While the North Face Hightail bag normally has a pretty high price tag on it, it's definitely worth the money. Normally I'm a big fan of Mountain Hardwear gear. I have 2 MH synthetic bags, but I have really wanted a down bag. Synthetic bags don't last as long even when they're well-maintained so for this reason I decided to look outside of MH for a down bag. The hightail is by far the best bag I've owned so far, hands down. It is extremely warm, lightweight, durable, and compact, just about everything you could ask for in a sleeping bag. I really like the zippered footbox that allows you to vent excess heat when you need to, it makes the bag much more versatile for various climates. The bag itself is very plush and comfortable, it seems like the down is equally dispersed throughout the bag so as to eliminate cold spots in one particular area, and for once, the hood fits my head perfectly. With a good quality stuff sack like an OR Drycomp or a Sea to Summitt event, the hightail compresses very nicely, I would adivse getting a different comp sack though as the one the bag comes with is a pretty cheap stuff sack. The only thing I wish NF had done differently with this bag is installing a 2 way zipper because the zipper on the outside makes it difficult sometimes to zip the bag, I would have preferred one on the inside. but with that being the only complaint, this bag is money well spent.

After reading alot of the reviews for the trooper vest, I was pretty skeptical myself and hesitated to buy it. Nevertheless, I kept comparing it to many other vests like the Mountain Hardwear Sub-Zero, Marmot Guide's Vest, and other North Face down vests, and just didn't like the looks and specs on them as well so I ordered the trooper. I'm glad I went with my gut feeling because so far I've been very impressed with this vest. It functions quite a bit differently than a lot of other down vests. I really like the fact that it is a pullover because it eliminates those cold spots that run along the zipper of front-zip vests for starters. It has 2 zippers on each side which is also nice if you start to get warm, you can release some of that heat by unzipping part of the vest rather than the whole thing. Even though this vest is 550 fill down, the pullover design heats me up very quickly and retains body heat. The neck zip is a nice feature as well to release or retain more heat depending on the circumstances as well, zippered pockets function well as hand-warmers. So far, some people have complained about the fit of this vest saying it runs large. I typically wear a large in North Face gear, and the large on the trooper vest fits me perfectly; Quite honestly, I couldn't ask for a better fit. I can see however how the fit could be a little off depending on your build, especially since the bottom of the vest is tapered to your waist size. For this reason, I might advise purchasing according to waist size because if the vest is too loose around the waist, you won't retain much body heat, but if it is too tight, you won't be able to zip the side panels, the chest is a snug fit, but that's exactly what I want in a down vest. Last but not least, the trooper is very compact and looks nice, so if you don't like looking like the stay-puffed marshmallow man from Ghostbusters, this is a slim, trim, and functionally warm way to go. The trooper gets 5 stars from me!

This is a pretty nice bag for the money. The synthetic fibers do a pretty good job all in all when it comes to retaining body heat in your average winter temps.(keep in mind that often times that the ratings on synthetic bags are often lower than what they're listed as) It works particularly well in wetter rainy weather, and the bag is really one of the most comfortable I've ever used. but as the previous reviewer mentioned, I don't think I'd want to take this one on very many winter trips to higher altitudes. While I've been an advocate for Mountain Hardwear gear over the years, there are better winter sleeping bags out there. This bag is extremely bulky and doesn't compress very well at all, not to mention it is heavier than the average backpacker would like to carry. For these reasons, the lamina gets 3 stars from me. I like this bag very much for local camping trips during the winter where I'm not backpacking in, but that's about all the use this bag gets from me. My personal favorite is the North Face Hightail 15 degree down bag, down is usually the warmest option anyways.

If you're looking for a heavier weight fleece jacket or liner for a waterproof shell, this is the one! This jacket is very warm to wear on it's own and zips in perfectly with a #5 zipper to any shell. I use it when backpacking through the Black Hills where temperatures can get pretty frigid at nights during the spring and autumn and have stayed very warm in it. The Denali also dries very quickly when it gets wet, but since it is a fleece, it really doesn't repel much water. The tactical zipper pockets and pit zips are nice features as well, and make it all the more versatile. I'm a ranger for the National Park Service and this is my jacket of choice on colder nights, and when the weather really bottoms out, I zip it into my Marmot shell to stay both dry and warm. The only negative connotation I can really see some people having with this jacket is that it is not windproof. The wind-resistant panels do a fair job of blocking out the wind but I knew it wasn't designed for this purpose when I bought it, so that's why I didn't deduct any stars from it.Great product by The North Face

