TNF Apex Bionic is not as expensive as some softshell jackets, and there's a reason for it: It lacks a lot of the fancy features that many jackets include. But for the price, I actually like the Apex Bionic a lot (and that means something, coming from someone who normally avoids TNF products). It's a no-nonsense jacket, simple and solid. As other posters have commented, it's a good jacket for "medium" conditions - medium wind, medium wetness. But it's warm enough to layer under, and waterproof enough to layer over, other things, which makes it pretty versatile. The jacket has a somewhat roomier fit than my more technical jackets, but it actually fits comfortably over a hooded sweatshirt or several mid-layers, unlike the others. It is also noticeably longer in the body - something I appreciate, since I have a longish torso and no desire to expose it to the elements. I would describe the fit as "casual," pretty firmly between technical and boxy.

Like other reviewers, I like that it doesn't look freaky-techy. It's functional and simple and looks as good on the street as it does on the trails because of that. And of course, the upshot to how mind-numbingly well this jacket sells is that you get a lot more color selection than with many softshells.

My only major complaint is the fact that TNF decided they needed to put a logo on both the front and back of the jacket... c'mon, seriously? Do the people walking behind me really need to get an eyefull of brand name?

This jacket isn't the warmest and it isn't the most weatherproof. It's also not the most technical of outerwear. And of course, if you're looking for a unique jacket that will make you stand out on the street or in the mountains, TNF is probably not what you want. But for everyday use in cool climates, its versatility makes it a winner in my book.

This is a pretty sweet shirt... plain and simple. Show your backcountry.com pride! The only problem I've had is someone asking me if it was an Urban Outfitters shirt once.... ha. Not quite. The fit is slightly athletic but not super-skinny like some t-shirts. I'm 5'9", 165 lbs with a 38" chest and the medium is a good fit for me. If you can't tell from the picture, the shirt is light blue, not off-white or gray.

I won this belt in a competition... I was a little worried I wouldn't like it because the pictures make it look a little cheesy. But this belt looks a lot better in person. Seems tough and durable, and I like the mountain stylings. It's a little bit of a wide belt so it takes me a little longer to work it through my belt loops than my normal dress belt.

I wear 33" pants and the medium fits perfectly, I've got plenty of wiggle room in either direction.

People who buy this hat and expect it to fit like a flex-fit cap are barking up the wrong tree. This hat is specifically designed to look a little "gangsta" and a little snowboarder chic (skeezy).

I got this hat for free from a competition so I didn't pick it, but it's really not a bad hat. Yes, it sits a little lower on my head. Yes, the flat bill looks a little ridiculous. But it took me about five minutes of flexing and I've now got the bill curved like a normal hat, it looks cool. The S/M fits me well and I've got a pinhead. Worn normally the bill sits just over my eyebrows, but tipped back a little bit it looks pretty good.

Don't buy the hat if you don't dig the skeezy look, or you aren't at least willing to put up with it (like I am).

I've been going through a long and arduous search to find the perfect 3 season softshell jacket, to wear by itself in fall and spring, and as a layer in Minnesota and Montana winters. I've been living with The North Face Apex Bionic and the Mountain Hardwear Alchemy for a few weeks, and when the Shift Composite popped up on SAC I decided I might as well try that too.

I'm definitely glad I did. It is my favorite of these jackets. The fit is great, very similar to the Alchemy except that it moves with me better because of its stretchiness. There also isn't as much extra room in the shoulders and arms, which helps retain warmth. I'm very partial to the material of the Shift. It's not as crinkly or "hard" as a lot of softshells I've seen. I've worn the Shift in moderate rain for about a half hour and nothing got through, but it's hard to tell if the softness and stretchiness of the fabric has a cost in waterproofness in significantly wetter conditions.

The Shift is lighter than either my Alchemy or Apex Bionic, but feels just as warm, if not warmer. I was getting chilled in 30 degrees and windy this weekend with the Alchemy, but walking to work in the Shift today in 20 degrees and breezy was perfect, if not a little too warm. The only problem I've found is that the neck of the jacket is pretty tight when it's fully zipped up. I would definitely have trouble zipping it up around a hooded midlayer or a turtleneck.

A couple of other notes: I find the blue color to be similar to the top picture (the main picture), but the gray chest area is actually like the detail images (lighter gray, with a darker gray chest pocket). The turquoise is a pretty strong color, but in a cool way IMO. I've also not been able to find any "hidden security" or wrist pockets that the product description refers to. The jacket has two normal hand pockets, an internal Napoleon pocket for an audio player, and an external chest pocket just above the audio pocket.

The Shift is a great jacket. I wouldn't pay full price for it, but that's because I'm a cheap bastard. This is definitely a competitive alternative to the other name brand softshells at a great sale price. The Shift Composite has earned itself a permanent place in my closet.

