Contributions by DaddyNeedsPow (15)

I don't have Giardia yet.

Soft and warm, but not so stifling that you burn up on the up-track. The pocket is awesome, but I actually haven't used it for anything yet. Seems like a good place for your spring resort skiing prophylactic stash. ;-)

These pants have exactly the right combination of features for me: full zipper vents, burly waterproof hard shell, awesome breathability, indestructible waterproof zippers, built in suspenders, logical and USEFUL pockets, and a great fit that flatters my ass but loose enough in the leg to keep the ladies from being intimidated by my giant skin-track dominating quads. Ahem, I mean they fit really well. I like the way they ride high on the waist to keep the pow out but aren't suffocating like full bibs. For this level of awesomeness the price is quite nice, too. If I ever manage to wear them out, I will gladly buy another pair.

I've used these mainly for spring backcountry skiing where the only real use for any pair of pants is keeping you cool on the skin up and keeping things dry on the ski down. The fabric is very delicate, so if you crash on a rock or get too close to a tree, be prepared for a snag. My only other reservation is that the full zip, when used as a vent, requires both hands and a little too much coordination to zip up again. No gaiters means that you're better off using something more technical for powder. If I hiked in rainier weather than the Wasatch and Tetons they'd have a perminent place in my summer pack.

I like my gear durable and basic (you won't catch me hiking around with a full-on spice rack) and this set fits the bill. There's plenty of room to fit your MSR firefly stove to protect it from a tight pack, and I can usually squeeze in my bag of coffee and extra matches. Cardinal backpacking rule: keep your matches and caffeine dry.

In the summer, this jacket is a permanent resident in my pack. I've never felt a drop from the sky after putting it on and zipping up (the front hook and loop closure flaps protect the zipper from leakage), and love using it as a windbreaker on summits. Not burly enough for winter or mountaineering use, and, as others have noted, not the most breathable jacket around, but does its job amazingly as a summer afternoon mountain storm insurance policy.

We've just returned from our first trip together, a lovely cross country ski outing around Taggert Lake in the Grand Teton park. The weather was sunny but cold (5-10 degrees) but I was kept warm and dry on the track in. I pulled a puffy jacket out of my pack when we stopped for lunch, but the wind protection of the figure 4 meant the puffy went back in the pack for the downhill cruise out. It also kept me nice and dry when I crashed in the pow off the side of the trail. Why do snowshoers always tromp up the ski track??? Next time, I'm gonna plow right into them, so watch out, you know who you are!

I've been very happy with this pack, but wish I'd gone for the 32L size. 22L gives me enough room for skins and an extra layer. It would be nice to have a bit more of a buffer. There's a slick rescue whistle built into the chest buckle. The avy gear storage pocket is a great idea -- depending on the shape of your shovel blade you may end up with less usable space in the main compartment.

The shell is impressively stiff and very light. The stiffer black tongue can wait until the corn comes in spring! With the rubber soles, these things almost look and hike like a mountaineering boot. But the standout feature is the Intuition liner. The fit that I got for my narrow, flat feet beats the crap out of the heat fit Salomon liners that I ride inbounds. They come out of the box with a very upright stance. I've been gradually leaning them forward (easily adjustable with hex bolts on the cuff) and have found my happy place after a couple tours. The walk mode is perfect -- I no longer hold up the party by tightening and messing with buckles. One flip of the switch and down you go.

but that's the reason I got it. Already I've been comfortably standing around in some December in Wyoming temps and been perfectly toasty. I really love the pocket layout (chest, sleeve, goggles/glove, stash pocket, and iPod). The powder skirt does seem a little flimsy, and the zipper could be better, but, as far as value and waterproof warmth go, a great jacket at this price.

I love this stove. It boils fast and has the fit and finish of a really bomb-proof piece of gear. BUT, save yourself a little bit of money and don't get the model with the auto igniter. It's never lit using MSR's ISO fuel, which is the only fuel I've tried with the stove. It's an easy problem to fix (flick your bic or bring matches) but a disappointing waste of money.

I've skied it in the resort and in the backcountry all spring and love it. Opinions are really divided on its performance on hardpack and groomed terrain, but I think it carves really nicely as long as the frozen stuff is smooth. Off-piste frozen potatoes give it problems for sure, so go look for some nice smooth corn and rip! PS it's really light and is an awesome AT ski.

I managed to break the thing in its first outing at the Snowbird Rescue Training Center. The cord which holds the sections together has a nice looking durable wrap around it. With repeated aggressive probing (anybody else have problems actually hitting the targets even though your beacon says they're right there?), though, I managed to wear through the wrap, exposing the inner cord. Unfortunately, the friction between the wrap and the handle is what holds the thing together. No wrap = no friction = no tension = probe falls apart. I've purchased a Voile probe with metal cable guts instead of string and will be putting it to the test soon.

I'm a beacon newbie and approached my first outing at the Snowbird RTC with trepidation. The beacon however, performed flawlessly and was very intuitive. I found myself getting to within a meter of the targets very quickly (2-3 minutes).

This is a great piece of equipment. Paying $300 for an altimeter watch is no longer necessary. The altimeter stays pretty accurate over time and weather changes and I couldn't be happier! Yeah, it's big, but we're mountain hippies not supermodels, right?