I have shied away from filters quite a while back and have been fine with using chemical treatments. However, this filter made me give filters another shot, and I am glad I did. Simply put, this thing is lightweight and works great. There is no futzing around with hoses and tubes...just fill the bladder and squeeze it through the filter.

For a more detailed write up on this filter, check out my blog:

http://sticksblog.com/2012/03/22/first-look-at-the-sawyer-squeeze-water-filter/

I have been very happy with these socks. They seem to fit my feet the way you would imagine a good sock should fit...perfect. There is a little padding to make my foot feel coddled, but not too much to feel all bulky inside my shoe. I enjoy wearing these for daily use as well as to hike the trail with.

I bought this mask primarily to sleep in. I did not want a full balaclava. Instead, I use this mask in conjunction with my Black Rock Gear down hat and a buff. All 3 pieces offer a wide range of versatility being that I can use only the piece(s) that I want when I want.

When I initially ordered the mask I went by some of the measurements in the comments below. I ordered the medium because my measurements was within the quoted 20 - 24". However, when it arrived it was too small. I had to ship it back and reorder the large, so that kind of sucked paying shipping twice.

Anyway, the large fits me good. My head is not too big and I typically have to order S-M size hats. So, I would say the sizing runs small on these. I would suggest at least a size Large on adult men, and if your head is a little bigger than normal, I would go with the XL. (Besides, after having one too small, I would way rather have one that was a little big. At least it would work.)

Since the medium was too small for my head I did not get to use it yet. I did take it on a 3 night trip but I just couldn't get the velcro to stay connected so I didn't use it. I was kind of depressed because I think that this will make a great sleeping piece.

Normally, my nose and my chin will get cold at night if the temp is around 20 F or less, which is why I ordered this. My main concern is how will it manage moisture throughout a night sleeping in it. Unfortunately I cannot say at this time how it will do, but I feel like it will be ok. Just wearing it the holes around the mouth seem adequate for letting my breath pass through. As well, the nose piece is simply shaped to fit around my nose, but the underneath is open, so here again, breath is not trapped. Due to this and the fact that I usually breath through my nose when sleeping I feel like this mask will meet my needs.

As well, my size large weighs 1.1 oz so I am pretty happy with the weight. It would have been nicer to have came in at under an oz, but considering the benefit (comfort) it will provide, I can handle the 1.1 oz.

So far, even though I believe that the sizing is smaller than normal, I will still initially give this thing 5 stars. If my thoughts change I will annotate this "review."

Bottom line, this really is a great jacket. It keeps me dry, fits me good and does not feel clammy on the inside (even next to skin) when I know I am sweating. The inner lining does a great job at absorbing the moisture and from what I can tell, does a decent job at pushing that moisture right on out. It was pretty amazing when I took this thing off and saw how wet it really was inside, but never once could tell it while wearing it. Then, just open it up and lay it out and it will dry out in no time flat.

The outer shell does a great job at repelling water, but I did notice that the jacket would wet out pretty quickly around the places that have been bonded, such as around the pockets. However, this never proved to be anything worth worrying about. Other than this, a quick shake and you would never know that the jacket had been worn for hours in the rain.

But, a few hang ups...

Namely the lack of hand pockets. My opinion, this is not a light weight jacket, not even close. My large weighs in at 15.9 oz. Saying this, my XL GoLite Tumalo weighs in at 10.8 oz and does feature hand pockets, although no chest pockets. But, there are easily jackets out there that weigh as little as 7 - 9 oz with features, and to make matters worse, I recently had my hands on a ZPacks cuben fiber rain jacket that was 3 oz, with pit zips (no hand pockets).

Anyway, said all that just to say that I don't think that there is a good reason that hand pockets were left off of this jacket considering the weight. At least swap the chest pockets out for hand pockets...

Now I am not going to be hiking with my hands in those pockets, but what about while I am at camp, it's cold and wet and I want to (naturally) put my hands in my pocket. In this case I will have to either stuff my hands in my pants pockets (which means I would probably have to remove gloves) or shed that jacket and lose a bit of warmth.

I know that I spent a good deal of time talking about pockets, but still in all, like I said, this is a great jacket. If you can do without pockets, and don't mind dropping the dough, this jacket should be considered.

This jacket is now listed at 9.3 oz on the Montbell site, so the stats on the BC site are still last years model. Bummer that they are adding zippers to the pockets on their jackets/parkas. Just added weight, and for what?

I recently picked one of these up and I sure am glad I did. There are others at half the weight, but also twice the price, and lets face it, this one works. I usually leave the stuff sack at home, which makes the head net alone weigh in at 0.7 oz. It is fairly durable and it fits well over my Sunday Afternoon Visor.

The breathability on it is so-so, but obviously better when moving, or if there is a slight breeze. I have not cinched up the draw cord much so far as I like to let a little draft in, but it is good to know that if it is awfully buggy outside, I can do so if I want. (But I have contemplated cutting it out to save a little more weight...)

Visibility is pretty good, but occasionally I have caught a glare from the sun, hard to explain, but it happens...

Other than being great for mosquitoes and other larger bugs (this will not keep out noseeums) I have been really happy with it on morning hikes... it does a great job at catching the spider webs spun across the trail rather than my face...

All in all, I am happy with this head net, and for the price I can't see why anyone else wouldn't be. But, in the end, I will let you decide that...

5 stars!

