This hoody is my second IO Bio piece. And it doesn't disappoint. All too often, you see technical wears that look, well, technical, and not urban enough. "Form follow function (Pati's moto)" or "function is beauty (Montbell)" have very limited applications in the urban environment. Well, IO Bio changed all that. They make stuff out of technical fabric, but they don't skimp on design. This hoody is awesome. It's made of 260g/m2 Australian merino wool. Having owned so many New Zealand wool garments, I honestly can't tell which wool is softer, but it's soft. The lining in the hood and the pockets are made from IO's Contact merino undies, and the graphic design is awesome (note the photo doesn't shown the lining in the pockets, but they are lined with the same design and material as the hood). I usually wear xs or sm in US brands, and I bought a sm in the hoody and it fits great. The length is longer than conventional hoodies, which is a good thing especially if you are tall. The longer length, coupled with the material, makes it a highly technical piece of insulation. It will be perfect for snowboarding in winter, and backpacking in summer.

Got the IO grid color and love it. The Australian merino wool rivals the New Zealand wool. Feels extremely soft, absolutely not itchy. The IO grid color is really awesome. It feels very refreshing to see another company to produce high quality merino garments while adding some pizazz to it (Mission Playground is another company that makes patterned wool undies, and even old Patagonia has added stripes to the wool tops this year). Be sure to order a size larger if you plan to layer it on top of another wool underwear. I usually wear xs or sm in Pati sizes, but I got the medium for this top and it fits very well. I wear it on top of another thin wool l/s, and it looks very presentable that I can wear it outside.

I've been eying the chocolate candy stripe color for quite a while. BC is the only one that carries it, even Pati's own website doesn't have it in stock. So with the 20% coupon from BC that's going on right now, I finally pulled the trigger, and am so glad I did. This zip neck is thick (230g/m2), dense, and you can tell its quality is impeccable. As a bonus, it's made in the USA, with the best Zque merino wool available. So far I've only worn it on the trail once, carrying a daypack. But the fabric never got fuzzed up as many other merino tops do, and I have a collection of them.

Compare to an Icebreaker piece that's of similar weight (the Olympia zip), the length of the turtleneck on the Pati is just right: it's high enough to cover the entire neck, but not so high to bunch up the fabric at the top as the Olympia zip does.

Keep in mind that the Pati website said this piece is "regular fit" instead of "slim fit". I usually wear either xs or small in Pati, but got a small anyway, since I like it a bit loose, and it will shrink a bit after the first wash. The fit is perfect.

The chocolate candy stripe is a truly awesome color. It's very rich, and very much a fall color. If you are into the color, it is also available in the hooded version (http://www.backcountry.com/outdoorgear/Patagonia-Merino-3-Hooded-Shirt-Long-Sleeve-Womens/PAT1672M.html). So go and get yourself one before they run out, and consider it as a limited edition piece (they didn't seem to have made too many of them) you can wear for years to come.

Just got the jacket last week and immediately took it out for a test run today. We hiked the Grizzly Peak from the top of the Loveland Pass in Colorado. At 12,000 feet, Loveland Pass is extremely windy though not cold this time of the year. Grizzly Peak is at 13,427, and the trail has many very steep ups and downs which makes the hike a very aerobic exercise. The temperature was around mid-70s today. Although the sun was shining, I immediately felt the wind chill as soon as the hike started. After putting on the Aero, I felt the windy was effectively cut down by the jacket. With only a single short sleeve shirt underneath, the jacket / shirt combination kept me very comfortable. Although the elevation gain and loss was quite a lot on this hike, I didn't sweat a single drop. This is really owing to the breathability of the jacket. It blocks the right amount of wind to make you not feel cold and at the same time letting some through to keep you from sweating. It also has a very functional hood - I had a baseball cap on and the hood effectively covers the cap w/o feeling tight. Not sure about water resistancy yet since it didn't rain on the trip. For sizing, be sure to use Norrona's sizing chart. It's very accurate. Keep in mind that the sleeves are about an inch longer than the US brand jackets, although I didn't mind. So far I am very happy with the jacket and plan to use it as my primary soft shell for 3-season hiking and backpacking trips. I only hope the durability won't be an issue. Oh the apple green color is awesome. Unlike the Patagonia Houdini or the like, this jacket is not semi-translucent, and it looks way better than the pati.