I feel a little ambivalent about the MHW Alchemy. In theory it ought to be a great jacket, but in practice it seems to have a number of problems, most of them superficial, but enough for me to return mine in favor of different softshells. As other reviewers have noted, the fit is shorter and tighter in the torso than a standard jacket. The fit doesn't bother me, although I wish the material were a little stretchier for mobility, but I don't like the execution of the shirttail hem - from the front, the bottom hem of the jacket appears to create a slight upside-down V shape that just looks ridiculous. I've not found this problem on any other shirttail hemmed jackets.

The inner fleece cuffs are a feature that people will either like or loathe - I happen to fall into the latter category. I tend to tuck my hands up inside the sleeves of a jacket when it is cool out and I'm just walking around, and put on gloves when it is actually cold. But the extra cuffs make both of these things difficult. I can't cinch the jacket cuff over my gloves like I can with comparable jackets, and since I don't have gauntlet-style gloves, they don't really cinch over the jacket either. The chance for skin exposure around my wrist is a deal-breaker for me because getting just a few chunks of snow between my glove and sleeve can really ruin the whole day.

The overall build and material are high quality. This jacket kept me warm in ~30 degrees with a lightweight baselayer on a breezy day, but on a truly windy day I got a lot more chilled. I found that the zipper area did let in a little bit of wind, but overall it blocked the elements pretty well. The sleeves felt a little cold compared to my other jackets, probably due to their comparative roominess.

Overall, I had hoped that the Alchemy would be a versatile jacket that I could use in many conditions. In practice, however, the jacket seems to be so tailored towards a single function as a climbing jacket that it's really fairly useless for anything else.

I don't want to knock this jacket too much. I am a big fan of my other MHW products. But the Alchemy just isn't for me. It's probably a strong climbing jacket but for general use there are cheaper alternatives that have more all-purpose features like velcro-closure cuffs and a longer torso to protect your gut/back from the elements when active.

All right, I finally managed to smash this thing into its stuff sack - but I think the stuff sack could still be a little bit bigger (or the bag slightly more stuffable). There is no way I can get the draw cord totally closed and the sack looks a little like a distended organ.

The bag itself is comfortable and works well. I bought this one in particular because I don't really like the mummy sacks - I like the room to move around a little bit. I'm not convinced that it's a true 20 degree bag, but it kept me warm in more moderate conditions.

For the price, it's hard to complain. You'd be hard pressed to find a better-quality sleeping bag as cheap.

Ok, so the Chaco Flip might not be as functional as the more traditional Chaco designs. But as far as flip-flops go, they're hard to beat. A friend of mine has owned her Flips for over four years, and the only visible wear is the spot where a dog tried to chew the strap apart. I've had my own flips for two years and they are holding up fantastically. At least one reviewer noted that the Flips are not as comfortable as Tevas or Keens... I don't find that to be true. I prefer the fit and materials of the Flip. They also seem to provide more support for your foot.

The long and the short of it - if you have to give up your regular Chacos for a stylish flip-flop, you can't go wrong with these. These are the only flip-flops that will survive a nuclear holocaust and then some.

These socks are really pretty versatile. I've worn them in the mountains and in board meetings... they are virtually indistinguishable from dress socks, and significantly more comfortable. I've found that they aren't really particularly warm once the temperature starts to drop, but they aren't really advertised as cold weather socks, so I guess I'll just have to live with that. Fit and quality of materials are both good, in my experience.

Like most Carhartt products, these are not really casual-wear pants - at least not when you first get them. As other reviewers have noted, these pants are bomb-proof but as a result they can be a little stiff and difficult to get used to for those of us accustomed to buying our jeans pre-worn-in. But on the other hand, they're also about as tough and durable a pant as you can find, except for the Carhartts with double knees.

I found that the color was slightly different than as described, but no big deal.

I got my MH Pinnacle jacket on sale and I'm so glad I did. It is incredibly lightweight and very well-constructed, with high quality materials. The color (red) is fantastic and very modern-looking, unlike (unfortunately) a lot of Mountain Hardwear's color selections. The image from Sierra Trading Post ( http://img.sierratradingpost.com/erez4/erez?src=ProductImages/1708R%5F13.tif&tmp=FullSize&redirect=0 ) is a little more accurate for the red color.

But the best thing about this jacket (for me) is the fit. I am 5'9" and 160 lbs with a fairly slim frame and a long torso, and this jacket is a perfect fit. It hugs closer to the body than some of the jackets I've tried, but it still has plenty of room for movement and layering (I tried it on with both my MH Monkey Phur and Windstopper fleeces and it was fine). It is also actually LONG enough - I'm very much a medium-sized person, but for some reason a lot of the jackets on the market today are simply too short, especially for outdoor activities.

If you prefer a boxier, roomier cut, you may want to look elsewhere. But this is replacing my OR Mithril jacket, which was a great product but simply too wide and too boxy on me.

