Christopher Smith

I got the Berry Banana Buzz and love the flavor. It's got a little bit of crunch, but doesn't wear your jaw out like a Clif Bar can. Have some water ready if you're going to eat one of these, but you should have water with you anyway.

This sunscreen smells really good and it goes on smooth without leaving my hands feeling greasy after application. It also is absorbed quickly so I don't look like a ghost. Oh yeah...and it helps prevent skin cancer.

I bought this for my '05 Forester. Setup was a cinch and it doesn't interfere with my hatchback. I haven't noticed any extra wind noise when I'm driving around with it on my car with no bike on it. I also bought the Thule Thru-Axle adapter since I'm using this to haul around my mountain bike.

These bottles are the best...way better than Polar Bottles because the lid doesn't leak. In my opinion, they're also superior to the regular Podium bottle in the insulation value, and their ease of use. I find the regular Podium bottles to be too hard to squeeze. The Podium Chill is softer and easier to drink out of. For some reason, it seems like the softer plastic of the Podium Chill also provides a better seal at the cap than does the harder plastic of the standard podium.

I got the 15mm version of this to attach a Rocky Mountain Altitude 50 to my buddy's Rocky Mounts TieRod Bike Mount. It works just like I thought it would. My friend has a Rocky Mounts thru-axle adapter and it was a lot more expensive than this one. However, unlike this adapter, it allows you to still lock the bike to the rack. If that were possible with this one, it would have 4 or 5 stars.

I used this boat on a 12-day self-support trip down the Grand Canyon this past January. It can hold a ton of gear, but feels very similar to my Remix 79. The skeg was a lifesaver in the miles of flat water in the Canyon and even helped me keep my heavy boat on line in the BIG (and deep) rapids of the Grand Canyon.

I love this tent, but only as a one-person tent. I recently used it as a solo on a 12-day self support Grand Canyon kayak trip. Someone told me, "Wow! That's a big one-person tent." When I told her it was a two-person tent, she said, "Oh. That's a small two-person tent."

It sets up very quickly and is taut once staked out. I didn't ever notice the fly touching the tent body. There's plenty of headroom and the vestibule is adequate. While the hubbed pole system makes setup a breeze, it also adds to the bulk of the poles once they're folded up. I also wish it were a little longer. I'm 5'11" and found that at any give time either the hood or the foot of my sleeping bag was touching the tent walls. I borrowed this tent for the trip, but I think I would get the XL version if I were to buy one. The fact that it's free-standing is nice. I never had trouble staking it out in the Grand Canyon, but it was nice having a free-standing tent that I could pick up and shake the sand out of.

Overall, I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a roomy one-person tent or who doesn't mind getting cozy with someone else in a small tent.

The picture I've included is from mile 144 in the Grand Canyon.

This is, hands down, the best dry bag on the market. Yes, they're expensive. However, I don't mind the extra expense if it's the difference between a wet sleeping bag and a dry sleeping bag when I get to camp. Roll-top dry bags are simply not completely dry. Watershed bags are. I recently used this on a 12-day self support winter kayak trip through the Grand Canyon. While I used cheaper dry bags for some stuff, I always kept my sleeping bag, headlamp, and clothes in Watershed bags. Not only are they completely dry, they are also much more durable than any other dry bag I've used. These are overkill for backpacking, but I can't stress enough how much Watersheds outshine all other bags in situations where full submersion is a possibility.

The Ocoee is the perfect size for a kayak. I think it'd be hard to fit any of the bigger Watershed bags (e.g. Chattooga) in a whitewater kayak.

The recommended uses are river trips and canyoneering, so that's what use my 3-star rating is based on. These dry bags are certainly adequate for carrying gear that you don't mind getting a little wet while on a river trip. I just got off a 12-day self support kayak trip through the Grand Canyon and used four of the 10L bags and one 5L bag. I used the 10L bags to carry my food and tent and the 5L bag to store trash. The 10L bags are the best size for kayaking. I bought a few 15L bags, but didn't use any of them for the trip. There was some dampness in the bags, but not enough to really worry about since my food was all in ZipLoc's. Fortunately, I can't attest how well this would keep water out if I swam and the bag were fully submerged in water. In my opinion, the purge valve is what really sets this apart from other roll-top dry bags.It's about as durable and dry as the SealLine Baja and Black Canyon bags, but is much easier to roll down and get small. All of my gear that I could not afford to get wet at all (stove, headlamps, clothes, sleeping bag, etc.) I kept in Watershed bags. Those are about four times the price, but are hands-down the best dry bags on the market and, unlike roll-top dry bags, are fully submersible. Watersheds are also way more durable.For backpackers and other people wanting to protect their gear from rain, these bags are perfect. They even come with a patch kit. I used one of the patches to fix my sleeping bag when I got the zipper snagged on the draft tube while half-asleep.