I have enjoyed using Aqua Mira Drops as my sole water treatment while on the trail, but recently I decided to pick up a Frontier pro filter to use in conjunction with the chemicals. The AM drops will kill the little stuff in 15 minutes (depending on water temp and turbidity) and then the filter will remove the big bad guys (Giardia & Crypto). So, I also decided to keep weight down, I would pick up some tabs (they weigh less than the drops).

20 of the tablets weigh in at 0.5 oz in the packaging. Sweet!

The packaging can be a little tough to open, so before leaving I snip the edges of the wrappers with a pair of scissors. This way when I use them I can simply tear at the snip. Still a little tough (especially if my hands are wet) but still manageable too.

These tablets will leave a strong chemical taste to the water if the water is not ran through a carbon filter. During the day I treated the water and then filtered it so I would only wait 15 minutes. The carbon filter removed the chemical taste very well. However, at night I dropped in the tablets and then did not filter the next morning since the tablets had more than enough time to thoroughly work. The chemical taste definitely woke me up! Wow. It was strong! Good thing I had flavored drink tablets to add to it, although they still did not cover the taste completely. (And just for the record, I have never tasted a chemical taste using the AM drops, without filtering.)

So, because of the strong chemical taste, I gave these a 4. Also, considering how expensive the pills are compared to the drops. But, I can only they assume that they do work (I haven't gotten sick anyway), however, they are the lightest water treatment option available. I will continue to use these, but I will definitely bring my filter along too!

This hat is sold in 3 different sizes (M, L & XL). My head measures 22-1/4″ so I opted for the medium which fits up to a 22-1/2″ (and is the smallest size available). When I received the hat I found that it fit me decent, but really it was a little large. (But in its defense, a lot of hats tend to be too big for my head…) Of course the diameter was just a little too large, but this can easily be adjusted with a cord lock adjuster on the back of the hat. However, the hat itself is also a little to deep for me. In order for the hat to sit down on the top of my head, the hat actually then sits over my ears. This is just a little annoying, but the adjuster on the back does improve the fit slightly.

I also found the headband to be a little itchy on my forehead. This may have something to do with the fact that I don’t typically wear hats though. I have had limited use with the hat so far, but for the one outing I wore it on, the headband seemed to do well at keeping any sweat from rolling down into my eyes.

I like the fact that the adjustable chin cord can be removed, but I have found that there is really no reason to actually remove the cord, for me. There is no way to predict when the wind will or will not blow, so I cannot see any reason to remove the chin strap. Saying this, I have not used the cord lock to actually secure the hat on my head. Of course though, this may have something to do with the fact that I have the back adjuster tightened down to keep the hat from sliding down over my ears too…

Given my limited use so far, it is hard for me to comment on the breathability of this hat at this point as well. The one trip that I wore this hat on so far was a short day hike with my kids and on that trip the temperatures were in the high 70′s to low 80′s. I did break a sweat, and I do not remember my head overheating, so it did fine on that trip. But the temps that I am wanting to use this hat in will be about 20 degrees higher…

Of course the hat did do a fine job at keeping the sun out of my eyes, and from what I could tell, even from off of my face as long as I was not staring up into the sky. It is somewhat hard for me to actually see the back of my neck though, so it is hard for me to say if my neck was shaded. And since I was only out for 3-4 hours and under the cover of trees mostly, I most certainly did not receive a sunburn on my neck.

One other thing that I figured out about the hat that I must admit I did not think about to begin with was wearing the hat in the rain. This hat is not waterproof, and I realized that when I bought it. Truth is, I was not interested in a waterproof hat since I am intending on using this hat in the summer, when it is warm. When it is cold, I will wear my Black Rock Gear down boggin, and that is a whole different set-up. But what I did not think about was when I need to pull my rain jacket hood over my head. I have experimented with wearing the rain jacket hood over the hat, and while the brim of the hat will bend and mold to the inside of the jacket’s hood, it makes turning my head a little difficult. It is really not ideal. Also, I have to think about stowing the hat somewhere when the time comes.

So, even though this hat is a fine hat considering what it actually is, I do not think that it will fit my needs, and comforts. I think I would like to try something more similar to a ball cap style hat. I have looked at some that have the flap in the back that will cover my neck, but I am not so sure that I will like that flap on the back of my neck all day. However, with a ball cap style hat, this design will surely make wearing it under a rain jacket hood simpler, and would actually help to keep the rain jacket hood from falling in my face.

So, yet again, I have found that even though a product is quite effective, it may not be for me. Also, if I choose to go with a ball cap style hat, I will be trading in some things for others (shade for fit and ease of use with a rain jacket hood). Or to put it another way, I will be making sacrifices and choosing which needs are more important to me than others. Even though this is a simple hat, there are still decisions to make, and just like all other pieces of backpacking gear, there may not be one perfect hat that does it all for me…

But I shall see…

I bought one of these at the end of last year. I initially bought an XL but I found it to be quite baggy, especially in the chest area and it felt like it hung off of my shoulders a little too much, so I went with a large. The fit is much better, however, I find it to be a little tight under my arms if I wear much bulk at all under the jacket. Just wearing a tshirt or a light weight long sleeve is ok, but much more is pushing it. But this is fine with me. I use this jacket as a late fall jacket. Once temps drop considerably, I pull my warmer jacket out.

I have worn the jacket in times of slight rain and many times in misty weather. The shell did fine in the misting weather, however, I noticed that it began to wet out in the light rain pretty quickly. Still, I am happy with it since this is not a rain jacket. It kept me dry underneath, and the jacket dried out fairly quickly. I was able to shake a lot of the water right off.

