I got this and an unnamed REI midweight shirt for Christmas. One of them had to go back, and it wasn't going to be this guy. This is very soft for a polypro top, comparably to my favorite cotton hoodie, but performed much better. It's thin enough to still be able to layer, but you don't really need to that much. I would easily compare the fabric to other heavy-weight fleeces.

I initially bought these gloves for something in between a super light spring glove and my warm mittens for the coldest days.

I was pleasantly surprised how warm these are. At this point, I don't see myself using my mittens for an inbounds day anytime soon.

I've had Giro helmets for about 8 years now (Giro nine for a while) and they fit great, light and warm.My only comparison is the old school bowling ball style helmets.The visor and google (Oakley Crowbar) combination works well in use. However, it's not easy (possible?) to quickly put goggles on the forehead with helmet on. Not a huge deal, I generally just remove helmet and goggles as one.

Why are you skiing/riding without a helmet at this point?

Does that title make any sense?

These shirts seem to strike a good balance between tight fitting bike jerseys and super-loose shirts that "those crazy kids" wear nowadays.

Breathable, I use for mountain biking and also hiking.

The shorts okay. I bought them replacing an old pair of pearl izumi, and not impressed.

The adjustable waist is a thin (maybe ~ 1 inch) elastic band with a few buttons, doesn't seem to adjust size that well.

Improvements to these shorts:
belt loops to adjust waist
full zipper fly (it's a pseudo fly with no zipper)
deeper front pockets or a zipper. You don't want to lose something out of your pocket when you're riding

This jacket is a great jacket. Do not be surprised by the price. I think this can hold its own with the Denali (granted, if you're a middle school girl, you have to have a Denali, because all the cool kids do)

More often than not, this is my go-to jacket.

Great carry-on bag. This can easily fit a pair of ski boots (save on weight in checked luggage) and still enough room for first night's clothes, magazine for the plain, camera, Ipod, etc.

The separate pack isn't huge, but gets the job done. Put main suitcase above you and keep pack at your feet for in flight. I don't have a laptop, but the laptop sleeve isn't huge and may not fit larger computers.

I'm constantly looking for a bag that can carry alpine and tele boots. I tried the 60/40 convertible, but that was just too big and heavy. The bag itself was 15 pounds, good luck getting it under weight for airlines.

This bag is smaller, but still huge. Can easily be packed to exceed airline weight limits. Main compartment has one large section, but top has three total sections (1 large in the middle and 2 smaller on the outside) For skiing, boots should go in the main and clothes around.

So far, good quality, but I can see how it can wear. Only the bottom has a hard layer, but top can be turned, twisted and moved which could cause wear. We'll see what happens.

These shirts are great. Clearly the standard for wicking t-shirts.

I have three total. 1 classic navy, 1 feather gray, which are great. However, I also ordered white, which seems to be a much thinner fabric, that gets stretched out much more easily. The material feels like something between a standard cotton undershirt and medical gauze.

Despite skiing for 27 years, I can honestly say I've never owned a true ski jacket. Granted, as a kid, I generally got hand me downs. Even with a few 100+ day seasons right after college, I also belonged to the layering is better mentality, and would but four sometimes five layers under a short softshell, and never often got cold around the waist, where layers would not overlap.

With this coat, I need made a thin poly-pro layer and thin fleece and good to go. Recently it handled 15 degree, windy weather no problem, not cold at all. In fact, I got rid of a layer mid-morning.

Removable hood is great, as I rarely use one. The only time I'd have a hood would be in the rain, but I'd probably be wearing another jacket. Plenty of pockets, including an internal zippered pocket that is great for point and shoot camera/ipod/phone.

My only complaint would be the cuffs. The arms are fairly baggy, but the cuff is tight. I like to have my jacket over gloves, but this makes it difficult to with this jacket.

For those fashionable conscious (I'm not, but my wife suggested) the espresso goes better with tan pants. Of course, non of my ski pants were tan, so I had to to get a new pair.

Plus, cheers to backcountry staff (as always) for helping me decide and handling an issue with later seeing this jacket on steep and cheap