SteamboatConsultant

I tried the Patagonia down sweater first, and it felt more like Fatagonia it was so bulky. Switched to the Zeus and fit is much better. The only thing I don't like about the jacket is the pull ties for tightening the waist are at the front (by the front zipper). I normally buckle by powerstretch gloves together on the pull tie along the side, so I don't do this with the Zeus since it would look funny having gloves hanging down near my crotch.

I purchased two Smartwool merino liners, one from a local shop and another from Backcountry a few days later. The same day the one from Backcountry arrived, I washed the one from my local shop. Followed all instructions and washed on gentle cycle with low heat dryer. The pair came out unraveling at the ankle seams. Exchanged that at the local shop for a second pair which came out of their first washing with a huge rip in the seat (and it wasn't even on the seem). I thus decided to return the unused pair to Backcountry and go with Icebreaker instead. I live in the town of Smartwool's HQ and emailed in my issue but haven't heard anything back in a week. This is quite disappointing to see the "hometown team" have this problem. For now, I'd stay away from this product.

I love the wool liners on this version (as opposed to the regular heli mitt or other Hestra models with the extremely thick, overly warm polyester lining). The wool liner on this mitt is thinner and thus should be quicker to wick sweat after removing the shell. I just wish it had the velcro to attach to the mitt shell's wrist like most other gloves (including the regular heli mitt) do. After several attempts removing and reattaching the mitten, the wool liner would get so bunched up inside the shell that it was uncomfortable. Back to Backcountry.com these went.

Regarding the Hestra wrist cuffs, I originally hated the idea but after trying the gloves out for 15 minutes or so walking around outside and taking them on/off, I came to appreciate the cuff concept.

I love the wool liners on this version (as opposed to the regular heli mitt or other Hestra models with the extremely thick, overly warm polyester lining). The wool liner on this mitt is thinner and thus should be quicker to wick sweat after removing the shell. I just wish it had the velcro to attach to the mitt shell's wrist like most other gloves (including the regular heli mitt) do. After several attempts removing and reattaching the mitten, the wool liner would get so bunched up inside the shell that it was uncomfortable.

Regarding the Hestra wrist cuffs, I originally hated the idea but after trying the gloves out for 15 minutes or so walking around outside and taking them on/off, I came to appreciate the cuff concept.

I rated these boots as 4 stars because the boots are great (my second pair) once you find the right size. Salomon has a serious math problem with their sizing charts.

My old Salomon boot tongue said 12.5 shoe size, 30CM. I wanted a bit smaller fit so I ordered a 29CM, which backcountry.com said was an 11 shoe size. I only wanted to go down one shoe size (to an 11.5), but figured 1 CM was a good enough decrease. I got the boot and the box says a 29 CM is a 10.5 shoe size instead of 11. I agree with the box, as the 29 CM was a tad bit too short for me. How can my first pair of boots be 30 CM = 12.5 shoe size and now the box says 30 CM = 11.5 shoe size. I understand the mondo sizing system and such, but Salomon's box and boot tongue say CM and are in conflict with each other. It's crazy that to downsize one shoe size, I needed to order the exact same CM size as before (30). Very confusing, and caused me several shipments back and forth with backcountry.com to figure out this issue. Of course, backcountry.com took care of me and got me the right boot, but I feel bad they had to spend money on Salomon's issue.

Picture below shows the old boot tongue, new boot tongue, and Salomon box...all in conflict with each other.

Why does Patagonia make the fly so loose? Put bluntly, your stuff won't stay in these pants as you're walking up/down stairs.

I'm 6'2" and 188lbs - the large is too bulky/roomy and the medium too short in the torso and arms. My local shop is calling this brand "Fatagonia" and I tend to agree.

My son loves this helmet and it's a very good fit. Thank god Giro finally went to the adjustable head bands inside their helmets to save me from replacing our children's every year when they outgrow the old style.

The dispenser compartment on the top of the leash is larger than what I thought it would be, but this is still a very nice leash for the wife to stick in our stroller and have for going on walks etc.

I just ordered my second pair of these, replacing the first which was 2 seasons old and had worn a hole through the leather. I would've expected these to last longer than 2 seasons (although I lived in Steamboat and got a lot of heavy use on the mountain). Even with the short life, they were so warm that it was worth it to me to purchase another pair.

Love these pants. I actually had several pair, but they were not "Tall" size. So, I spent the money to replace them with "Talls".

Got this bag because I have one of their golf bags...glad I did. Held up well for a couple trips. I would definitely recommend Ogio over a Burton bag. Burton's quality is absolute crap the past several years.

I also found these to be very nice base gloves. I used Mountain Hardwear Power Stretch in the past and found them too thick as a base glove. These work much better. Only regret is I ordered my pair too big and now they're on backorder.

Very nice bag. Extremely functional, yet very stylish. Absolutely worth the price, and like always, this site lives up to great expectations.

Like every other piece of Mountain Hardwear equipment, I am very impressed. The PAC-LITE material is very lightweight, and although I haven’t tried this out on the slopes yet, I was camping a few weekends ago and endured a heavy downpour with this jacket repelling every little bead of water.

I bought my first Mountain Hardwear jacket about 10 years ago. After 5 years of heavy use, I ripped it while wiping out on some heavy rocks under powder. I mailed the jacket to Mountain Hardwear, who not only repaired the rip under warranty, but gave me a call and said that for $30 more, they would replace all the fabric panels on the jacket’s exterior (basically giving me a brand new jacket). The folks at MH are awesome, you can call them for advice, get great warranty service (and beyond), and even custom tailoring (which I normally do to extend length since I’m 6’2).

This jacket is worth 3X it’s price, because it will last you 6X longer than most.