I recently switched from a +35 degree synthetic bag to the Marmot Pinnacle and I couldn't be happier. Doing most of my camping in Colorado (aka - at elevation) means that +35 degree bag I had involved also wearing multiple layers on top and bottom, my down vest, wool hat, gloves, etc, along with a sleeping bag liner. Even in mid-summer, it made me not want to go camping.

The Marmot Pinnacle, however, has solved my problems. This is, by far, the warmest and most comfortable sleeping bag I've ever used. The first test was sleeping under the starts in Teton National Forest at the start of October. It was chilly (low 40s) when we set up our bags, so I put on my usual (down vest, wool hat, gloves, etc) and hopped in my Pinnacle. Even though the temperatures continued to drop throughout the night, I actually found myself being too warm and needing to remove my hat and down vest. I couldn't tell you how happy that made me. Also, when we got up the following morning, our bags were definitely a little damp...but that didn't take away from the incredible warmth the bag provides.

The stash pocket is perfect for chapstick/other small things you don't want to accidentally roll over on in your pockets and easily tucks away into the draft tube.

I'm 100% sold on this bag!

A little about me and sizing:
I'm a 5'6" female. I went to a local store where I could hop in a few different bags, as I was debating between this or the women's version. For me, the women's bag felt a little cramped. (I'm that person that completely untucks all the sheets when I get into a bed.) I decided to go with the men's regular, even though there's a bit of room down by my feet. It gave me a little more space and, like I said above, I couldn't be happier with this bag.

I've had a few other down vests in the past and this is, by far, the most form fitting and comfortable one I've owned. It fits under/over anything I've wanted to wear it with and it's so warm...I couldn't be more happy with it. One thing I really like is how the arm holes are made so that they go slightly past the shoulder...I feel like that really keeps the warmth in. I'm an avid bike commuter and it's really nice to have something like this vest that I can wear when I need to or stuff it into its internal pocket and put in my bag when I don't.

Sizing note:
Go by the US size (ex - UK 10 does NOT equal US 10)...and know that this material won't be stretchy at all so, if you're between two sizes, size up.

This is the absolute best winter/ski jacket I have ever owned. I recently purchased it and tried it out on the slopes at Breckenridge, CO and it is PERFECT.

The day started off at around 25 degrees and sunny at the base...and something closer to 20 degrees and snowing at the top. By noon, it was 20 degrees at the base, in the teens at the top, snowing and with wind gusts of up to 28mph. This jacket breathes SO well (and the underarm vents don't hurt its cause here) while also blocking literally ALL wind. While the friend I was with was cold, I was perfect. I didn't overheat and I didn't freeze...always a plus on both sides of the spectrum.

Some highlights:
The pockets - there are two hand pockets, a chest pocket (with a goggle cloth), a sleeve pocket (with a ski pass ring) and two pockets (with more pockets in them) on the inside.
The color - I got the glowstick color and it's so cool. It's not quite as yellow as Backcountry's product photo makes it seem...and it's also not as neon highlighter yellow as I feared it could have been. I love it.
The lines - For a ski jacket, this thing is incredibly slimming.
The fit - Pretty true to size...and nicely fitted to curves. I'm 5'6", 150 lbs (of muscle) and the size 10 fits perfectly.

I've had a few other down vests in the past and this is, by far, the most form fitting and comfortable one I've owned. It fits under/over anything I've wanted to wear it with and it's so warm...I couldn't be more happy with it. One thing I really like is how the arm holes are made so that they go slightly past the shoulder...I feel like that really keeps the warmth in. I'm an avid bike commuter and it's really nice to have something like this vest that I can wear when I need to or stuff it into its internal pocket and put in my bag when I don't.

Sizing note:
Go by the US size (ex - UK 10 does NOT equal US 10)...and know that this material won't be stretchy at all so, if you're between two sizes, size up.

Color note:
I have the aqua and it's a bit more blue in color than the picture on here shows.

This is my new favorite t-shirt. I have it in the aqua, as well as the tomato and both are less neon than the picture shows it (good or bad? I'll let you decide)...I love them! Despite being a bit see-through, it's an excellent shirt.I haven't worn it in temperatures over 75 degrees or so yet, but I don't really see "rather blinding" "sweat patches", to quote another reviewer, as being something I'd have to worry about. On a cycling trip in Florida over New Year's, I wore this shirt out to the local dive bars a few nights in a row...while I was sweating from hours of dancing, I didn't feel even half as soaked as my friends all looked, and I didn't see a single sweat mark on me.This is one of the softest, most comfortable shirts I own and it's excellent at temperature regulation. It's great for traveling since it dries so quickly, works great as a baselayer for some extra core warmth and doesn't hold smell at all...and I love that the sleeves are a bit longer, since I've got some great cycling arm tan lines going on.

I am completely in love with this shirt. I got it in the Rose/Smoke and I couldn't be happier. The rose color is a bit greyer than the description picture shows it, but I'm actually pretty happy about that.

I've worn this shirt as a baselayer while skiing, as well as with a tank top under it to go out with some friends. I absolutely love it. The thumb holes are a perfect size (unlike those on the Backcountry Merino Crew shirt) and the fabric's not see-through at all (another pro over the Backcountry Merino Crew shirt). It keeps me warm when I want to be warm, comfortable when it's a bit warmer out and I've never found myself sweating in it.

The only complaint I have, and it's a small one, is that the neck isn't really as fitted as it should be when it's zipped all the way up. Can't really hold the heat in if there's over an inch and a half of space.

