David Drake

The only snowshoes I have ever owned - I feel this was a fine purchase! I'm 5'11" at 180 lbs and these worked out very well, keeping me afloat, with easy maneuverability, on sun-crusted snow, better than a foot deep, with ease. I can't be sure of fresh powder yet but I can't wait to give them a try. They have been worn with both Solomon trail runners and Kayland hiking boots, both incompatible for cramp-ons, both worked out very well. The ease of steep ascension is particularly noted and more fun than I expected. Wish I was in deep powder at this moment!

I've had this pack on my wish list for over 2 years! So, when I finally bought it I expected much more...
To begin, the hydration pouch is on the side of the pack and, it's too small. Living in the desert, I need to carry ample amount of H2O at all times, typically greater than 3 liters. I haven't tried but I bet you'd have a difficult time getting just 2 liters in there, certainly no more and, there is no loop to hang the hydration bladder from. It is designed to suspend your bladder and that's it. Carrying my H2O bladder the other day, I had to rest my 4 liters of H20 on the bottom of the pack. As a result, my hydration tube could have been a few centimeters longer. I was also on a day hike, ended up being 17 miles overall, with plenty of gear including extra clothing, stove, fuel, food and my snow shoes, all of which fit in the pack - pack is very spacious. However, the snowshoes, awkwardly bulky as you can imagine, sat in the bottom of the pack, along with my hydration bladder and everything else, with a level of discomfort that extended below my butt. Yes, below, making it quite uncomfortable (I actually strapped the snowshoes to the outside of the pack for the ascent and reverted to squeezing them inside for the descent - I really couldn't tell you which was more uncomfortable). Possibly, you're thinking, "this is a summer pack, how do snowshoes fit into this equation?". Well, I live in the desert and needed a 50L pack and, love Arcteryx. Now, with all adjustments attempted, I could not find comfort with this pack. The back panel was very slightly uncomfortable, I could not keep the pack off my shoulders (I enjoy a fully-weighted pack riding on my hips only), cinching the shoulder straps tightly on my body was actually the most comfortable position (although certainly not my favorite) and, I could not get the hip belt tight enough. Also, with all gear as balanced as possible inside the pack, again considering the bulkiness of the snowshoes, I could not get the pack to ride balanced on my back. As I stated earlier, I really unpacked, packed and, made every adjustment possible. I wanted this pack to work for me! It didn't! On the brighter side, it's fairly lightweight, durable, spacious, with plenty of zipper access to gear inside the main stuff sack. Just couldn't make this one work for me.

The Canyon Shirt is a fabulous shirt, great looks, great fit, breathable, light weight and comfortable, I recommend it for ALMOST everyone. However, if you're in the desert, this shirt is marketed as a "desert shirt", brushing up against thorns, the Superlight Desert Cloth doesn't stand a chance!!!! The strong weave didn't stand a chance against every thorn I brushed against. A single off-trail hike up a canyon wash would have shredded it if I didn't take it off after many thread pulls damaging the shirt. I'm very disappointed!!! Too bad, otherwise, it's a great looking shirt.

Here's a preliminary review. More to come as the this season surges on. I've owned this pack now since about 02/2009. I love this pack for one simple reason, it has a "load transfer disk" between the hip belt and the pack that swivels the hip belt on your hips as you hike that essentially alleviates most of the load from your back. I've loaded gear into this back each trip with a total weight greater than 50 lbs. and have felt like I can get a trail run in immediately after removing the pack after a good days hike. I have never felt so relieved of weight on my back from any other pack! Prior to the Naos 85 purchased I purchased and returned an Osprey Argon 110 as this load transfer disc of the Arcteryx rivals over the suspension system offered on the Osprey, in my opinion.
With that said, the Naos is a stuff sack. Pack wisely or everything is coming out to get a wanted/needed item from the bottom. It does have the side access zipper, however, it seems to me as if my gear would burst from the opening if I opened it, I pack tight. As far as the element of being waterproof, I have no experience with any of my gear getting wet although my excursions, thus far, have been relatively dry (review pending). I do have a bit of an issue with the hydration storage capability. You will not be able to remove your hydration bladder and get it back in unless you remove most of the contents of your pack first. Consider pumping water directly through the hydration tube and into the bladder without removing it from the pack if you're thinking about owning a Naos, this is actually a good suggestion for most packs.
Otherwise, the 420 ACT material seems bombproof and, thus far, I'm a very satisfied Naos 85 owner.

