Mike Merrill

I love this sleeve, great for avoiding the sun burnt neck. It fits very comfortably around they neck, but can also be worn as a headband, baklava, handkerchief, etc. I wear this on every hike and have yet to get sunburned on the neck. I also love the fact that you can simply pull it up over your nose and mouth when the trail gets dusty. Highly recommend.

I picked these up on sale and they were about half a size too big (Tip: Size down a half size). I decided to give the larger size a try because the sale ended and I would have to pay another $100 to exchange them (new color). Even a half size too big, they were still the best hiking boots I've worn. I put 14 miles on them right out of the box and didn't get a blister, hot spots or the infamous "black toe." Very comfortable, no break in period and incredibly durable. The ankle support is amazing and the traction is great. In the end, I decided to bite the bullet and exchange for half a size smaller and pay full price. In my opinion, they're worth every penny.

This is probably my favorite dinner item (when it comes to freeze dried foods). It's very cheesy and tastes great. Easy to make, just add two cups boiling water and voila! you've got some Stouffers. It's not like mom used to make, but it's damn good for freeze dried food.

I was surprised to find that you don't add water to this, but after trying it, I was pleasantly surprised. It tastes like a real ice cream sandwich, albeit in a chalky non-ice cream kind of way. The taste is spot on, but the ice cream is more like a vanilla flavored lucky charm. Have some water nearby or just let it melt in your mouth. Descent to satisfy a sweet tooth, but way too expensive and bulky to take again.

There's a reason this one is always sold out. It's soooo good. I bring some tortillas and hot sauce (or taco bell packets). This is by far the best freeze dried breakfast. I mostly take it hiking, but I've even brought it car camping (when I can cook a real skillet). Tastes damn near as good and the cleanup is a breeze - just throw out the bag! DELICIOUS!

Not bad, but you need to find the right mixture of water. The specified one cup is too much, and when I've tried to scale it back slightly it seems too dry. Good in a pinch and great on tortillas, but look for the breakfast skillet. It's WAY better.

After a long hike, this stuff is pretty good. Reminds me of Chef Boyardee. Very tasty. Easy to make, just add two cups boiling water. I prefer the Lasagna & Beef Stroganoff , but this is pretty good too.

Pretty tasty. Easy to make, just add two cups water. I prefer the lasagna, but this is a close second.

I bought this pack for my fiancé and she loves it. After several backcountry adventures it still looks new, a testament to its durability. It's large enough to fit everything you need for several nights on the trail. We fit a down sleeping bag, sleeping pad, cookware, clothing and food for several days all in this pack. My fiancé has climbed Horsetail Falls in Northern California and continued to hike all the way to Aloha lake. This is a fairly intense trail (4 pt. scramble through many parts) and she was comfortable the whole way. Most recently we hiked 14 miles into Desolation Wilderness with some fairly aggressive altitude changes and she was very comfortable (even loaded with nearly 40 lbs). I highly recommend this pack.

This beanie is very warm, but it is huge (very puffy). I like more of a slim fit on my beanies, so I'm not a fan, but it definitely keeps my head warm

I've had this bag for several years now. I bought it on a whim at the Oakley store and for the most part I've been happy with it. It's very high quality, as you would expect from Oakley, and has weathered several multi-country excursions. My one grip is that I don't find all the metal parts on the outside to be very functional. They look cool, but generally they just weigh the bag down. I can fit a huge laptop in the bag and enough clothes/shoes to last several days. The top part is great for carrying items like a cell phone and sunglasses. The dry bag on the bottom is also nice for carrying wet clothes/shoes in. Overall I'm happy with the bag and I get a lot of compliments on it, but the metal straps and components on the outside have been more of a nuisance than functional. I've scratched my car & motorcycle on more than one occasion throwing this bag around.

This axe cuts through logs like a hot knife through butter. I used this in Yosemite on some knotted oak and it sliced right through. It's honestly the sharpest axe I've ever used and very durable for being so light. One hack and logs were split in two. I felt like a bad ass lumberjack with this thing.

Most people have commented on the size and it is definitely bigger than the pictures make it out to be. A standard flask is about 8 oz, so this thing is more than double that size. That said, if you plan on taking more alcohol, 18 oz will do some pretty good damage among a few guys. This this will hold nearly 3/4 of a fifth of booze. I usually just bring this along when there's multiple people and we're staying a couple days. Otherwise, the standard 8 oz flask comes with me.

Nothing special about it, except that you'll be glad you brought it along after a burner of a hike. I prefer Crown Royal in mine, but whatever your poison 8 oz should get the job done.

This tiny lantern doesn't put out a ton of light, but it is perfect for hanging from the top of your tent. If you're packing and need a bit more light, consider the BD Apollo lantern.

I love this tiny lantern. It puts off a ton of light and is incredibly small. We use this almost exclusively for light when backpacking in Desolation Wilderness. Campfire's are not allowed and this is generally our only light source once the sun goes down. Definitely nice for getting in a game of cards. My only gripe is the price.

This is one of my essential back country items. I pair it with my Katadyn Pro Hiker water filter and fill it up over and over for drinking water and food preparation. The scale on the side is nice for measuring out just the right amount of water to pour into the dehydrated backpacking food.