I am a little disappointed in the wind blocking capabilities of this jacket. I know that some of the wind is sneaking in around the openings of the jacket, but on a cool, windy day and wearing only a tshirt underneath I feel plenty of air circulating through the jacket. I really expected it to block more wind. My sewn through Montbell UL Down Inner actually blocks more wind than this jacket, which really surprised me.

The pockets are nice and big, so that is a plus, although I rarely use the chest pocket. Also, I am not too fond of the velcro wrist adjusters. TNF uses a somewhat thick plasticky strap. If I try to cinch it closed around my wrist it feels very bulky and a little annoying.

I would actually give this jacket 3.5 stars if available, however I cannot, so I am going to give it 4 stars. Mostly because I do like this jacket and it is my go-to jacket until winter time, and it seems to be quite durable so I am confident that it will be around for a long time. I do wish they would change the wrist closure though...

I recently picked up a pair of these but ended up getting rid of them. I took them with me on a recent backpacking trip, and while I started the hike out with the glasses hung around my neck, they ended up riding in my pack for the remainder of the trip.

Simply put, the arms squeezed my head and the arms were really uncomfy when I wore a hat while wearing them. I may have been able to deal with this alone, but that was not all. I also felt like the small frames limited my field of vision too much. Not just from side to side (meaning I did not find the side shields a problem). My problem was that light was coming in from the bottom if I pushed the glasses up, or from the top if I pushed the glasses down. Also, due to the narrow frame, I felt like the frame was always blocking some part of my field of vision. I have realized that I prefer glasses with larger frames.

Saying this, the glasses seemed to be quite durable and seemed to be very promising, however I just realized that they did not suit me.

I gave the glasses 3 stars because they do seem to be a fine pair of glasses, but I took 1 star off for fit and another for lack of vision.

I recently picked one of these shirts up to give it a try for use in the SE (hot & humid).

I typically wear an XL in most shirts and I decided to go with the same for this shirt, but I will admit that I was hoping it would not be a tight fit. So I was quite happy when I found that the shirt fit me fairly loose. I am actually quite happy with the fit.

I have worn it on a few day hikes so far and will wear it for a 4 day hike next week so I should get a little better understanding of how it will work in our weather. So far though I have found that the shirt does a pretty good job at moving the sweat away from my body to the outside of the shirt so that it could evaporate. And once I get done hiking, the shirt will completely dry out from my body heat pretty quickly too.

I love the deep zip on the front, great for venting and the zippers work smoothly. The pocket is huge, although i am not a fan of having too much stuff in shirt pockets, so I don't think I will load it down too much. It would be a great place for one of the smaller iPods but I don't typically carry mine. I can easily store my camera in it but it will probably be too heavy for it to feel comfy for me. Plus, with the amount of sweat I will build up in this weather, I don't think that putting electronics in this pocket is a great idea.

I have washed the shirt after each hike (a total of 3 times) by using a little Woolite in the kitchen sink, gently massaging it and then hang drying it inside the house. So far this has worked well. There has been no noticeable damage to the shirt from washing, and better yet, no shrinkage!

So far I am quite happy with the shirt. The fit is good, and the shirt is very comfy next to skin, plus it dries pretty quickly. So, as of now I definitely give it 5 stars, but a better test is coming up, so I will be sure to report back on how it does after then.

I ordered 2 pairs of these sock in the black in a size XL. (I wear a size 12 shoe.) They fit great. They hug my foot comfortably, not too tight. There is "extra padding" (which is simply thicker areas) in the areas which pressure is usually applied (at the heel, around the outside of the foot and across the front of the foot) . The ankle cut outs are not as severe as I thought they would be either, but that doesn't really matter.

I wore one pair one day and then the second pair the second day. I wore them to work rather than on the trail. They fit fine inside my normal around-the-house tennis shoes, not too bulky at all. Once I got to work, I changed into my Crocs for the day.

What I found is that these socks are extremely hot! I work indoors (in surgery - so it is actually kept a little cold) and I was wearing a pair of Crocs with holes all in it. As hot as I found them, I tried to imagine how hot I would be on the trail, wearing them with enclosed shoes and hiking in temps of 90 F or above... I have not found my medium wt Smartwool socks to be this hot...

The other thing that I found is that these socks pill terribly bad. At the end of each day, these socks were fuzzy, bad! it was hard for me to believe how much they had pilled, but they did.

I have not washed them yet, but I will be sure to follow the directions for wash when I do so, and I am very curious to see if they pill as bad after an initial wear and wash. If they continue to pill as bad as they have, I do not forsee these socks lasting terribly long.

So, I gave these socks 3 stars for the time being. The fit is great, but they are terribly hot, and they pill terribly! So, time will see.

I typically use the GSI Kettle and a White Box Stove (original). I am planning an AT thru hike in 2013 and I figured a regular cook pot would be more ideal since I may actually have to (or on occasion want to) cook in it. I imagine this cook pot being a little easier to actually cook in, but much easier to clean up afterwards.

I had wanted the UL version but unfortunately they have been almost nonexistent over the last few months since the earthquake/tsunami hit Japan. Unfortunately, these pots are not made in the US but rather in Japan, and with the disaster they experienced, these pots were not delivered for a while.

In the mean time, I thought about why I wanted this cook pot over my kettle, and in doing so, realized the non stick version may be a better choice. I wanted the UL version because it was ~ 0.5 oz lighter, but sometimes weight is not everything. So, I happily ordered the Non stick version.

When it arrived it was exactly what I expected. I put the pot and lid on my scales and it settled on 4.8 oz. I measured the stuff sack separately and it weighed another 0.5 oz. However, I ditched the supplied stuff sack and went with a ZPacks Cuben Fiber cook pot stuff sack which is 0.4 oz lighter!

