At 15oz, these are some the lightest hiking boots you will find that are leather and waterproof. They also have excellent arch support, I have never worn a any shoe that has had good arch support until I wore these. If you are like me and usually get arch pains after hiking for a long time, then you will appreciate these boots. These boots are also wider in the forefoot, like all Chacos, which is nice because you can layer warm socks in the winter when the temperature drops and not pinch your toes. I found that these boots fit true to size, I normally wear a 9-9.5 and either size fit me great, but I went with the 9.5 so I could layer socks. Chaco sandals are a whole size too big though, I have the Z2 sandals in a size 8.

I wear 30x32 usually, I had to get 30 Long in this pant to fit properly. The waist is perhaps a little tighter casual pants in a 30, but remember these are hiking/outdoor pants--they are supposed to fit a little slimmer around the waist so that they don't fall down under strenuous activity. They repel water nicely and dry quickly when wet. Highly recommended and a great value.

Hiked for 3 hours in the pouring rain. Kept me absolutely dry! Nice lightweight and semi-fitted cut.

I am quickly becoming a Mountain Hardwear devotee simply because they make the lightest, simplest, most innovative, and best fitting outdoor products--this bag is no exception.

Here are a few awards and reviews from reputable names in the outdoor business:

* "Best Synthetic Bag. Mountain Hardwear Ultralamina 15. The women's version of this bag kept our coldest-sleeping female tester warm right down to its rating on autumn trips on Utah's Awapa Plateau." - Backpacker Magazine 2008 Gear Guide
* "Our slender, cold-sleeping tester stayed toasty in this bag -- high praise from someone who regularly uses a -20 F bag in near-freezing temperatures...It feels fluffy -- almost like down, and it stuffs almost as small." - Backpacker Magazine 2007 Gear Guide
* 2007 Gear of the Year - Outside Magazine 2007 Buyer's Guide

The SD Velox 1 is WIDER than the MSR Hubba, has MORE HEAD ROOM than the Marmot Eos 1, and it WEIGHS ABOUT THE SAME as both the MSR and Marmot. The SD Velox 1 has tapped floor seams--the MSR DOES NOT.

The Velox 1 tent is the only lightweight single person, tent that will have all the features that you want. One wall of the tent is single-walled, the rest are double walled, so this would even make a better winter tent than either the MSR or Marmot, because you can pitch the single wall in the wind and cut down on drafts. The Velox 1 pitches tight and taught as well.

I have tried on MANY different soft shells from the North Face, Mammut, Outdoor Research, and Marmot, all claiming to be athletic/performance fitted, but NONE of the them fit me like the Mountain Hardewear Icestone! I have a medium-slender athletic frame, 5'11'' 155lbs, and the Icestone so far has been the ONLY jacket that is both long enough for my arms and still slim enough through the arms and torso! What is more, the Icestone feels like a t-shirt against you bare skin--very comfortable. The neck opening is the perfect size as well, it is slimmed down and not bulky like so many soft shell necks seem to be. The cuffs at the hands are nice and narrow, and the thumb loops also provide a nice warm seal against the elements. At exactly 1lb, this soft shell also qualifies for an excellent ultralight piece. This is the understated softshell of the year, in my opinion!