Blaine Shillington

Use a Nikwax or Grangers Down Wash in a tumble washer. Dry in a tumble dryer and stop it every ten minutes or so and break up any down clumps by hand.

Awesome. It's a great fleece, but in all my other fleeces i've never had the shedding issue. I think everything else I have is polartec or a copy thereof. The synchilla fabric is similar but different.

Look at Kaenon and Maui Jim. They offer a better quality lense in a safer plastic type lense. See Maui Jim Evolution and Kaenon SR-91 lenses. You will find them both much safer. Kaenon's exceed the Ansi test for high speed impact. They also do so without removing color. They simply filter the glare with anti-glare coatings, not by removing part of the light spectrum. I'd be hard pressed to believe that by cutting out light, you're seeing the 'true colors'.

Should be the elevation gain after it's put into altitude mode. Check the manual to be sure.

remember also, insulation can insulate both against heat, and for heat. It can keep heat in, but it can also keep heat out. It can work as a sun shade if needed, such as an afternoon nap in a sunny area. The closed cell foam will keep hat out to a certain point, but if next to the body, it'll insulate keeping heat in.

It's very possible that this won't hold up but it might. It also might not hold out the water day after day. The fabric is a single layer I believe, and isn't as durable as some of the heavier ones like Gore Pro. I'd look for something with reinforced shoulders or something a little more durable. If you're not going to be out in the rain constantly, this might work fine, and if you don't mind your jacket being pretty well used by the end of the trip. Also with the constant rubbing it can loosen up the fabric around your shoulders. that's why you may want something with a heavier fabric around the high stress/wear areas.

Superfeet. I agree totally with Don...

C'est probablement plus une question de crise. Une botte peut être bien différent en crise que d'autres. le Spantik et Baruntse sont mêmes très chauffe pour faire de pointe. Une ou l'autre peut faire bien pour votre trek. La Baruntse est un peux plus doux au bas, et peut être meilleur pour marcher. Le Spantic va probablement donne plus de suport pour le grimp. Si vouse aimez un coquille plastique, le Spantik est un excellent choix et offre beaucoup de support. Mêmes le Baruntse est un très bon choix aussi pour vos besoins. Le choix est le vôtre.

TNF is a great company, but since being bought by fashion company Vanity Fair, imo, their quality has dropped significantly. The name they built their repuation on was based on early 80's mountaineering like Everest. Now everyone wears TNF regardless of whether they interested in the outdoors or not. TNF has essentially become a fashion brand. Their really high end stuff is still really great, but for the most part I stay away from their lower end stuff for technical gear.

All that being said, TNF fits fairly boxy, not much form fitting. If you want to stay warm in Philly, this jacket will do it.

What are you wanting to use it for is the biggest question. You get what you pay for, so I wouldn't trust this jacket with much prolonged activity, but for around town and light stuff like camping it might be really wonderful.
As for zip off hoods, I have some and they're useful but I usually prefer a hood that's integrated into the front chin cover. Those kinds will cover you face more in a storm and keep you warmer, if warmth is a concern.

All are different insulation types. Down patrol is clearly down, 650 fill to be exact. Primaloft is still very warm but not as lofty. It'll also stay warm when wet, as will fleece as in the R4. I would say in warmth ratings, considering wind chill and convective heat loss, warmest to coolest would be down patrol, primaloft, and then the R4. The R4 is freaking warm as an under layer though. I have a primaloft jacket and it's very warm, especially when cooped up under a shell.

Yes the snap is for snowpants. Sometimes you can just put them through a belt loop too.

it's decent. unlined, which will help, but if you are biking, you'll probably want something a little more breathable like event or something with a lot of venting, like really long pit zips

yes. unless you really like this one.

I would still go with medium. You want it to insulate, which means it needs to be next to skin, ie. tight.
Honestly, a fleece or softshell doesn't take up that much room. I'd stick with your normal size. I never size up or down and it serves me well. Plus those times when you want to wear it over a long sleeve tee or something you'll kick yourself if you get a large.

