I am a total ArcT junkie, and totally love my Palisade pants, but the main pockets on these shorts are just too low. I am not able to casually stick my hands in my pockets (without bending a bit at the waist... not a good look), and anything of substance placed in them bangs annoyingly against my thighs.

The upper pocket on the left side is ridiculously small... basically only useful for one of the following:
* tube of lip balm
* piece of tissue
* doggy poo bag (size small)
* single key
* rolled up dollar bill.

While I assume that the pockets were placed lower in order to avoid the waist belt on a large backpack, it just doesn't work for me in daily life which is required in order to get adequate value out of an $85 pair of shorts. I am bummed!

ArcT does it again (as usual). This was my first Arcteryx piece and it instantly cemented my love affair with those design & quality fanatics from Vancouver.

It is full of stretchy, warm, breathable, water resistant goodness. Fabu athletic fit, and tough as nails. In addition to working great under a wide range of conditions, it never fails to garner compliments on it's looks.

I don't understand all of the hoo-ha about ArcT stuff made in China. My jacket was made there, and it's assembly is as close to perfect as any item of clothing I've ever owned (or seen, for that matter).

It would be even better if it had another pocket or so to stash my glasses, cell phone and other such miscellaneous cartage, leaving the hand warmer pockets for... er... warming my hands.

ArcT stuff is expensive, but well worth it.

Perhaps the best thing about this shirt is that it doesn't feel synthetic. The VisaEndurance fabric is totally snag free, and feels like a very light cotton fabric (although not quite as soft as the best cottons).

The cut is great, and I really appreciate the attention paid to moving the seams away from backpack straps.

It is amazingly comfortable over a surprisingly wide range of temperatures, and the lack of instant funk common on most (pre-carbon) synthetics is great for everyone in the vicinity... as the drop tag says: "Because there is something called downwind".

I currently own 3 of them!

I love this thing (just ordered a second)!

Very nice athletic cut, feels great next to the skin or as a light outer layer for cool days. The quality is exceptional... everything from stitching to materials to zipper smoothness.

The pocket is small and pretty useless for anything beyond a gel pack, credit card or key. I'd really love to see a version of this with light weight hand warmer style pockets (a place to keep my paws out of the wind and to stash the dog's leash while he's running free).

This piece further cements my addiction to Arc'Teryx (whether made in North America or Asia).

This is the jacket started my love affair with ArcT!

It is incredibly well made, is a perfect combination of stretchy/windproof/breathable warm comfort, and the fit is as if a small band of Canadian tailors descended on my house with laser scanners in order to assure the perfect fit.

I look for excuses to wear this thing, and have subsequently become an Arc'Teryx acolyte (dare I say junkie). The folks who design ArcT clothing seem to have an almost supernatural ability to get the athletic cut just right (at least for me).

In exchange for the premium price you pay, you receive an extraordinary product... a fair deal in my mind (especially if you can snag some on sale). When my son first begged for an ArcT softshell, I nearly choked when I saw the price... once I tried it, I understood.

Almost every piece of ArcT kit I have (and I've been amassing a sizable pile)is similarly superior to the competition. I also particularly love my Accelero 1/2 zip tops (I bought 2).

I read lots of comments about a loss of quality on Chinese made vs. Canadian made ArcT products. I have seen no such gap in the stuff I've got... it is uniformly superior.

This pack is supremely comfortable and has fabulous balance, especially if you pay heed to Osprey's packing advice and keep the dense part of the load in close to your back in the middle of the pack. It feels much smaller in use than I expected for such a large pack.

Plenty of room for your bear cannister, in addition to all of your other kit.

The ventilation on this thing is amazing, although the side profile is deeper than more conventional packs because of the bowed suspension which gets the thing off of your back.

Overall, a very well designed and executed tool. You get what you pay for.

This thing is the best! Super stable, excellent controls (including piezo starter) located remotely, packs down to nearly nothing.

I have a pair of the full-leg pant version of these and absolutely love them. They are my default pants, and I wear them constantly. The combination of very robust, stretchy fabric and welded construction make these the most comfortable pants I've owned. They practically disappear when you wear them... it's like you have pockets and wind protection grafted directly onto your legs!

As far as the shorts are concerned, while they share all of the basic traits of the pants, I think MH missed an opportunity to make these even better. They basically just lopped off the bottom of the pants. As the fabric is so stretchy and non-binding, I think they should have tapered the bottoms a bit to make for a less baggy fit. I would also have preferred them to be an inch or two shorter to keep them from flopping around my knees. Bear in mind that I have short legs, so your milage may vary. I realize that these changes would have required some re-engineering of the Talus pants (beyond lopping off the legs), but the improvement would have been well worth it IMHO.

I absolutely love these! They are the most comfortable pants I have ever owned.

I've been a big fan of stretch fabrics in pants forever (I've owned dozens of pairs of Sportif shorts and pants w/ Lycra), and these blow everything else out of the water in terms of quality, toughness and fit.

I first saw them last month while in Banff. I would have bought them on the spot, but they didn't have my size (they seem to run true to size). I ordered a pair from Backcountry as soon as I got back to my hotel (ain't technology grand?!)and they were waiting for me when I got home.

While exceptionally light weight, they feel like they give you plenty of wind and abrasion protection but still breathe great. They are super stretchy, so they move with you like a second skin, without looking like tights. In fact, they look great.

They are not perfectly silent (you do get a bit of swoosh whenever there is fabric-to-fabric contact) but this is a very small price to pay for such an exceptional piece of clothing. While I like the idea of zippered pockets, I don't like sliding my hands past zippers (particularly when it's cold). They did use rather fine gauge zippers, which minimize the abrasion, but it would be cool if someone would come up w/ a better way to keep sensitive skin away from rough edges more effectively (perhaps some clever method of recessing the zippers that doesn't obstruct their operation).

Here's a tip: When you wash these, make sure to close all zippers and the velcro around the snap at the waist so you don't destroy your other synthetic stuff through snagging.

These are expensive, and worth every penny. They're so terrific, I just ordered a pair of Talus shorts. Hey, Mountain Hardwear, how about a convertible version, so I can leg on/leg off when necessary??