I've now tested this purification equipment on many backpacking and hiking trips, drawing water from brisk rivers, slow trickle streams, small near-dry pools, puddles and once from a cow drinking trough. Although the purified water may not taste great from a few of these sources, it was clean and purified. I can't see myself outliving this exceptionally necessary piece of equipment. It's output, flow rate and weight are all accurate according to tech specs. A accessory, sold separately, item I didn't see offered here at backcountry, although it may simply be out of stock, is Katadyn's "Quick Fill Hydration Pack Adaptor". This little adapter allows you to fill your hydration bladder without removing your bladder from your pack. The katadyn Pocket comes with the male end of the adapter but not the female end. Certainly convenient and a must for those of us whom don't wish to unpack/pack to access our hydration bladder. In any case the two item are essential, the Katadyn "Pocket" and the "Quick Fill Hydration Pack Adaptor". I do wish the female end of the Quick Fill Adaptor was included with the Pocket Microfilter, for the price is probably should be. All be it, My rating 6 stars!

I've worn and washed these now many times including both backpacking and hiking adventures. I absolutely love them! In fact, I was concerned that they may be too tight after reading other reviews. I, therefore, consulted with the gear experts here at backcountry whom told me they run slim. I average close to 180 lbs. at 5'11" and weight train regularly. I wear a 32 waist/32 inseam. I currently own 2 pairs of MH's Mesa convertible pants, and love these except I find that they simply don't have enough material and will sooner than later wear out (they haven't yet and are holding up well). I opted to disregard the advice of my fellow reviewers who thought the Matterhorn shrank as well as the backcountry gear experts, whom said they would run too small for me, and oh am I glad I did! Not only do they fit fabulously, of course this is very subjective to each individual, but after a number of hot wash/dry cycles they haven't shrank a bit! My recommendation, they're well built, convertible, they don't capture odors over those extended backpacking trips, the low-profile buckle on my belt (the Matterhorn has belt loops) doesn't noticeably interfere with my backpack and they fit very well. These get 5 stars without blinking. And I will be getting another pair.

The space (anybody know what the space between the spork blades are called?) between the spork blades, particularly the Snow Peak sporks as not all brands are created equal, makes a fantastic clamp for your gourmet backpacking food package while in the process of re-hydrating. See pic. Once you've completed the re-hydration process you can even use it to shovel the food into your face, amazing! Makes a nice poo poo shovel too, ewww, well maybe not. I've even tried hiking with it attached to my nose, you know, when you expire hot breath onto the spork and hang it from your nose, that didn't work either, the wildlife just looked at me funny.

It's just 2.5 ounces, fits inside your pot along with the fuel canister (I use the MSR iso fuel) and it boils as much water as you'll need to boil in 4 mins or less (let's face it if you're packing this stove your not boiling water for more than 2 persons at once). Worth every penny for the weight savings! I also have the Brunton Talon and the MSR Pocket Rocket. I feel the the Brunton boils water faster than all three but weighs more than the the other two. The Pocket Rocket is similar to the Primus Micron Ti in all respects except it may boil slightly faster and weighs just a bit more. The Micron Ti is my favorite after many outings and I've never had an issue with it (save elevation and wind which is an issue for any of these micro stoves). Admittedly, I'm a Ti junkie. Every 1/10 ounce weight savings actually means something to me.

Frustrated with the amount of time spent attempting to inflate my down mat deluxe 9 I reverted back to the combo stuff bag/pump which inflated the pad in just a few minutes. It may work well for the smaller pads, absolutely not recommended for the larger ones.

