I'm pretty pleased with my Whitney pack so far. Although I haven't done a ton of trips with it, its definitely seen a fair share of use/abuse as it doubles as my suitcase from time to time. Still, I recently completed a six day/50mile trip through the Great Smoky Mountains through the backcountry and along the AT. I probably had 60lbs+ on my back at the beginning of the trip (yeah, I overpacked) but the load never really felt heavy to my 5'11" 185lbs. The CFS suspension system on this pack is awesome, and offers more adjustment and denser padding than other packs I've looked at. And although normally I'm not a huge organization freak, it was really nice to have so many different access points on this pack to compartmentalize my food, rain gear, etc. I never had to pull a bunch of crap out to get at what I needed, which was nice for sure. Still, my only complaint is that after six days of walking the minimal waterproofing laminate on the lower pocket was worn off from my cookset rubbing against it. No worries though, I have the rain cover for the pack so it stayed dry even in the rain. Overall, I would recommend this pack to anyone that wants to go on week long+ adventures and isn't a minimalist freak. If you're strong hiker, and like a comfortable organized pack, look no further than the Whitney, you won't be disappointed.

I bought my phoenix a couple of years ago when I was living in Tahoe. It was the year the '06 model with the ship graphic, but construction wise not much has changed since then. The board is sick!!! It kills it in deep snow conditions and motors through chop with ease. I really like the unique torsion box construction that allows the board to be really stiff longitudinally, but still really torsionally flexible for tight technical turns in hairball steep terrain. I loved dropping cliffs on this board because you never had to think about keeping your weight slightly back on big snow days since the thing floats so well. Also, when conditions get skied out, the Phoenix plows through the chop like its nothing. One caveat about this board though, it doesn't like to go slow. Unfortunately, I'm living back in Michigan now and the phoenix doesn't do well on flat terrain. Its lack of sidecut demands that the board be ridden fast with large radius turns. It will skid-turn tight on the steeps, but don't expect it to carve a super tight turn especially at lower speeds. Still, when I'm riding out west, there is no other board that I want to be on than my Phoenix 160...so sick!

I bought one of these while I was instructing in Tahoe a couple of years back. For the time I had it, the board treated me really well. It was a really fun park/pipe board, really flexy and fun to butter around on. I had the 157 and went down to Kirkwood with some friends on a powder day. They couldn't fit my Phoenix 160 in their car and although I was leary about riding such a short board in the 16-18" of fresh tahoe cream that had fallen the night before, the TRS didn't disappoint. The board did really well in the pow, but once it started to get choppy I wanted my Phoenix. I managed to snap the tail all the way through that day coming down ultra tail heavy on a BS 3 on this fun hip outta one of the gullies there, but I would've broken any board landing the way I did. I don't think the little feet that stick out on the burton Cartel's helped anything either. In fact, I think they helped to focus the load and break the board. Regardless, I loved my TRS and had to go over a year and a half without one until last year just before a trip to Baker, and Hood a local shop had one left in an end of the season sale for 40% off. I couldn't resist. I'm super happy to have a TRS back in my quiver. It's a really fun board to ride just about any where.

I bought this bag before a two week trip to Idaho. Although it never got terribly cold the bag kept me nice and toasty the whole time. On the warmer nights that we had, the dual zippers offered up nice ventilation to keep me cool. The bag is quite lofty and with just a thin foam thermarest I slept comfortably for the entire two weeks. Further, the little stash pocket is handy for putting any extra things you can't fit into the pouches of your tent. Overall, I'm very pleased with this purchase.

I purchased this tent before heading out to Idaho for two weeks along the Salmon River. We got rained on starting at Devils tower, Wyoming and it didn't really stop until we got back to Michigan. I never had a drop of water in this tent the whole time. The construction is solid and the vestibule is quite sizable. Set up is super easy and quick thanks to the innovative single pole design. However, this tent is a little on the small side for two people. Before my trip to Idaho, I had to share this tent with someone for a night. Its do-able, but you had better be good friends with the person you're splitting this tent with because it is a little tight. The bivy style design seems like it would hold up to strong winds well, but compromises on head room except at the very front of the tent. All things considered however, this tent is an excellent product; and one you can be assured will keep you dry in serious weather.