Thomas Lowenthal

The black chop shop styling is pretty sweet. There's a zip pocket on the front and in the lid to keep your smaller items safe. The handle is large and durable. In addition to making it hard(er than an average bag) for fluids to get out, it's not easy for water to get in, so I use it to hold small electronics and papers my medium-sized travel duffel without them getting wet or lost. Great product: looks good and doesn't break.

It works: it's a padded, waterproof electronics case that'll work with pretty much anything. However, it's about a foot long, four wide, and three deep. At this size, I decided to use a ziploc bag.

At a fraction of the weight of a crazy-creak, and collapsing down to a fraction of the size, this chair is great. It takes a minute to assemble, but is incredibly comfortable once you do. Even when I need to cut down on the ounces, if I'm going to be doing any sitting, this chair stays in my pack.

Should come with the sleeping pad. Weighs nothing, repels water, and works. Is it a great product? Yes. Could you save ten bucks doing the same thing with a rubber band? Yes.

I've only had this pack for a few months, but I love it. Contrary to other reviewers, I was perfectly capable of finding the two nalgene-sized side pockets. The one large back pocket (with zip pocket) is great (depending on the circumstances) for your raingear, wallet, keys, or the ting that your hiking partner can't be bothered to put in the main compartment. The Compression straps work great, not only for crushing your stuff, but also for attaching things (like rolls of duct tape) to the outside of the bag. The brain is made from waterproof material, to keep your bits-and-bobs dry. As a whole, there's a lot of use of waterproof fabrics (though no pressure seal), so this pack does well in rainstorms, or sitting at the bottom of a boat (though not under submersion), and keeps your stuff dry to boot. The sleeping-bag pocket actually goes into the main compartment, with a retractable diaphragm to separate the two. The suspension is incredibly comfortable even under heavy loads: with a lazy group, I took 80lb up 10 miles and 3000' of elevation. I won't say that I didn't break a sweat, but the pack performed admirably. The airflow is pretty comfortable too. The hip straps use a change in webbing direction to help spread weight comfortably over your hips. The hip-flaps also have a convenient zipped-pocket. Both colour combinations are pretty sweet (though the green is cooler).

We use about 3 of these bottles for ~5 day expeditions of ~10 people. In tens of thousands of trips, using the stoves a huge amount, we have never had any problems with these fuel bottles. You can (but - really - shouldn't) drop them on rocks or down cliffs, they just stand up and take it. The pumps are slightly less durable: you can leave them hanging about in your pack as long as you like, but don't over-stress them. If you want to test these bottles' indestructibility, use the normal lid. Although the seal with a normal lid is good, and I've never seen one leak, I'd still recommend storing bottles below food in your pack, just in case. One mild inconvenience: if you change the temperature of the bottle (as will happen if you close it at breakfast, then hike with it all day), there will be some slight pressure inside, so opening it sprays a small amount of white gas around the cap edge. However, it really is a small amount, and it evaporates quickly: just point away from you when opening.

The killer features on this jacket are the thumb holes: the sleeves are extra long, with holes for your thumbs, enabling you to leave the sleeves over your hands while retaining the fully opposable thumbs separating you from cats, rabbits and gophers. This is great whether you're trying to light a stove in the cold, or curling up with a good book in front of the fire*. Beyond that, this is a warm, comfortable and durable garment. After I got it, I wore it all the time. The outside is made of a smooth, synthetic wetsuit-like material, and the inside is lined with soft, light, fluffy fleece on the large surfaces, with breathable mesh in some places. This composite is apparently very breathable: even on humid beaches and marshes, I have yet to find it feel over-vapoured on the inside. The zips are easy to use and hard to jam, and the pockets are spacious and useful. The sleeves and waist stretch comfortable without being too tight, and return to their original size without permanent deformation. One important note I discovered after after sailing with this on stormy days is that the stretchy, wetsuit-like material retains heat very well when wet. However, it gives up water sparingly, making it hard to air-dry quickly. However, if it does get wet, and stays wet, it won't get you wet when you wear it, and will dry much faster if you're exercising while wearing it. *indoors, obviously

I use this a stuff sack for my MHW Phantom 32 sleeping bag. It does the job well: it's very durable, and keeps out all the water I threw at it with only two rolls of the top. I'm very satisfied with this bag.

I use this bag (green, with a white electrical tape corss on the lid) for my expedition medkit. It's a great size for small and mismathced items. The closure - while nowhere near submersion-proof - will keep out all the rain you like: a partially-taped zip sits under a flange on the lid. Inside, there's a lid pocket and two side pockets. I've found that this configuration is great for keeping small tools, bandages &c secure while leaving the larger and bulkier items (splingting supplies, gauze, B/P cuff) in the middle. It could - perhaps - do with a few more pockets, but that complaint is mainly due to my use. The handles are good, sturdy and the right length. The shoulder strap allows the bag to be worn at the hips or accross the back. The daisy-chain is useful not only for attaching this to other bags, but for attaching small pieces of kit to the outside, or hanging the bag near the top of a pack without loosing it. Overall, this is a very useful little bag, which should be able to handle whatever you put inside it, and whatever you throw at it, even in wet conditions.