Ok, so it's not a thin retractable model like some others. It doesn't save space in your pocket or your pack like a retractable one either. It's not a 3 number combo lock. It's not going to easy to fix if you lose the keys and there are only 2 keys. Got it?

Here's what it is though. It's sturdy, comes with a pouch that size of a CD. The keys can be a pain if you don't push the key all the way in, but that's really the only knock against it. The other semi knock is that it's not on a retractable line, so you have to wind it yourself. At the same time though, it's thick wired and dependable.

Fits in most ski/board Jacket pockets but probably will not be 100% comfortable. I ride with a pack, so I don't mind carrying it. I doubt anyone's going to ever try cutting your wires when another skinnier lock is right near by. Don't worry while you go to lunch, grab a beer or take care of your kid. Just lock up and go.

Like I said, 2 keys, easy to lock up if your wearing liner gloves or thin gloves, not bulky one's.Have had it work just fine at -5 Fahrenheit temps on the east coast. Not the fastest or most convenient, but certainly one of the more sturdy locks around.

So I got these impact shorts and just tested them out yesterday on an east coast hard packed mountain and I have to say I'm impressed. I landed on my butt several times and today I feel completely fine, not even a twinge of pain in that area, except maybe the standard exercising soreness. PRO: Their is a fly for us dudes to take advantage of, their is also an adjustable belt that helps with loosening and tightening the shorts. The hard plastics are securely Velcro attached but can be removed for lighter days when your not hitting the rails. It means that on light days, I can remove the thigh and tail bone plastics when I'm just riding the mountain and have less fear of hitting a rail, missing, and injuring my tail-bone. If you ride where no trails are made, keep the plastics on in case you land on a rock. They fit good, aren't bulky, price isn't too bad and breath well. Hip protection is decent but isn't anything to write home about CON: Not really con's when you think about it. Just put them on when you get to the mountain, do not wear them in the car/bus ride because they will be a bit uncomfortable even with the belt loosened all the way. The padding that doesn't have the Velcro removable pieces are thinner than I would have liked, but they're pretty densely packed and aren't flimsy at all. That's a small thing considering I fell 15-20 times on hard packed snow and feel totally fine today. I've had 3 shorts before this and none of them match up to this pair at all. The other 3 either didn't fit well, didn't protect well or both. Over all, go get'em, save your bum, live to ride the another day. Perfect for light-mediuum riding days or when you want to challenge yourself. As with any snow sport, be careful. Just because you have a bumsaver as awesome as this or any other armor piece does not mean you can be reckless. Ride hard but make smart safe choices. Take a lesson, don't be someone else's lesson.

Well first off, I bought this at steep and cheap, so this jacket is more worthwhile because it was 30-40 bucks cheaper in a size small. I have the luft insulated sweater too and both fit nicely in a size small, I'm 5'7 and ballpark 110 lbs, but a bigger person who's the same height and 150 lbs will not have a problem fitting it, fits true to size.

That said, the jacket isn't bad, it's quirky. I'm a skinny guy, but my arms aren't too long. The arm length on this jacket is longer than I would think necessary but the rest of the fit is pretty athletic for me. This jacket does attract a bit of dust and lint, but not too bad. I've worn it outside on rainy days and its fine. There is no powder skirt and since I bought it late in the season, didn't have much change to go ski/board with it. I've used the jacket while wearing anything from a very puffy mountain hardwear down jacket to just a hoody underneath with no problems. Haven't tried wearing a helmet underneath, but it seems like it will fit. My one concern is that the seam taping doesn't appear to be completely flat and uniform, so it may allow water to enter during heavy rain. So far I haven't noticed that happening, I've been dry during many rainy days without an umbrella. I personally like the black and neon green colors but it may not be for everyone. the zippper pockets are HUGE. You can put 8 envelopes from the mailman, if they are just regular envelopes, into your side pocket no problem. The neck and chin chaffing buffer could also be better, its pretty thin but kinda soft. I would not suggest this item for heavy winter backcountry skiing since I worry a snagged branch will cause it to rip, it should be fine for hiking though, so long as your not running up and down the mountain being chased by bears. It may not do too much to keep the cold away either, so insulation while wearing this piece will be important, I always layer up when I wear this, it is after all, just a shell, no insulation whatsoever.

Closing thoughts: As a rain/hiking jacket and an eventual spring ski/board jacket, it will do just fine. It's not the most durable shell and it does not insulate, so I will not be doing 5 degree packed powder ski/board with it, I'm just scared of hurting it rather than myself lol. A powder skirt would have been nice, but not always required. I have gotten compliments on this piece, because few have heard of Stoic on the east coast and lets admit that the colors attract attention, even the black.

Pro's-nice fit and colors, large hood and huge pockets, totally waterproof so far and good for layering .
Con's-quality concerns, long arm length, neck and chin buffer.