They're extremely comfortable and supportive, dries quickly, doesn't retain odors, and may be the brief that'll outlast all other briefs I've previously worn making it the not so brief Brief. I now own many and they're my go-to brief whether I'm backpacking in the hot desert or at cool elevation, exercising at the gym, road biking, running, and general wear. I'll never wear another brief!!!

Nice hammock. Plenty of room for 1, very comfortable, east to set up, stuff sack/pocket came in handy, paracord looks cheap but held me up well enough to keep me off the ground. Replaced the heavy S-hooks with light-weight aluminum carabiners and purchased heavy-duty nylon climbing daisy chains to wrap around the tree just in case the paracord didn't work. I'm 170 and almost 6' tall and simply had no problems, I fell asleep fast. Well worth the price to get you off the ground. Don't wear anything with sharp edges such as jeans with rivets or anything with zippers or this baby will rip! That's probably why they instruct you to set-up no more than 18" off the ground.

It's maiden voyage was a 40 mile hike around the Grand Canyon. I had about 50 lbs. on my back and probably could have used a boot with a bit more support. Otherwise, as a light backpacking boot it's fantastic!! I have a narrow size 10 foot and the size 10 boot fits great. I also needed an after market high-arch in-sole support rather than the manufacturers support. Plenty of toe wiggle and my heel stayed where it belonged. Once I lighten my pack a bit, closer to 40 lbs., this boot will work out nice. All-in-all the boots a keeper. If I were to continue backpacking with a pack even close to 50 lbs. though I'll have to go with a more supportive boot. Oh, and the eVent liner rocks, very breathable for desert environments, much better than gore tex.

Works well in windy conditions and I love the simmer on this stove!!! Not the lightest micro stove but works perfectly. I used the stove with MSR's iso fuel.

Needed a little ditty bag to hang off my Arc'teryx Naos 85 and Naos 55, yes I have two of these baby's, hip belt's enabling me to keep a few items close by without having to remove it from my back for things such as my camera, chap stick, pepper spray and food bar.

It's also great for holding a water bottle while I'm out walking in the canyon's.

I hope someday I'll manage to use it as a chalk bag. That review is pending my initial climb which I hope comes sooner than later.

I've never had a better backpacking meal in all my years!!! I'm an organic vegetarian and, even if you're not, this will be the tastiest backpacking meal you'll ever have that'll give you so many needed nutrients! Three cheers and five stars for MJF.

Tastes great, it's vegan and it's high in protein. The black beans are flakes rather than whole bean, texture being a little odd, otherwise this meal is a winner with two thumbs up. For that matter I haven't had a MJF product that I didn't absolutely truly love!!!

I own both the 6 & 10 Liter bags and I can't rave enough about the construction, packability (space savings), functionality and the interchangeable accessories of this MSR series. I found myself using these bags over my previously loved hard-sided water bottles and camelback for carrying H2O which will all now be set out for the yard sale. Because I love to cook on the trail, and because I left my hard-sided H2O bottles at home, my camelbacks wide-mouth cap wouldn't allow me to pick up my pack, remove the cap, and accurately pour water from the camelback without pouring too much and/or spilling the precious commodity.
MSR solved this for me! I now carry the attachment drinking hose along with the 3-in-1 cap and I can swap the two when ready to pour water for cooking without removing the dromedary bag from my pack. I have more pack space available and carry a lighter pack.
I now carry MSR's Dromedary bags exclusively and found nothing else on the market that compares equally.

These X-Bowls are the cats meow!!! Packs tight, functional, easy-to-clean and they don't collapse with food in them. what else could I say? If I'm not eating food directly out of the package I'm eating it from the X-Bowl!

I purchased these to work with my Salomon XA Pro 3D Ultra GTX Trail Running Shoe and oh did they make a difference. I have high arches and although these insoles are described as a mid to high arch insole replacement (I still prefer an even higher arched insole) they've made a complete difference in functionality.
I could not hike/run in the Salomon's after just 2 trips due to the flat insoles that accompanied the shoe causing too much foot pain and these insoles relieved most of the discomfort. I've tried these in a half-dozen other shoes I own and they work just as well. Well worth the investment!!

