spencer j

...i went with a small rather than my usual medium (6'1", 165lbs) — i think because i read if you wanted that athletic fit it's best to size down — um, it's not. don't size down. the small was quite small. i'm hoping the medium will be significantly longer in the torso and arms. like others have said, there are NO monkey holes, as it is pictured. other than these issues, i'm pleased with the jacket. it seems like it will be the perfect mid layer i've been searching for.

as usual, the service at backcountry is great.

...you want a big scantily clad chick's butt on the inside back of your jacket....and i mean really, who DOESN'T want that?

joking aside, burton makes great stuff. i only tried this thing on, and just wanted to give a heads up on sizing, etc.

i'm 6'1" 170 lbs. and i have long arms. and i usually wear mediums. i tried on some burton stuff recently and noticed it was running big, and that a small fit better than a medium. so when i went to the backcountry.com store to try on this burton jacket, i asked for a small and a medium just to be safe. i tried on the small first and had to do a double take on the tag/package — i thought maybe they had given me a large by mistake. seriously HUGE! i didn't even bother trying on the medium. so just realize when they say this is a "baggy-fit" they are indeed telling the truth. nevertheless, if you're looking to order this jacket, i would recommend sizing down one size.

aside from the fit, the color is misrepresented by the photos (once again). the photo above looks dark olive green and dark camo. in person, it is MUCH lighter. that lightest green in the camo is a really bright lime green, and the jacket overall is a much brighter, lighter green. not nearly as good looking in person (in my opinion).

i ended up getting the Burton Hybrid 3L

haven't been able to test it out in the wild yet, but so far i love it. i've owned enough burton gear to know the quality in their products. and i have no doubt it will be bomb proof for the descents. i just hope it will be breathable enough for the way up. in situations where it is not, it's definitely small enough to fit in my pack. i'm 6'1" 170 lbs. and the small fits perfect, which is a little unusual — generally i wear a medium. but after having tried on the latest burton garb, i noticed that their stuff is running a little big these days, so i went with the small. i also have long arms, so im glad there's enough length there too.the hazel isn't quite as dark as the photo above, which was also a nice surprise.

i'm docking a star for lack of wrist gaiters — even with the velcro closed tightly around my gloves (which btw isn't quite as stylish) i had to hike the sleeves down multiple times to keep out the powder. i'm going to have to sew in my own wrist gaiters.

i've got two pairs of these — one for the resort board and one for my splitboard. and with the deals you can find on backcountry and steapand cheep, etc., these can't be beat. not sure all the extras your getting with some of those $450 pair of bindings, but i can't imaging paying that much for bindings. the plush straps are comfy. the cap straps are awesome (could never go back to regular toe straps). these bindings seem to have everything you need for all mountain riding. of course my first set of burton bindings were on my elite 140, and they were just molded plastic high backs with webbing and fastex buckles, so what do i know? :)

normally i'm a burton guy for most of my snowboarding needs — they've always just got it dialed with innovation and craftsmanship. ii actually exchanged a pair of burton boots for these vans because the lacing system is better on the vans. love the boa lacing system. it's great to be able to tighten or loosen your boots in a snap without having dangling laces to get in the way. you can dial them to the perfect amount of tension. and my feet have never gotten cold in my vans.

in case your body type is like mine [6'1" 165-170 (tall/slender)] this might not be the jacket for you. i was really hoping this would be my answer to a great backcountry softshell (lightweight, breathable, powderskirt, removable hood, etc). but the sleeves were way too short — same with the body. and for the record, the cilantro color is a MUCH brighter, lime green in person.

ps. add some wrist gaiters por favor.

i went to the backcountry.com store yesterday to try this on....now i'm hooked! but there's no way the wife will be cool with me buying a $500 jacket.

i love the way this thing fits. the medium is perfect for my frame: 6'1" 165lbs., tall, slender, long arms. it's got a perfect athletic or "tailored" cut.not baggy, but could definitely fit a layer or two underneath.

features i love:
• fit/cut/length
• powder skirt
• material/stretch
• weight, the fact that it's a shell
• craftsmanship

the version i would design:
• add wrist gaiters
• make a non-helmet compatible hood version (smaller hood) and/or detachable/stowaway hood
• lose the RECCO — not sure how much that adds to the price, and i already own a transciever
• an army green color option (the photo on backcountry isn't true to the color in person)*

hey ARC'TERYX, can i design one for trade? :)

*in person, the color is a darker richer green. the photo online makes it look a little lighter and more muted, which would be better.

my F1 is at least 12 years old now. works great. the battery life is good. i like having the extra range (almost twice what you get with digital). i don't have any experience with the new digital transceivers other than messing around with my friend's tracker in his front yard for a few minutes.

