There are a lot of lightweight down bag options these days, but for the price I don't think you can find a more high quality, lightweight bag than the Arroyo. The Atom and Hydrogen are great options bags as well, but you are paying more for a slimmer cut and only shaving a few ounces. You can't go wrong with Marmot down bags, so look for the one with the most comfortable dimensions for your body, or whatever is on sale at the time. I got mine at the end of last season for $160! A great accessory for the 20-40degree down bags is a small compression sack from Granite Gear or Sea to Summit. This compressed my Arroyo to the size of a mini soccer ball which makes it easy to pack in any size bag.

Pros: 1) The tape seamed shell material does an excellent job of shedding water throughout the day. I wore these in a slush storm and only the palms were noticeably wet. 2) The wrist closure is genius and easy cinch/uncinch with gloves on. 3) The dexterity is excellent, making flipping buckles, grabbing zippers and navigating pole loops is much easier than the Patagonia or Marmot ski gloves I have owned.

Cons: 1) If your hands are a bit sweaty and you pull the gloves off, the liner comes with it. I think this has more to do with the type of fleece material used in the liner than the glove construction. 2) The liner has no grip on the palm and starts shedding fleece when you use it separately. Fortunately they include an additional polartec liner with palm grips that is much better but not quite as warm.

In terms of the fit, I agree with the other reviewers that it's snug, but after 3-4 days on the hill it broke in nicely. I would classify my hands as "chunky" yet I still find most ski gloves to have a sloppy, baggy fit. In short, size up on this glove to be safe.

With any leather-palmed glove there is some degree of breaking in required, after which the glove is going to conform to the shape of your hand. I prefer leather palmed gloves despite their tendency to get soggy when wet because of the increased durability and fit they offer.

Overall, this is a really well-designed, well-made glove that's heavy on features but surprisingly not on weight. I would buy it again.

I ended up returning my BCA Stash for warranty and replacing it with the Osprey Switch 36 which has proven to be a better all around winter BC pack. The Switch 36 is slightly larger, has two easy access hip stash pockets for snacks, camera, GPS, etc as well as a more comfortable suspension for heavier loads. There are multiple options for carrying skis and the loops are reinforced with ballistic nylon so they won't get slashed by your edges.

There is no integrated hydration bladder in this pack, but you can easily slide one into the sleeve and thread the hose through the right part of the yoke. Some other reviewers were not fans the stretchy helmet pocket and goggle sleeve but I think they are clever, useful additions to the pack. The stretch material is not waterproof so you may end up with a wet helmet, but there is a waterproof barrier below it so that your pack stays dry.

Even though this pack was designed to be winter-specific I have found it very useful for traveling and day hikes. Overall another awesome pack from Osprey!

I'm a complete soft shell convert, but there are some trips where you only have room for one shell and it has to be bomber. For those trips, I highly recommend the SV line from Arcteryx and particularly the Sidewinder for it's versatility. The Sidewinder doesn't have a liner so you have to insulate it with layers, but it's completely downpour proof, windproof, not to mention highly resistant to snagging and tearing. Note that the Sidewinder AR does not have pit zips like the SV which are key for preventing overheating (big complaint about hard shells).

The two main drawbacks to this piece are far from deal breakers, but I'll point them out anyway.
1) The curving zipper seems gimmicky at first, but then you realize it's nice not having a frozen piece of metal in your mouth when waiting out a storm. Arcteryx lines the inner zipper flap with an ultra-thin, soft fleece material, but only the zipper flap. The rest of the collar holds no warmth and gets wet and chilly in high activity. Adding in a small piece of fabric the size of your face to the collar would be worth it's weight in gold.

2) The powder skirt and bottom of the jacket cinch with really tiny plastic closures that don't hold very well. I have experienced this issue with Arcteryx soft shells, but it's understandable since their designers tend to focus on minimalism. If you plan to use this jacket primarily for resort skiing (especially in POW), I would go with something more ski-centric. This jacket is bomber, but it was designed for the backcountry where lightweight is king.

In terms of sizing, it runs big, but that's good for when you need to throw it over a bulky fleece or down sweater. I am 6'3", 185lbs and the large is roomy but the sleeves and torso are just the right length. Over the past 3+ years I have used and abused my Sidewinder while mountaineering, BC touring, winter resort skiing, trekking and just keeping dry in rainy Portland. After all the abuse, my jacket is still in great shape and has never failed to keep me warm and dry which is why Arcteryx is worth the price for something as important as a shell.

I have the 2003 version of this tent and have gotten lots of use out of it over the years. The tent body and especially the fly are very durable and versatile, with plenty of storage space and ventilation options. If you are not expecting rain, the relatively light tent body is plenty to cut wind and keep you warm. The bathtub floors, heavy fly and stake-down options make the Swallow a true 3+ season tent. It was quite comfortable and warm when I brought it snow camping and the vestibule space easily accommodated all our gear and boots.

The two biggest downsides of this tent are that at almost 9lbs it's quite heavy and becomes hard to pack into the "burrito cover" Marmot gives you when out in the field. On the flip side, if you are looking for a durable, comfortable, well-designed tent to use year-round and you are more concerned with durability and comfort than weight, this is a great option. By far one of the most well-designed tents I have used. I prefer my Mountain Hardware Skyledge for summer and in more temperate conditions.

I have been using the stash BC pack for 2 seasons now and for the most part I love it. The design is simple, yet very functional, pockets are well placed, integrated hydration system is the best I have seen and the waterproof material/zippers shed water, even in a downpour. The outer pocket fits a shovel blade and there is an internal sleeve to store the handle and probe for quick access. My biggest complaint about this pack is the way the ski loops were sewn onto the top of the pack. The sewing is solid but the material is very thin and with no backing material the loops tore off after a single ascent with skis a-framed. The lightweight material used on this pack compromises durability and is prone to tearing if tested by an ice tool, crampon or pole tip. Like a previous reviewer, I also experienced some seam splitting (they are glued, not sewn).

I ended up returning my BCA Stash for warranty and replacing it with the Osprey Switch 36 which has proven to be a better all around winter BC pack. The Switch 36 is slightly larger, has two really useful hip stash pockets for snacks, camera, GPS, etc as well as a more comfortable suspension for heavier loads.