Like many reviewers I was excited to get this in the mail but once I got it and wore it for a modest 2 days around the house as testing, the filling and seams started busting out. The fit was perfect, it's athletic cut and I'm a pretty skinny guy. I never wore it with a backback on or went on a running marathon, I just sat with it zipped up and walked around the house. My problem is that the sleeves are way longer than I expected and I had to roll them up. If I was going to keep this item I'd take the sleeves to a tailor, I would have no problem with adjusting the sleeves. The really big issue is that to fix a busted seam on this jacket at a tailor in NYC would cost 2-3 dollars per seam, which seems crazy given the amount that the luft sweater already costs. It's warm and it looks nice but the quality can use a lot of work, the seams and filling just aren't cutting it, they're not up to scratch, literally or figuratively speaking. The collar is a bit weak, it doesn't really stay up too well and the chin guard isn't too fantastic either. I don't know much about stoic, I've ordered something else from stoic aka backcountry's house brand and I'll report back if it's just the luft sweater or if all stoic products are just not up to par. Never mind snowboarding or skiing with the luft sweater on, I'm worried to even leave the house with it on!

Hey guys, we've got a good set of free ride bindings here that are quick and easy to get into and out of... once you set them up properly. The 2 straps that a traditional binding would have is actually one single bendable piece here. The highback is a dial for adjusting how much forward lean you want via the high tensile steel rubber covered cable. They take time to set up, make no mistake, you'll spend a little time depending on what old bindings your used to dialing in these settings for the straps. Don't get frustrated, the rewards will come soon enough, keep reading. This is a medium-stiff setting and it will have more forward lean as like most free ride bindings as well. Once you've dialed them in, the straps never have to be touched again. You should then be able to easily get into and out of the bindings no problem. How you get into them is via a latch that lowers the highback far enough backwards that you and your boot will have plenty of space to slide into. There is a dial that can adjust how much forward lean you want on a board, even the lowest setting will still have more forward lean then a more conventional freestyle/rental binding. For newbie's, what you'll do is once you dial the strap in, knee down, put the board toe side down behind you, take the highback away from the strap and put your boot in and then once your foot is flush against the board, pull/push the highback and it's lever up and secure to your boot. This appears long since it's detailed explanation but basically instead of sitting down to secure your binding with two conventional straps to repeatedly adjust and dial in, your kneeling down to secure your foot into the binding, pulling the highback and it's lever into place with a small click and then your on to boarding before half your friends have even dialed in their front foot. For those who have experience and can secure bindings while standing up on the board, just slide your foot into place, pull the highback up, pull the lever up, hear the small 'click' and then go. Note:: if your boot and binding is dry (no snow at all), wait til you get a little bit of snow under your boot so that the transfer into the binding is smoother. All in all, quality stuff, sturdy and have had no problems with it. They are just that convenient, generally easy to get into and it certainly beats all the repeated clicking that you do every time you have to strap in on a conventional binding.

Hey, Just used them for the 09-10 season on the east coast with both packed powder AND fresh powder simultaneously. I was so glad to have these at the start of the day because single digit temps made the snow very unforgiving until the fresh stuff started falling. Let me tell you, without them, I'd have given up on the day much earlier. Wrap them around your base layer and your good to go. Like many others, I've noticed that they do cut off the circulation somewhat, so adjusting them every so often is required. I put them over my sweat pants but under my board pants and we were good to go. Landed numerous times with a variety of falls and never felt a thing. They adjust well to the articulation of the knee, flex well and are also low profile. You'll hardly notice them when walking around and boarding (or skiing) until you take a fall and then you'll be glad you have them on. Not sure how well they would do at the terrain park, I haven't tested them and the terrain park isn't my favorite place to be since I'd rather be speeding down the mountain than rail sliding. I've stopped and fallen on them at a variety of speeds and they hold up well, they don't end up scratching a hole in my pants and you can't go wrong with them. Well worth the price since I have a weak front knee from years of martial arts impacts and I still came out fine after numerous landings. It's true, versus knee surgery, it's a no brainer, go and get'em.

Hey, if your a guy or girl who's learning to board or looking to save your wrists (or both), then these are for you. They protect well, I've got them in a size small (cuz I'm a skinny dude) and used them underneath my small size men's gloves, and they still fit just fine. Word of warning, this protects the bottom of the wrist with a long sturdy natural fitting piece of plastic. This means that they won't protect the top part of your wrist/back of the fist if you back hand a tree or a rock by accident. The top part only has 2 smaller separate pieces of plastic that will protect a small percentage of the top of the forearm. This is fine for me since I don't do terrain park stuff, but if you do rails and what not, beware! My only complaint (as with a fair number of other gloves) is that while walking around, trying to grip your snowboard with the wrist guard on will get annoying and difficult at times if your already tired after a day on the mountain. Still, they're relatively low profile, good colors, protect the wrists at the point of impact great and you'll appreciate how your wrists don't hurt while your friends are all sitting around complaining about how they wish they had these wrist guards instead of all those colorful bruises.