Let me first say that Mountain Hardwear's conduit laminate system is very effective. These gloves are both windproof and waterproof as advertised, and they do a good job of both. They also allow a full range of movement and a lot of dexterity. I purchased these gloves for a field orthinology class during the winter, where binoculars were needed. I was able to adjust the focus wheel and diopter settings with ease (something that's very difficult to do with gloves on) That said, I'll move on to the flaw. These gloves are basically a stripped down version of a ski-glove, meaning if you took your average nylon-shelled ski glove and took out all of the insulation, the Mountain Hardwear Epic glove is the result. This is not to say these gloves are not a good product, as they do their job of blocking wind and rain quite well, but with the tradeoff of insulation. The "brushed" interior lining is paper thin, which means the gloves retain less body heat, and can be kind of clammy when your hands perspire or when the temperature is around zero, and the outter conduit shell is chilling your hand. The solution is to spend a little extra money and pick up a pair of thin lining gloves to wear under the epic gloves, Mountain Hardwear's "butter" glove seems to work well for this, as it adds that extra layer against your skin to help retain heat and wick away moisture. The sizing felt a little small to me, as I usually wear a medium in gloves and had to purchase a large in this case. All in all, these are probably the best pair of lightweight weatherproof gloves I've used that allow full finger dexterity, that extra baselayer is the only thing I would heed caution to.

Quite honestly, I'm not sure the folks at Mountain Hardwear could have devised a better design for a pair of hiking pants than what the canyon pants deliver. First and most importantly, these pants are very comfortable to wear. They are constructed of nylon (basically the same type as a pair of swim trunks)which makes them very lightweight and packable. Yet Mountain Hardwear did not compromise any durability in the stitching or materials whatsoever, as these have proven to be a tough pair of pants. This also makes them great when it comes to moisture, as they will wick away much of it away from your skin and also repel decent amounts of precipitation falling from the skies. Even when saturated, mine dried out in about 10 to 15 minutes. The elastic ankle cuffs make them nice to adjust the length to some degree as well. As far as the fit goes, I normally wear between a 34 and 36 and am about 5'8" tall and the large regulars worked perfectly for me. I have used these pants on several lenghty hiking trips and look foward to wearing them on upcoming backpacking adventures. The canyon pants blow all other hiking pants out of the water, no questions asked!

I was pleasantly surprised at the durability, ,features, comfort, and overall quality of the North Face's "Ultra 104 GTX XCR" trail runners. I purchased these primarily as a light hiking and backpacking shoe and am pleased to announce that these definitely surpassed my expectations! First of all, they are extremely comfortable due to the "Northotic" insole, generously spacious width, and ability to customize your lacing system, via regular and wide-based lacing eyelets. I've hiked up to about 18 miles per day in these shoes, including a backpacking trip up Harney Peak and have never felt any discomfort. Secondly, the gore-tex lining in these shoes makes them my personal favorite pair of hikers when the weather is expected to take a turn for the worse. They are surprisingly warm and extremely waterproof. I noticed that another reviewer mentioned them being treacherous on tile floors and other slick surfaces, which I must agree with. Seeing as these are hikers and not really intended for indoor use, I did not deduct any points from my rating for the tile floors or wet slick cement. However, I've noticed that traction is somewhat lessened when crossing streams and creeks on moss and algae covered rocks (This is why I gave them 4 stars) Lastly, I've found that these shoes work pretty well for caving. I've taken them on several caving expeditions through Wind Cave and I've found that they work very well, as they allow for more dexterity in your ankles to move around, not to mention great traction; this was a great durability test for them as well, because caving shreds shoes and boots to pieces after awhile, but these guys don't have a single tear in them.

The Dome Perignon beanie by Mountain Hardwear is easily one of the best on the market. I use it for everything from walking across campus in the middle of winter to backpacking in the mountains, and it has never failed me! Wicks away moisture with ease, retains body heat well, and protects your head and ears from the wind, and it's very comfortable to wear; everything that's in its job description. It does muffle sound a bit, but not to any real extremity. Do make sure that you either try one on first or know the measurements of your head before buying, as this is a windstopper product, and won't do you much good if you've got either too many air pockets, or a loose fit; take your hair into account as well. The first Dome Perignon I purchased was a large, as I had about 4 inches of hair at the time and the fit was good. However, after cutting off those four inches, it became too baggy and stopped doing it's job so I purchased another in a medium. Other than that, a truly excellent product!

