SKOL

Okay, so initially my review was "what's the big deal?" I'm coming off that a little bit. While I will never call khaki's "bomber," these pants are akin to a workhorse. I've been wearing them for four days straight on a surf vacation this fall. They get progressively more comfortable with every day. While I do not think these are good climbing pants (not flexible enough), they have been great on pre-dawn, chilly mornings as I drive out to check out the local breaks. They're also fairly durable. i've worn them working around the house, fixing dings in my surfboards, and just knocking around.

Overall, they're similar to a quality pair of utility pants, although a bit more comfortable (the fleecy waist lining is a nice touch. I still don't know if they're worth 100 bucks, but since they were a gift, I'm not complaining.

I got these pants for my birthday and I am, in fact, wearing them now. They're comfortable, appear well made, and look good. That said, they're a pair of freggin' khaki's. They're not particularly stretchy; I wouldn't wear them climbing -- it's just as hard to highstep in these pants as it is a pair of jeans. I'd wear them out to eat dinner or to a bar, but so what -- that's not why I buy Arcteryx gear, given the cost.
Assuming you want to use these pants for climbing (i.e., the "spotter" name), you'd be much better served buying a nice softshell pant like Marmot's Scree, which is about the same price and way more comfortable and stretchy. If you want a nice pair of pants to wear to dinner, get these (hopefully on sale) or just go to the Gap.

I am dangerously close to buying this jacket, but I think I'm going to hold out for the Westcomb Apoc. It also has Neoshell technology, but the shell fabric appears to be more hardshell-like. I love marmot m1 softshell, but I'm concerned that the fabric will get soaked and hold water -- the neoshell membrane should prevent any water from getting through to me, but it will still be super heavy if it gets soaked. thoughts?

I bought this tent because my wife and I had a girl, and we wanted to bring her backpacking with us. This tent fits three thermarests side by side, making it the equivalent of a giant pack and play for my daughter. It might be a bit cramped for three adults, though. The tent is super light, and once you practice in the living room once or twice, a snap to set up. I haven't had it in a serious storm yet, so that's why my review is preliminary, but this appears to be a very solidly built tent -- what I would expect from BA.

I have probably 10 pairs of sandals, ranging from olukais, to reefs, to rainbows, to sanuks. These are, bar none, the most comfortable. They're even more comfortable than just walking around barefoot. If I had a criticism, and I don't, it would be that these sandals are so comfortable that it makes me baby them like a fine leather shoe.

I bought this pack for a superlightweight climbing/scrambling bag. It fits that bill, but the main hip belt buckle broke after a week, and the bag buckles feel like they could go at any time. I haven't sent it back yet, so I really can't complain, but this bag definitely has a less than sturdy feel to it, almost cheap. I guess that's to be expected with a pack this light, but a bit offputting for a company like Arcteryx, where everything I've bought in the past has been bomber.

I brought this with me on a two week trip to Wales. It kept all of my hiking gear in good shape and reasonably well ordered. It rains quite a bit there and, although I never left the bag in a downpour for extended periods of time, the bag kept my stuff dry. The backpack straps are actually quite comfortable, which surprised me, and made hauling this bag around a lot easier than I thought. The quality of the bag is very apparent after inspection and it held true during my trip. Thumbs up.

It was humid and 65 degrees in my area of PA yesterday, with a forecast for rain. I went out for a 40 mile ride and wore this shell to test its breathability. I kept the pit zips open and rode at a mid-aerobic pace -- i.e., sweating, but not soaking. This jacket is fantastic. It breathes better than any hardshell I've used. I did have some sweat buildup on my forearms, but that would have been the case even if I weren't wearing a jacket. Otherwise, I felt as if I didn't even have the thing on, except that it did a decent job of blocking out the wind.

Also, it's worth noting that this jacket stretches a bit with use which, for me, is working out nicely. I bought the L instead of the XL -- I'm 6'2" and 215 -- because I wanted an athletic fit and wasn't planning on using this for layering. It was a bit tight in the shoulders at first, but now it feels like a second skin.

THis is quickly becoming my favorite shirt. It feels
Like you're wearing nothing at all. It's super stretchy and looks good. Great for climbing or backpacking in the summer

Jacket just arrived. Light, sturdy, and cool. To echo a few points already made---- the sleeves are long, it has an athletic fit, and the pit zips are relatively small. I will post again once I've taken it on my wales trip.

These skins make backcountry skinning almost unfair. I first slapped them on my BD Zealots and customized them accordingly (reviewer's note -- trimming custom skins is kind of like doing your sideburns -- resist the urge to keep evening them out, or you'll shave your way out of climbing power). They are super grippy and make you feel very sold underfoot on steep terrain. If I had a complaint (and I don't) it's that the glue is so sticky it takes a he man to pull them apart. That said, they are still easy enough to pull off with your skis still on (just try not to throw out your shoulder). They're only three seasons old, so I threw them on my new bluehouse maestros at the end of the season. No problems so far. Nice work BD.

I bought these yesterday and I haven't taken them off yet. They are super stretchy, breathe well, and are water resistant. Why haven't other companies thought of a softshell short before? Now I can stop wearing boardshorts all the time.

I bought these pants for an upcoming climbing/hiking trip in Wales. They are, bar none, the most comfortable pair of pants I own. I am the type of person who wears shorts 3 seasons a year. These pants may change that. They are super stretchy, breathe well, and resist abrasion. In fact, I can high step higher in these than in most shorts. My wife is jealous because she doesn't have a pair (yet). One note, I wear an L in these pants, and I'm 210 lbs and 6'2" with a 36" waist. I'm usually between an L and XL in most gear.

