Tim Nelson

I got these shoes to use for scrambling and steep trail approaches in the North Cascade mountains. The deep tread cleans quickly and is nice in loose and muddy conditions. The mid sole is quite stiff, which is nice for kicking steps up steep dirt and rocky terrain. That being said, my flat feet tend to slide around a bit in this shoe. Some of this was remedied by replacing the stock foot bed with a thicker arch supporting version. However, I still find this shoe a bit rugged on the tarsal head aspect of my feet - it's a stiff shoe, with very little fore foot cusion. This is not a smearing shoe. Look elsewhere for that.

I ordered this jacket before Christmas for use as an every day rain/snow shell that wasn't bulky like a parka. I used it for about a week in a freak PNW winter storm when I noticed that the DWR finish was simply not working. By not working I mean that during a rain storm the entire jacket developed large splotches of wetness on the shoulders and on the front. Since I had never washed it I knew that this was not a case of needing to re-apply a new coat of DWR, but perhaps a case of never having applied correctly from the factory so I sent the jacket back to BC.com for a replacement. They replaced the jacket no questions asked. In-fact they sent a new one to me before I had the chance to send the other one back. That's good service as far as I'm concerned. So far the replacement is dong fine-sheds water like I expect it to. Thanks BC for the great service.