Brendan Quirk

This is ideal for folks going on adventure-like vacations. I can carry a metric ton of clothes + all of my cycling gear, i.e. helmet, shoes, bottles, saddle bag and all the other bulks gear you need for a cycling vacation. Nimble in the airport, good wheels, and handles everywhere you need 'em for throwing it around.

Awesome for nordic skiing, and also incredible for cycling on those mornings when it starts in the 30's and may get to the high 40's. Very warm given their thinness. The velcro closure is a bit cheesy, and the plastic clasps are annoying. But these are details easy to overcome given how nice they are otherwise.

I can fit a Mac laptop, two notebooks, my lunch, and some spare clothes. With lots of room to spare. And it is an amazing commuter bag if you ride a bike to work. Osprey makes superb bags and I love the Flapjack, especially as a commmuting cyclist.

Yes, i understand compression tights are supposed to be tight. But getting into these is like putting on a sausage casing. For folks above 150lbs, getting dressed may end up being the hardest part of the workout.

Love the shoes. Very light and comfy. But the tongue keeps migrating to the outside of the shoes no matter you lace it up. Perhaps I should lace it up super-tight? I dunno. Except for this one annoyance, a great shoe.

I bought a trunkload of shorts for the summer, and hands down these are the best. Comfy, perfect inseam length, just enough stretch to the fabric. A nice weight, too, so they can range from the 60's on up. Not too light. Supremely great shorts.

I love everything about these shorts save one detail: They have a drawstring (ick!) along with its button closure. They run perhaps 0.5" big in the waist, so the string was helpful in keeping them cinched. But still, drawstrings are a bit lame. Nevertheless, I love to wear them. A fairly long inseam -- all the way down to the knees.

They have that tough exterior of denim, but with some nice stretch you'd expect from an outdoor company. Gussetted in the right places for toughness. These are amazing pants. A great alternative to jeans or khakis. Very stylish as well. I am very, very happy with them,

I was looking for a simple travel kit that could help with simple dude traveling needs: 3oz toothpaste, tiny shaving cream, razor, toothbrush, maybe a small soap box. This kit is waaaaay too skinny to handle that much stuff. I'm not sure what traveling you can do with as little as this skinny bugger can accomodate. In looking at Eagle creek's website it doesn't appear that they offer a higher-volume option. Bummer

The tortoise is pure old school class. The size of the frames and lenses is perfect. The optics are impeccable. FWIW I am 5'10", 170# with a normal build and the Medium size frame was perfect. i couldn't imagine choosing large unless you are big! Love these shades.

5 stars for dexterity and for warmth. 4 stars because it lacks a nose-wiping terrycloth area anywhere, and because they seem to lack an easily-accessible size chart online. The attached is the best thing I could find. If I could give these 4.5 stars I would.

I sized up to accommodate the use of thick socks. Since these aren't available in half-sizes the risk of imperfect fit is real. I really wish Pajar made these (and other) boots in half-sizes. That being said, the drawback worth pointing out here is the zipper. The presence of a zipper is excellent in terms of easily being able to get them on and off. The headache, though, is that once you have them on, the zipper won't go much more than 75% up and tends to slide down to 40%-50% up. This doesn't really affect the experience of wearing them, but from a design perspective it's annoying.

Wide in the forefoot/instep area.

Warm, comfortable in single-digit temps. Great sole for dealing with ice. Tall enough and waterproof enough to deal with foot-deep snow.

Would I buy these again? Yes, probably. But knowing what I now know about the zipper, I might look at other options.

I have 3 kiddos -- 6, 8, and 11 years. I was worried about how the one size fits all would work. Not a problem at all. This has enough elasticity to work for all three without sagging on my youngest, or constraining the older. Fits under a ski helmet just fine, but has enough heft to keep them warm. A nice gem from Patagonia.

My 11 year old daughter loves this jacket for skiing. She's normal height for a 6th grader, and maybe a bit on the skinny side. The Medium fits her perfectly. She loves the way it looks and it keeps her warm and doesn't hinder her at all on the mountain. A rock solid choice with lots of performance that isn't too pricey. One other bonus here is that the Kokomo Green isn't too girly/feminine. I suspect we may be able to hand this down to her little brother some day.

At least for a woman with a size Medium Variant helmet, these seemed big. We returned them and instead went for the Smith I/OS Interchangeable Optic Goggle.

I dig these goggles. The fit is super, the buckle is well-made, the optics are crisp. My only complaint is the number of lens options. It's confusing to figure out which lens combo is ideal. If you dig around on the Smith website you can get some info, but there's certainly some anxiety of choice that arises with so many options. Some simplicity would be helpful -- or at least a clearer guide of what all the different combos mean would be helpful.

Bought the Small for my 6 year old and the Medium for my 8 year old. The fit is spot on, and when they wear this + one decently warm base layer they're perfectly comfy for skiing in the 20's. Well made in terms of insulation and fit. A great choice.