If these get wet, they results in a certain wet feeling between the toes...

The strap is a hemp cloth and the footbed is lined with hemp cloth, so they'll be wet and stay wet a while. Probably have to let them dry in the sun or overnight.

Pretty close. i'd say they are all in the same category. Great for around town. 800 fill will be nice and warm. The Sub-zero is only 650 fill. I think the Nupste is 800 or 850 fill. The sub-sero has a detchable hood, if that's your thing.

No it does not.

Agree with Jon Webb. this is water resistant, but if you ARE in a downpour, why are you wearing something this warm??

if not, maybe some iron-on seam tape (find it in the tent repair section) or some very strong fabric glue.

I believe that was after having them adjusted at a lenscrafters or equivalent. I guess they just weren't for my face.

These should remain fitted and 'stretchy' for a long time. The material feels pretty solid for a light pants. They're super stretchy but snap right back to their original shape.

pretty small. I roll my jackets the same way. Also keep the hood from bending. Especially on my OR shells, which have a stiff material in the front of the hood. I hate it when that gets all misshapen.

BC, Canada
Some of their stuff is made in Asia, but a lot of it is still made in Canada. Check the label, most will say which place they were made.

No, but I find that stowable hoods are super annoying, and the nice thing about the hood design is that it's integrated with the collar, ie it's all one piece, not sewn on. I like that better because when you have it drawn up and fully zipped, it'll cover your face/chin better.
A good way to keep the hood dry inside during rain is to just let it hang behind, but sinch up the main hood drawcords(not the one that draws the side back, but the one that would pull it down tight around your face. This basically 'closes' up the hood when you're not wearing it and keeps water from getting inside the hood or down your back. But if it's raining I guess you'd have the hood up anyways. What I described is handy in snow as well.

I wouldn't rely on this jacket at all. 1K says it all. Most "waterproof" fabrics are at leat 10K or 20K. This refers to the number of stitches per square inch I believe. The tighter the weave, the more naturally waterproof it will be. With a fabric less than 10K or 20K, the waterproofness comes from the DWR(Durable water repellency) coating, not the inherent qualities of the fabric itself. I would only use it if you have somewhere warm to go to every night so it can dry out. As AC said, it'll get wet-out. I'd go with something like Gore Pac-lite which is a lot more reliable and will keep you dry longer. Marmot Precip is pretty good as well, although i'd probably still prefer Pac-lite. I traded up from precip-plus to Pac-lite. Gore Pro would be even better, and would last longer. Basically the better the fabric the longer it can hold out in increasingly harsh precipitation. I'd trust Gore-Pro to any conditions, and Gore-tex Pac-lite to Almost anything.
Schoeller makes some great fabrics too, but I think most are softshell.

Update: If you go to the Gore-tex website, you can click the link to whichever fabric you're interested in and they list every jacket made with that fabric, lots of different brands. Makes it really handy if you're shopping.
http://www.gore-tex.com/remote/Satellite/men

Yes. These boots are full shank, which will add a lot of stiffness, specifically in the toe area, which will help a great deal for front pointing when climbing. They would also be much warmer than others, such as trangos.

I would say yes, but....
Although I haven't seen these boots locally to try them on, They're a double/shell design. Looks like they also come with a moldable liner, which will be warmer.(could also buy an intuition liner, which will add some warmth to the boots, but I don't know how the stock moldable liner would be on insulation.
I haven't seen these on recommended boot lists for Denali, but if you want to be sure, maybe check with a local guide company, AMS, or an outfitter (AMH) to be sure. You likely WOULD need an overboot, unless you were climbing in a great, really warm window. Not sure i'd recommend them for early season climbing (april/may) but again, i'm not super familiar, i'm just looking at the specs. They would probably work really great with room for double socks. I believe these are LaSportiva's new answer to the plastic boot haters so it looks to be a very warm boot. Home this helps some..