The pot measures 2-7/8" from the bottom of the pot to the top of the lip (measure on the outside of the pot) and the bottom diameter is 5-1/8" (again, measured on the outside of the pot). I am very happy with the short and wide design. The large flat bottom allows most of the flames from my alcohol stoves to remain under the pot which allows for faster heating and better fuel efficiency!

I did 2 test burns using my White Box Stove (with wind screen and aluminum foil heat reflector on a dirt ground) and this cook pot with 2 cups of cold tap water. The first was with 3/4 oz of HEET (yellow bottle) and resulted with a 4 minute 45 second boil time! The second was using 3/4 oz of Everclear (190 proof) and resulted with a 4 minute 50 second boil!

When extended (opened), the handles protrude out from the pot 3-1/2" and have silicone handles which cover most of the handle. When I grab the handles the end of the handles stop near the center of my palm, and while it is not a full grip, I have no fear of dumping any amount of food/water that this pot will hold from being to heavy. Also, the silicone handles do slip around, but again, nothing to make me fear of losing grip, but instead just rather annoying.

As well, the lid has a slight catch when lowered down in place over the pot. This is great so far because it is too tight to simply fall off if flipped around, but when filled with water and using it over a stove, the weight of the contents will allow enough counter pressure to safely lift the lid off without spilling the contents. However, out of fear, I still only barely set the lid down so that removal is that much easier.

All-in-all, I am very happy with my decision to go with this cook pot. I highly suggest it to anyone that may be interested!

I have the non serrated version. I picked it up fro a local Wal-Mart for a mere $17. For the price, it is a sweet knife.

It has a nice smooth clean look to it, and fits well in my hand.

It is fairly sharp right out of the box. Sharp enough that I haven't felt the need to resharpen it since I have had it.

The clip is super tight. I initially had a hard time getting it over the top of my jeans pockets and thought that it would loosen over time. I must say that it hasn't loosened one bit. And I have clipped and unclipped it from my pants pocket several times each day. I definitely have no fear of this thing coming unclipped and losing it.

It is quite light. I bought this knife to carry backpacking, and while I am know UL freak, I do like to watch weight. This knife weighs in at a nice 2.6 oz.

I have had no problems with the locking mechanism, but I do watch to make sure it locks securely each time I open it. I have this fear of a folding knife folding over my fingers, and this does worry me with this knife, but so far it has not been an issue.

The thumb stud is a little high in my opinion, which makes it a little awkward when opening it one handed. It can be done, but not gracefully...

I have read a lot of bad reviews of this knife, but in my experience with it over the last year, I have been quite happy. I feel like this is a hit or miss knife, but I feel like mine is a good one.

For the price, I am very happy with this knife and would suggest it to anyone.

I bought this pad last year because I found it on clearance for $39, and I must say that it was definitely worth it! However, just a few short weeks later I bought myself a NeoAir, so I personally haven't gotten a whole lot of use out of it.

Comfort will vary from person to person. Saying that, for me I found that I much preferred the horizontal baffles (such as on the NeoAir) as opposed to the vertical baffles such as the ones on this pad. Don't get me wrong, it is not terribly uncomfortable, just not as comfortable.

The integrated pump is nice, and considering it has a bonded synthetic insulation, it is actually a must. No sense in blowing the pad up full of the hot moist air straight from my lungs, the moisture would eventually break the insulation down. When rolling the pad up though, it does cause a little extra bulk. But if I take my time and remove all of the air from the pad, I can still roll it down pretty durn small.

The material is durable. I let one of my buddies use it on a trip and when we made camp there was no good place to set up my tarp. So, we just found as flat a spot as possible and cowboy camped. Of course the flattest spot had a bunch of huge rocks which slightly jutted up out of the ground. He didn't have a ground sheet so he simply piled a bunch of leaves over the rocks and laid the pad right down on top of that. All night long I cringed each time he shuffled around trying to get comfy, but come morning time, it was still inflated. So, definitely a nice durable pad.

My biggest problem with it is the weight. I can make a NeoAir and a 1/8" ccf pad work for me down to temps the same as the Exped, but at half the weight. I understand that this is not a problem with the pad, but more of a personal preference. At the price I paid though, I have no regrets and would do it again though. And I can keep it as a loaner!

My only complaint is that there is a leak in the bottom of the pump chamber (not the end with the inner valve). I can hear the air leaking back into the pump chamber whenever the pad is fully inflated. And again, it is not through the inner valve. I can put pressure on the bottom of the chamber and it will stop. The problem with this is that if the outer valve cover is not closed the air will leak out.

I sent the pad in to be checked. And I must admit that Expeds customer service was top notch. They kept me informed throughout the entire process. And it only took about 2 1/2 weeks from the time I sent it out my door until it came back to my door. However, they did not feel that it needed to be fixed and sent it back to me. I am fine with that since I don't really use it. But if it ever does worsen, I will not hesitate to send it back again.

I guess I would recommend this pad though, but there are other options now that are lighter weight with the same R-Value. I think a lot depends on comfort, and which type of baffles are more comfortable for you.

Also, if you like these, check out Kookabay.com. Bender makes pads similar to these at a lighter weight and you can actually pick what width, length, shape, thickness, cut, insulation type and R-Value. Of course being a cottage shop, be prepared to have a few weeks wait...

