Brian Donner

It's a split, it's got magne-traction, it's pretty awesome. Added some Karakoram bindings and some Voile skins and was off to having fun. Get one! I'm 5'10" 190# and I have the 162- no complaints at all.

Great skin! Attachment works easily. The skins were easy to cut despite magne-traction. I added some Spark RnD tail clips which really help keep the skins in place for a no-nuisance skin up the hill. Grab some of BD's Cheat Sheets to make storage and re-application easy. Great product!

I'm sorry but no thanks. I tried these out for a bit but exchanged for the Vasque Transistor, of which I am on my second pair and love. The velocity is a heavy, bulky, high-centered hiking shoe which is masquerading as a trail runner. They are actually very similar to the gore-tex merrell trail shoes I have. If you are looking for a solid, rigid trail shoe I suppose these would work well for that purpose. However, I did not find these shoes very responsive and would not recommend them for trail runners, which is what they are advertised as.

I really dig these shirts, especially for what I paid off SAC. I'm not crazy about the strange collar/neck construction, I prefer a normal circular cut. However, that's about my only complaint! These shirts are pretty durable (for merino), they wick sweat very well, dry quickly and they don't smell (that bad). I don't own any icebreaker shirts so I can't compare, but my patagonia merino 4 smells a little better than these Stoic merinos after some sweaty days. If you're a little chunky in the midsection (fatty) don't buy, or size up. You have been warned so no bad reviews about how you thought they were tight, and that's the shirts fault... they have a very athletic fit. I think improvements would be: Arms a little bigger, normal collar. The second just being personal preference though. I'm very happy with the two shirts I have, they work great and were an exceptional value.
5'10/190# Size L fits me just right, read above though. Not for chunky drawers.

Not bad! I picked this up off SAC for about 35 bones and I'm happy with it! This is a great summer bag, light, synthetic and not too warm. I own a WM summerlite 32 degree down bag which I usually carry in the summer because of it's very small size and weight but this bag is also quite small and light (1oz heavier than the WM summerlite) but not so warm- which is sometimes nice in the summer. My only gripe is the lafuma 600 feels a little smaller than the summerlite at the waist. This isn't really a problem though, I still have room to move around. This bag would not work well for temps below 45, so don't even try. Overall- at the price I paid this thing is great!

5'10 190lbs. Size REG.

Not bad! The cookset works about perfectly for one person in the summer months. I prefer a 1.2L + in the winter for numerous reasons. I like the durability of this cookset, it's really solid and still doesn't weigh much. A jetboil 100g canister fits inside the pot along with the stove, an optimus ti folding spork, lighter, and a rag!

The stove- Not bad. Light, durable, simple and HOT. My only complaint is the burner control is super touchy and doesn't simmer very well.

Rocky is a 64lb lab/shepherd/pig? mix and wears a size medium. I am going to cut the front chest straps and re-attach them just slightly tighter because apparently he is a strange shaped dog. I wish the chest straps tightened just a little more, otherwise everything fits well. The areas that are starting to wear are the bottom corners of the pack towards the front. However, nothing stands up to NH granite and this is to be expected. Rocky likes his pack (I think) and has been fine with it ever since the quick temper tantrum the first hike he wore it on. I agree with Jason, a weeks worth of food would fit in here no problem for my dog. Overall this pack has stood up to 3 years of ownership and a lot of hiking both summer and winter, it's a quality doggie pack.

For 130 bones this should come with the sleeping pad. It's a nice stuff sack though, not too big, not too small. It's pretty important that you put the neoair inside something to protect it- why not this stuff sack?

If you own gore-tex or other waterproof breathable gear, you need this stuff. Unless you don't use said waterproof gear, then you don't need this stuff since it's made for people who do use their gear. I use the tech wash too, but I'm not sure if it's worth it, some gear just says use powdered wash soap. The TX Direct works great, and I think the wash-in stuff works a lot better than the spray on. Now that I think about it, I need to buy more!

I totally dig these pants- the zippers on the bottom of the leg are a life saver. They repel light water and clean/dry very easily. The nylon is much softer than some of my cheapo zip-off's, and they seem to breathe much better. I wish they had a cargo pocket! Pretty happy with these basic zip-offs though. I wear a 32x32 but sized up to a 34- might be a mistake on a thru-hike due to weight loss, but for weekend wars it was a good call.

