I also own the 2008 Elkhorn model, so I can only comment on that sleeping bag. The Elkhorn is the North Face version of an affordable bag that still keeps you warm at reasonable temperatures. I was more than fine sleeping in this bag when I went camping during the summer even at 8,000 ft elevations. When condensation built up in the tent, I did not feel the water inside the bag despite it being wet on the outside. In warm climates and at lower elevations you will have to sleep on top of your bag, as it will make you fell very hot inside it. However the bag is ideal for sleeping in cold to freezing weather. I took the Elkhorn bag for my camping trip in the Upper Peninsula in Michigan in early May and the temperatures dropped slightly below freezing. Out of the six people in the group, I was the only one that slept trough the night, but it took me a good hour to generate enough heat in the sleeping bag to feel comfortable. I am however someone who feels cold all the time and am very skinny so there is a lot of air to be heated inside the sleeping bag. Unlike the previous reviewer I did use a proper sleeping pad, which I would recommend investing in as well. The Elkhorn bag is a tad bulky to pack in your backpack, but it does the job and for a mere 100 dollars it's worth it. I would recommend buying it, if you're not into extreme weather camping, it's not let me down as of yet!

I also bought these shoes for kayaking and since it's my first pair of water shoes I did not know what to expect. To my surprise the shoes are very comfortable so I can take them on a light hike and they look great on the foot too! They have a plastic sole with small holes in it to let the water out, but it's not at all bothersome as it actually feels rather nice on the bare foot. With a sock, it's like you have snickers on. The shoes run a bit large though, so order half a size smaller. I am a 9 for elegant shoes and a 9.5 for hiking shoes/boots, and I had to return my size 9 pair to exchange it for an 8.5 size. I will definitely use these North Face Padda as my secondary pair of hiking shoes, and maybe even wear them once or twice in the city as they really look cool.

I bought this pair thinking that the money would buy me one of the best pairs of trekking socks. I can't say that I am happy about these socks at all. They have no padding on the sole, which means that after a long trekking day you will feel lots of pain in your feet. Also I have one of the best breeze hiking boots, yet my feet were muggy at all times even during cool weather. (this hasn't happened to me even with regular socks!) They do hug my feet perfectly when I put them on, but with wet feet you're going to get blisters no matter what. I would buy a cheaper pair with padding and better breathability.

I bought my Breeze XCR Hiking Boots for my hiking trip in California, so I got to test them in Yosemite and Mt. Whiteny. My first experience with them was that they were heavy and during my short 4-5 hours hikes they managed to both blister and wound my feet. Also they did not seem very breathable to me. On my hike to Mt. Whitney I used proper hiking socks and my experience changed. The boots were breathable and in 14 hours of hiking they only moderately accentuated my wounds. They have good grip on granite type rock, but I never got to test them in wet conditions.
I would recommend these boots as long as you wear them with proper socks and you do not have very sensitive feet.

I used this backpack on my last hiking trip in Yosemite and Mt. Whitney and it was worth every cent. It is very light and breathable, so despite having 8 lb in it, I almost did not feel it on my back. It made a huge difference on my Mt. Whitney hike (22 miles in a day), so I recommend this product without any hesitation. I agree that a hydration pocket inside the main compartment would be an improvement, but for such a comfortable feel I am more than happy to work around that inconvenience.