I've had my XA Pro 3D's for a season and a half, and they have excelled in everything I can throw at them - from wearing them as an every day commuting/walking shoe, to lunchtime road/turf runs (on days when I've forgotten to pack my road running shoes), to a 13 mile day hike in the Selkirks. They have plenty of arch support and a roomy toe box for my wide, flat feet, and the lacing system allows me to leave them a little loose when kicking around town, but cinch them up on the fly for steep descents or rough terrain.

The tread gives great traction on all conditions, the rubber toe guard provides ample protection, and they have great ventilation to breathe well in warm weather. The only knock I have on them is that the sole is a bit thin for traversing extended scree fields - if you're often in loose, rocky conditions, look elsewhere. However, I think this is a pretty fair trade-off for a nice, well-cushioned, lightweight shoe that performs flawlessly in nearly all conditions. I am so pleased with this shoe that I just ordered a pair of the Gore-Tex version so that I can enjoy the same comfort in the colder, wetter months.

Two more things - the turf green color is awesome, and does stand out a bit. In person, they're a little darker than the picture on the web site. Also, my 10.5's run very true to size.

Long-term update:

I gave these a 5-star review when I first got them, and they were wondeful shoes for the first summer I owned them. They did everything well, and were comfortable straight out of teh box.

After less than a year, the tread is wearing unevenly on the heels and the stitiching at the mid-foot is busting at the seams. I don't know if it's due to the tread wear or some other breaking down in the shoe, but these started giving me shin splints when I walk in them.

I walk 2.5 - 3 miles each day (mostly on pavement), but I've had them less than a year (I didn't even wear them much of January and February, when I switched to my snow boots), and am very disappointed in how quickly they started falling apart. For now, I'm back to the XA Pros.

I wrote this in June, 2009:

I got the drifters after unsuccessfully trying for three years to replace my old Salomon XA Pro's with trail running shoes. I finally convinced myself that I use these shoes more for hiking and every day use, and rarely get to run on aggressive trails, so I went with a more hiking-type shoe, and couldn't be happier. Being a more "boot-based" shoe, these look like they will have a much longer life than similar trail-runner based hiking shoes. Construction quality is solid.

These have very similar fit to my mid-weight backpacking boots - roomy in the toe box and great (though not obvious) arch support. They are plenty stable underfoot, with a good amount of flex under the ball of the foot and toes. They are much lighter than my boots, though - I was surprised at how light they feel on my feet. I have flat feet with narrow heels - I usually wear SuperFeet in my hoes, and buy moderate-support running shoes, and I am very happy with the stock fit and footbeds of the Drifters. They run pretty true to size - I am typically a 10-10.5, and the 10.5's fit great.

I have not had a chance to take them off-road yet, but the Drifters have held up great for every day use, and have shown excellent support when toting my 30 lb. toddler on my back in a back carrier. They've also survived a soaking deluge - my Gore-Tex pants let wanter in, but my feet stayed dry!

Overall, highly recommended. The upper is pretty much all leather, so as long as it's treated, it will be just as waterproof as the Gore-Tex version, and stay a lot cooler in warm weather.

These are the most comfortable ear phones that I've had in quite a while. They also STAY WHERE THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO, which I've found is a rarity in the realm of in/on ear buds.

Compared to another pair of in-ear phones that I have, they don't have quite as much bass response, but the sound out of them is quite clear, and unless I'm doing a side-by-side comparison, I don't notice it.

Since I primarily wear them at the gym and during long training runs, the comfort and fit is the number one priority, and these deliver beautifully in that department.

We have used this pack with our daughter (now two years old) for walks to the park, transportation on the beach in Mexico, snowshoeing, and XC skiing. It provides great stability and comfort for both the passenger and the wearer. She loves riding in it, and it is easily adjustable so that my wife and I can switch off quickly and easily.

With the extra gear compartment below and the removable daypack, it'll hold a lot of extra gear (spare diapers, layers, snacks) for long days on the trail, too. The removable sunshade is stable and allows good coverage - admittedly, we have not had occasion to use the rain shield yet.

Overall, an excellent product that is much more suited to long outings than the similarly-designed Kelty carriers (of which we also own one - it is good, but not as good as the Sherpani). Both the backpack frame and child harness are much more secure and comfortable.

I've used the Fire XC Pro 2.1 for a long time. It's been a great tire on all surfaces that I've had occasion to use it on - dry hardpack, wet and slick midwestern woods, loose/rocky Moab soil, even on grass dual-slalom courses. The rounded profile provides excellent predictability going into corners, and the stiff side tread provides great hold when you lean it over a little too far.

And the red rubber on the sides looks pretty cool, too.

I've had one of these for about a month - it is my favorite midweight layer. It's not itchy at all and provides excellent moisture regulation. The collar is a perfect height and the zipper is heavy-duty and of adequate length, and the thumbholes in the sleeves are a nice touch when wearing under a shell. It looks pretty good when wearing into the office with jeans, too!

I got this as a replacement for a medium-sized Timbuk2 bag that was just getting too small to carry lunch, change of work clothes for my commute, and gym clothes for the lunchtime workouts. It has awesome features (internal organizer pocket, extra top carry handle) that would cost you close to $150 if you got them custom-ordered in a Timbuk2 bag.

First, the size is great - it is VERY large, which means that when it's not quite full, it still wraps around my body well enough to feel secure and not place any pressure points on my back during the ride. I also like the extra pockets that keep me organized - the external pocket on the front flap helps stash a pair of gloves and a beanie, the pocket across the back can hold my day planner and file folders, and the end pocket is awesome for quick access to my wallet, keys and cell phone.

I haven't lugged my laptop in it yet, but the padded pocket is as good as anything I've seen in a messenger bag. I've had it out in 30-40 minutes of pretty continuous rain, with the inside staying dry, although I'm not sure I would trust anything in the external pocket on the top of the flap. While water resistance has proven to be acceptable so far, if you're looking for extreme water resistance, you're probably better off with the rubber-lined Timbuk2. The internal lining is light-colored, which is a huge improvement from by black-lined Timbuk2.

The only problem I've had is with the (excessively long) strap slipping. It seems like the smooth, flexible seat-belt type material used for the strap is not thick enough or have enough "bite" in it to stay "fixed" in the strap clamp. Since I love the whole bag so much, I found a quick and easy solution that does not alter the bag permanently - I wrapped duct tape around the strap just under where it threads through the clamp, and then re-threaded the strap through the clamp. The duct tape thickens the strap, provides a bit of bite for the clamp to sink into, and also stiffens the strap under the clamp, so that it won't travel through the clamp quite as easily.

It's a very-well engineered bag. This would be a five-star review except for the strap problem. Since it is an easy and unobtrusive fix, I'll go with four.

I've had this jacket for two years - I wear it nearly every day between November and March, and it still looks as good as the day I got it. I have a 1+ mile walk each way (in Minneapolis) to the bus stop, and it handles everything from +40 down to below zero (even in gusty winds) extremely comfortably. While it isn't designed to be worn in a deluge, it sheds light to moderate rain just fine, as long as you're not out in it for too long.

When it drops to -5 or -10, I switch over to my down jacket, but more so that I can get the use out of that jacket, rather than that this one can't handle it.

It is very attractive, and doesn't look too "sporty" when I wear it to work or out in the evening (mine is dark blue). The vented pockets are in convenient locations, and do a good job of helping to dump extra heat when working too hard.

Ideally, pit zips would extend the comfort range of this jacked another +10 degrees, but that is splitting hairs. This is a great product.