I bought this shirt and have been happy every since. I love that it is so light and comfortable. I am 5'10" and 200 pounds. I think I got the size XL and it fits me great (the printing inside the shirt has worn off over time...) It doesn't hug me and squeeze me but it is not loose and floppy either. It does fit close, but it is still loose.

I wear this shirt layered with my R1 comfortably down to temps near single digits. And if it gets too hot, I simply pull the R1 off and wear only the Cap 2. Very nice. And even though it is a long sleeve shirt, it breathes great! If you hold this shirt up to the light, even in navy blue, you can still see through it. (But even with as thin as it is, since it does fit close to my skin, it does maintain a nice level of warmth...especially when layered over.)

I love that it is long sleeve because it keeps me from feeling every spider web, as well as keeps the bugs off of me!

I love this shirt, and it is my go to shirt, except for during the very mid summer. I am probably going to pick one of these up in white to wear for the dead of summer (think temps of 100 F or more).

I would recommend this shirt to anyone looking for a light weight long sleeve base layer shirt.

I ordered one of these shirts trying to find an answer for hiking on the Southeastern heat and humidity during the summer. The shirt is a nice shirt. UPF 30, loads of vents, and comfortable to wear, however, it just doesn't fit me.

I was between a large and an XL. I have read lots of reviews that stated that this shirt is quite roomy inside, but I have also read reviews in which people state that the sleeves came up a touch short. With this in mind I decided I could deal with sleeves that are a tad short rather than having a shirt that swallowed me up. I went with the large.

The short fits me correctly, however the sleeves are just a little more than a tad short. If I reach out in front of me the sleeves will ride midway up my forearm and then comes to a stop if the cuffs are buttoned. However, I was fine with simply leaving the cuffs unbuttoned.

Now, I did say that the shirt fits me correctly, judging by where the seams hit me along the shoulders. But I have found that the shirt is very baggy. I understand that this is intended to allow for sufficient air flow, but it seems a little excessive to me. And the huge pockets on the front only add to the bulk.

The short sleeves, and the extremely baggy fit kind of push it over the line for me and I believe that I will be returning it for another shirt.

But, saying all of this, I am still impressed with the overall quality and thought which has been put into this shirt. I am really bummed that it just doesn't fit me because I think that it would work out very well for the Southeastern summers...So, for that I give it 4 stars and would still recommend it to others. The only thing I would say is to try and go somewhere in which you could try it on first to be sure it fits you, and then to get the correct size.

When I bought these, I tried on pants by The North Face, REI, Ex Officio, and Mountain Hardwear. Of all the brands I tried, these fit the best as well as felt the best. This was 2 years ago and I have worn them on every backpacking trip since then.

They are pretty light-weight pants, but I have found them to be rather durable. After all the use I have in mine, all I have are stains, and these are mainly around the cuffs at the bottom at my feet.

They do wet out after some time, but they do not absorb moisture the way cotton does. Walking through wet grass, for example, will eventually wet the bottom cuffs out, but after walking through it for a few hours, the pants are not wet up to my thighs. Then, soon after I am out they dry very quickly.

The light color reflects back a lot of heat so they are comfy enough even while hiking in hot weather. However, if it gets too hot I simply unzip the bottoms. They do not slip off over boots well, so if the trail is dry (or at least for the most part) I will simply let them hang out around my feet until I get to camp. This way too, if I need to put them back up they are right there.

Speaking of the zip off bottoms, the zipper is not near as uncomfortable as I feared they may be while wearing the pants. I can barely even feel them so that is cool.

There are a plethora of deep pockets on these pants, and I specifically like the fact that one of the back pockets zip closed as well as one of the front pockets.

I have been very happy with these pants, and will replace them with another pair when the time comes. I plan on wearing a pair of these on my AT thru hike, however, since it is not until 2013, I will probably buy a new pair for that.

And the greatest thing is that when I bought them, they were cheaper than the other pants I tried, even the ones on sell...

These pants earned 5 stars for price, comfort, and function.

I gotta give my love for the NeoAir, cause well, I do, a lot! It was one of the very best purchases I made last year, and I will do it again if need be.

The horizontal baffles are much more comfortable than the vertical baffles. When I lay on my NeoAir I don’t feel like I am laying on a pool toy, like I do when I lay on my Exped SynMat 7. (But hey, that’s me and not everyone will feel the same…)

I have had no issues with crinkly noise, nor has anybody else that has been hiking with me, or any of the other hikers that I bunked with in the shelters.

My thoughts on durability: It’s an air pad. I take that into consideration when I use it. I try to clear the area of sharp pointy things, same as I do with ANY air pad. However, they do make a repair kit for it if something were to happen, just like they do for the rest of them (and it is in my kit)…If I need to carelessly throw my pad on the ground and plop down on it, I will use a ccf pad. Otherwise, I have no reason to cry about how the air pad wasn’t durable enough since I didn’t treat it the way it is supposed to be treated, same as with any other air pad.

R-Value. It is listed at 2.5. What does that mean to me? Well, I don’t know. What I do know is that I can use my NeoAir with a 1/8 inch Thinlight pad and be fine to right around single digits. If I want to go out in colder temps, I will use a 1/4 inch pad, maybe even with the 1/8 inch pad if needed.

Weight. My regular size NeoAir weighs 13.8 oz. It measures 20 x 72 x 2.5 inches. I splurged rather than using a small (short) pad and trying to make my empty pack work under my legs. And it still weighs less than most other pads out there, especially this size. Plus it packs down to the size of a 1L Nalgene, so I have plenty of room for my other tiny stuff to fit in my pack…

As well, I appreciate that the bottom of the NeoAir is tacky feeling. That means it slides around less in my tents (especially those with sil floors) than my other pads.

