I've had the Vapor for a year or so, and I would call it a good not great paddle. The highlights are a small diameter shaft, which is good for smaller hands. My kids love using it. Also the price is pretty good for a fairly light paddle. The downsides to me are the fixed grip positions -- it's designed that your hands are on the grips, which means that on longer paddles it's harder to comfortably vary your hand positions. This may or may not be important to how you paddle. Maybe it's because I'm coming from using Werner carbon paddles, but the Vapor lacked the solid feel of a really nice paddle. Nowadays it's my spare, or as I mention, for the kids to use.

I like bigish watches that tell the time and don't break. That's what the scout does really well. It doesn't have a bunch of BS features and it's not going to die on day two if you give it a few knocks. Plus, it looks mighty fine.

I have hammerheads on most of my quiver (Karhu Team 100s, Jak BCs, Line Darksides) and I love them for their durability, their simplicity and the way they can be tuned. For the uphill, I move the pivot forward and life is as good as my legs and lungs will let it be. For resort-boarding the crud, I put the pivot back a couple of notches and I'm railing turns. But here's my deep, dark secret: The Hammerheads let me do it with relatively soft, light boots. They're so beefy, you can ski hard in boot that's not a total foot vise. For me, that's sweet because I have an unnatural love for my ten-year-old Scarpas. I tried the whole T1 setup a few years back and it just wasn't for me. With the Hammerheads and soft snow, break out the light boots and give a try. I used to lust after every new telemark binding that came out -- now I'm happy with the Hammerhead. Although a release would be nice. Hmm...

My original plan was to have reduce my pile of skis down to one, but I saw these and couldn't resist getting them for lift-assisted days. I love them! They're fat, but not too fat. Which means they really do take you through nearly all snow conditions happily. They put a huge smile on my face the first time I took them out -- I loved the speed and control they gave me. I had previously been on the original Jaks in the ferocious and stiff long length, so when I went to other skis I really missed the speed and stomping power. These had that, with the added benefit that it didn't take an act of god to turn them. Slightly heavy for hiking up the hills (for me at least, b'cuz I have the lighter, shorter Jak BCs) but an absolute blast when pointed downhill. Which is the point, if I recall.

A very nice paddle for stand-up paddling, and unlike many SUP paddles it's built by a company who has been cranking out tough, light and graceful paddles for years. Werner makes really nice, dependable stuff and the Spanker is totally in the pocket. I've been paddling it for a few months now in both flat water and in the ocean. After getting used to the different feel from my old paddle, I haven't looked back. In fact I haven't picked up my other paddle since I started using this one. It's so light, and the power is there. Yes, it has a larger blade than many surf paddles, but I appreciate this on downwinders or when cruising in the calm. Even when I'm out in the sound on a cold, windy day I don't worry about my paddle snapping in two. There's a great youtube video of the werner rep abusing this thing that gives you a feel for how tough it is, despite it feeling like a feather. So if you have the cash, go for it!

Before you read this, I need to confess that I have a strange and unnatural relationship with gear. For example, when I first saw this jacket in my favorite Crested Butte shop, the Alpineer I knew it was for me. I immediately wanted to put it on and not take it off until it was sleazy with grime and patched with duct tape. So I bought one and wore it for most of last year. I love it! I'm never cold, occasionally hot, it's tougher than I thought it was. No rips, no tears. Just many happy memories of snow, winter cycling trips to the store for beer and groceries. During the summer I found myself longing for cold days so I could bring out my old friend. I warned you it was going to get weird.

These were true to size for me, and have been a comfortable, supportive shoe. I bought them primarily for disc golfing in the northwest, which means walking a lot in rainy, rough terrain and needing to have a stable platform for when you're on the tee. They've been great for this, and have held up better than most shoes. I have worn through the toe bumper on my left foot, but that's b'cuz I'm dragging my toe in my throw. If only I could solve that, and then I'd surely stop throwing it into the trees. At any rate, when these wear out, I'll be picking up another pair.

I have a drawer of headlamps (mostly little petzls and others) but it wasn't until I got a pair of the Icons that I actually developed a favorite. Now I rarely ever use anything but this light. I quickly get used to the feel when it's on my head (I thought it'd feel heavy, but it really doesn't) and the light is excellent. I highly recommend getting the rechargeable battery kit -- it really makes this an excellent headlamp. Plus, the lime green is sick in a really good way!