Love love love these capris. Airy fabric and nice prints. The fossil color will go well with many different tops. With the cotton contents, I wouldn't wear them on extended hikes. But they are extremely comfortable, due to the stretch, and...the cotton content. I like the little pocket just on top of the left pocket. I put keys in it and they don't get mangled w/ other things in the pocket. Overall, another well made capri and great for travel. For sizing, I went with a 6 which is a bit loose, but 4 was a bit tight. I am 110 Lb and 5'6" without much hip.

Got these in the rainbow red color, which is an awesome color. Love the feel of the wool, as soft as Smartwool, but absolutely no pilling after washings. Unfortunately for me, the fit is not so good. I'm usually a medium in Smartwool, so I ordered medium for these, the toe box is definitely too big, probably designed more for guys than chicks (these are unisex rather than gender specific as in Smartwool). But no matter, I gave them to my other half, and he loves them and has been wearing them for a month and they have proven to be more durable than Smartwool. He usually wear down the socks at the big toe and achelle area within several weeks. But it hasn't happened so far on these socks. So 1 star less for a less than idea fit for chicks. Otherwise they are certainly worth the money.

I've written 2 reviews previously about this board, with more favorable opinions each time. Yesterday after an epic snow storm in Colorado, I took it out again for a 3rd day of riding. Condition was good, a little bit of ice here & there, but powdery in the trees. As I said this is my 3rd day on this board, and I have definitely found perfect connection with it. At high speed turns, it's still rock solid, even on ice I didn't skid. It's an amazingly fast board, even on flats. I zoomed past quite a few people who at least looked like they knew what they were doing. I've begun to like the torsional flex as well. It allows you to keep a straight line on flats with just a bit of foot work, whereas my previous board, I tended to slide downslope on flats. Even the one-footed paddle was effortless, and slided way further compared to my previous board. My only grudge was in trees: turning was difficult. And because it has no setback, I had to really shift weight to the back to avoid diving into the powder. It does require more work at the beginning to control it. But by my third day, I was carving & turning effortlessly on all slope angles. I've read quite a few reviews on this board where people either loved it or hated it wholeheartedly. My advice is, give it a few chances, and try to ride under normal conditions. I have no doubt that the spring conditions in my first couple of outings didn't help me get accustomed to it more quickly.

I wrote a review of this board a couple days ago when I took it out for the first time. Today I took it out for a second time, and it was definitely a much more positive experience. As I mentioned in previous review, I like making high speed carving turns in groomed black trails, and I did quite a few of those today. The board is extremely stable, as soon as the speed goes up. Compare to my previous board, there is no chatter and feels very solid. However, turn initiation at low speed is more difficult as expected, and I did catch the edge a few times. I went into trees once, but it's hard to tell, since the snow in March is much different from Jan/Feb. I did take a dive as soon as I hit the powder, but was able to shift the weight and make some easy turns. The Ivy still gave me trouble in low speed flat traversing area. But I think that's because I am not accustomed to using my feet to maneuver much - in carving you don't use your feet as much as legs and shifting body weight. So there you have it. Overall a solid stick, and depend on your style and habit, you might have less problem switching to it than me.

I had some issues with the ankle straps when I took them out the first day (see the question I posted below). However, after some adjustment, the discomfort went away. By moving the ankle strap one notch up, the pressure points on the inner side of my feet went away. These Burtons fit very snugly with my Salomon boots. The toe strap on the back foot sometimes becomes loose during riding, but I think that's because of the fact that they fit really snug, and when I sit down to strap on the back foot, the foot doesn't get all the way into the binding even though I crank down the straps tight. This can be easily solved by standing up and let the gravity do its job, then tighten the straps again. My setup is stiff bindings, stiff boots, and stiff board. This translates to precise carving turns on groomed trails. These bindings are so responsive compared to my previous bindings that I no longer have to worry about catching an edge due to sluggish response.