It takes me approximately 18 breaths to inflate, so no big deal (for me). Deflating it is even easier, just unscrew the valve while I am laying on it in the morning, just before I get up. About 15 – 20 seconds later it is almost flat.

Also, the insulation is really only a mylar sheet. So, I don’t have to worry about long-term deterioration of a synthetic or down insulation inside the pad. As well, I don’t have to worry about the moisture from my breath damaging that insulation.

I can say some bad things about the pad though. It didn’t come with a stuff sack (which means I can save half an oz by using a rubber band, if I choose).

It also didn’t come with a repair kit. That one was the real bummer. A repair kit is essential to have with ANY air pad. So, I had to look around to get the appropriate repair kit. It cost me $10 (I think).

During the summer, I have to take more care with it as far as leaving it inflated. In the heat, the air will expand and if the NeoAir is left inflated it will ruin the internal baffles by blowing them apart. So, if I am base camping, I have to remember not to leave the pad inflated during the day. However, during the day I am usually hiking to my next destination anyway.

So, as may be seen, the regular NeoAir is a winner for me. I really don’t think I could have a better sleeping pad while on the trail. Even the newer versions coming out…

As for the Trekker, the only advantage I see is that it is thicker skinned. However, since I try to clear my area of pointy objects first, that doesn’t really seem to be an improvement over the regular NeoAir (to me). And like I said, I do have the repair kit just in case I miss something. I try to remember that even the thick-skinned Trekker can pop out there too. So, the thick skin manages to add a few extra ozs, but somehow lower the “R-Value”… honestly, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me… so it only seems right that it is a few $$$ cheaper than the regular NeoAir. Doesn’t the rule go something like this: The lighter things get, usually, the more $$$ they cost…

Now, the NeoAir All-Season pad may be a nice addition though. It is a few ozs heavier, but it promises twice the “R-Value” of the regular version, plus has a thicker skin. And to top it off, it does come with a repair kit, and for good measure they even throw in a stuff sack that doubles as a pump. For me, I could see this working as a nice 4th season pad (remember, I am in the Southeast). However, about 80 – 90% of the time, it would still be overkill, both in weight as well as in “R-Value.”

So, I hope that this helps to answer anyone’s (potential) questions. I would like to make one thing clear though. I am not trying to push the NeoAir as being the “best” air pad out there. However, I do feel like it is the “best” for me. Everyone has different issues, concerns and needs and we are all built different so we experience life (and everything within it) a little different than the next...

I got this light for 3 reasons (in this order):

1. It has a red "friend" light
2. It has all the features of a bigger light
3. It is light-weight

I like the red light because not having one in a shared shelter is just rude.

This light can be used in a few different ways. As a headlamp, obviously, or it can be removed from the headband (to save even more weight) and then clipped to hats, shoulder straps, or what ever. Plus, it sits on a ball joint so the light can be positioned in any direction I want!

Plus it has high and low setting for the white and red light, and even a flashing/strobing setting for not only the white, but the red light too.

Of course, weighing in at 1 oz, with all of these features it is definitely a winner!

As well, the batteries are easily swapped out on the trail since there are no screws or what-nots to remove. The replacement batteries weigh in at 0.1 oz each, so no big extra weight for carrying them.

When I received the e+LITE I was excited. It is a solid light, and seems to be built well. The lamp is sturdy and not flimsy feeling like I thought it may have been. The strap is secured in the headlamp much better than on some of the other headlamps I have used. And the whistle actually works, well.

As far as use in the field, I am still up in the air on that one. This lamp is great for simply using around camp or inside a tent, but I would not want to have to rely on this lamp for much night hiking, and especially if I were alone (with others I would benefit from there lights as well, which would make up for the lack of light with only this one). Maybe I am just used to the bright whopping lights that I have previously used. Regardless, I am not giving up on this light as my sole backpacking headlamp. I just have to see if I can live with it...

I give this headlamp 5 full stars because it is worth it. Even though it may not be bright enough for me, I knew when I purchased it that it wouldn't be as bright as my others. This lamp is sold as an "emergency" lamp, not a do-it-all lamp. Although, it does most of it-all quite well!

A great UL Backpackers light!

This was my first "backpacking" stove I bought just a couple short years ago. It wasn't so much the weight that drew me to it, but rather the packed size. I was intrigued that the stove would fold over and pack beneath the bottom of the fuel canister.

So, I ordered it, and once it got here, well it was all that I wanted of it. It did 2 things really well. 1. It got really hot which meant it brought my water to a boil very quickly (2 cups in my 700 ml BC Ti pot in just under 2 minutes). And 2. The flame is easily adjustable, over a pretty wide range. I could open it up wide open and it would almost instantly boil water, or I could turn it way down and be able to simmer noodles or Mac-N-Cheese.

However, after reading through other reviews and speaking with someone for Primus, I realized that the head was not as secure as it should have been. The head pivots on a ball joint and there is a locking ring that springs back up to lock the head in place. With mine, the ring did not quite meet the bottom lip of the head so there was a little play in the stability. Primus told me to send it in and they would take a look see.

Well, about 2 short weeks later, they had contacted me and told me that the were shipping me a replacement.

When it arrived, I was stoked. The head did in fact lock down way more securely than the one I sent in. However, I quickly realized that the burner control was not the same. I could turn it up and it sounded like a blow torch, however, if I tried to turn it down low to simmer, well it didn't happen. It would get to a point and then simply poof out rather then burn slower.

