John T Young

The Alpha SL is a minimalist Paclite rain / wind jacket in a great cut with nice features. I love the one sided zipper. The front pocket takes some getting used to, but once you easily reach in there and pull out your cell phone/Cliff bar/GPS while wearing a pack I think you'll appreciate it.
The colors are unique as well. Keep in mind that this is a Paclite jacket. It will take a beating but it is still a light weight garment. And it's crinkly.
I have used it as a wind breaker while rock climbing and have yet to permanently scuff it, but I've been semi careful. Wearing a 20 lbs pack for 3 or 4 miles at a time has done nothing to it at all.

Everything everyone says and more. Ditch that fleece from 1984 you're still hauling around and get in on the fun. Uber light weight. All but wind proof. DWR. Breathes. And tougher than it looks. I climbed Seneca in the Atom LT, scuffing up against the rocks for a few pitches before remembering what I was wearing!!!!! Not a scratch. Boom! 5 stars.

The Summitrocket 30L is as light as MHW claims. It's comfy when loaded, and stashes well when not in use. It seems well built, though well built of very light fabrics. But if it's half full, and you cinch down the compression straps on the sides, the straps pull the bottom of the pack up, they do not squeeze the pack skinnier. It's kind of weird. You end up with the pack in an "S" curve. It has a lot to do with the corrugated plastic piece they use to give the pack some form. It's all but inflexible horizontally but very flexible vertically. You can easily roll the pack up from the toplid to the bottom. If I can figure how to keep things from getting funky I'll give this pack a 4 star rating. If I can't, it get's a 3 star, as it's still superlight and well built, but I shouldn't have to fenagle anything at $150. That was Ueli's job.

Polartec Power Shield Pro is some amazing stuff. I rock and ice climb in this jacket and have yet to permanently scuff or mar it. Light drizzle and snow can't seem to penetrate it. Line the Polartec with fur and you have a really great cold weather jacket, though gusty wind will blow right on through. Otherwise the Northwall tends to be a much warmer soft shell than a lot of people are used to. The fit is slim and trim. At 165lbs. 5-10, the medium fits me very nicely, though the sleeves are a bit long. BUT, I will take too long sleeves over too short sleeves any day.
This jacket is a great stand alone piece for active days in the cold. Stand still too long and your heat will leak out. The hood cinches down nicely and tends to stay put, even though the toggles and cords that hold the hood in place seem weak.
Worn as a heavy base layer - the hood (which fits really well by itself) is too bulky to work under a shell (IMHO).
Over all I'm digging this jacket.

Warm, fits very nice, pretty tough for how light it is. My wife loves her jacket. I own the down version and wear that one all the time too.

Love the warm wool liner. Love the waterproofing. Love the looks.
Snotnose wipe works perfect.
Not a big fan of the tad bit short and bulky fingers.

These boots were made for my feet - narrow with slightly wide toes and a medium high arch.
The construction feels solid while the boots are relatively light. The soles are 2x4 stiff but the slight built in rocker eases the strain of long walks. The ankle support is pretty solid as well.
They are warm, but not super warm. If I am idle, standing still, then somewhere around 25F degrees my toes get a little frosty, but I usually have cold toes.
If Scarpa and La Sportiva almost fit, try the Kaylands.
UPDATE:
The Glen ice climbing area is a short half-hour hike uphill from the parking area in the Lehigh Gorge State Park. With the laces undone above the ankles, these boots hiked (despite stiff soles) almost as well as a real pair of hikers. When I got my BD Sabretooth crampons on (which fit perfectly) the boots ultra stiff soles really started to shine. I had no problem kicking in points or standing on them afterwards. All day. The heavily padded tongue took most of the brunt. Fruit boots notwithstanding, I can not imagine a more precise feeling boot.

Good liners. The heal cup band thingies you see in the pictures actually do hold the socks in place fairly well.
I was... pleasantly surprised by these socks.

These socks are so thick and plush and soft and warm that your feet will melt and fall in love.

I own mountaineering socks from Darn Tough (longest lasting) Smartwool (cheapest) and another few pairs I don't remember the names of - These socks kick all their asses combined.

Now for the bad news... they really are monstrously THICK and your boots may not fit you anymore unless you pullout your insoles.

The naranja color is hunter blaze orange. Don't confuse it with the old Arcteryx aztec.That aside, this jacket is very warm for its weight and packs down tiny, much like a down jacket without the worry of wetout.
The Gossamera nylon feels almost too delicate to trust to any heavy lifting, but Backcountry.com's return policy makes that point almost moot.I am 5-10, 155 and I can wear either a small or a medium in Arcteryx gear. Smalls do not allow room for layering on me. I have this jacket in a medium and find it's the perfect size to either throw under OR over a shell.
For the money, I wish this jacket came with pit zips. Then it would be a truly versatile piece. As it is it's just merely great. Except for the retina burn I get every time I look at it.

Wicks and dries as advertised. Nice light layer, but it does not insulate much at all, which is why it works so well. The cut is Arcteryx perfect and the material doesn't smell as chemical-ly as many poly shirts do. Also, the feel of the Phase is a little slicker than some other Power Dry fabrics. The blue is color is straight out of the toy box.

Perfect for a tight fitting base layer. I really dig Icebreaker's merino.

I love the theory of this belt. Who wouldn't like a belt that's as secure as their climbing harness buckles. But the reality is that this belt is very big and clunky. The webbing is about 1 1/2" wide, maybe 2", and the buckles are even bigger. I didn't like the looks of it.

Comfy. Great mobility. Tough. I wear them everywhere, even to the crag, though they really are too nice to get scuffed up. My wife likes them so much she told me to go ahead and get another pair. I said, "But honey, they're like 80 bucks!" She said, "Then get two pairs!"

The R320 is very light, fits beautifully, has self locking buckles, and disappears when you wear it. It does everything a great sport harness ought to do. I knocked off one star because, while it is very comfy for such a light harness, it is not the overstuffed recliner of harnesses it's hyped up to be.

Solid shell. I've climbed quite a bit with this jacket, banged it up against lots of rock, wore it hiking and bushwhacking a few times, and it still looks like new. No leaks anywhere no matter the downpour. The hood stays on your head with or without a helmet.
I am very happy with my Troll.

I use these in my trail running shoes and love them. I have low volume feet so the extra space they take up isn't an issue. The extra cushion is nice too.

Very nice wool. Very thin wool.