YEs, stiff, but not totally rigid. For climbing, you'll have to use quite a bit of calf strength as these flex in the ankle quite a bit more than others like the the invernos.

My two favorite boots fit-wise, are the Invernos and the Charmoz. I found that they both fit very similarly, with the Invernos obviously having more support. I found the charmoz fairly supportive side to side but definitely offer a nice flex mid ankle while still having a firm footbed. ( I believe half-shank? maybe full) I would say, if you love you invernos, the charmoz will suit you well. I found the fit to be similar.

Same thing happened to me. I knew a local dealer and they sent them in without charging me shipping as they were sending some other stuff too. Maui sent them back free of charge. I couldn't tell if they replaced the frame just gave me a whole new pair. ie they came back looking brand new. Maui Jim has really great Customer service.
...mine were the regulars.. not the readers.

Yes it should. I have a smaller solio and I connect my apple cable to the usb. It works fine on my 2nd gen iPod touch, which uses the same charging voltage as the new iphones.

Actually I believe it was just an upgrade in the newer model. see here. http://www.backcountry.com/outdoorgear/Outdoor-Research-Flex-Tex-Gaiter/ODR0021M.html

These don't have a lot of padding and can transfer a lot of shock up the legs. I believe that's the holy grail of mountain running footwear; finding the balance between transfering the feel of the ground so you can have accurate footwork, with soft cushion that helps protect your body. I believe these shoes are more of the cushionless high traction end of the spectrum. Very very grippy and super lightweight! Great for raceday, but I would want to train in something else until closer to race day.

These aren't antimicrobial, but as stated by Dakka Guru, the ventilation will help. They are made of all synthetic materials, which will help them dry significantly fast. Still I wouldn't count on them keep smells away given extended sweaty trips, or wet slogs through marshy stuff. They may dry fast but all the nasty stuff dries too. A great idea if it was pretty hot outside might be to rinse them and fling all the water off of them and let them dry overnight. That might help a lot with warding off the nasties.

I'd agree with DakkaGuru. I almost always hike and backpack in AT shoes, against the recommendation of most outfitters, but I don't have pronation issues, and walk fairly neutrally. Depending on the terrain also, ie tundra etc, you may want something with ankle support anyways.

add them to your cart and enter your shipping info. It should give you shipping costs. Otherwise, just call.
1.800.409.4502

You pop out the wheel at the top and then spin it until it starts wrapping up the extra cable. At that point keep turning it and you'll feel the boot snug up. It's very easy to turn. Don't worry. Once it's tight enough, you push the wheel in and it locks it. Makes it easy to get them very tight.

I believe Burton fits similarly to DC, but it's best to go try on a couple boots from different companies in a local store. There's not a better way to decide what you like. When I was looking, I tried the same size in different companies and they all fit slightly differently.

I woulds still go with large. These are designed as a fitted size. If you want it a little baggier go with xl, but I would think Large would fit your body size better.

Just saw a very similar stoic shell on Steep and cheap 55% off. keep watching there.

Medium Should fit just fine. I'm 5'10" 160lbs and almost always wear a small.

shouldbe pretty easy. Maybe have it looked at. Most TNF vests use nylon zippers which are usually very smooth and easy to hook in.

The Vest fits pretty much the same as TNF jackets. I'd stick with a medium. If you don't usually wear a fleece or softshell under your jackets, i'd still try medium, as I prefer my vests to be more snug. since they don't have sleeves I don't like letting air in between my body and the vest. I think the medium would work fine.

Pac-lite will hold up better than HyVent any day. Even the Pac-lite version of Gore-tex is great stuff.