I dealt with this though because in the mean time I had switched to using alcohol stoves... I used the new Optimus Crux maybe twice at most, and then it went into my storage bins...

A few months ago my buddy decided to go backpacking with me. I let him use the Optimus Crux. It did fine on the first trip he carried it on, at least that I saw. The next trip, it bit the dirt. He carried a brand new fuel canister, but even with the stove turned all the way up there was hardly a flame. I will just say it like this, 10 minutes after I finished boiling 1L of water using my GSI Kettle and my White Box alcohol stove, his 2 cups of water still had not even begun to form bubbles... The stove acted this way all 3 days.

When I got back home I tried it with 5 other fuel canisters, and I got the same results each time. So, I again contacted Primus. After exchanging a few emails they told me to send it back and they would again check it out. So, I did.

About 3 1/2 weeks later I tried contacting them to see what was going on and they told me a tech would have to check it out. Finally, a couple of days ago I got an email saying that the stove could not be fixed and a new one would be going out in the mail to me.

So, despite the stoves set backs, I am still quite happy with the stove. It is small so it packs in tiny spaces. And it isn't as light as my alcohol stove, but it is fairly light-weight. And between the 2 different stoves I have had, 1 had great heat control, and the other had great stability. So, I am hoping that the one on its way will encompass the best of both worlds! And while the customer service was not as great the second time around, they did still come through for me (or at least I hope so, I don't have the stove in yet...)

For a more detailed review of the stove, check out my review over on backpackgeartest.org:

http://sticksblog.com/gear/kitchen/stoves-extras/optimus-crux/

I just received this jacket yesterday in the mail. I am actually replacing the regular Down Inner jacket with the parka simply because I felt like I might need the hood. I am planning an AT thru hike which is why I decided to go with the parka rather than the regular jacket.
I got the XL and it weighs 9.7 oz on my scales in the stuff sack, with the stuff sack actually being 0.2 oz of that total weight. As far as fit, it fits me the same as the jacket version, only it has a hood. I am 5'10" and 200 pounds and the XL leaves plenty of room to layer my Capilene 2 long sleeve and my R1 under, although it doesn't feel baggy by no means when I am just wearing a t shirt. As well, it layers under my GoLite Tumalo jacket without compressing the down and lowering the warmth factor!
The hood on it is quite baggy, but it has an adjuster on the back which enable me to adjust the hood back, as well as an elastic cord with a plastic/rubbery cord lock on each side of the front of the hood. All of these adjusters allow the hood to fit comfortably, whether with or without a hat/helmet.
It does have a draw cord in the bottom which allows the bottom to be sealed off from the wind, but I am probably going to remove that and save a little weight (even if it is 0.5 oz) and I do not plan on using it anyway.
The one thing I do not like about this jacket is the color. The brown just doesn't cut it for me and the Rust color was only available in Small, which I am not... So, I went with the Olive Green. It is army green. And I was really very happy with the color of the jacket version, black. I wish that this parka was also offered in black. And while color is not a big deal (in the backcountry) it does have it's affect on how well I like something. I am hoping that the Army green grows on me, if not I will swap it for another color at the end of the year when they start carrying the jackets again. It's not like I will get to use it before then anyway.
Overall, MontBell knows how to make a jacket. These jackets are above and beyond the other jackets I have tried and highly recommend any of their jackets. These things are soft against the skin, and so light that it will feel like a puff of warm air is following you around rather than wearing a jacket. As well, this jacket with it's wispy 15D nylon shell will block way more wind than my NF Softshell...
Bottom line, if you are considering, stop and just do it. You will be happy you did!

The appeal is the light weight, small pack size and the large volume. And all of these things are very true. Mine weighs 1.3 oz empty and packs down smaller than any of my other water containers, and even though it says 2L, it will actually hold more than that.
However, I will have to keep an eye on the durability of the actual "bottle". I currently own some of the Nalgene Cantene's and IMO, the Nalgenes are a little more rugged and durable. I have used the Platy on one Backpacking trip in which I carried the bottle rolled up inside my bag and only got it out at camp to haul/store water. When I arrived back home, I noticed some dents and scratched looking spots on the bottle. This is ok for now, but it makes me wonder how it will do in the long run. In comparison, my Nalgene has been used many times in the field and has held up well and is fine.
Also, as expected, filling this thing is work, due to the small opening. In comparison here as well, the Nalgene's wide mouth is awesome. I tried filling this bladder in a deep stream with fairly fast moving water and it took a few minutes. I had to completely submerge the bottle a few times, and of course I ended up with cold hands. I would hate to imagine trying to fill this from a shallow water source...
So, at this point I am just curious as to how it will hold up on multiple trips. it will be in my pack on trips in which I know there are very reliable sources, at least for a while.