i'm curious about this "ghost multiple reading" that one reviewer mentioned on this page. is that really legit? what's the explanation behind that?

i just saw this at REI and think i might have to exchange my BD quickdraw carbon fiber 230 for this voile. the voile seems to fold up quite a bit smaller and more compact. plus it's a little bit longer, and i'm not sure that i could actually feel the difference between 1.9 oz. weight difference.

the handle on this doesn't seem quite as good as the BD handle, but if you can replace it easily enough if it wears out, then it's all good.

i bought a regular from campsaver because it was the only place i could find one. they had it at 20% off too which was nice. i needed it for a wind rivers trip and couldn't wait. the plan now is to give this as a handmedown/upgrade to my wife, and purchase a Large for me.

this thing packs up so small and so light. the grippy surface works awesome for keeping your bag still while you switch positions. the depth is awesome — can side sleep without your hips digging into the ground. i know some people have mentioned the noise factor — i didn't really notice it too much — it's not that bad.

the detachable tube is brilliant. it's not super difficult, but still a small chore to thread the drinking tube through the shoulder strap of my pack. so i'm thrilled with the ability to simply detach the tube from the bladder and leave the tube in the backpack.

i took off the hose insulator and cap because it was just too bulky inside my pack (especially inside the shoulder strap), but if you're using this on the outside of a pack i can see the insulator hose working well.

the only thing i'd change: i wish they had put the little clip/loop thing on the insulator bag, on the top of the bag instead of on the bottom. the handle on the top seems bulky and pointless (it doesn't show in the product photo).

super sturdy. super easy to deploy. super good lookin'. now if it were only cheaper than 10 cheap things, i'd own a bunch more — one for each car, child and wife (i only have one wife).

perfect size for a pack. i love good design.

i couldn't pass up the 45% off! seems to be exactly what i was looking for with the exception of an avalung — but whatever, my crew will just have to dig me out faster.

i've owned an old dakine heli pack for over 10 years now, and that thing is still awesome. it just lacked a few features i wanted for backcountry outings — namely space, and a separate compartment for avi gear. the PRO II is the perfect amount of space — not too small, not too large. it has the separate avi gear compartment, insulated sleeve for hydration hose, etc.it does seem a little "strappy" — a lot of straps and a lot of length. but i think once i get it all dialed in i can trim and tuck the remaining portion of the strap and end up nice and streamlined.

the one thing i've yet to test is whether or not the diagonal ski carry cable and straps will hold my splitboard when it is split — if that works out, i'm giving it SIX stars! in anycase, i think the diagonal ski carry will be a great way to strap on my poles for the descent.

dakine = well thought out quality.

so i traded in the 9" (good for not much) for the 15" — if you're looking for a strap to hold your splitboard halves together when in ski mode, or for fat powder skis, 15" is the way to go.

these are great, just make sure to get the right size. i chatted with a backcountry.com employee about which size to get for my burton split board. he said they stretch a ton, so i bought both a 9" and a 12" to be safe — neither fit. they really don't stretch all that much. the plus side is that if you have the right size, they seem to function great. i'm going to keep the 12" for my wife for her skis (fits great), and i'll need to exchange the 9" for the 15"....i hope.

to measure, put your skis (or whatever) together, wrap a tape measure around them and go with the exact size or bigger — don't factor in the supposed stretch.

so far so good — i've owned them for one season. they were a little tricky to trim only because of the side cut of the splitboard. but the good news is you don't have to have a super clean cut line for them to work. these things rule for climbing. i only had to wax them one day towards the end of the season that was really wet and slushy.

the glue is super strong. use your knees to help pull them apart when transitioning.

and is it just me, or did the price go up this year — like $50?

like some of the other reviews, i could see a little improvement here and there in design/materials. but overall this is a great product. if you take the time to set it up right/ you shouldn't have any problems transitioning irl (in real life) — it gets easier the more you practice. also make sure everything is tight before heading out for a tour.

it took me a good couple of hours to get my stance all dialed in and everything mounted correctly.

this board rules. burton has always been the goto company for snowboard innovations — no different in the case of splitboarding (with the exception of their phased out attempt of splitboard bindings). :) in any case, this board rides like the description says, "Burton made this one to actually ride like a board." it was manufactured to work seamlessly with the Voile Universal Splitboard Interface — work together like a charm. on the way down it feels no different than riding a regular snowboard. on the way up....well, it's awesome.

...and she hasn't been able to try them out yet. but i was happy with the quick shipping and the quality of the product.i was disappointed that these bindings don't ship with the climbing pins and/or the leashes.they were easy to mount, but again i was disappointed that i had to go to another site (and pay for additional shipping) in order to find the K2 mounting screw pack.