I have the large rectangular BA Clearview pad. It definitely saved space and weight on 15 consecutive nights backpacking. Mine, unfortunately, holds enough air to keep me off the ground only about 3 hours, so I have to get OFF it to re-inflate (5 big breaths) at least twice every night. I suspect the valve leaks, but not sure. When inflated, it is very comfortable "under my bag". On warm nights, however, it is simply horrible to touch the sticky plastic pad, making it difficult to use my bag blanket-style. The pad is squeaky as all get-out, meaning every time I roll around or get up in the night, I sound like a clown twisting balloons at a birthday party. The plastic looks fragile, but I think it is pretty durable. I found deflation and rolling up to be quick and simple. Because of the squeakiness, stickiness, and leakiness, by the end of my trip I was looking enviously at other people who had larger, heavier pads that have a cloth-like covering. If you are hell-bent on saving weight, then this pad is good for you. I plan to look for other sleeping solutions in the future.

I love a heavy-duty expedition tent like this for winter camping, be it car camping or trekking. the Marmot poles slide nicely in sleeves, the clips are good. This tent keeps me comfortable in sever weather.

I own this and the Emerald SL2. Both tents are nearly the same with the Emerald having slightly larger vestibule on one side. The CS UL2 is great for a weight-saving tent. I consider this my one-man tent. I do not want to use a one-man bivvy, I would rather carry a little more weight, such as this tent, and have the live-able space that I prefer. I do not want to use a tent this size for two-person sleeping, since I am a thrasher and I don't like to be crowded. The wind will howl under the fly and chill you, so I choose a heavier, winter two-wall tent (one where the inner wall is not just mesh) for winter camping. I would buy this tent again.

I love the lightweight of this tent. I also own the Copper Spur UL2 which is nearly the same tent, but a tad lighter. I like to let two kids share the Emerald SL2 while I use the Copper Spur UL2 as my solo tent. I think the design is great as a solo tent. I don't like anyone to touch me, so this is too tight for me to call this a 2-person tent. When sub-freezing winds howl under the rain fly, you might just as well be sleeping without a tent because this thing is mostly mesh. If find the doors and vestibules well designed for their ultra-light purpose. I would buy this tent again.

I have to give this 4 stars simply because it is ridiculous to advertise this as a 4-man tent and I think I prefer outside poles on a tent. I am 6' 2" and if my clone is in the tent with me, we call this a two-man tent. Just compare floor dimensions to lots of other tents and you will see that the 4-man claim is bogus. I recently dug the tent out in the morning where the snow was more than 1/2 way up the side walls. From inside, the tent shape, size, etc. was still just fine. I have to be careful not to stake the vestibule too tight or it makes the zipper a bugger to open and close in the snow. I love the internal twist things for the poles. However, I give mixed review for the internal poles in general. I wear glasses, so when I need to dive into the tent to set it up in the dark in a blizzard, I have to have a head lamp on inside and my glasses fog immediately, so getting the first two poles set up in the corners is an exercise in blindness. Poles on the outside with clips is an all-around better solution in my opinion, but the poles on the bombshelter are good and strong and the tent pitches real tight which I like.

I have a pair of MK Orig. Mtn Pant in yellowish color that are my favorite pants, bar none. I bought two more pairs in gray and dark. Both of these pairs of pants fit nicely on the first wearing. I then washed them and wore them, washed-wore, washed-wore and increasingly the fit of the pants became more and more miserable. They shrank in weird ways, especially in the waist and thighs, until I simply could not wear them. The dark color also turned purple. In the end, the good people at Backcountry took them back. I am baffled, since I am, at this moment, wearing my 1-year-old yellow colored pants and they still fit great. I bought my good pair on sale and think the pants are overpriced. Despite that my yellow ones are increasingly stained and worn, and I could stand to get another pair, I am reluctant to purchase MK pants because of the apparent lack of quality control or consistency of manufacture.
2-years later. My yellow pants are getting increasingly trashed and I love them. I have tried more times at various stores to get another pair that fits as well. MK quality control is bad. I can hold up duplicate pairs of pants side-by-side and see that the legs vary by 2-3 inches in length. I love my pants, but am frustrated at MK for the lack of consistency in their sizing. The alpine utility pant seems primarily designed to show off my butt crack, so I really want to get another pair of the original mountain pant.

I find these shoes to have an awkward fit compared to the Hedgehog by The North Face. These ones are a bit "pointy" and pinch me over the top of my foot behind the toes and across the
tops of my toes. I have owned several pairs of TNF hedgehog shoes and I will stick with that model, as I find them sturdier, better cushioned and roomier over the top of my foot.

My wife is happy with the Greenland Jacket. Note that I did not say "extremely" happy. The jacket meets her expectations except in one regard. The fatal flaw committed by TNF is that they use a stylish but very cheap buckle on the waist strap. The buckle has a shiny metal female portion and a horribly brittle, flimsy plastic male portion. TNF is, I am sure, using the metal buckle to impart style to the jacket, and I have to agree, the buckle looks attractive. However, they have purchased what has to be about the lowest quality buckle on the market. The plastic male portion broke after a few weeks. Now my wife wears the jacket without the waist strap and she is less happy with the jacket as a result. Like I say, the jacket otherwise meets her expectations. I have seen these metal/plastic buckles in use elsewhere as well. I had some REI brand luggage last year that used several of these very fashionable, crappy metal/plastic combo units and two of them snapped after the first airline flight. I returned the luggage and will steer clear of anything that uses these buckles in the future. Without a better buckle, and unless you intend to wear the Greenland Jacket without the waist strap, I would insist that TNF either supply a better buckle, supply an ample supply of spare plastic male parts for they will inevitably break, or steer clear of the Greenland parka. Without this flaw, I would seriously consider giving the jacket a 4 or 5 star rating.

I bought these pants for my wife because I own two pairs of my own. This is the only softshell type pant she has ever used and she loves them as much as I like mine. i am always hot and she is always cold. I appreciate the pants because they are not exceedingly warm or insulated. i wear them all winter without long johns except on the coldest days. She wears tights under them and she was warm on cold days this winter. The ATV is a great-fitting pant, reasonably water repellent, with the proper level of warmth to satisfy us both.
After a few years, these are still the best pants I own. I have three pairs and too bad they no longer make this exact model. Snow camping, mountaineering, skiing, yard work, cycling, etc. I use these pants constantly and carry them as my only pants on summer backpacks. If it dumps rain and sleet, I am good and do not need rain pants. Buy these if you can find them at a thrift store.

This set of poles is fine for anyone who needs a good ski pole. My kids and wife tend to trade around their poles when snowshoeing depending upon steepness of terrain. My son uses them for skiing, as does my wife. This is a good pair of reasonably priced poles. Purchasing them was easier than going to the ski swap.

Newer model improved slightly by adding an extra belt loop at back. Interior of pant is comfortable. Fabric quality and function is good - seems to shed water pretty well. Critical for my comfort is that the pants are not excessively hot, even in warm spring-ski conditions. I wear them without an under layer in all but the coldest ski conditions.

The quality of other North Face shoes is better than these. This is the 2nd time I fooled myself into buying the Blaze when it went on sale, and I am again kicking myself. This shoe does not fall apart immediately, but they last me only a couple of months of city-wear. The fabric and stitching at the fabric-leather interface are as bad as you see on shoes these days.

This shoe is better quality than the Blaze, but the fit is worse. If you want a tighter fit, narrower toe box, then this shoe is better for you than other The North Face shoes. I have a pretty wide foot, but a buddy of mine has a normal foot, and he complained about the fit in the toe region when he got some of these too.