This is not a back packing shoe or a stability shoe. It's amusing to see people saying that this shoe doesn't compare to the Continental Divide, I say thank goodness. The CD was way to stiff to be a decent trail runner. This is a runners shoe, one meant for those of us who love to speed down mountains and fly over rocky terrain. It is designed with a minimalist mind set to reduce the weight, and provide critical protection but still allow you to feel the trail. It is supper flexible allowing you to run with a midfoot strike which most built up trail runners won't allow. I have run long miles in these for almost six months, and although the shoe looks like hell right now (and smells even worse), I am still putting the miles on them. Best trail shoe yet.

I have been running in Montrails for over 14 years now. I have tried others but I always come back to Montrail. Every so often they change the line and I get real nervous about which shoe is going to be right for me. This year I went with the new Mountain Masochist, and I must say it is the best shoe yet. Extremely light (maybe even lighter than my road shoes), but protective enough for the rockiest terrain. The fit is fantastic. They cinch down nicely without binding, and have great ventilation. Nice addition of a tiny bit of traction right on the bottom of the arch for when you catch a root or rock right in the middle. The sole has great traction with none of the hard slick spots that can cause problems. This is truly my favorite trail shoe ever.

OK, I live in Maine and I'm hard on gloves, between the snow shovel, the ski pole, and everything else, I really need a glove that is durable. I bought these in the hope that they would last several seasons and be decently warm. First the positives, they have lasted, I love the work glove look, the fit and dexterity. However, these things pack out with in a couple of months. The insulation on the palm side of the hand which is supposed to be 300 weight fleece was, within a few months, the thickness of a old flannel shirt. Needless to say they became my warm weather gloves only. However, they are really not the best warm weather gloves because without constant attention to the leather, i.e. waterproofing, if you work in the snow at all they will soak up enough water to fill your nalgene. With a really thick coat of water proofing paste (the sprays wont cut it) you can keep these from soaking up the snow but then they take on a stickiness and smell that I would rather avoid. I love cloudveil products usually but this one is not up to par.