Aarrggh!

This is great as a windbreaker or shell. I've worn it by itself and layered up with fleece underneath. It does the job and the pockets and pit zips are great. Usual high MH build quality. It is NOT a rain coat, though.

You could take this out in a short duration light rain but don't pack it as your go-to shell in case the rain dumps while you are hiking. The outer fabric will get saturated and then start to seep inside. You will get cold and wet.

If you know it's limits, you'll have a great time in this light piece of gear!

Goes fast, lasts long, & smells nice.

I use this as a hot wax. It says you can also use it as a rub-on wax, but I'm not sure how effective that is. I suppose it's a nice option to have if you're on the road.

This is the best 2nd layer out there. For winter sports I always wear this over a base layer (which varies between a thin wool t-shirt or thicker long underwear).

The Zip Top is a perfect outer layer you can wear multiple days in a row under your shell or thicker coat. Doesn't smell funky, lasts a long time, simply a great top.

Got this in the mail today and at SAC prices it fills the need for a basic back pack that will hopefully stand up to daily use but doesn't require a lot of features. This is VERY basic...a pack, small inside pocket, one outside pocket. I was kind of amused to see the retail price tag on it showing $50. I can't imagine anyone would pick it up and think it would be worth $50....$25 is even a stretch.

Still, I like the brand. Good book bag or extra gear bag.

I had the Fuel 3 and from the picture it doesn't look like they changed the battery door for the 4 which is kind of flimsy and broke off on our light. Works fine otherwise, specially when it is up on SAC.

This shirt rocks! Got an XL (6'2", 180lbs) and it fits perfect and didn't shrink up a ton when washed. I usually have to go for XLs for the arm length but then find the shirts are too long or baggy, not so with this Kavu. Arms are plenty long but the shirt length isn't excessive. I'd by other colors/designs if backcountry had them in stock.

This shirt rocks! Got an XL (6'2", 180lbs) and it fits perfect and didn't shrink up a ton when washed. I usually have to go for XLs for the arm length but then find the shirts are too long or baggy, not so with this Kavu. Arms are plenty long but the shirt length isn't excessive. I'd by other colors/designs if backcountry had them in stock.

I bought the Princeton Tec Amp Series Flashlight 5.0.
It is a pretty good flashlight at the sale price, but I don't think it is worth $45.

It works well and I suspect the battery life will be very long. There is an annoying delay when you press the button before the unit shuts off. I think this is because it is a dual function button. You press it once to switch modes and hold to turn it off. I have accidentally turned it on when in my pocket. I'd rather turn off a light instantly than have to hold the button for 2 seconds.

Like many LED lights, while bright, it doesn't project a spot far if you want to identify something at a distance. It will shine light a good way but it is kind of diffused by then.

It is actually too bright to shine towards people as it is kind of a blinding glare. So, it'd be nicer if it had a dim mode you can use when you're just walking the dog or want to light up the general area around you.

In SUMMARY- very bright, good battery life. Would be nice if it had a dim function, instant turn off, and more focused spot beam.

Nice tent. Well constructed. Tall. I'm 6'2" and easily stand in it without hitting the ceiling or the attic storage mesh. I wanted a simple dome tent that was well constructed, ventilated, yet had some privacy. Every other tent I found was either total mesh, had 4-5 poles, or was loaded with gimmicks like welcome mats and skylights that I didn't need. Kelty came through on this with a 2 pole tent that get's the job done. I'd say it will comfortably fit 4 people and their gear. There are 6 pockets inside plus an attic shelf up top. It is a bit heavy and the poles seem to come with some bend in them. I hope that is just a natural memory in the poles from being tested/used. It all seems solid. I'd recommend it for sure.

Comfy shoe.
I hope my dog doesn't eat this pair....

The EST plug puller doesn't have enough friction to stay in the back of the tool and it falls right out.

The screw heads are mounted in soft plastic that is not hard enough to hold the head. As such, when you tighten a screw the head turns in its rubber/plastic mount and breaks. I was not over-tightening the screws. When I hit it with a regular Burton bullet tool, I still had an easy half turn to go.

Skip this tool. Burton needs to redesign it.

Wanted to post an update to my 1/16/09 review as I have now used these several times. The 3 removable plates are actually more of a hard rubber than a stiff plastic, if that makes sense. I normally ride with just the tailbone pad in and I don't even feel its there. This past weekend I went snowkiting on a frozen lake, decided to put the hip plates in for added protection and they worked fine. Still didn't notice them, didn't affect my mobility, and the shorts fit snug.

Probably the best impact shorts out there. Low profile, effective & flexible.

Great board. Can't say enough good things about it. Great pop, very agile for a wide board, edges tear through ice, and the graphics aren't obnoxious like some of the '09 boards and most of the '10 boards will be.
Don't worry about getting EST bindings if it isn't in your budget. The boards comes with some very solid converter discs that will attach your old bindings and still give you most of the EST benefits until you can upgrade to EST. The board is light, but not any lighter than the last few years, FWIW. The ICS probably adds a small amount of weight. My 164W weighed 7 lbs, FWIW.

Bought these tights for winter rides or runs. I'm not sold on the patented conditioning web technology as they don't really stay in place as you move, but they are nice tights if you can get them on sale. I'm 6'2", bought the XLs and they are a bit long. I position the web as stated in the instructions but end up pulling them up to belly button height to stretch out excess material so you're not going to win any fashion awards. They seem durable and weather resistant. Buy these if they're on sale, if not, get some standard tights.

I am really impressed with this sweater. I bought two on SAC when they came up figuring I'd pick which color I liked best and return the other. I ended up keeping both. I bought an XL and it is just the right size for me. Not baggy like some XLs, and not too long either. Can easily get by for casual office attire or just something comfortable to wear with jeans when you are running around on the weekends. The wool makes it warm and breathable. Not hot and heavy like all cotton sweaters. Nicer looking than a hoody, but just as comfortable.

4 years ago I caught an edge in the trees and my tailbone came down square on a rock. F-N Ouch! My whole ass cheek was one big dark bruise. Not wanting the trip to be a waste I walked in Snowbird's shop and bought a pair of these that were, at the time, made by Burton I think. They're great. The shorts give you lots of confidence to hit it hard and protect from re-injury. They protect your tailone and hips from hard impacts to rocks, rails or ice. My pads finally wore out and I purchased this '08 model and they seem pretty solid. The padding is not as thick as it used to be which is disappointing, but it does come with hard plastic removable plates for hips and tailbone. I'd prefer thicker padding and no stiff plastic, but this is still the best product I've seen out there for the job. The shorts fit great and once you throw your pants over top you forget you have them on. One other bonus is the extra layer of padding you get when riding long slow cold lift chairs. ;)

This is a great hoody for windsports! Windsurfing, kiteboarding, snowkiting, or an evening at the beach...heck, any time you want to throw a hoody on and are going to be in a cool windy environment this thing rocks. The lining isn't soft, but who cares as you'll be wearing it over a long sleeve t-shirt in most cases. The pit zips work great as the windblock material doesn't breath great on its own. Has the usual high quality dakine construction. Buy one in each color! :)

...these pads are a joke. I bought the adult version and returned them. Who wears board shorts under your snow pants? The pads slide around under your pants and the shorts bind up when you put your pants on. I get what they were trying to do, make pads look cool, but these don't work. You want pads that fit snug on your body so they stay in place and it is easy to get on outer clothing. (plus when you do wear them under your snow pants, it looks like you got a load in your pants. so how cool is that?) These may be good for skate boarding or on any activity where you actually wear shorts and hit hard ground. But for snowboarding...skip 'em.