Thus far I've had to reset the altitude function each and every weekend since I've owned it to reflect the correct altitude. Otherwise the time function functions well and as a Tucson resident and avid hiker of southern AZ I haven't needed to use the barometer function until I leave town next. The temperature function would have been better if the watch didn't need to be removed from my wrist each time I desired the temperature as I ascended. All-in-all I enjoy the functionality more than not having it at all. Hoping my battery life is better than the previous reviewers:) We'll see...

Twice now I've worn these shoes on hikes greater than 20 miles with a light backpack. Uphill each time has been more of a hike with little running however I enjoy scrambling downhill as fast as the terrain will allow, with less weight on my back coming down as I've depleted my water and food. These shoes have hurt my feet more than ANY other type of shoe I've worn in many years!!! I have high arch's and if you do too I do not recommend these shoes without orthotics. These shoes were designed for people with flat feet and you'll probably still require an orthotic!! Each time I've worn these shoes my feet have ached for well over a weeks time recuperating from the abuse. As a note I'm both an avid hiked and runner. Due to the cost of these shoes I'm very disappointed with their performance.

Careful not to allow it or give it the chance to melt the edge of the spatula, while simply flipping brownies at lower heat, melted forcing me to pull the strips of melted nylon off the edge, careful not to eat these strips before they found their way in my food. I was using GSI's Extreme 8" frypan along w/ MSR's Pocket Rocket stove. Folks, we need a spatula made of food-safe material to cook with that won't melt and won't scratch up our favorite non-stick frypan!

I also have the MSR PackTowel UltraLite! Both brands dry equally as fast however, MSR's UltraLite has the consistency of a heavy paper shop towel and S2S's DryLite feels a bit softer.

I purchased this along with GSI's Extreme non-stick Frypan for making Mary Janes Farms Brownies (which are absolutely delicious) out on the trail. It's lightweight, compact un/folding easily, and it hasn't melted like it's home kitchen counterparts.

I bought the lightweight 8" pan. Plenty of space for everything I've cooked from vegan brownies to pancakes to eggs and vege bacon. I love the attached folding handle (saves money on having to purchase lost or misplaced heavier handles associated with other brands). The non-stick is so non-stick I've been able to simply gently wipe it clean with a small bit of Campsuds and water with no left over residue whatsoever. I'm very pleased with this purchase! The folding handle even grasps my food packages offering me a place to store them while hiking.

I love it's light weight, compact length for storage and it's wide handle makes it easy to grip while eating. My only complaint is that backcountry.com doesn't offer fishing gear to fish it out of my food once I let go of the spork and it slides into the abyss. Therefore, other than having to lick the food off your fingers, you may pick up some vit B12 along the way, sport the short spork!

Love it! Warm, well ventilated for cold weather, guy'd out well, pitches quickly, many mesh pockets keeping small gear at easy reach, light weight for its size, loop on the inside top for attaching light for reading.
Plenty of room for 2 plus equipment, questionable at best for 3 (I wouldn't do it, it'll be much too personal).
Looks awesome. Don't forget the EV3 Footprint.

Really great heavy-duty constuction, hardcore pad! I'm 5'11", 178lbs and the 7 is plenty of pad between myself and the floor, keeping me warm.
Spent a few minutes to understand how the stuff bag / pump works, once I did, it inflated rather quickly and holds air well. It has 2 release valves, be sure the second is closed tight before inflating.
Well worth the extra weight and price. The stuff bag / pump does in fact double as a nice pillow too.

Lightweight, long battery life, bright, versatile & efficient

H2O boils far faster than the time it takes to rehydrate your freeze-dried food. Stove packs easily, inside the pot, along with MSR's 8oz IsoPro. Minor issue... I'm interested in finding a stuff sack as there seems to be a few rough metal edges on the pot that may catch and possibly damage something in your pack. Otherwise, Highly recommended and I'm very pleased with it's performance in the wind!!!