These flip flops are very comfortable once they mold around your foot. The webbing is soft and doesn't rub. The 3 star rating comes from a couple things. First, no traction. The foam-like sole doesn't have much traction if the surface is wet. Think wet wood steps at your house. Second, they don't last much more than a season. They're cheap, so you can buy a pair every spring. After a lot of wear they lose comfort, support, and still don't hold on wet surfaces. Good flip flop for cookouts and hanging out. Want grip or long lasting support, look around.

A sock made in Vermont=awesome. The sock also has a lifetime warranty. Probably won't need it-these things last. This sock (1/4 cushion) is an awesome hiking sock. The wool regulates temperature and holds up. Warm, dry feet are always nice. The fit of the sock is very good and doesn't lose shape. My few pairs of 1/4 cushion socks really don't show much wear after a couple years. Some might say these are spendy, but they last. As far as sizing, I wear a women's 8 and the medium size fits nicely.

My primary rack is a Yakima Hold Up, and this one on my roof only gets used for a 3rd bike if there is one. I don't use it every day because I love my hitch rack and I don't worry about incidents with it. Roof Racks that don't require front wheel removal are great, because you don't need to have multiple pieces to address the fact that you want to use the same rack for a trail bike with a thru axle one day and a road bike the next day. I've driven long distances (2000 miles) on the highway and short ones on rough-ish roads. It's definetly not the most secure. You'll have some wobble, and it never hurts to throw on an extra camstrap for piece of mind. If it's a long drive, always re-check how tight you have the red knob for the front wheel. It holds the bike though, and that is the goal. For some reason my King Cobra holds 700c cyclocross and 29" mtb wheels better than 26" mtb wheels. The 26"-wheeled bikes move around more it seems. If you want more piece of mind and a more stable bike rack for the roof, shell out the extra for the High Roller (Yakima) or the Side Arm (Thule).

I bought this watch from backcountry in May. Loved the style of the watch, and the webbing band is really comfortable. It's ment to be a smaller version of the Block watch, and it fits nicely on a smaller wrist. However, In September I was swimming in a lake, and the watch stopped working. It looked like water had gotten into the case as there was condensation in the display. The 100m claim didn't live up to surface swimming, handwashing, and showering. I saw a similar issue in reviews, so maybe Nixon should beef up the case a bit. Backcountry rocks in these situations. Instead of dealing with warranty with Nixon, I just talked to the nice folks at backcountry and they took back the watch and gave me a refund. Watch = 2 stars (it was ok when it worked), Backcountry.com = 5 stars.

Simple wire-gate clip design is easy to use with your gloves on. Huge plus. I use them with O1's and O2's with Scarpa T1 boots and the length is just right. The leashes don't get in the way. However, The plastic coating has gotten brittle and come off the cable on one of them, but this doesn't affect how well they work.

I have two pairs of Hudsons, with one being the polarized tortoise pair. This pair has held up for two and a half years so far, which is pretty good considering the abuse. The fit feels medium, not too big, but big enough to give good coverage. Great for the river (just use some straps or chums) and driving. These things have survived class V swims, being buried in the snow in a friend's yard for 5 months, banging into chainrings working on bikes, and falling off my head. the only thing that Smith could improve on is to make an interlock version of the Hudson.

This shovel is durable and light for the price. The telescoping handle makes it easy to dig with and even easier to carry on your back or in your pack. The pre-drilled holes and slats in the grip make setting up webbing straps a piece of cake. The shovel has held up through drills, dog holes, snow pits, and deck projects. I've had a couple issues with the spring pins in the handle getting jammed a few times, but not where it hooks to the blade.

This is my everyday ski in Utah. I'm 5'4" and 120, and have the 171's set up with BD's O2 bindings. It's got enough width and a big enough tip to stay on top in powder, but it does have enough sidecut to turn on groomers and ski bumps. A smaller ski would be nice on the groomers, but this ski handles them well and then works great off piste in the trees on the same run. The skis have nice pop and hold an edge pretty good. I got in over 100 days on these skis and they held up. They're soft enough for pow, but stiff enough to bust through spring crud. It's not as fat as I'd like for huge powder days, but you can still have fun with it in the deep without your tips going under each tele-turn. Rossi's tend to ski short, from what I've read and noticed. I have some K2 167's that have the same effective edge as these 171's. Overall, good all-mountain ski.

These socks hold their shape well and stay up around your calf. I can hardly tell the toe seam is there. The heel fits nicely, too. Nice warm, wool socks, that wick very well. Just enough padding in the shin area. These are my favorite ski socks. I have a few pairs of PhD midweight socks, and they're always my first picks after laundry day.

These kneepads fit great, keeps your knees warm, and don't restrict movement. The 3 piece shell design works great to protect your knee, the top of your shin, and the very top of your knee. I put these on in the morning and sometimes the knee pads make it to the bar. I also work on the snow, so these knee pads come in handy when kneeling at patients, digging snow pits and dog holes, or the occasional rendezvous with the top sheet of my ski. You never know when a whipper or log is going to pop up, so protect your knees.

This helmet is one of the best in it's price range. It doesn't have a ton of vents, but the intake vents in the front do their job of circulating air through the whole helmet. It has a nice low profile design, with a slight lip brim to keep snow from getting jammed in your goggles. Have only used Smith goggles with it and the fit is great. It's lacking some adjustments found on higher end Smith Helmets, such as the retention system in the back of the Variant helmets. The ear flaps pop out which is nice for spring days. I have the matte finish, which doesn't scratch easily, and the shell takes some abuse in the rocket box with other gear.

These flip-flops have the awesome footbed of a Chaco sandal, with the convenience and style of a flip-flop. Most flip-flops are soft, spongy, slick, and flat. Not this one. It has great arch support, and a super grippy rubber sole. No weak,slick foam here. I wear the same size in the flips as I do in the Z/1's and Z/2's, but I sized from 7.5 up to 8. It's a flip-flop that's actually good for your feet. Nice colors and patterns, too. I wear these year round (snow on the streets permitting).

So far this bottle is holding up just as well as my old lexan Nalgene bottles held up. There's no plastic taste, but I still don't put hot liquids in it. It has survived some falls, being strapped in a raft, getting thrown around truck and 6x6 beds, and stayed in tact. The .75 size fits in my Subaru's cupholders, too. This plastic seems to be a little weaker than lexan, because I can flex the sides of this bottle a bit.

This base layer fits well. The sleeves and torso are long enough, which is tough to find in smaller-sized base layer. The inside pattern of the fabric wicks very well. The zip-neck gives you some climate control. Great base layer that looks good enough to wear with jeans to the bar.

I've worn many brands of ski helmets, and the Variant Brim has been my favorite thus far. The helmet fits great with Smith goggles. I've only tried Smith and Anon with it and Anon fits great as well. The ventilation is very good, and when it's closed the helmet keeps your head toasty. The brim is solid and keeps snow off your goggles. I haven't had an issue with fogging because of the brim. The adjustment in the rear holds the helmet in place. Only one small quirk I've found; When you take the ear flaps out on a hot day, there's some velcro that catches your hair, if you've got long hair. Bottom line: Fits great, works great, looks great.