I bought this for my girlfriend- 5'8" 115lbs. Size medium fits her well, a SM was too short in the torso. She has long arms and this jacket fits her very well, and looks great. The waterproofing is adequate and the jacket seems to breathe pretty well (always could be better). The medium size allows for some room to layer underneath and the jacket has a nice smooth inside (unlike the Welder) which doesn't snag on fleece or other soft materials. Thumb holes in wrist gaiters are a nice touch for keeping extra warm. Pretty happy with the quality thus far!

I bought this in size SM for my girlfriend who is 5'8" and 115lbs. She has long trevor/alien arms and although the arms were long enough the SM was a little short in the torso. A medium fit much better. She would have kept the jacket but the inside was a strange fleece like material that stuck to everything and ruined any chances of layering fleece, or anything other than smooth nylon underneath. When she did try a fleece under the jacket it bunched up and stuck to the inside of the arms which made movement annoying. The insulated version of this jacket would solve the problem, but we ended up buying the Stoic Bombshell in size M and she is totally happy with it.

I've had the red ones for a few years now and they still work perfectly for almost any winter terrain in the white mtns. I sharpened my spikes with a file mid season and suspect I will get another year or two of use out of my original set. I wear a size 12 or 12.5 and wear a large for my boots. My trail running shoes are a size 12 however and my girlfriends medium set fits a lot better. Consider not just the sizing of the shoe but the overall mass or type of shoe, ie. boot vs. trail running shoe. Hopefully my size reference helps someone choose the right microspike size!

I dig these, they get swamp assed for 10 hours day after day and don't smell (as bad as they should, or maybe that's just me). They do tend to ride up a bit when biking but I guess I should be wearing spandex or something else under my shorts. Best option out there, I wish these could be made of merino.

I always carry a few of these as a backup. I usually use a filter, either a Katadyn or Sawyer gravity setup, but always have a few of these as backups. I keep a couple in each first aid kit too. Lightweight and simple, these are an essential. Wait time sucks and they taste poopy. Get some emergen-c.

These are fantastic. The zipper is tough and easy to operate with gloves or mittens. They work great as a food bag, and pack really well due to the rectangular shape. I'm always surprised how much I can fit inside these things. Haven't tested against rodents yet, and I wouldn't want to.

I love being able to see what's in my mesh sacks. These are lightweight and durable, and work really well if you like to use ziplocs like me. Wish they were a little cheaper, but they are really nice quality.

I love these pants! They probably would wet in a heavy rain but they repel light rain and wet branches pretty well. They breathe really well which dries them out quickly, and they pack up into a little baseball sized stuff sack. A cool feature of these pants is the velcro tabs on the bottom sections of the legs. The velcro allows you to tighten the pants on the bottom for a tapered MC Hammer kind of look that's functional for running etc. I would NOT want to attempt any bushwhacking in these pants- super thin material and my paclite pants (which are 2x as thick) are already patched in 3 places from winter trekking. The weight of these makes me think something is wrong or I am being tricked but I can't figure out how yet...

I would say this shell is perfect, but I miss hand pockets. This is personal preference though, it is so very light and beats down the competition in water resistance. Very breathable too, wear a merino shirt under this and enjoy some cool airflow and decent moisture wicking. Don't leave home without it. I'm 5'10 190lbs and wear an XL but I like a big shell. A large fits fine too, it's just a little more snug.

I used mine to make a gravity setup with a sawyer filter. The fittings also work with my Katadyn filter for leak free switching of hoses. These are great for the hoser bladder which doesn't come with the QD fittings like the big zip. Wish these were about 50% cheaper though! =)

I love these bladders! I own a 3L hoser and a 3L big zip. I use the hoser in the winter with a regular platypus sqeeze cap on it (no hose to freeze). I stuff the hoser into my pack against the back-panel and it doesn't freeze. Plus, with all the air sucked out, it can be a small 1L bottle, or a 3L water buffalo. Durable enough for me- neither platy has patches both camelbak bladders do. These work great with gravity filters- I have a sawyer setup which is about as lightweight as possible for a gravity filter. Can't say enough positive things about Platypus!
Happy T's!

As another reviewer stated these do not have the nylon bottoms anymore. There is a small nylon handle but that's it. I like this stuff sack for a food bag, I use ziplocs inside it and have been impressed with it's durability. Good quality and lightweight, a simple product that works.

I bought this for my marmot lithium (12L) and my dogs EMS boreal 20 Jr (12L). They work really well, are highly water resistant and really light. The compression sack folds up into it's own small stuff sack when not in use which is a cool little trick. I can't find anything not to like yet, have had great success!