I'm an advanced snowboarder who usually ride all mountain except bumps, and like to make nice large carving turns. Bought the board based on a local shop's recommendation. Basically I wanted a stiff board that can carve well in high speed and also do well in powder and trees. I took it out for a first day of riding today, and I'm disappointed at the board. At low speed, it's unstable and needs constant feet adjustment. It's probably due to the cutouts in the middle of the board that's supposed to give more torsional flex. While it's probably better suited for tricks, it has thrown me off guard a few times at the beginning. I did get used to it, but remain unsatisfied for the amount of work I need to put in. The board however does hold better at high speed carving turns. It's more stable, but it's not as forgiving as other boards, which again results in more work on the legs. I haven't ride it in trees or beat-up snow. But so far I'm unimpressed.

I bought this jacket for snowboarding. I usually wear 5 thin wool layers under my un-insulated snowboarding jacket, since the weather in Colorado ski resorts can be pretty cold. It certainly feels very bulky, and with this sweater I was hoping to replace 2-3 layers that I'm currently wearing.

I tested this sweater out last week when we skied in Winter Park, CO, where the temp at the base was 10 deg F, snowing, with wind chill below 0. I wore 3 thin layers under this down sweater, and topping it off with the snowboarding jacket. I was cool on the chair lift, but definitely not cold. On the third day of skiing, temp was in the 30's, sunny, and I wore 2 layers under this sweater, and I was not hot. So thickness-wise, I'm very happy with it.

In terms of design, this sweater couldn't be better designed for an under-layer. I'm 5'6", 110 LB, small is perfect for me. Sleeves come up to exactly where my wrists are, making it very nice to wear with snowboarding gloves. The length is perfect as well - it comes down to just under the waist, short enough for me to tie my powder skirt with the pants and not having any part of the sweater extended below the skirt. In fact, when I fell into deep powder, the bottom part of the sweater was very protected by the powder skirt, so it didn't get damp at all. So overall, this jacket is ideal for layering, and perhaps a tad short and thin to use on its own.

Bought this jacket a few years back, and it's still looking as new. I only wear it in winter, as it's too hot for any other season. The monkey fur really keeps me warm, warmer than other heavyweight polartec fleece. And I love the soft wrist band which is standard on all MH jackets. I'm not sure what all the problem with the matting is all about as indicated in other reviews, but I've never had any problems, and I've washed it maybe only twice. But I do have an earlier edition jacket, and maybe the quality has gone down. The Mountain Hardwear website does tell you what to do in case of matting: you need to brush it like brushing a dog. Go here for more instructions: http://mountainhardwear.com/images/CareForMonkey.pdf Oh and I'm so excited that they brought back the kermit green color! (BC doesn't have it yet, but REI does have it right now.)

I've tried using these shoes running. On pavement they really lack cushioning, cannot compare with my road runner. On trails however, they are pretty good, comfortable right out of the box. But mostly I used these for speed hiking. The soles are just thick enough to not kill your feet on some rocks, yet you can still feel the trail. But as the shoes age, they fit looser and looser. I usually have to tighten them down quite a bit, several times during a hike. Perhaps it's time to replace them. Also, on my previous pairs the zip lock laces broke. But Salomon seems to have made the current version laces more durable. Overall I love these shoes, I'm on my 5th pair.