For those that haven't discovered it yet, Mountain Hardwear makes some awesome and very functional windstopper products. The windstopper tech vest is of no exception, as it is lightweight, of great quality, attractive, and above all, warm. A great piece of apparel to have with you when backpacking. My only word of caution is be careful when sizing, as you obviously want the vest to be snug but comfortable enough for the windstopper membrane to do its job. The vest does have elastic cinches around the waist, which helps to keep it snug in addition to an athletic fit. I'm about 5'8" 220 lbs with a stockier build and the XL was a good fit that still allowed a baselayer underneath. In terms of length, this vest doesn't seem to be catered to taller individuals, as some reviewers have pointed out the cut is a bit shorter for them, but if you're in the neighborhood of 5'8" it's perfect.

The Marmot Reactor fleece doesn't fall shy of Marmot's high reputation for gear. The jacket is very comfortable and fits pretty true to size. As someone has already pointed out in a previous review, if you're purchasing the reactor as a solo outerwear piece and expecting to stay warm in freezing temperatures, look elsewhere. However, the reactor serves as a nice and very functional midlayer, even with the lower fleece weight of 100. I also own a Marmot Tamarack outer shell jacket that can house the reactor as a zip-in. With a moisture-wicking baselayer beneath, this is a great combination, as I use it for backpacking and hiking. If you're interested in a heavier zip-in midlayer for a Marmot jacket, you might also check out the Marmot Warmlight fleece (similar to the Reactor but with heavier 200 weight fleece)but as long as you're purchasing the Reactor fleece with reasonable and appropriate climate expectations, you can't go wrong with this one!

I bought the "Marmot Tamarack" along with a "Marmot Reactor" zip in fleece for cold weather/higher altitude backpacking and am pleased to announce that Marmot continues to live up to its high reputation. The Tamarack jacket itself is fully weatherproof, (even though backcountry.com doesn't show this) and repels moisture and blocks out wind very well. The jacket itself is very lightweight and low profile as to avoid snags in more heavily vegetated areas of the trail or backcountry. One of the nicest features of this jacket is its ability to house a zip-in fleece for increased heat retention, which essentially makes it extremely versatile for a variety of climates and weather conditions; My only heed to caution would be to watch the sizes on both the Tamarack Jacket and Marmot zip-in fleeces closely, as they tend to run just a bit below true-fit size. Generally I wear between a large and extra-large in most jackets and tops with the XL usually being a bit too big. I purchased an XL in both the Tamarack jacket and the Marmot Reactor zip-in fleece just to play it safe and both are a snug, yet comfortable fit, with minimal excess air pockets to better retain body heat. In other words, it seems like they run 1/2 size to a full size smaller, so depending on whether your mission is to retain a bit more body heat or to have a more relaxed fit, keep this in mind, especially when calculating the necessity of heavier baselayers.

For those that haven't discovered it yet, The North Face basically produces two levels of products, a higher end base and a lower end base. The Denali gloves easily fall into the lower end, given the price this isn't all that surprising. Depending on how you'll be using them, these gloves may or may not suit your particular needs, I bought them as a midweight glove for lower to midrange (3,000 ft max) hiking, as my Marmot ski gloves are a bit of an overkill at these lower elevations.

The pros: Overall a pretty comfortably fitting glove, being made of fleece. I noticed many other people who've reviewed these gloves downgraded them due to the inner stitching being uncomfortable. personally this wasn't an issue for me at all. The best thing I can say about these gloves is the lighter weight grants you much more flexibility and dexterity than the average mid-weight ski glove, and they are fairly warm to around 40 degrees F or so.

The cons: These gloves are not weather resistant whatsoever. The fleece will wick some moisture away but don't expect to be dry if the weather takes a turn for the worse. Also, the wind cuts right through these gloves like a hot knife through butter! While this can provide some decent ventalation when the temps are in the low 40's, low temps and high winds will rip right through these things like they're not even there. This is also due in part to the fact that the gloves are loosely fitting on your hands, and what little heat they do allow your body to retain is lost from the lack of synching straps.

Conclusion: The Denali gloves may serve as a pretty good window shopping glove on cooler days but I don't reccomend going up against mother nature's colder climates with them. Buy with caution