I bought this shell for my girlfriend to wear over her Siphon wool hoody, the combination of those two jackets is absolutely wonderful, and this shell is top notch. I've waited a few months to review this because I wanted to see how it performed for her in different types of weather, to say the least it has been flawless - she has had nothing but wonderful things to say about this shell. The fit is true to the sizing charts and the quality is top notch.

I bought this jacket for my girlfriend a couple months and was waiting for the weather to change before writing a review. After having a couple weeks of foul weather, she has nothing but great things to say about this jacket. The fit is very nice and she pretty much lives in this jacket now.

This an excellent hoody for both everyday wear and winter adventures. The wool outer is actually surprisingly soft for wool and the interior liner is superbly comfortable on the skin. The fit is very trim - I'm 5'8", 155lbs with an athletic build and the medium is spot on for sizing with enough room underneath for a t-shirt or other light to medium light layers. All in all - an excellent jacket!

I bought this shell looking for something to replace a different shell that was starting to leak and was just getting worn-out in general. After looking at dozens of shells and reading hundreds of reviews - I settled onto the Stoic. I was looking for something that could see 4 season use (with proper layering) and something far more functional than the uber-hyped fashion pieces I see everywhere.First off, the fit of the Stoic is just as advertised - trim. I am 5'8", 155lbs with the athletic V shaped build. That said the Medium is a perfect fit with just enough room underneath for a couple lighter layers. The BC Siphon wool jacket (also in a medium) with a t-shirt under that, fits perfectly underneath the Stoic on me and should make a real nice combo once the snow starts flying. But really it's the small things on this jacket that make it a great jacket. The sleeve length is perfect and the little extra length in back is great. The material rocks - I had never worn Bombshell, but it is super light and actually feels rather durable. High quality zippers and pull tabs are a great touch and having adjustments on the hood in a couple spots is also very nice.I plan on taking it out on one of the local trails here on a rainy day to see how it does and will update my review then!

Update December 2009: I've been able to use this shell through all sorts of weather ranging from downpours to freezing rain to blizzards - this initial review stands true. Excellent Shell, period. I abused it through some serious hiking and hunting trips and the shell has held up exceptionally well.

I've had this backpack for a quite a while now and have been a bit disappointed by it. I will say that it does work great as a school backpack or for overnight traveling. Although it does not have a laptop sleeve built in, a 17 inch notebook will fit (a bit snug - but it will fit) and it does have ample room for a days coursework as well.

It is however far from being a good hiking pack. It lacks a sternum strap, hydration compatibility, the shoulder straps are not especially comfortable and the waist belt is practically worthless. The back of the pack is not well padded by any means as well so lugging books around campus on a hot day is made even less enjoyable by the back sweat that you will form.

All in all, this is a good school and travel backpack but far from being trail worthy in my opinion.

You can see my previous review about the first pair I bought. I finally had to replace them (had them for the better part of a decade) and I am happy to say they are still the great boot I bought way back in the day. Great support, relatively light, good waterproofing, and pretty breathable as well. There are a couple small changes between my old pair and this new pair - including a second lace cleat on the upper portion of the boot, it's also taller than my previous pair, and this new pair also has a bit nicer insole with a little more arch support to it.

They were a bit stiff at first, but after a few days wearing them all day, they've broken in pretty well. I'll be taking them for a couple day hikes this weekend at and around Devil's Lake (Baraboo WI). Looking forward to see how they do.

I've had a pair of these for a long time. Used 'em and abused 'em for everything, from camping, deer hunting in Wisconsin, to just walking the dog. I've found them rather light for the size (12) and very comfortable right out of the box. Waterproofing was great for a long time, they started to leak within the past couple months, I just shot them up with the waterproofing spray and they have been fine ever since.