I just bought this helmet and really like the fit. I have a big, round head and the Standard Full-Face is just too narrow for me (although I own one that I take off in eddies). The fit of this helmet is much rounder. It covers the whole forehead and comes down low over the ears. I think the coverage is just about as good as it gets without being a full-face.

I owned this PFD for a few years before finally buying a rescue vest (Astral GreenJacket). It served me well and is of very durable construction. It also allows for a great range of motion.

However, there are some definite improvements that could be made to it. First of all, there's no lash tab for a knife. Also, the RestroGlide system makes the jacket ride a lot higher than I prefer. That fact combined with how bulky the front panel is means that this PFD doesn't allow you to look down if you're wearing a full face helmet. Lastly, there's no secure pockets on the jacket. The pocket this jacket does have is really just a hand-warmer pocket and doesn't have a zipper or any other ways to secure what's inside the pocket.

If you're looking for a similar jacket but want it to hold your knife, ride lower than this jacket does, and provide a secure pocket; I'd recommend the Kokatat Ronin (KOK0027) or the Astral Willis (which we currently don't have in stock).

Fortunately, I haven't had to use any of the rescue features of the PFD since I bought it, but I've been loving everything else about it. It's very comfortable and stays in place. The front pocket is ample and very easy to access. The number of adjustments take some getting used to when donning and doffing the vest (8 straps plus the quick release belt). However, they make for a very secure fit that you can fine-tune. The bottom half of the vest covers the torso very well and the top half doesn't interfere at all with a full-face helmet (like my old PFD did).

This is a great little tent. It's billed as a 2-person tent, but I wouldn't want to share it with anyone. I love the stake system for the vestibule. It's very easy to tighten and loosen the vestibule portion of the fly. This is also a snap to set up and has lots of headroom. Seems like a similar design to the Big Agnes Seedhouse, but I liked this tent more. The zippers aren't as stiff and it's got a little more headroom thanks to the front two little poles.

Anyone over 6 ft. would probably want the XL version:

http://www.backcountry.com/outdoorgear/Sierra-Designs-Vapor-Light-2-XLong-Tent-2-Person-3-Season/SDS0475M.html

I used this tent for a night of car-camping in Colorado this past weekend. The hubbed pole system makes it extremely easy to set up and the stakes it comes with are much nicer than the average stock stakes. It has good headroom, but the foot of the tent seemed a little narrow. Also, the zippers were a little hard to zip and unzip. Overall, I think this is an excellent tent and would definitely consider it if I'm ever in the market for a solo tent.

These gloves are really comfortable and fit well. The only grip I have is with the cinch system. It's a cool idea, but I think having a toggle like most gloves have would be more functional. I may end up retrofitting them with toggles. Over times, the gauntlets loosen and start to let snow in.

The good is that they appear to be very durable and have been warm and dry so far. I recommend using some Nikwax or SnoSeal to waterproof the leather portions of the gloves.

I've got a 36 inch waist and like the fit of the XL's. The quality feels really good and I like the venting that the full sides zips allow. They are a nice compromise between pants and full-on cover-the-nipples bibs.

I love the fact that this balaclava is compact enough for me to stuff in my jacket pocket while I'm skiing. If I start to get really cold, I pull it out and put it on. It's really comfortable and is thin enough to fit under my helmet.

I love the jacket, but the sizing is definitely off. I know it's an "athletic cut" but I think that the sizing chart is just flat out inaccurate. I normally am between a L and XL, but the XL fits on me like most L's would. My chest size is about 45, which would put me in a L on the sizing chart. I'm fairly confident that no one with a 47 in. chest (let alone a 49 in. chest) could fit in an XL.

On the bright side, it's a very warm jacket with great pockets. I especially like the fact that the material on the inside of the pockets is soft, but doesn't snag when my skin is dry (like DriClime does).

My wife and I got this for camping and road trips. We drink French press coffee at home, but wanted a press that we wouldn't have to worry about breaking when it's buried under a bunch of gear or stuffed into a pack (i.e. one that's not made of glass). The previous version of this press had a plastic handle and no insulating sleeve. I definitely prefer the new sleeve with the cloth handle as it's much more compact.

I bought a 10L version of this back to keep essentials with me on kayaking day trips and it developed a hole on my second outing with it. Since this is supposed to be a dry bag, any size hole is, of course, a big deal. The material feels really burly, but it apparently isn't. Next time, I'm going to try one of SealLine's Black Canyon dry bags (item number CAS0573) in the hopes that it's more durable.

These are the only AT bindings I've owned, so I can't really compare them to others. However, I will say that they are very intuitive to use. I really like having the two different heel lifter settings and being able to easily adjust them with my ski pole. One downside is that they can be hard to get into in soft snow or on a slope because of how far the heel-piece retracts. But I'm comparing that to alpine bindings and not other AT bindings.