Save your money and buy a Black Diamond Spot instead. The spot is $10 cheaper, uses a better LED, and brighter. When trail running with a friend after dark, him wearing the Petzl, and me the Spot, both on fresh batteries, the Petzl's brightness pales in comparison. This is because the Petzl uses the Luxeon LED, which gives only half of the light output as the CREE LED, which the Spot uses. Both LEDs have similar run time. If you want a side-by-side comparison of CREE vs Luxeon, go here: http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/fenix_p1d.htm

I did a lot of research before buying this headlamp, instead of the Petzl Tikka XP, which also sports a 1-watt LED. The Spot is $10 cheaper, uses a better LED, and brighter. When trail running with a friend after dark, him wearing the Petzl, and me the Spot, both on fresh batteries, the Petzl's brightness pales in comparison. This is because the Petzl uses the Luxeon LED, which gives only half of the light output as the CREE LED, which the Spot uses. Both LEDs have similar run time. If you want a side-by-side comparison of CREE vs Luxeon, go here: http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/fenix_p1d.htm

Love this pants. I got them in brown. First, let me tell you about sizing - order up! I'm usually a Patagonia 6. For this pants, I had to go all the way to Medium, which fits slightly big at the waist (must use a belt), and somewhat baggy, but it doesn't bother me that much. I tried small, but I could barely sit down when I buttoned it up. (Note: I always wear a heavy weight long undies underneath.)
The feature I like most is the high back - back inseam is a couple inches longer than front inseam - that's what girl's pants should be cut like. The high back means that if you need to sit down to put on your bindings, your back will still be protected.
These pants were actually redesigned from previous season's "Rubicon pants". Compared to the Rubicon, the Sidewall uses lighter material, which makes hiking much easier. Fit is definitely more relaxed. And they changed the waist area so the Sidewall is much less bulky than Rubicon. And the cool fabric weave - I kept getting asked what brand these are, and people can't believe it when I told them that these are Patagonia.
The Sidewall also sports all the regular features that I expect from all snowboarding pants, such as waterproof, inner thigh vents, scuff guards. For this price, I'd rather go with Patagonia rather than Burton or the like, knowing that these will be absolutely bombproof for years to come.

I bought the crew neck version. Got it 2 months ago, in the universal black color, and have been living in it, wearing it to work, running, as a base layer when hiking. It's not too big to wear alone, and not too small to wear over another shirt (probably because it stretches well). It's extremely soft. I've washed it twice, and the fabric feels tough and shows no sign of wear. However, I did notice that there is a very very small hole on the sleeve. But hopefully it won't get much bigger. The other thing is that black color tends to attract all the dust & fuss. So keep a roller handy. This is the second shirt from Ibex that I'll live in for a long time (if the hole doesn't get much bigger).

Mission Playground looks like a cool company in that they are very much set on creating sustainable clothes. To that end, they've made clothes out of wool and organic cotton. I was very excited to see that they actually put in cool patterns in their shirts, instead of the regular black and solid colors like the other wool product makers such as Icebreaker and Ibex. However, MP uses Australian wool, and even though it's 160 gram/m2, it simply cannot be compared to the New Zealand merino, which is much much softer, even at heavier weights. I found it very itchy. Which is too bad, for I really love the pattern. Also of note is that the crew neck has a very high collar. I usually don't like loose collared shirts, but this one is very high. But if you are willing to try it, I suggest ordering 1 size up, as the shirt is extremely tight, especially if you want to wear it over another shirt (come on, the pattern is so cool that you want to wear it out).

Bought 2 pairs for 10-day backpacking trips to Alaska. Wear a pair and wash out the dirty one by the river at the end of the day. They dry in a flash, even in 30 degree overcast weather. They fit comfortably and never ride up.

Love this shirt. Since the day I bought it, I've been looking forward to wearing it everyday. And I have been wearing it almost everyday, doing everything from running errands, trail running, going to the gym, lounging around the house. As expected from merino wool shirts, it never smells and always feels fresh even after a sweaty run. What's not expected is that it's extremely soft, even softer than all the Icebreaker superfine shirts I own, and I own a lot of them. This is the first Ibex shirt I own, and I'm happy that they made the x-small, since Ibex's shirts usually fit more relaxed, and small is too big for me. I sincerely hope that Ibex will continue to make x-small available to us. I bought the violet/red color, it's a good color combo. There's really nothing fancy about this shirt, no flashy designs or anything. Just a soft, timeless shirt that have quickly become my favorite, and hopefully will last for a long time to come.