Overall, these shoes are great. I am on my second pair.I typically use them for everything from trail running to light backpacking. They're definitely waterproof, feel light, and very comfortable. The only gripe I have is that the laces break after a few months. It's not that hard to secure zip replacements, but it's a bit irritating to have to do.

I live on the East Coast and these are my workhorse, go to skis for just about any conditions. I'm sure there are better skis for only carving, bumps, touring, and pow (I have separate skis for truly deep days), but these skis do it all. I can't say anything bad about them, except that I wouldn't really use them as my deep pow ski, since they are not rockered (see my recent review of the Liberty Genome -- rocker makes a serious difference). BONUS: buy 08/09 model cosmetic blems for less than $300.

I was up in Molas Pass near Silverton and was having issues with my Zealots in the variable snow. In short, the 08/09 Zealots are super stiff and want to go straight, so trying to do any kind of short radius turn in the trees sucks. Jeremy at Pine Needle Mountaineering in Durango, who happened to be up with us, suggested I try out the Liberty Genomes for the next day when we were going heli skiing at Silverton.These skis are awesome. It took a little while to get used to the girth, but I found that it was all mental. When you want to turn these skis, even in deep creamy snow, they turn -- through the trees, on steeps, etc. Where they really rock, however, are in big open GS turns. Skiing them was almost effortless, and I felt like a hero charging it. Needless to say this ski is stable at speed.In all, I found the ski to have the qualities that I crave about my zealots (no real speed limit and great for big GS powder turns) with the added benefit of being much more playful (i.e. EASIER TO TURN) in low speed, steep conditions.Go get 'em.

Okay, usually I am completely function over form, but I must admit that I love the way this helmet looks -- particularly when paired with the I/O goggles. I feel like a fighter jet pilot. The function, however, is solid as well. It's light, warm, has adequate venting, and makes the old bean feel protected . . . particularly when doing runs with rocks. The only negative is a downside to the "brim" of the helmet -- it makes it hard to put your goggles up and keep them there -- they keep falling off the brim. That's my only gripe.

the poster below described these as ripping as easily as aluminum foil. While that's a bit of an exaggeration, it's actually not too far off. The pants are comfortable, light and breathable, buty they are not durable. I hit the leg with my ski edge last year, and it sliced apart like butter. It patched up easily with a little glue, but I feel like I just can't trust these pants. Pretty weak for Marmot, which usually makes pretty bomber gear.

Got this for Christmas. It is super soft and light. Although thin, it regulates body temperature well. Wore it outside this morning with a windproof shell to shovel snow for 2 hours. It was before dawn, in the teens, and windy, with gusts up to 30 mph. I felt great. I put up the scuba hood to keep my head warm and it kept the heat in nicely. I never felt clammy or hot, and I only felt a little cool when the wind would pick up. This is a solid base layer piece, and I look forward to using it in the backcountry.

I just got my dually in the mail and here are my initial impressions:

(1) For those of you who care, this jacket was made in Canada.

(2) I bought the Large. I am 6'1", 205, and I bought it specifically for what it was intended -- i.e. to throw over your existing layers when you stop moving while climbing/skiing, etc. The Large gives me more than enough room to do this. I canfit my softshell and hardshell underneath and still be comfortable.

(3) it packs down to the size of my Patagonia Down Jacket (not sweater) with its stuff sack, but I get the feeling that if I bought a compression sac, I could get it down considerably smaller.

(4) The jacket makes you look huge, so don't buy it for casual wear. Interestingly, however, while it feels "bigger" than my Patagonia Down Jacket, it also feels less cumbersome and constricting.

That's about all for now -- we'll see how she fares when winter comes in.

These boots are my favorite. Strong enough to power my zealots, but comfortable and light enough to last a full day in the backcountry without a snivel. They're stiff and solid through deep pow, but comfortable to walk around in. Big thumbs up.

This thing is warm . . . and light. I took it for a test run last weekend. Temps only got to around 30 degrees. After an hour, I was sweating -- I had to open the side midway through the night. Although a mummy, I had room enough to sleep on my side (I'm 6'1" and 205). All in all, this was a very comfortable bag.

I purposely slept outside my tent to see how the DWR would hold up against some morning frost/dew. Despite the fact that my footprint had small puddles of water, this bag was fine. Only gripe was zipper had a tendency to snag towards the top, but that's true with most sleeping bags.

I'll have to wait until true winter to see the bag's true capabilities, but so far so good.

I have the 2009 version of this jacket. It's great for stop and go activity in cold weather. I used it backcountry skiing last year around Alta, and for the most part, I got away without a puffy. I only took the jacket off when we were skinning really fast -- otherwise, it kept me pretty comfortable. It keeps snow out well, but I haven't had it in a downpour-- but then again, that's not what this jacket is for.

I have the 2004 XCR version of this jacket. My only gripe is that my life is often not full of enough adventure to justify a jacket like this. It makes me want to go and stand out in the middle of a downpour just so that I can laugh at the weather. It's handled 50 mph winds in Iceland, backcountry skiing in Silverton and the Wasatch during snowstorms, and just about everything else. It keeps all the elements out and breathes reasonably well. Like my other gear, I've pretty much treated it like crap. It just keeps on ticking. The only neg is the price -- the easy way around that is just to buy it on sale.