Everyone knows and loves The North Face Denali Fleece but this is just a step above. Takes everything great about that classic but improves it by using lighter weight fleece, wind stopping membrane between them, and making it into a nice light technical package that is so comfortable you wear it everywhere. This is my goto hiking/backpacking jacket, and I even wear it to work most days. If it's between 30 and 60 degrees this is the jacket I grab.

This jacket is a great portable shell that takes up no space in your backpack but pops out and handles even the worse downpour. Pretty nice that the hood rolls up and the zippers seem quality despite their light weight. I have to disagree with Jon Webb on this one that it isn't clammy on ones skin, though. I don't know that clammy is the right word, but it feels like wax paper or plastic on your skin, not-necessarily wet though like clammy would suggest. Regardless, it's the perfect shell to take on backpacking trips where durability isn't a huge concern. I would be afraid to take it on a climb or through thick brush.

Save yourself some money and get a more breathable Mountain Hardwear Xenon Jacket instead. It is made with Gore-Pac-Lite which is more breathable but only 2.5 layers so supposedly not as durable. They make up for that though with a really tough 70 denier nylon on the outside. Gore gets to tell the manufacture whether a shell is a "Pro Shell" or a "Peformance Shell" and I figure Gore didn't want to call it a pro-shell to make sure people kept buying the expense Gore 3L jackets.

The new 2009 version has a larger hole at the head that fits a carabiner which is great for providing anchor and belay to your ropemates while still leaving a smaller hole above to tie on your leash. Weight is perfect and ergonomics of either this years or previous years makes it just feel perfect in your hand with our without gloves. I would recommend spending the money on this quality tool to anyone.

I got this for use as a summit pack and got this for the ultralight weight, although it barely fill the role. Construction is top notch as is all Osprey packs, and it will definitely last forever. Zippers have great pull loops that stay open and are easy to use with gloves. I will probably replace it with something else later as the curvy back might be great for hiking in the heat, but it just collects snow on Alpine runs. I would also point out that although it says 65 liters, it feels a lot smaller because of the curve pushing into the bag space. Makes packing more difficult. The 2009 version have changed this by having far less curve, so maybe it's better. I wouldn't plan on doing more than 3 days with this pack unless it's warm and you aren't packing many layers. Only Osprey pack I have owned that I regret at the moment. If I had it to do over I would probably buy the Osprey Variant but then again I wanted a summit pack and that didn't exist at the time. Too bad Osprey won't let me trade up.

I picked up a pair of these when I was lucky enough to get a visit to the Columbia Employee Store. I got these for under $100 so I wasn't expecting much from them, but I was blown away this last weekend.

Saturday I took them to the local crag and was pleased that they handled the approach (1/2 mile) with ease over rough scrambling and some pretty large boulders. I then used them to climb so pretty good 5.6/5.7 climbs and was amazed that the Vibram soles stuck and held to such small cracks. No need to put on the rock shoes for simple climbs! They then took my off a 95 foot rappel and back to the camp ground for the night.

The next day I drove on up to Mt Hood and put them through their paces in the snow. I didn't think they would hold up since they seemed so supple and the sole was so grippy and soft on the rock. Sure kicking steps with them was a bit rough with only a 3/4 shank, but not any worse than any other similar boot. Feet stayed warm and dry all day.

Best part is the next day after using them my feet were fine with no blisters or wear marks. Pretty amazing for taking new boots out through a full weekend with no break in. My only gripe is no lip on the rear for level lock crampons. I only wonder if the Mountain Hardwear team were in on the design of these boots as I would have never guessed Columbia could make a boot for Mountaineering.