I've had mine since July. Love how versatile this hoody is. The wool is tighter woven than the Icebreaker's 320g/m2 sweaters, so the fabric pattern looks nicer, which makes them more adaptable in both formal and casual situations. The tighter knit also makes this hoody more wind resistant than the Icebreakers. I got the black one, and wore it in July in cool southern California nights. Wore it on a few trips on the airplane, and during a semi-formal conference. This past weekend, we went hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park. It was 48 degrees out with 30 mph gust. I wore the hoody on top of an Icebreaker superfine t-shirt, and under an Arc'Teryx Gamma MX jacket. When the wind was blowing really hard, I put on the hood, I wasn't hot or cold. So, if you want something to wear summer and winter, in semi-formal and casual occasions, get this hoody. And I'd definitely recommend the hoody over the pullover. The hood makes it a lot more versatile.

PROS: Love the icebreaker shirts' versatility. You can wear them in summer as a regular shirt, or in winter as a layer. Wear them on hikes, in a bar, or in the office. While the merino wool from Icebreaker, Smartwool and Ibex shirts all came off the same New Zealand sheep, the unique abstract graphic designs are what set Icebreaker apart from all the rest. CONS: This year, Icebreaker introduced a new "fit" scheme that is really geared towards larger men and women. For example, in previous year's model, my husband wore size large for men's shirts. But now, he has to switch to a medium. A side-by-side comparison shows that this year's "regular" fit size Medium is slightly larger than last year's size Large. Same thing for women. What's up with that? Did the Kiwis suddenly grow big??

I've been searching for shirts that look good, are made of technical fabric, can be worn in the city and looking cool, and in the outdoors and perform. And I've found it. Love the graphical design of this shirt, with refreshing stripe on the right arm. Non-bulky, great for travel. I took this shirt on an oversea trip and wore it in the city and on hikes. Dries quickly. Hhandwash in hotel rooms and it dries the next day. Also love the longer length, a definite plus for snowboarding. Try the red one and you'll like it.

I don't have a large wardrobe, and I'm always looking to buy clothes that are multi-functional. I want something that looks good in the city and performs well in the outdoors. So I bought this jacket, albeit the orange one that they don't sell here, but also made by Patagonia (I like flashy colors). It looks like a track jacket, but made of windblock material on the front. I wore this jacket on a trip to Beijing (people dress nicely over there) and then a hiking trip to the Great Wall. The day was very windy, but I was completely warm due to the windblock front panel. I also like the pocket on the back. It looks a little dorky, but I was able to put a water bottle in it when I needed my hands to be free in order to take a picture. The only complaint I have was the zipper pull on the back pocket is bulky and when the zipper is closed, the pull sits right in the middle of the spine, making it uncomfortable. To aleviate the problem, I usually leave the zipper half open. Note that the front panel is one layer of windblock and that's it. Doesn't provide additional warmth. Wear it on top of a long underwear, but order on size up.

This jacket bridges the gap between urban and outdoor wear. I was looking for a jacket that I can wear while exploring the city and then drive to the trails for a hike - something that's made of technical fabric yet doesn't make you look "teched out." I like the track jacket style, and especially the small napoleon pocket on the chest. It's low-key & utilitarian. These features make the jacket blend in well in the city. Yet the thumb loop and flat seams make it fit well right under a snowboarding jacket. I can wear it with my Icebreaker long-sleeve tee and am set for the slopes. If I have to put in some criticism, I'd say, I wish they've made the exact same jacket with a more wind resistant fabric. But as you see from a lot of reviews, people have unreal expectations from their jacket. I'm happy with mine, it does exactly what I'm looking for.