Paul Mandell

Picked this hoodie up a few weeks back from BC. I'm actually wearing it right now! The one redeeming quality about this sweatshirt is the extra thick hood, which I adore. Buuut thats about it.
I like it, don't get me wrong but the craftmenship is sub-par compared to other TNF products Ive owned. Ive washed it three or four times now and the elastic in the cuffs and at the bottom is pretty much done for already, which means that it isnt fitting right anymore. The sleeves shrank in a really strange way so now they're tight around my arms whenever I pull it out of the dryer. I bought it for those cool mornings on campus but these days it more of a housework type hoodie.
You're probably better off spending some extra money and buying a TNF Greenwhich or Surgent hoodie.

Ive been using these for a few weeks now and Im loving them so far. They fit well, and match perfectly with my Smith Hustle helmet (go figure). Did I mention they're comfy, stylish AND functional? The little snapy-hooky feature at the back of the strap is ridiculously useful and not at all uncomfortable on the back of your head. The lenses have this nifty vent system which works really well for keeping them fog-free and paired with the airflow systems incorporated into Smith's helmets, it works swimmingly. You get two lenses with these goggles; a yellow one for cloudy-type days and whichever lens your goggle comes with. I ended up getting the sensor mirror lens which is great for most conditions, but I do need to address the issue of not being able to see a damn thing when it starts to get cloudy. I feel like Smith would be better off including a rose lens rather than yellow, since you can see shit when the weather turns through either lens. But hey, I have an old pair of electrics with a rockin' rose lens and they get the job done for those kinds of days.
Definitely look into getting a pair of these. The price is right too!

Alright so in the last 2 weeks of skiing Ive taken two branches to the dome, smashed my head into the ice, knocked myself senseless and royally screwed up a 20 foot (+/-) drop, and this bad boy stayed secure and performed flawlessly.
So here's what I really like about it: its comfortable and adjustable, so you can get your fit just right via the cinchy thing at the back of the helmet. Its warm when you want it to be, and cool when you dont want to melt your brains out. It does this via this nifty little venting system at the top which you can open and close arbitrarily - which is really useful on those days when the weather cant seem to decide what its doing. The ear pads are removable for those extra warm days, but they stay secure unless you want them to come out. Another nifty feature with this helmet is the zipper along the back of the ear pads; skullcandy and smith teamed up to get some audio system worked out for these helmets, so you can buy a specifically designed system that will fit in the ear pads, but its a tad pricey and kind of pointless since you can just jerry-rig your ipod headphones in there, which still works great. There are also these air-flow vents in the brim which allow for airflow passed your goggles in an attempt to keep them fogging up, and so far as I can tell it works very well.
Having said that though, there are some things that Im not a huge fan of. This helmet is HUGE, and some goggles dont work with it correctly so you end up looking like a mong. Smith had designed their helmets to work with their goggles, so if you have o-frames or something, youre going to look retarded. Mose electric goggles match up, as well as a-frames and crowbars, but thats all Ive seen work. Definitely think about getting some smith goggles with this helmet.

This knife hasnt left my back pocket since I bought it last summer. (Though I normally take a fixed blade CRKT with me when hiking/backpacking) Ive only sharpened it twice since I got it, and it stays sharp for a long time. I even lost the thumb stud, emailed sog and had one in my mail box two days later free of charge.

This has been, dare I say it? The best pocket knife Ive ever owned. I've snapped Buck blades clean in two, broken the tips off every Gerber Ive ever owned, mutilated my Kershaw , and destroyed lethermans but this one has lasted. Get one, you wont be disappointed.

Seriously guys. Its a humble little harness that gets the job done and doesnt give you any lip. Comfy, secure, perfect for beginners or experts alike. And you cant beat the price! I know climbers who bought this as a backup and started using it as their primary because they liked it so much.
You cant go wrong with it.
Get one.
Climb.
Be happy.

I bought this as a birthday present for a friend who's really into photography. When it got here I was downright surprised at just how roomy it was and when I gave it to her she immediately transferred all her gear into it (lenses, body, film, flash, ect.) and she still had room to shove a sigg water bottle in there. Not saying its a bad thing or a good thing, its just a thing. If you need a jumbo camera bag then look no further!

The only downside about this bag is the shoulder strap. I understand that its meant to be an insert for a backback, but the shoulder strap on this thing is damn near useless and digs into your shoulder pretty bad. Just something potential buyers should be aware of!

-Paul

This hoodie is sweet! Keeps me toasty and looks great.

If you like looking good while staying warm, get yourself one of these.

If not, you should probably still get one.

Heres a pic of a late summer trip to Yosemite in the Soba.

I dropped my previous headlamp in a puddle and bought this one as a replacement. Honestly I haven't found anything wrong with it. Its bright, its compact, its pretty damn tough and the price is right to boot. Great for night hiking, climbing, working under the truck-whatever you need it for.

Definitely happy with this baby.

So I just got back from my first hike in these bad boys. As first impressions go, these are pretty damn good. I honestly dont know how everyone has managed to be so lucky as to not have to break them in first, though. By the end of my 2 hour adventure my feet were beginning to hurt. They'll need to be broken in for sure.

Things I like about them:
Stiff
Grippy as hell on rocks, loose pack, hard pack, whatever!
Well built
The "Impact Brake System" which really does what it says
Pretty damn water resistant

Things I don't like about them:
Toe box - They're new, so Ill let it slide but we may have some issues if the toe box doesn't wear in soon.
They run a little bit small
They get hot! (I was wearing wool socks though)

All in all Im pleased with them so far. Ill have to break them in and really test them this summer before I can give a proper review. Heres a photo for you guys.