I recently purchased these for a 10 mile hike through medium terrain, mostly mild hills. After about 4 miles my feet were aching. I had blisters the size of half dollars on each foot on the flat area in back of my toes. The high-cut chafed my ankles and the area above them even though I wore mid-cut socks. The boots are also heavy and had me tripping over rocks and roots - this was very unfortunate since I had a 50lb pack on. One good thing was the boots sole went through the hike with hardly any wear. I would only recommend these boots for people who are very used to wearing boots. I would definitely recommend hiking shoes or trails runners for those who like a little more agile feel.

I have the older (green) model and the pack is great. I have just used it on a four day backpacking trip through Haleakala and even though I am only fourteen, this pack allowed me to carry fifty pounds worth of gear comfortably. It fit everything; sleeping bag, tons of food, water, 2 man tent. The only problem I had with this pack was that it is very hard to reach the water bottle pocket while wearing it.

This is a great sleeping bag. I have used it in 80 degree weather all the way down to 40 degree weather in haleakala, in a bag that is rated at 55 degrees! It may seem heavy but when compared to other "lightweight" 40-55 degree bags, the value is unbeatable. Plus with compression straps I can get it down to the size of a football (a very dense one at that!)

This sleeping pad is okay if you do not have a lot of room in your pack like me (I have a ghost 3100). But if you have a little more room I would strongly reccomend the therm a rest prolite three, it costs a little more but it's worth it. This pad feels like a beach inflatable (and you have to blow it up like one too) and is not very comfortable and I am always worried about popping it because the material does not seem very strong, small package though.

This headlamp is one of the worst I have ever used. It is very small and does not provide much light, the battery only lasts like 6 hours and when it does die you have to buy a 6 dollar battery. I would reccomend the petzl zipka plus, definitely worth the extra money.

This is such a great set. It is lightweight, durable (not like aluminum), and serves every thing I could possibly think of. Plus thers no need for potholders because there are folding handles and I have not had a problem with scorching like with some other MSR titanium pots I have used before.

This pack is great for short weekend jaunts and even dayhikes since it compresses very well ( I've even used it as a carry on) but when it comes to anything longer than an overnighter you'll be hard pressed to find room for all your stuff. On the plus side the suspension, with its innovative frame design is one of the best I have tried for carrying under 36 pounds. Mountainsmith really did a solid job on craftsmanship on this pack.

This pack is awesome. It holds everything, wallet, cell phone, cd player, even my planner and all my books. Airlift straps are a bit too firm though, still a great pack.