Took a leap of faith and used my only-worn-around-the-house Scarpa's to Europe for a full-blown 2 week hike in the Alps with a 25# pack. They pretty much rocked; despite the apparently lack of a shank, I was up at the front of our group every day and never really felt like it held me back.

A few comments—I have Scarpa backpacking boots and knew the Scarpa last fit me well. It's a narrower last, but if you get a larger size to deal with toe bump (as I did), the heel is a bit difficult to tighten down. I think I'm going to have my shoe guy add another eyelet to help that. I also had a bit of foot slide when side-stepping, but again, to be expected given that I'd gone up in size perhaps even a bit more than I needed to.

I can't think of anything I dislike about this jacket! My biggest decision when it came down to it was whether I was a girl who liked jackets with hoods. Before this jacket, I wasn't. Now? This is an awesome hood, and the jacket itself is like magic—I've worn it under my Patagonia Storm jacket and I've worn it over my Storm jacket when stopped on a break. It fit both ways, keeping me the right degree of warm, no worries. Magic. The stuff sack makes it handy as a cushion/pillow for traveling too. Nicely done.

Like someone else said, the only drawback is the knot in the back--otherwise, I'd probably be wearing it 24/7 when traveling. It's flattering, wicked comfortable, can be dressed up or down, it's really a perfect summer dress. Never would have thought it would be so cute when it was on the hanger, so definitely give it a shot.

I needed to fill a hole in my jacket wardrobe between 'ski parka' and 'super-light rain jacket'--this was perfect. I wore it in the backcountry and at the resort, but it also looks (and works) perfect in the city. Fits great over layers. I added pulls to the interior pockets so I could open them with gloves, and the velcro is almost too strong, but other than that, another totally awesome Patagonia product.

Have the sesame in a 6, and it sits about 2 fingers below my bellybutton. If you didn't know there were shorts underneath, you really wouldn't suspect it. Only regret is not getting the brown version for hiking and other outdoor pursuits, it's really very cute.

Follow-up: I did get a black one and just wore it for 9 days straight hiking. It stood up to everything I threw at it and still looked awesome. Totally five stars.

The rainiest May in NYC in years blew out my old commuting jacket, so it was time to upgrade. I'd been thinking about the Precip for years, and finally had the excuse I needed! The priorities for me were a jacket that was lightweight, compress-able, had sleeves long enough to ride in without my wrists sticking out and didn't fit like a tent. I started off with the Tamale in Small which was a bit too orange for me and a little short in the wrists (I'm 5'6 with long limbs), so I exchanged it for Sweetpea in Medium. It's a pretty bright green, but I like that it pops out of the background. The body is a bit roomier than I might choose, but I think I'm going to like that once I'm sticking more layers underneath it. The sleeves reach just past my wrist-bones when I'm riding my road bike, and the hood stays put on top of my helmet surprisingly well. The pit zips are great, and easy to grab when riding to ventilate quickly. Having ridden home in the pouring rain several times since getting it, I can vouch that while the rest of me got soaked, my arms and torso were comfortable and dry. Completely recommend this jacket.

A while back, I lost two pairs of sunglasses into the river in two weeks. I resigned myself to buying yet another new pair of sunglasses and ordered five, yes, five pairs to compare and contrast.I can't tell a lie—as I asked everyone I knew what they thought, these were definitely the most divisive of the bunch. Big glasses seem to get that reaction—you either love them or hate them. Personally, I loved them right off the bat; despite the fact that they are big, I like big, and they fit perfectly (and I have a pretty small head). I especially love the fact that they don't slip when I'm running or rowing and that the lenses cover the entire eye area. Once I have them on, I can completely forget I'm wearing them. Two minor criticisms—on the bike, the wind rushes by more audibly than normal and the wider arms end up slightly reducing the field of vision when you turn your head over your shoulder.Super-detailed specs: at their widest, the glasses are 140cm wide. The distance between the ends of the arms is 91cm.Each lens is about 45cm high x 60cm wide and the frame of each eye is about 54x70cm.