It's pretty amazing to ski at Park City and see how many people are wearing the Variant with a set of I/O goggles. This fits flawlessly, doesn't mind at the rear retention or under the chin, and it's plenty warm. Not too tall on top of your head, so you don't feel like a robot when you put this on. You couldn't ask for anything more out of a helmet.

I wear 33" jeans, 5'10", 175, and the Medium fits just right. The insulation on these is for real. I wear these + Class-2 Patagonia Capilene long underwear and I'm pretty much ready for anything. Cold legs are not an issue. And they have some nice cargo pockets for the various doo-dads you might want to bring along (energy gels, etc.) Perfect match with the Patagonia Powder Bowl Jacket. Great choice.

Sufficiently thin that it fits nicely under a ski helmet. But warm enough that you can get through pretty much the worst cold out there. It has enough malleability that you move it up or down over your nose + mouth when it's really bad out, but it doesn't hang limply if you pull it down to your chin. Smartwool makes the best balaclavas & neck gaiters. A really great choice.

Plenty warm. Fit great. Lets the kiddos focus on fun rather than being cold or uncomfortable. Very well done.

I wear a size 10 shoe and the Large fits perfectly. Toes are perfectly warm even when I skied on grim windy days when the temps were in the teens. Seem to be the perfect height. Rock solid choice.

Holding these in your hands, these don't have a lot of heft. It's amazing how warm they are -- either under a pair of jeans on a workday, or under Powder Bowl Insulated pants for skiing. These are versatile, they are well-constructed, and they don't bind, pinch, or itch. Very nice.

Warm, the perfect height up the shin, obviously well made. My only concern is sizing. As others have mentioned here, they seem to perhaps run big by maybe a half-size? Other than the sizing concern, I'm stoked about these Sorels as my go-to winter boot.

A phenomenal ski jacket. Skiing in the teens with this + one Capilene (level 3) and I'm totally warm. A fabulous balance of dexterity & warmth. One thing worth noting is the sizing -- I typically wear Medium in all things upper body (including Capilene), but the Small jacket was the better choice for me (5'10", 175). I paired it with the Patagonia Powder Bowl insulated pants. Perfect!

Stylish helmet -- my wife digs it. Works flawlessly with I/O goggles and looks as attractive as a helmet can look. But you may want to size up. If nothing else, if you're between sizes get the larger one. Otherwise, seems to be the perfect option for a ski helmet.

These mitts are huge. If the name of the game is to balance dexterity with warmth, my concern is that these have gone too far in the direction of bulk. I don't doubt they'll keep your fingers toasty, but it seems to come at the expense of being able to use your hands for much of anything. If you buy them, size down! Or, alternatively, check out the Hestras.

Single digit temps are no problem with the Ama Dablam. A base layer + one fleece + this jacket and I'm comfy even when it gets near-zero. The fact that it's so lightweight, but so warm is pretty surreal. This is an extraordinary jacket. With the # of puffy options out there, this is one I'd put at the top of the heap. My only caveat has to do with sizing. I'm 5'10", 175, and pretty much wear Medium in everything having to do with my upper body. This jacket is an exception: I'd recommend that you size DOWN one size. The Small fits really well. This is a roomy fit for sure.

I couldn't imagine using any other sock in wintertime. Tall enough for backyard hikes in the snow with the kiddos, but not so thick that I can't wear 'em to work too. The medium weight makes them super-versatile. I wear 10.5 shoes and the Large is ideal. \

Fit on these is true to size. I wear 33" jeans and the Large was spot-on. Nicely breathable but enough heft that I'll use them in wintertime too. Legs don't pinch -- a nice bonus. A big improvement from cotton boxers.

Beautifully made boot. Nicely fleecy & insulated. But the insulation seems to take up room within the boot, so my recommendation is to size up one size. That sounds like a lot since these don't come in half-sizes, but I'd highly recommend it (especially since you'll likely be wearing thick socks anyways...)

I have 3 kids - ages 6-11. This helmet fit all 3 of them comfortably. The retention/adjustment system is more grown-up than what you get from a Giro kids bike helmet, and the magnetic goggle retention system is genius. This amount of customization is what makes them work for such a wide age range. No complaints on cold ears either. Highly recommended.

From a cyclist's perspective: Versatile enough to serve as neck-warmer, neck-and-ear-warmer, or near-equivalent-to-a-balaclava. The wool fabric has enough tension to stay in place no matter where you stretch it around your head. But it's soft and itch-free. And no matter how much you stretch it, one wash (yes, it's machine-washable) gets it back to its original shape. Cycling jackets and long-sleeve jerseys don't do your neck justice. The Smartwool Neck Gaiter is the cure.

I got the smaller version and can fit 4-5 button downs, 2 pr pants, and 1 sweater. Clothes hardly get wrinkled and the compactness of the folder gives you added room in your suitcase. A simple, perfect thing. Highly recommended.