I am really loving this shirt, despite the fact that a white bra underneath would definitely show up a little under the Glacier/Smoke color (as you can see in the picture I've already posted on here), but not all that much...I mean, it's not quite enough to make it uncomfortably see-through, but I tend to wear a tank top or something under it if I'm heading out to run errands. Compared to the Rose/Smoke Backcountry Merino Zip Tee, it definitely seems like a thinner material, although both shirts say they are midweight.

As a baselayer, it's practically perfect. The fit is great, you can wash it normally and can even put it in the drier (which doesn't shrink it at all!). It doesn't hold smell and it's fairly thing but keeps me so, so perfectly warm...I never overheat in this shirt.

My only real complaint is that the thumb holes are slightly too small. The thumb hole size is perfect on the Backcountry Merino Zip Tee so I'm not really sure what happened here with this one.

Got this jacket in the blue lagoon color (no longer available on here) for an unbeatable price on SAC. The color actually brings up my first complaint and that's that I was expecting much more of a blue color - or at least a little darker - and, instead, the jacket is more of a seafoam green.

I decided I could deal with the much girlier color of the jacket because the fit in the waist and hips is great. The jacket (shell + liner) also kept me nice and toasty while laying on the hood of my car for two hours watching the Leonid Meteor Shower the other night. All I had under it was a long sleeve, midweight merino shirt.

Actually, that's about all I could have comfortably worn under it. The arms at the elbows are pretty tight. In addition to the tight elbows, which I think is caused by the extra bulk the seam there causes, the arms are a bit too short. When I put my arms up in front of me, the sleeves pull up past my wrists and the jacket is super tight across my back.I'm 5'6", 150 lbs (most of that is in my legs from cycling) and I bought the large...and am sorry to say that I will be returning it. So sad, too, because it seems like it would be such a warm, quality jacket.

Got this jacket in the blue lagoon color (no longer available on here) for an unbeatable price on SAC. The color actually brings up my first complaint and that's that I was expecting much more of a blue color - or at least a little darker - and, instead, the jacket is more of a seafoam green.

I decided I could deal with the much girlier color of the jacket because the fit in the waist and hips is great. The jacket (shell + liner) also kept me nice and toasty while laying on the hood of my car for two hours watching the Leonid Meteor Shower the other night. All I had under it was a long sleeve, midweight merino shirt.

Actually, that's about all I could have comfortably worn under it. The arms at the elbows are pretty tight. In addition to the tight elbows, which I think is caused by the extra bulk the seam there causes, the arms are a bit too short. When I put my arms up in front of me, the sleeves pull up past my wrists and the jacket is super tight across my back.I'm 5'6", 150 lbs (most of that is in my legs from cycling) and I bought the large...and am sorry to say that I will be returning it. So sad, too, because it seems like it would be such a warm, quality jacket.

I had one of these headlamps for 3 years...it went on a 5 week trip to the rain forest in Costa Rica and two cross-country cycling trips, as well as many short camping trips and some night fishing in between. I loved it...until it misplaced me somewhere in the middle of nowhere Nevada towards the end of the second cross-country cycling trip. The first thing I did when I made it back into civilization was to get myself another one.

At the time I lost my original Tactikka Plus, it was just about ready for a battery swap out...and that's after 3 years of use...not too shabby. My favorite feature of this headlamp is the flip-down red lens, since it's great for protecting your night vision and bugs aren't as attracted to it as white light. Yeah, you can buy a cheaper Petzl headlamp and then get different colored lenses (red, green, etc), but this one's built in so you don't run the chance of losing any small parts. I also love the flash mode, which I've used in the rain while cycling in addition to my bike blinky lights...which brings me to another point and that's that this headlamp, while not waterproof, is DEFINITELY water resistant.

Honestly, can't get much better than this headlamp.

For someone who has never taken her ski rack off the top of her car (not sure why, just never have), I needed to find another way to transport my bike (and my friends' bikes) on my car. My car doesn't have a hitch so this was the only type of rack I looked into (remember, my roof has my ski rack on it year round).

The rack is absolutely stable with 3 bikes on it. The farthest I've traveled with the rack full is somewhere around 6 hours...in a mix of traffic, driving 75 mph on highways and neighborhood stop-and-go...and the bikes were all in perfect condition when we got to our destination. The only problem bike-wise is that you get a lot of road dirt kicked up on the drivetrain, but that's going to happen with any rear mounting bike rack.

The set up for the rack is so easy it's amazing. Once you get the arms set correctly (which takes maybe 30 seconds) you're ready to throw the bikes on there and tighten up the straps. What I love, too, is how easily it can be moved and adjusted to fit my friends' cars. My only complaint (and it's a small one) is that one of the straps on either side scrapes a little bit on my car, but honestly, the rack makes it so I can get myself, my friends and our rides where we want to be and I couldn't have asked for more.

I'd definitely recommend this to anyone looking into rear mounting bike racks.

Wore the "ninja hoodie" while skiing at Alta in Utah. The thing didn't even smell after I wore it for three straight days of skiing. First two days, it snowed non-stop and the zip up hood was perfect for protecting my neck and cheeks and fit perfectly under my ski helmet. The third day was sunny with temps between 25 and 36 degrees all day, and this shirt (along with a t-shirt as a base layer) was all I needed.

It's also a great layer for cycling in chilly weather. I've thrown this thing on over a sweaty jersey after reaching the summit of a few mountains in Colorado in July (when it's windy and at most 40 degrees) and it's stopped me from shivering. The hood fits wonderfully under my bike helmet and protects my ears on the descent down from the summit.

It's warm, comfortable and breathes really well. Have barely taken it off since I got it.

Got these gloves just in time for the weather to head down into the 50s and they've worked great so far! Before I got them, I was wearing regular glove liners and my fingers would slip all the time. These have awesome little grippers on the pointer, middle finger and thumb and they are awesome. I definitely recommend them.