Robert Tadlock

I bought this bag for the following uses:

- Resort skiing:
I wanted something low profile with hydration and a room for my lunch
I wanted the ability to carry my skis when hiking around in bounds
I wanted room for a shovel/beacon/prob when dropping out of the gates to do some sidecountry

- Backcountry skiing
I wanted a bag that could carry everything for a day trip (safety stuff, skins, lunch, small camera, SPOT, phone, first aid kit, head lamp, multi tool, extra warm shirt)
I wanted to be able to hike with my skis and poles on the bag

Let me just say that this bag covers me 100% in the above categories. I've skied about 15 days with it this year, and had some really long day trips in the backcountry. I really like that I can cinch the bag down tight and tuck the ski carry straps into purpose built zipper pockets when at the resort, and punch it all the way out on day trips. I carry fat powder tele skis on it, and it handles them great. There is a fleece lined pocket that I guess is for a spare pare of goggles or glasses or something, but I find with my shovel and hydration pouch full, the pocket is unusable for that purpose. I instead put my phone in there, and it keeps it dry and scratch free. I could see this bag being a tad small for some people on day trips, but I pack efficiently, and only take exactly what I need (with maybe a beer or in there from time to time).

The jacket is super warm, fits perfectly, I love the chest pocket, and I love the over all looks. Would be a 5 star rating, but the zipper is one of those that you always have to fight to get started. It's sticky, and I have to mess with it a lot to get it going. It seems to be breaking in and getting a little easier as I wear it more and more, but it's annoying. Maybe it's just my specific jacket, as I haven't seen any other complaints about it. Anyway, all in all a wicked warm jacket.

I really like this pad. It's comfortable, long enough for me, and I can fold it in all kinds of ways and use it for a chair, a seat pad on my motorcycle, or just to keep my knees padded while kneeling. My only complaint, is it's a little bulky.

These boots are a dream to wear. They are crazy comfortable, and I am more eager to try hike to stuff because they are light and comfy. That being said, don't forget to tighten the bolts on the side of the boots every time you use them. I tighten them up every time I use them, but somehow, I managed to loose one last weekend. I guess I'm going to contact Scarpa to get a replacement...

This thing is super tough. I've fallen on it while it was in my ski jacket, and I've dropped it a few times, and it still has no visible wear. The videos are amazing, although sometimes the super wide angle lens can be a little much (as far as distortion goes). I also love the great still shots it takes. Even though it's only 5MP, it takes sharp, crisp images as long as you've got enough light.Make sure you've got a high quality HD card otherwise the camera may lock up (although I've never experienced this, my friend was until he got a faster SD card). Also, GoPro claim there is a firmware update, but it's all but vapor ware at this point. No big deal really, but I'd like to have the extra features they are promising. Attached an image I took with it.

They are easy to hook/unhook with gloves on, but they seem to unhook on their own quite a bit. I notice it happens quite a bit in deep powder, and I'd hate to loose a ski over it.