I like these snowshoes a lot, they perform quite well in the mountains. I love the heel elevators but I wish the rubber tabs didn't slide to the sides and become annoyingly hard to grab sometimes. I love the bindings initial clip system but hate the secondary pin that is supposed to hold the excess strap. Trying to clip the excess strap down is difficult, and really hard when wearing mittens or gloves in the snow. Luckily I usually leave the secondary clip unsecured and haven't had any problems yet. These things feel great on the trail, they flex quite well and the traction bars bite into the snow and ice well on uneven terrain. The tails are a must have for any powder, you'll appreciate the extra 6" of shoe. I love how easy the tails attach to the shoes, it's really quick and unlike the binding system- easy with gloves.. Overall I want to love these, but there are a couple of really minor flaws preventing a 5 star rating. The binding issue is just silly, nobody noticed that while testing these? =)

Update: After completing a few decent solo treks this winter in the White Mtns I'm still sticking with 4 stars, 5 if the secondary clips worked better on the bindings. Garfield ridge trail had several feet of fresh powder which these did pretty well in. I didn't have problems sinking in as other reviewers have mentioned and was quite mobile. I have found that anything with a crust of 1-2" is annoying, but that's pretty typical with any shoes. I have used these shoes in 10 below zero temps and the bindings have remained flexible enough to attach, the problem is the excess strap clips. After a couple hundred miles this winter, 50,000+/- ft, they are holding up very well.

These boots run narrow! I have never worn a wide before but after trying on a few different sizes I finally settled on a 12W. The toe box, and the area around the front of the foot is pretty narrow and can cause pain when logging long miles if it's too tight. These have a decent break in period of 20-30 miles, or more depending on the season. I wear these in the white mtns of New Hampshire, mostly in the winter. The gore-tex works great, I haven't had wet feet on any hikes (unless I submerged my entire boot). The soles are tough and the toe and heel are reinforced for ass kicking. They work great with MSR showshoes, microspikes, etc. Plenty warm with extra socks. 5 stars if the sizing wasn't funky.

I've had my Katadyn hiker for a couple of years now without any problems. I have cleaned the filter according to the instructions after each trip and dried it completely before storing. The pump works great, take a small coffee filter for an extra prefilter for really gross silty water. I love the quick disconnect fittings which clip into my platypus without any spillage. Overall cold, clean, fresh tasting water, reliably. I would give 5 stars if it was lighter/smaller.

Ok, I suppose. I bought this for 20-40 degree temps and I have been quite cold, wearing clothes 20-30 degree nights. As other reviewers have stated this will compress to about the size of a basketball, maybe a little bigger even. It's not a bad sleeping bag, but for me I wouldn't use it below 30 degrees, and there are lighter sleeping bags out there. Marmot down insulation ended up being the solution for me. Good luck!

I sleep cold and have spent plenty of nights in temps from 5-15 in my lithium, being toasty warm, in just long underwear. I usually use a silk liner because some manufacturers (WM I think) claim body oils can seep through the nylon and damage the down insulation over time. I pair this with a neoair and a 3/4 foam pad (my backpanel in my pack) for cold nights in shelters. I agree the stuff sack would be too small for a long, I use a regular. I am 5'10" / 190# and fit perfectly in the regular, I sleep on my side sometimes and the lithium provides enough room for me to turn around in. You can't beat the features to weight ratio of this bag, great product.

Ok, Lets all be honest here, these are not the best bladders available. I used these for 11 years before switching to platypus.

They may be slightly more durable than the competition, but I can say with confidence the previous omega bladders that I owned were no more durable than my platypus big zip.

The cap sucks, it tends to leak unless you close it really tightly. Thus, opening the lid later is a struggle.

The bite valve tends to leak, platypus doesn't. The big zip is also lighter.

I was a big fan of Camelbak. I still have my pack, it's been to 3 deserts, many alpine areas, and has thousands of biking and hiking miles on it. Honestly though, now there are lighter, better bladders available. I hope camelbak catches up.

I have been using camelbak bladders for about 11 years and once I switched to platypus I was totally sold. I hated trying to open my omega bladder sometimes, it was painful trying to unscrew the lid and if I didn't tighten it to a 175 ft lbs of torque it would leak.

The big zip doesn't leak, the plastic slide for the zipper works flawlessly. You can freeze these (I do) and they can take boiling water (allegedly).