I used these on a day in the backcountry with about 12in. of new snow. Turns in the powder were effortless despite the fact that it was very early in the season for me. The next day, I had them at Solitude and found them to be easy to ski in powder (of course), but also more manageable on hard pack than the Pontoons are. I think these are a great ski for the resort, but too heavy to tour with on a regular basis. I also don't like the tip rocker when skinning.

I got these to replace some Merrell clogs that I got about 7 years ago. These are super comfortable and have great arch support. I like the tread on them and the fit. They're feel much more secure and are much easier to drive in then my previous clogs were.

I rode these in some pretty good snow at Snowbasin a few weeks ago and loved them. They're almost as maneuverable as Pontoons in powder, but way more manageable on groomed snow. You can definitely feel the short running length when on a groomer, but I still felt comfortable going pretty fast. These are, by far, the most versatile and easy-to-ski powder-specific ski I've tried so far.

I just got this rack and love it. It works really well for whitewater boats. I've even found that the space in the middle of the rack works well for carrying paddles.

I used this bag on a three-day trip down the Dolores River in southwestern Colorado and was very impressed. It kept everything completely dry and held a ton of gear. The daisy chains made it easy to lash down. Only thing I didn't like is the zipper. I think it's unnecessary and the bag would be easier to roll down without it. That air release valve is super handy.

I got these shoes early last summer and have found them to be great at everything except for cracks. They climb cracks well enough, but the Velcro doesn't hold up super well when jamming. The rubber is really sticky and seems to be durable enough. Also, you can pay to have your shoes resoled by Evolv themselves (I did that at the end of last summer and it worked out well). In short, get these shoes if you do a lot of face climbing and want to be able to get out of your shoes quickly. If you climb cracks, you might want to look at some slippers or lace-ups.

I've been using these shoes for whitewater kayaking and they do the job. They hold water and can make my feet wrinkled, but that's what you can expect from neoprene booties. My feet definitely don't every get cold in them.

This shirt is awesome. I just used is on a 50 mile section of the Dolores river in Colorado and it worked perfectly. I was in a kayak and the water temp. was probably in the low 50's with the air temp. being in the high 80's. I would get a little overheated while getting ready to be on the river, but once I was in the river with that cold water splashing on me, it was perfect. Also, it dries really quickly.

This is the vest I use when I ski. It's warm enough to keep me from freezing on the chairlift, but it gives me the breathability and freedom of movement I need for the ride down.

I had the chance to try the 189's out in 15 inches of new snow at Solitude here in Utah. They were amazing. Not only was I able to ski faster than I ever have in powder, I was also able to turn these more easily in powder. As long as you don't mind watching the tips flutter nonstop of the groomers, they're not too bad. Let's face it, though, you're not buying these to ski hardpack.

I demoed these skis the other day and loved them. They have enough girth to be awesome in pow and crud yet have enough stiffness and sidecut to haul on groomers. Only thing I'm not crazy about is the creepy guy wearing a gas mask.

I've tried these in both the 182 and the 189. While I love the float that the 189's provide, I preferred the manageability of the 182's.

I used these with the Hammerhead Sled and had a blast. It's pretty cool sledding on something other than hardpack and being able to go fast and have some control. They're super easy to put on and take off.

This harness is a lot more comfortable than the one that I had before it (Black Diamond Momentum). I like having a stiff gear loop in the front and flexible loops in the back. I haven't noticed the quick-release buckles creeping at all. Overall, a great harness for long trad climbs.

You could pay more for a sleeping pad that's not as warm or thick, but a little bit lighter. However, if you're going to be doing any winter camping, I highly recommend this sleeping pad. It is much warmer than the sleeping pad I had before this (Thermarest ProLite 4) and significantly less expensive. It does of course, weight more, but I think it is worth the extra weight.

I bought these shoes to use when whitewater kayaking. They are everything I was expecting: low profile (especially compared to my Chacos), warm, and secure. They don't drain like other water shoes, so expect your feet to be pretty wrinkled by the end of the day. However, they are very warm.

If you want a stylish pair of flip-flops that won't leave your back sore at the end of the day because of a lack of support, these are the way to go. Another bonus is that they don't start to stink like rubber Chacos do.

These shorts are super comfortable with just the right amount of stretch. The long inseam helps protect my knees when I climb with them on. I like the fact that they're great for climbing and look good enough (read: they're not man-pris) to wear everyday.

This is a stylin' shirt, and it does run a little small. Specifically, I've found that there's not quite enough room in the shoulders. I wear a size L or XL in most brands, and in the XL in this shirt I feel my arms are constricted.

I've taken this rope out on 5 or so climbs so far and love it. I got the 70m GoldenDry. I've already found two climbs in which having the 70m cut two rappels down to one. I like the stretchiness of the rope and the peace of mind that gives me when trad climbing (less force on my gear).