I am eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Minnesota winter so that I can really get a chance to try this thing out.... But already on my 2-mile walking commute to work, it has already held up against pretty torrential fall downpours as well as wind. At least twice I've gotten to home or to work with my pants completely soaked through and dripping, but my entire upper body bone-dry. This thing is about as waterproof as you'll need for anything other than swimming.

These are pretty good pants - they are just slightly dressier than jeans for work, but also very tough and functional. My only complaint is that they are, for pants advertised to be "loose fit," strangely tight in the waist. This is particularly surprising for me, because most of the time, any pants that fit my ghetto booty are usually comparatively loose in the waist. The fit through the seat and legs, however, is fine.

I love nearly everything about this jacket... the color, the look, the materials. It isn't decked out with every feature, but for the price, the taped seams and the fantastically smooth lining are all I really wanted. It's high quality construction. Unfortunately, since it's the middle of summer I haven't had the chance to actually test its capabilities so I can't speak to that, but based on the other reviews I'm sure it will hold up nicely in wet and cold conditions with a little layering.

My only problem is that the cut of the jacket is quite boxy, not athletic like I've come to expect from other gear companies like Mountain Hardwear. Additionally, it's a rather short jacket... short enough that when I tried it on with my fleece mid-layer, the fleece stuck out the bottom a good inch or two. I'm 5'9" and bought a medium, so it's almost certainly not an issue of wearing a too-small size. And the arms are a good length. I'm just confused as to why OR would put together a jacket that will be used on the slopes when it's clearly not long enough.

I bought these glasses to replace the $15 convenience store no-name-brand sunglasses I have been wearing since I vacationed to Florida at the age of 17. I picked these because of Oakley's reputation, and because they seemed like a good value for the price compared to some other more expensive models out there. I use them not only out and around town, but also for road-biking, running, four-wheeling, hiking, boating/jetskiing, and as eye protection for pistol-shooting.

I have to admit my first impression when I got these was not great. The plastic frames feel a little cheap and the metallic finish looks rather cheap, particularly on the inside (ie the side facing the wearer). However, they have held up to lots of use, they stay on my face even when I am dripping with sweat. My favorite part, though, is the transition lens. I can't tell if the lens is getting darker or lighter, but these are the only sunglasses I have ever worn that protect my eyes adequately on a sunny day with lots of water reflecting, and I forget I have them on in the evening or indoors.

So overall, these are great glasses, even if the frame material seems sort of cheap and cheesy given how expensive they are. Another couple notes: Believe the picture, and not the description, for the color. The frames are not black and the lenses are not gray. The frames are a metallic brown and the lenses are a darkish amber. And these frames seem to be slightly narrow, and fit rather tightly on my average-sized head. If you have a larger-than-average head or wider-than-average face, these frames may not fit you.

I've owned ZX2s, Flips, and Zongs, and the simple, original Z1 is by far the best of all these excellent sandals. I prefer the Z1 without the toe strap because the two different pairs of toe-strapped Chacos I've owned have always felt unnecessarily tight in the toe area, and I wasn't sure the added stability was worth the trade-off. These Z1s may not be as easy to slip into as my Zongs, but overall they are more comfortable and trail-worthy, and leave my feet feeling great. Although I'm disappointed that Chaco production has moved to China, the difference in product quality, if any, is not apparent to me. Plus, you can't beat the price on this backcountry.com exclusive color.

I own this sandal in hemlock. I've owned Chaco Z2s and Flips before and I was looking for something that would bridge the two in terms of cost and usefulness. These sandals are quite good, definitely a step up in durability and functionality from your everyday sandal or flip-flop, but without the backstrap I've found they aren't particularly useful in steep or wet conditions. I will keep this pair for wearing around town, but I've purchased a new pair of Z1s for use around the water at my family's lakeside Montana cabin. Bottom line: This is a good sandal, but it just isn't as great as the classic Chaco.

I am 5'9" and a lean 165 lbs, and I got this jacket in a size M in cocobolo after seeing it in person in stores and reading all the glowing online reviews. Since I bought it this spring I've worn it in temperatures ranging from the high 30s to the mid 70s (yes, with the pit zips it wasn't even too uncomfortable), in high winds and light-to-medium rain and hail. It has performed admirably in all conditions, and I suspect it will also remain usable even in Minnesota falls and winters, with a little layering. The smooth tech lining guarantees that layering underneath the jacket will not be as big a pain as it can be with some fleeces. It has been especially nice to wear while boating, when high speeds and cold pockets over the water would otherwise make moderate temperatures rather uncomfortable. My only complaint is that with the way the pockets sit on the jacket, the design actually kind of emphasizes the gut region in not the most flattering way. It would be nice if the pockets were in the same color as the non-black part of the fleece, to minimize the triangle-gut effect. But that's a minor quibble over a jacket that is for function and not for fashion.