k.m4208660

Shares most of the attributes of the Control Max: like a cushy, warm, supportive, slipper. The cuff design is very similar to a ski boot. Incredibly comfortable. Compared to Control Max model, Evolution has slightly lower cuff. Also, Evolution model is harder to tie closed; loops are much smaller and tighter. Big loops on Control Max make getting in/out easier. Both are great choices, though. Fantastic gear.

Forgot to mention... only down side is that the cuff is so large, guessing most people will find what I did: that you'll be unable to fit straight-leg jeans over the boot. Boot cuts should work fine. That said, likely that if it's cold enough for you to wear this boot, you're likely going to be wearing something other than jeans to keep your legs warm... probably a pant with some kind of gaitor, in which case this consideration won't matter.

Once I put them on, I didn't want to ever take them off. Like a cushy, warm, supportive, slipper. The cuff design is very similar to a ski boot. Incredibly comfortable. Compared to Evolution model, Control Max has slightly higher cuff; I found it to be more comfortable. Also, Evolution model is harder to tie closed; loops are much smaller and tighter. Big loops on Control Max make getting in/out easier. Fantastic piece of gear.

'nuf said.

I own a LOT of TNF gear, and I have for 15 years straddled the line between size L and XL. I've typically opted for XL. Shocked that I had to go down to a Medium for a proper fit. I am 6'0", 210 lbs.

Compared the Seam against the Smith Optics Variant and Smith Optics Vantage. No two heads are the same shape, and for mine, the Seam fit like a glove. Both Smith options put pressure on the centerline of my head, and just were plain not as comfortable.

Skied the Seam in sub-zero Montana weather last week, and combined with an under armour balacava, was toasty warm.

Only complaint: the ear pads are not adjustable, and these hit my left ear in a way that was painful after a day of skiing. Problem seemed to go away after a few days' use. Could have been more a problem with the balacava than the helmet.

I had no "noise" issues as described by others.

Great helmet.

Love this bag. 29.5cm Technica Agent 110 boots fit nicely in lower/zippered boot compartment.

Recommend you think about how you want to use the bag. In my case, I never want my boots to go with checked baggage. I always bring them as carry-on. And this is a great bag for that. But if you load up the upper section as some have acknowledged you can, there's no way to get it in the overhead compartment of the plane (and then the flight attendant will take it from you and check it .. bad). In my case, I carried a second pair of (juvey) Nordica boots, a couple of miscellaneous items, and it was fine in the overhead. It was getting a little on the heavy side, though. Helped to have a rollaboard to wheel it around.

If, on the other hand, you're comfortable checking your boots with the airlines, then yes... knock yourself out and load this puppy up. Lots of room for helmet, goggles, clothing.

Build quality (and smart design) is what I've come to expect from Dakine packs/luggage.

Like the black/silver/white artwork. But main reason for purchasing this pole was the Trigger S grip, with the "dynamic release system." No doubt it's convenient to be able to snap your poles on/off your glove when needed, i.e. in the lift line.

But way too bad it didn't release for me on falls when it should have. I was skiing aggressively in Montana for a week last week, and took three spills. Two were entertaining enough that the poles should have released. But because they didn't, in one case my arm was twisted behind my back to the point I was immobilized. A week later, my shoulder still hurts from that incident. Pretty certain I injured my shoulder.

Does not work as advertised. Resulted in shoulder injury.

It's Hestra, so hard to go wrong. For same price point, I opted to go with the Heli Glove and paired them Hestra liners. That combo provided consistent protection down to minus 10 F last week in Montana. The XCR's seemed to be slightly less dextrous than the Heli's.

For me, the Hestra Heli Glove performed exceptionally well down to about 5 degrees; it has it's own removable liner. But for added warmth (we were skiing in sub zero weather last week in Montana), I wore these liners inside the Heli's, in they definitely provided warmth for another 15 degrees or so (down to minus 10 Farenheit).

If you do wear them as liners inside other Hestra gloves, may want to buy a size smaller (as these seem to run a little large). I paired size 8 liners with size 10 Heli's, and it was an awesome combo.

I also wore these liners solo as stand-alone light gloves whilst traveling. Worked great for this application too. Very dextrous.

Love Hestra, great brand and build quality. But IMHO, these are way overkill for any kind of skiing or snowboarding. As the product name implies, these are for serious mountaineering in very harsh climates. They're gigantic, presumably for that purpose.

Compared to the Dakine Fall Line bag, the Concourse bag has better padding, is larger, has nice velcro tie-downs for the skis AND for two sets of poles.

I loaded it up with two pair of skis and poles (174cm K2 Rictors with Marker Griffon bindings, 134cm Volkl Ledge juveys with bindings), and I filled the zippered compartments with gear/clothes (NO BOOTS)... and it weighed in at 65 lbs at the airport... enough to cost me for extra handling (exceeded 50 lbs).

The Concourse bag weighs 12.5 pounds empty.

It really is a great bag. And it's padded enough that one need not necessarily load it up with clothing to protect the skis. But if you do, then beware the weight issue with the airlines.

Very, very nice Dakine quality.

Skied seven days in them over Christmas/New Years in conditions ranging from falling snow, to flat light, to bright sunlight... and the lens was awesome. Performed as advertised. Great contrast, always a great light level thanks to the photochromic feature. And, GREAT field of view, thanks to the spherical lens shape.

Reminded me of my Serengeti Vermillion lens sunglasses from back in the day.

Fits great under a Gyro Seam helmet.

And though they are not advertised as OTG (over the glasses), I could have worn these over my Lindberg titanium eyeglasses. (Opted to sport contacts instead.)

Like others have acknowledged, these goggles are very large. I'm a pretty big guy (210 lbs, 6 feet), and still these were so large they pinched my nostrils to the point I had to breathe through my mouth. I opted for the Zeal Detonator. Same lens, smaller goggle frame. Skied seven days in them over Christmas/New Years in conditions ranging from snow, flat light, bright sunlight... and the lens was awesome.

Reminded me of my Serengeti Vermillion lens sunglasses from long ago.

I wanted these to work out... with a helmet, you look a like a fighter pilot in them... very cool. But alas, too large.

btw... the Detonators fit great under a Gyro Seam helmet.

I ended up buying the Dakine Concourse double bag instead. The Concourse has better padding, is larger, has nice velcro tie-downs for the skis AND for two sets of poles. Hard to see how this Fall Line bag could hold two sets of skis, WITH BINDINGS, and poles.

That said, a fully loaded Concourse bag, i.e. two pair of skis and poles (174cm K2 Rictors with Marker Griffon bindings, 134cm Volkl Ledge juveys with bindings), and compartments filled with gear/clothes (NO BOOTS), mine weighed in at 65 lbs at the airport... enough to cost me for extra handling (> 50 lbs).

The Concourse bag weighs 12.5 pounds empty. The Fall Line bag empty is less than 5 pounds.