This Jacket is great for hiking and being outside all day. As for being on a boat all day long, all summer, i'm not sure Gore Pac-lite is your best bet. It IS Gore, but I would recommend something more like the gore pro-tec. It'll handle the harder surged of sideways water better. That said, I used this jacket on a boat out of Seward alaska just after I bought it and it stood up perfectly to the rain and wind. Had I done that every day though I imagine it might have worn it out by the end of the summer. I've used this jacket for a couple years now as my main rain jacket hiking, camping, and fishing, and everything else in alaska and it holds up realy great. It's starting to feel a little less stiff, like the fabric is loosening up, but i've retreated the jacket with nikwax wash in and it's still going strong. If it's not torential downpours i'd say this jacket would be fine, but if you're going to be out in the rain every single day, i'd get something like a hard shell with Gore Pro.

Sub zero would be considerably warmer. The 800 fill is very warm, but The sub-zero has lots more of it

This is not waterproof. Treating it with a waterproofing agent would probably be useless. The material it uses is a 50D ripstop nylon, which isn't woven tight enough to keep vapor or liquid water in or out. Yes down will be useless if it gets wet, but I think that TNF knows that most people wearing this for technical purposes would likely have a waterproof shell over it. It is pretty hard to find a down jacket/vest that it totally waterproof. I imagine that any perspiration would wet out the down anyways and it would soon become useless in technical situations, since waterproof fabrics don't breath as much as the 50D nylon would. It would hold too much moisture in. Unless you wanted them to put all the down into little plastic baggies and then sew them in. You might sound like a chip bag walking around though.

Definitely small. I'm 5'10" 160lbs and i'd get a small.

I've used this jacket year round in Alaska. It's a little heavy to use for high cardio stuff but i've worn it as a rain jacket a couple summers/ fall seasons. It's very versatile and works very well. And don't forget the pit zips will help. It is a little heavy for hot weather or heavy cardio but i've used it all summer whenever needed with no issues. For reference it usually doesn't get above 70 when i've used it and it's usually colder here when it rains or when you're at the top of a mountain. You'll appreciate its warmth at 50. I'd say yes, it'll work for what you want it for. 50's will suit this jacket perfectly. I've layered everything from a mountain hardware synthetic fill jacket or even down to a t-shirt. it works for just about everything.

Most North face garments/ apparel fits the same as a t-shirt size. North Face designs tend to be a little boxy, as opposed to fitted. They'll be a little loose around the stomach if you're fit. They are basically a general fit design, nothing too special. Some of their more technical stuff is more custom fitted but most of their stuff just runs normal sizing. Just decide how much you're going to wear under it normally. I'm 5'10" 160 lbs and wear a small unless I want to really add a lot of bulk under it. But i'd still buy a small cause I never really have to add that much insulation to merit sizing up. I wouldn't enjoy a medium most days cause it's too loose in the torso.

It might zip in part way, but since it's not part of a jacket system, the zippers (if they will start to zip at all) probably won't match up perfectly at the top. i've zipped jackets together before that weren't made for each other. It might work but you'd have to try it in the store.

Not totally sure if i'm 100% accurate, but the Nuptse vest might also be sewn through as opposed to the baffle design. This means that where it's stitched, there essentially is a line of no insulation between you and outside. So cold air can get in through the stitching. The Aconcagua is baffled which means there are no places where you don't have a lack of down. You're totally covered cause they've stitched it into baffled layers so everything is covered. The Nupste may make up for the design with the 700 fill. They would probably be comparable in warmth if i'm right about the design. What the Nupste makes up for in fill power it loses in design.

Be careful. Most companies don't put a waterproof pocket in because that would hinder the breathability. With it so close to your body your perspiration will drive the moisture right through a breathable material, so you'd have to have something much less porous like rubber, with wouldn't lend to a very breathable upper torso section. Your perspiration will get onto anything cold in that pocket. As long as the dewpoint is lower than your body temp, which it will be. The plastic bag idea will work, just make sure it is air tight and it will certainly be water tight also.

yes printed. I believe it might be reflective.