the Pros and Cons as I see them.
Pros
1. the bag is built indestructible, and comes with a lifetime warranty- i throw it in my rig pretty much wherever I go 2. It holds quite a bit of kit (see cons below) 3. the bag is stylish, and comfortable to wear- it doesn't look like a camera bag, which is awesome for security as thieves won't be eyeing it thinking it's a camera bag (your girlfriend, if she's a stinker like mine, will call it a murse though...)
Cons
1. this bag is not as big as you'd expect for the cash you're throwing down! 2. it could use some smaller zippered pockets. some of the smaller camera kit gets lost in the zippered pocket inside the flap 3. tripod straps on the underside would be nice, like their brazillion dollar bag from Crumpler, but you can make your own and attach it to the side loops if necessary 4. my bag's flap was missewn, so the webbing portion connecting to the flap is askew, and shows when closed. not a big deal, but for the money they're asking it should be perfect

This bag is pretty neat, just small quibbles with it overall. I've got a lot of my stuff inside the bag, and it leaves me room for sunglasses case, book, etc when I'm carrying it on a plane. the bag does fit underneath the seat in front of you on a plane. I have the grey/red as pictured, with a green interior, and it's tasteful looking, yet easy to see stuff inside the bag.
I threw it a four-star because it's more expensive than it should be given what you're getting, but it is a sick bag.

This helmet is great. I have a large head, and the L is definitely big enough. If I recall, L is the largest that Giro even makes in the Omen. It has a dial adjustment in the back, and tabs where the back strapping and dial clip into, so you can adjust how the helmet sits on the back of your head, and the tightness. The two different venting sliders allow you to adjust how much air goes through the helmet. As far as ski helmets go, this is the most comfortable and breathable one I have ever worn.
The goggle clip in the back, while not my favorite design, does work all right. It is basically just a cover, but I've had my goggles clip underneath the giro cover-clip and I have yet to have a problem with it. Recently I got the smith goggle strap extender and it makes the combo that much better.
I guess the biggest plug for this helmet is that the only gripe I can think of is the higher price. That being said, if I had to buy another helmet, I'd drop the cash for this one again in a heartbeat.

Let me tell you how the normal pin works, and how this works. The normal "pin" is just a bolt on one side with a lock washer and washer on it. You insert the bike rack in your hitch, and then tighten the bolt into the Passenger side nut of the rack. So your hitch is attached on one side with this bolt going through the pinhole on your hitch and screwed into the nut of the rack inserted in the hitch.
The stl2 is that same bolt, but longer with a mushroom head (let your imaginations fly). It still screws into the hitch, but goes out the other side of the hitch, and a lock goes onto the end of the bolt, locking against the aforementioned mushroom head.
There is a LOT of bolt showing even after you put the lock on this thing. So if somebody wants to cut the bolt and steal your rack, they will. But we all know locks are for the "honest" people anyways.
This thing costs 45-50 bucks! Ridiculous. Thule should be ashamed of themselves. It should cost at most 30. And they'd still be making 25 bucks off the thing.
I do like the fact that even if the bolt unscrews itself, the rest of the pin goes through my entire hitch. Nice piece of mind when I drive 3+ hours with my bike on the back of my rig.
Cheers!

I used to have a truck, which is the quickest loading bike rack ever. But this is damn close. Here's some things I've noticed:
It's a heavy rack (I bet it weighs close to 45 lbs.), but it translates into sturdiness on the vehicle. Your bike will sway a tiny bit, but if the rack were completely stiff, you'd start getting little fractures.
The rack is ridiculously easy to load bikes into. My bike is a XXL, so I had to adjust side to side on the rack, but after that, the bike goes on and is exactly where I want it to be.
The rack folds up close enough to my 4runner that I don't worry about it driving around town, but not so close that it hits my vehicle's rear hatch.
I find myself riding more because of the ease of loading and unloading my bike. I live a few miles from my usual rides, but in the shorter days, loading my bike up and driving means I'll get a little bit more dirt time, less asphalt time (drive home in the dark, right?).
Thule's QC sucks- I wish Yakima's rack were this well-designed (Thule's engineering may suck too- they bought this rack design from somebody else). All of the stickers on my rack, including the ones to help with side-to-side alignment on the crossbars were put on by somebody who simply didn't care. They're not even close to being level with the rack. Also, the weld on the hitch-nut on the inside of the hitch is not the greatest I've seen. I can see a pin-hole of light through it. They couldn't even get the Thule sticker right- It's got a ton of air under the sticker. I couldn't care less, but seriously- how do you screw that up so royally?
Thule charges way too much for their rack. The Yakima comes with the hitchpin lock, and a cable lock, for only a little more than the thule t2 alone. Good deal. That being said, I still bought the Thule, and the STL2 lock (hitchpin lock), instead of the Yakima, since my bike is so large and I needed to adjust it side to side.
If my bike didn't limit my rack to the Thule, I would have bought the 2009 Yakima holdup. It's a way cheaper rack if you buy it online, and I feel like it's probably just as good.
Have Backcountry.com price match another online retailer. Backcountry charges MSRP, which of course is a bend-over. However, Backcountry pricematches, and I'd rather do business with backcountry.com than any of my local shops. They're that easy to deal with!

Got this bag a coupla years ago, and have been beating it up since. I've taken it to Tahoe 50+ days, and it still looks brand new. It's taken 2 trips to Jackson Hole with a layover each time and gorilla baggage handlers, and it's great. It's a good size, not huge. I can easily fit my gigantor boots in the bottom, and the top holds my helmet, goggles, jacket, two pairs of gloves, and some base layers. The way the bottom hinges out you can stand in the bottom of the bag while you're putting your boots on next to your car too. Shoulder strap is comfy, handles are nice, bag is great. Pick one up.

I've had Smith Goggles forever- perfect. I currently own Smith Spoilers for Mt. Biking, which are also awesome. Recently I had to send the spoilers back for warranty- I sent the frames and one pair of lenses. No case, no extra lenses, nothing. I got back new frames, three new sets of lenses, a new case, and all within a week. In short, Smith is a fricking amazing company to buy from.
On to the Witnesses. I just bought a pair of the black with Copper Polarized lenses. They're a large lens, good for guys with big heads and faces like myself. Both of my brothers own these glasses, but in different configurations. They just plain work. They have great coverage top to bottom, side to side, the lens quality is excellent, and I have the stellar warranty that was mentioned earlier. The copper lenses are different than any I've had before. I've used yellow, clear, violet, gray and brown. The copper polarized cuts down on more light than the brown and the gray, but gives a more bright brown hue to colors. It took a little getting used to, but the definition on the lens is awesome. With my gray polarized lenses, I used to take my glasses off to see details. With the copper polarized, I put these glasses on and see better details. In short- buy them. Try something new and get the copper...

These are the best glasses I have ever worn. Period. I tried to find these starting a month ago, when I saw them on the Smith website. I walked into a local shop Sunday, tried them on, and bought them immediately. They fit guys with a little larger bridge on the nose, and a wider, bigger face. Don't let the Medium to Large fit thing scare you away. They fit big. The optics are incredible, they come with three lenses, and the lifetime warranty is awesome. I think Smith is all I use for my optics anymore. If you love their goggles, you'll love their sunglasses. Especially these. Even with the price, I'm thinking of picking up another pair. EXCELLENT.