I have had no problems with the durability of my platypus bladder as other reviewers have mentioned, but had patches on both my camelbak omega bladders. My current big zip has 700+ mi of backpacking and 200+ Mt biking and is patch/leak free.

I have used Emergen-C, NuuN, and the Camelbak tablets in my big zip with very little permeation. With one or two washes the flavor is gone. I wash out with dish soap and dry thoroughly after uses.

Overall, far superior to omega bladders. In my experience these are lighter, stronger, and simply a better design. Good luck!

I like this stove a lot, it's a bargain for what it is. Very light and very simple means it's reliable, and um, light. I have used it quite a bit and my only complaint is the valve to control the burner is very sensitive. It's tricky to simmer. If you are looking for a very simple, small and light stove though- this is a great buy. I am very satisfied.

Note: As other reviewers have pointed out- this does NOT fold like the crux. The pot supports fold in as does the burner control, that's it!

I originally bought these to hike in but I started running in them because they feel so good. They are really low to the ground, less padding is nice. These compliment vibram fivefingers well for training. Great trail shoe because they dry so quick, lots of mesh and plastic. They could be a little more durable, but then again I beat mine pretty hard. All around great summer shoe with no fancy gimmicks.

Got this on SAC for a bargain. Works just like any other Ti pot, wish it had a small pour spout, but it's not too messy so no prob. I haven't had a problem with things sticking to the bottom of my pot yet, but I haven't cooked any eggs and don't plan on it anytime soon. Oatmeal, chili, mac and cheese, etc. all cook super freaking duper. Good stuff.

My hands are cold hands. These mittens solved my backcountry problem. Throw on some lightweight glove liners while moving and then these things when you stop. Or, when the wind is blowing 60mph and it's -30, you wont have to run for cover. Nothing penetrates these mittens. The leather is so soft on your raw nose too. So nice. Easy to get on and off with the two way drawcords.

It's about time! This thing is stupid bright, with a nice long distance beam! It also has a built in diffuser which spreads the light around nicely. Built in red LED provides enough light for walking around at night. Batteries last a nice long time, especially lithiums. Oh my god, and it has a built in whistle, that totally convinced me. Yeah...but it is a bad-ass headlamp. Way better than the XP.

I bought it, I like it. Buy a piece of Tyvek... cheaper, lighter, it's going to get trashed anyways.

Edit: After writing this I forgot about the fast fly setup which is a cool weight saving feature. If you only need a groundsheet for protecting your tent, tyvek. There, all better now.

I love this tent. So does my dog. My dog really likes it because he thinks it is his crate, and I am a guest inside of it. He also loves that it weighs a mere 3# and that I'm able to hike closer to his pace. I love this tent because of similar reasons, and it's easy to set up. The mesh is really nice and breathable, and nice to sleep in without the fly on. I burned a hole in mine on the Allagash river in ME last summer. BA fixed it right up and took great care of me quickly. Only mild complaints/suggestions: I wish the sides of the fly were a little farther away. The bathtub floor could be stretched a little more on the sides as well. Love this tent though. As usual with "2 person" tents it's a 1.5 (human and dog) comfortably anyway.

Pretty straight forward. If you own a Fly Creek (like me) this may be annoying seeing as how we already don't have much head room. I don't mind it that much though.

I love this pad, it's nice and thick which makes side sleeping tolerable on crap ground. Bonus- it's really lightweight. I have owned this pad for a couple of years and have no patches in it with many good nights sleep.
The only downside is how noisy the pad is when you move around. But buy some earplugs, my sleeping bag is noisy too. Isn't yours?

Light, Warm, Packs small. So, no negatives whatsoever. Buy it.
5'10, 190lbs. Size L fits right.

I use this hiking in the White's all winter. Works great in lower temps, not very breathable but I find myself removing and adding layers all the time in the winter anyway. As another reviewer mentioned this jacket is gore-tex paclite with pro shell reinforcing so it holds up really well to an icy pack. Very, very waterproof, er, weatherproof. Have had lots of ryme ice built up on the outside of this thing, nothing gets through. I'm 5'10 190lbs. and wear an XL. A large would fit fine too, but I like having some room to put my montbell ul down inner underneath and for range of motion while wearing a pack.

Update: After completing (finally) a winter pemi loop this jacket remains completely intact. Not a scratch from serious bushwhacking and the usual blowdowns on Garfield ridge. Paclite pants suffered a few tears but this jacket is incredibly durable!