I just bought this jacket for my wife for Christmas. It is what she wanted and I happen to like the NF Triclimate jackets since I own one as well. (That is probably what made her decide she wanted one...) Anyway, she is about 5'2" and 90 pounds soaking wet. We ordered her the small and it fits her pretty good. Maybe a little loose, but she says it is comfortable on her.
As far as initial impression, the jacket seems to be well made. I have not seem any bad stitching or any areas that would warrant any type of worries. In my opinion, I am not too fond of the inner "silken fleece" liner simply because it looks thin and worn out, but maybe that is because it is white, regardless, it just doesn't look top notch. But hey, she likes it and she says it feels smooth and soft and comfy while wearing it, so what do I know... :)
The only thing I am not too happy about is the strap for the hook and loop fastener on the sleeves at the wrist. In the past they simply used a piece of the HyVent material as the backing, but now they are using pieces of rubber. (As seen in the attached picture.) They are using these with a few jackets because the Apex jacket I just got is the same way. These are harder to use and makes the sleeve at the wrist feel bulky and awkward if cinched any. Due to this, I do not cinch them down and while this is a little awkward, it is not as bad as if I were using them. But maybe that's just me. The piece of HyVent was flexible and did not bunch up.
Now that that is over, one other thing I do like about the jacket is that it does have pitzips, however, this is overkill for her. She will not be using this jacket to backpack with since it is way too heavy and she simply has better coats for those situations. So, take that for what it is worth...
So, I gave this 4 stars because of the the fleece (at least in my opinion) and because I hate the wrist straps. She says she doesn't mind the fleece, so...I didn't give it a 3.

I finally got my pot/cup in and I love it. It is my first Ti cup. (And it only makes me want more.) I initially wanted a Snow Peak however I realized that the lids on the SP were not Ti. When it was pointed out to me that the BC pot had a Ti lid, plus about $5 cheaper, I went with it. I actually spent the extra $5 and got the Ti spork with the stove......so I still came out even!
It is super tiny, yet big enough for what I need it for. 3.1 oz by itself, or 3.6 oz with the lid. I can't wait to use it in the field, however I have already boiled water in it quite a few times. It does marvelous. The handles do get hot, but give it about 30 seconds and they will cool down. Just a few more seconds and you are good to sip from it safely.
I will be using the White Box Solo stove in conjunction with this pot. My entire cook system will weigh less than 10 oz (fuel included).
I like how the stuff sack fits over the pot and the spoon fits in the sack, but my problem is that I don't really plan on using my canister stove with this pot. If there is not a canister packed on top of the stove in the sack the spoon makes cinching the sack down a little awkward, it's just too tall. I will more than likely pack my spork separately as I have always done. Also, the sack is a little heavy, so I may just wrap the stove up in a hanky (of course with my stove, windscreen, heat shield, and fire inside) and go with that. But for storage, it is nice to have.
However, I'm not knocking this pot. It's all fun to have!

Would definitely recommend. (Go for it)

I have the 2008 Aleutian sleeping bag (last years model) and I think that this is a fine bag, For the money, its great! I can probably get it to about 30* F inside a tent and with midweight top and bottom baselayers, wool socks and a boggin. I have used it alone without a tent and only a Tyvek ground sheet and a REI Lite Core 1.5 pad on a concrete patio to temps in the low 30's. It wet out a good little bit due to the dew fall at around 5:00 in the morning. However it kept me warm enough. It dried out within a few short hours laying back inside the house opened up on the floor.

Its big, and its heavy.

I think its interesting though that the opening line from the description here is "The North Face Aleutian Bx Sleeping Bag retains heat like you’d expect a bag named for Alaskan volcanic islands would." And here is a quote from Wikipedia about the Alaskan Volcanic Islands "The highest and lowest temperatures recorded on the islands are 78 °F (26 °C) and 5 °F (−15 °C) respectively." Funny.....

So, the bottom line here is "OK, you won’t literally be warm as lava. That'd be uncomfortable." And its totally true.If you want a good quality bag for fairly cheap that you're not going to want to lug around on your back on a trail for days on end, then this is your bag!

A draft collar would have been a plus, especially since its a 20* bag!

Heres a pic of it in its stuff sack next to a gallon jug.

I bought these because of chaffing during hikes. They work wonders. Imusually wear boxers and was afraid of how I would like these briefs, but I love them. They dont ride up, arent real restricting and keep me from chaffing!

I bought this for those summer hikes that are scorchers, and its great. Wicks great and helps wonders to keep me cool. Also, great to wear for everyday use. Love the shirt, plan on buying more.

I have recently purchased this jacket and since it has come in I have been awaiting the time to wear it. I love it, even though I havent actually put it to use. Its not heavy and is very comfortable. I got an XL and its slightly big but the sleeves fit me great (the L was just a little short in the sleeves). Thier is a stripe down the sides that cannot be seen in the picture, I thought it was all a solid color which is partly why I picked this particular jacket. Its my first triclimate jacket but already I feel like its going to be my favorite by far. I would recomend it to anyone. Also before I bought the jacket I tried on a similar (North Face) jacket at a local store to "size up the fit" so I wouldnt have to chance a possible return.

I bought this jacket in an S for my 6 year old son, about 41 inches and 40 lbs. It does fit him big but I had intentionally bought it this way. An XS fit him just about right however I thought the sleeves went a little short when he stretched his arms out so I went up in a size so that he can wear hoodies or such underneath. Also with the thought in mind that maybe next winter he can still wear it!!! Its a light-wieght coat but it seems like it will stand up well to the cold weather, and probably with an longsleeve underneath. Would recomend to anyone.

I have recently purchased this jacket for my son and it was definatly a smart move. The jacket was not bulky as I had feared, but at the same time it feels that it would be a great jacket to keep in warmth when needed, and still be able to run and play as little boys should. The only thing that I would change is by adding a powder skirt. Overall a great jacket for the price. We did have to return it however because it was a tad short in the sleeve (about another inch in the sleeve would have been nice). Before we ordered one to replace it we went to a local store and tried on similar jackets (same name brand though cause they all seem to go by different measurements). My son was very happy with the jacket and I would say that if you are looking for a great jacket that you should consider this one. The return was rather simple. I am very pleased with backcountry and thier products and I am going to order another jacket for my son and myself as well from backcountry.