I have 4 pairs of these shoes. I buy them every year. Why change a good thing? Light, comfortable and fantastic treads... Because of the light mesh, they are a bit cold for use in the winter(wear more socks)... My only point of irritation are the laces. Once they break, lacing becomes a problem... There are no replacement sets due to their sewn in nature and the fact that the laces are covered in some sort of slippery material makes knot tieing difficult. But from show function, perfect.

This is my first down jacket. I read a lot of reviews before deciding to buy this jacket. Expensive but worth the money. Very, very warm and comfy. I wore it when I was in the Himalayas... Slept with it on, wore it whenever I wasnt moving. I was grateful to have it! It is reasonably light and small, so it doesn't take up too much space/weight in a pack.

For days when it isnt too cold (down to -5C), it works well without any layering underneath. For a high impact activity like ice climbing, add a few long underwear shirts and everything is perfect (i have worn it like at -20C like this). I have also worn it skiing, layered with a mountain hardwear monkey fleece underneath. I was comfortably warm, but looked like (and felt) a bit like a marshmellow(not much room under for layering). In this situation, a hard shell would be better, but the softshell was good. In terms of breathability- A plus. In terms of waterproofness, also very good. Sheds light rain, snow-wet snow- very well... There is also a version with a hood. I think this would be a nice addition.

I got this jacket after reading both good and bad reviews, but thought for the (reasonable) price, ok... If you are sitting still and not moving, the jacket keeps you dry. However, even with a bit of activity(biking) combined with hard rain means you are soaked inside. Yuck. 0 breathability. So much for hyvent. I became so frustrated with this jacket I bought a Mountain Hardwear Typhoon... Gore Tex is the real deal...