William G Kunz

I was first exposed to the North Face 4-season tents with my dad's made about 1970 that I used up to the late 90's. I think these are great tents and have taken some major weather in them. From heavy rain to winter cold, the north face 4-season tents seem to do the trick.

The only thing I like better about the old ones, is that they did not require any staking. The new one has a vestibule which has to be staked off or tied back. If you don't get it in good, it will be flapping in the wind all night. I like the functionality of the vestibule, but not the staking. I wish it had some other way to keep it tight like another pole.

Overall great tent though.

This is the warmest coat I have ever owned. Almost never gets cold enough for me to use it; in most cases I could wear a t-shirt and this coat and be comfortable at like 10F with minor activity. it seems to stop all the wind, and is basically a -40F mummy bag with sleeves and pockets.

I am 6'1", 180 lb, 32" waist and the large fits fantastic.

My footwear of choice for all around use. Work, light hiking, trail running, the gym, backyard football games these work fine and feel good doing it. I think I am pretty hard on active footwear and these lasted me for a solid 9 months. I would say they were a good purchase.

Overall I have been happy with the light hikers I have worn made by Vasque. I bought these after putting some serious miles on a simlair pair of Vasques. This is my preffered mountain footwear spring through fall. I have used them in the winter in deep snow, but my feet got wet from the snow soaking through. I don't understand how this is possible with Gore-tex, but it happened.

These were comfortable right out of the box, also provide great support. Of course they wear out eventually , but I think I get satisfactory mileage out of them before they do.

I have used this a few times over the last 8 months and am very satisfied. I used it one night in a bivy last February at 10,000 ft and was mostly comfortable, but it took me a little while to warm up since I got in wet after a day of waist deep snow. I also used it a few weeks ago in Colorado during some summer camping and slept just fine. I think it is worth it to buy quality and to buy down. Going cheap on a sleeping bag is like going cheap on a motorcycle helmet; it could really come down to saving your life sometime.

I am 6'1" 180 lb and feel like the bag is a little bit tight, but not bad. I would reccommend the long for my size or bigger.

I bought the tadpole so I could have a lightweight summer time backpacking tent, and it fits that part just fine. However, this tent is really only room for one man by the time you put some of your stuff inside like your backpack. It is way too cozy for me to get with a buddy, in which case I would bring my 3 man tent.

Also, at 6'1" tall, I have to sleep right in the middle since it is tapered and I still barely fit inside. I like this tent for warmer trips, but it is sized more for 1 man + 1 woman, or more comfortably a man and his backpack, boots, and stove.

I had a north face denali I wore for a long time, but replaced it with this one. I have to say this is a much better jacket; better construction, fit, comfort and it has some rain resistance. The windstopper material also does a good job of blocking breezes which are normally a problem with fleece layers. I am glad someone finally put a membrane in a fleece; making it the best one on the market in my opinion.

Not only do use I mine for skiing, and general outside activity, but it is also my daily jacket since it looks good and works good too.

I have one of these and use it in the low country, but still prefer a good dense foam pad when it is really cold. I don't like air between me and the ground.

I have used this backpack over the last couple years and like its design, lightweight, and the fact that it just feels comfortable on my back. However, I have had some trouble with the connection of the shoulder strap to the frame. Once I had it pull out of the steel link it connects to and managed to put it back, but now it has completely ripped out. I think the light rubber/vinyl connector needs to be toughened up a little bit, but I have only had trouble with one side.

Other than that I really like the pack.

Decided to get this after freezing a couple nights in the -10 to -20 range in my -20 bag. The Inferno is obviously heavier than needed in some situations, but adds peace of mind and comfort when it gets really cold. In my experience sleeping bag ratings are not conservative, but more of a best case scenario. In other words, I would not expect to be comfortable in this bag with no pad, no shelter in -40F temps. To be comfortable in -40 means a 4-season tent and good insulation between you and the ground. So if I was going ultra minimalist and expecting -10 temps with no sleeping pad and only a tent or bivy, I would take this bag.

Overall good experience with these pants. I am 6'1" and generally wear 32x34 jeans; I have problems buying pants that I cannot choose the length as well as waist because they normally end up being too short. However, I bought the 32's in the Apex pants and the length is perfect. Plenty of room for a long underwear layer underneath too, also fit nicely over my ski boots and mountaineering boots.

I have used these for general cool weather trekking, spring backcountry skiing in the beartooths, and cold days on the lifts. I would say they are adequate for fall and spring conditions or high activity in colder winter situations, but if you are idle for long in extreme cold they are not enough. Not completely windproof or waterproof, so blowing blizzarding, or wet snows require a shell on the outside of these.