This is one of my essential back country items. I pair it with my Katadyn Pro Hiker water filter and fill it up over and over for drinking water and food preparation. The scale on the side is nice for measuring out just the right amount of water to pour into the dehydrated backpacking food.

think there have been enough reviews on here about how awesome this stove is so I'll skip diving into how much I love this thing and just let everyone know that I wouldn't try to cook anything except hot water in it. It boils extremely fast, but really only has one setting and that is Jet Boiling HOT. I talked to a guy at REI who said I could heat up Chili or stew in this thing, but unless you turn it off and on every 30 seconds or so, you're gonna scorch anything but water.

think there have been enough reviews on here about how awesome this stove is so I'll skip diving into how much I love this thing and just let everyone know that I wouldn't try to cook anything except hot water in it. It boils extremely fast, but really only has one setting and that is Jet Boiling HOT. I talked to a guy at REI who said I could heat up Chili or stew in this thing, but unless you turn it off and on every 30 seconds or so, you're gonna scorch anything but water.

This bag is great. It's durable, waterproof and hauls a ton of gear. My one gripe, as with many other Stoic products, is fit. The straps make it a bit awkward - much too big to be a backpack and no good hand holds for a duffel bag. Well placed hand holds on the top and maybe some compression straps would make this a 5-star bag.

This beanie is very warm, but it is huge (very puffy). I like more of a slim fit on my beanies, so I'm not a fan, but it definitely keeps my head warm.

This bag is great. It's durable, waterproof and hauls a bunch of gear. I take this on day trips climbing and easily fit my trad rack, lunch, helmet, harnesses etc. When I go on multi-day trips or need room for a lot more stuff, I grab the Haul Duffel. Both are great bags and go with me everywhere.

This thing is awesome. The attachments for Nalgene bottles and quick release hoses make this a snap to set up and it's much faster than it's rated 1L/min flow rate. The pump is awesome and way less awkward than comparable MSR models with the standard pump design. This is much more durable and having broke the pump handle on an MSR Miniworks, I can vouch for the durability in the Katadyn.

I like how small this thing packs down. It doesn't take up much room in my pack, but it's not the most comfortable pad. I don't expect it to be like my mattress at home, but I was hoping it would be more comfortable than it is. I do a lot of climbing and hiking in the Sierra where you're usually stuck on a granite slab. It's not perfect, but it gets the job done.

I love this little cooler. Perfect for stashing a 12-er in the car for a road trip. This thing rocks.

This is a great tent, well constructed and incredibly light. My one complaint is that this tent is not freestanding at all and needs to be guyed out/staked in order to pitch. The stakes are great and work in a variety of ground conditions, but the majority of packing I do is in very mountainous terrain and I often find myself on a granite slab without many options for guying a tent. If I'm lucking enough to have some boulders nearby I can tie off, but this can be a pain especially if your options consist of a few large boulders. At the end of a hard hike/climb, the last thing I want to do is move some huge ass rocks. Overall a great tent, but it didn't meet my needs. One reviewer mentioned that this tent is "partially freestanding", which is not true. There is one pole that stretches the length of the tent and unless you can balance that arc perfectly, it won't stand. The description is absolutely correct: Freestanding: No.

This jacket is awesome. It perfectly bridges the gap between softshell and insulated puffy. I have worn this jacket in temperatures in the low teens with no shirt underneath and been warm sitting on a patio for several hours talking to my new fiance (in a metal chair). It's definitely too hot for aerobic activity, but I consider it the perfect insulation layer for when the mercury really drops. Throw a hard shell over it and you have a bombproof combo that will stand up to the harshest conditions. This jacket is just so versatile. Not only do I use this thing snow camping, skiing, on-belay and around town; but it really makes a perfect travel companion. I travel a lot for business and this jacket takes up no room, is incredibly comfortable and makes a great pillow on flights. It's like wearing a 10 degree mummy bag everywhere. So soft and comfortable. I highly recommend this jacket!

My girlfriend bought this pack for our backcountry adventures and I steal it from her every chance I get. It's large enough to fit everything you need for several nights on the trail. We fit a down sleeping bag, sleeping pad, cookware, clothing and food for 3 days all in this pack. She climbed Horsetail Falls in Northern California and hiked all the way to Aloha lake. This is a fairly intense trail (4 pt. scramble through many points) and she was comfortable the whole way. I highly recommend this pack.

Great for any aerobic activity. Breaths really well, but not incredibly warm. I bought this for my girlfriend and she loves it. She wears it running all the time. If you're looking for something warm to use when you are not exercising, I'd look elsewhere. However, this jacket does what it is designed to do well.

This is a great all-mountain ski that I would call a "Jack-of-all-Trades, Master-of-None." Not necessarily a bad thing though. A good skier can make up for what these ski's lack in all situations and the ability to go anywhere and do anything on the mountain means I don't have to take a powder ski, quick groomer sticks and a twin-tip park ski up the hill. These ski's will definitely do it all, it just takes a bit of skill to get them to do it all well.

The quality of these pants are apparent from the moment you take them out of the bag. Great materials and quality construction /stitching will make these solid performers in the backcountry. Unfortunately for me, they won't make it out there. As most reviewers have said, the fit is very weird. I think they would likely fit someone who's legs are disproportionately longer than the rest of their body. I usually wear a 31 waist and 30 inseam. I went with the small and they were too small in the waist and too long in the inseam. Fit like a 29-32. If you're tall and skinny - these pants are highly recommended!

I think there have been enough reviews on here about how awesome this stove is so I'll skip diving into how much I love this thing and just let everyone know that I wouldn't try to cook anything except hot water in it. It boils extremely fast, but really only has one setting and that is Jet Boiling HOT. I talked to a guy at REI who said I could heat up Chili or stew in this thing, but unless you turn it off and on every 30 seconds or so, you're gonna scorch anything but water.

This set is perfect for backcountry hikes for two. Lightweight, and a lot of useful gear all in one tiny package. This set is all we take for meals in the backcountry. Couple this with a jetboil and some ramen or freeze dried foods and you are good to go for any meal. Would highly recommend as a standalone dining solution for two in the Backcountry.