Contributions by Schott5504 (12)

It's advertised as "watertight" in Backpacker magazine and even a hose couldn't sneak any water in... well that's almost true. The fabric is incredibly durable, and water proof as far as I've ever taken it. The hood is completely watertight with a waterproof zipper to top it off. However, there is a long side access zipper down the bag that isn't waterproof.. and lets a lot of water in when it's pouring. Why The North Face would make a waterproof pack, but not include a waterproof zipper for the longest zipper on the bag is beyond me. There is a storm flap that covers it, but it doesn't help much. With that considered, here are the good notes- The frame is the most comfortable internal I've ever used. Although you can't really overload the bag or else the hip belts start to fail, around the 55 lbs and up range. Getting that much weight into a 60 liter bag is pretty tough for and average backpacking trip though. The 30 to 40 pound range is amazing! Rotating hip belt moves with you, great center of gravity, and the ventilation on your back works well. The zipper pulls are wonderful too, no little strings, but rubber finger loops. Great durable pack, that carries loads exceptionally well, but I wish they would have made it with a waterproof zipper. My experience for credibility- Trip guide for the past 4 years leading trips around the U.S..

I have to say that I do love these shoes for a light hiker. I typically wear a 12 or 13, depending on the brand, but the 12's are what fit me the best. With that, if you are on the edge of a shoe size, I would recommend going with the smaller size. These are very comfortable shoes for day hikes and so on. I've tried them out for 9 days in a Utah canyon with a very heavy backpack and they worked ok. It's certainly not what they are made for though, and showed it towards the end. They have always stayed water proof, and the support has been consistent. The reason I rated the shoes as 4 stars is for two reasons. First the tongues on the shoes take a while to get used to when you try to really tighten up the shoe. Second, my pair seems to eat shoe laces, which could be a problem if they fail on trail. I would recommend them to anyone.

I have to say that I do love these shoes for a light hiker. I typically wear a 12 or 13, depending on the brand, but the 12's are what fit me the best. With that, if you are on the edge of a shoe size, I would recommend going with the smaller size. These are very comfortable shoes for day hikes and so on. I've tried them out for 9 days in a Utah canyon with a very heavy backpack and they worked ok. It's certainly not what they are made for though, and showed it towards the end. They have always stayed water proof, and the support has been consistent. The reason I rated the shoes as 4 stars is for two reasons. First the tongues on the shoes take a while to get used to when you try to really tighten up the shoe. Second, my pair seems to eat shoe laces, which could be a problem if they fail on trail. I would recommend them to anyone.

This sleeping bag is incredibly comfortable. It has a nice soft liner, and has the most room of any of my other mummy bags. However, the 40 degree rating is pushing it. I was looking for a summer bag for the BWCA in northern Minnesota and the Apostle Islands in nothern Wisconsin. Although it is still early in the summer I've tested out the bag on some of my trips and have been chilled a few times. Last time the temperature was only in the mid 40's at night, and I needed to get out all my long underwear and a fleece. However, it is so light and small that the extra room allows you to carry the extra clothes you will need when the temps drop at night.

These sunglasses are expensive, so once you finally take the hit and buy them you will love them! I have had these for 8 months now, and I use them for running, biking, paddling,camping snowboarding, and of course casual. They block wind very well, and no matter how hard you sweat the rubber nose and arm sleeves won't move. The polarization works wonders for on the water, and even with the concrete when biking. Once you have a pair of polarized Oakleys you will never go back. I've had nice glasses in the past, but these are by far my favorite. Only down side is that for the price you only get a cloth case, I highly recommend buying a hard case for protection. I'm not sure how many times that has saved mine. Once you put these on, you will never want to take them off.

Awesome pair of backpacking pants. I used them for 10 days straight in Southern Utah backpacking and they couldn't have been better. The pockets can hold everything you need, energy bars, camera, knife, etc.. and when the weather gets warm you can turn them into shorts in no time. Because they have zippers at the feet you don't need to take off your shoes either. Only problem is that the water repellent wore off in just a few days on constant wear and tear. They took a severe beating, but held up great.

So far these have been nice crampons, but I have yet to really pound on them to see how they stand up to some real abuse. They have stayed sharp and sturdy so far though. The only thing that could be a problem is that the extender bar is maxed out, according to the recommendations. They are maxed out on a size 12 US boot, but you could squeeze a 12.5 size boot into them.

I had these gloves last winter, and now into this winter and I am searching for a way out. They aren't very warm, but they are a huge hassle. If you try to take your hand out, most of the time the inner glove will come out with it. If you want to just wear the shells and you take your hand out, the entire liner will come out with your hand because it's not sewn or even glued in. Once the liner is out, that is basically it. The Gore-Tex liner covers up the finger holes making it almost impossible to get your fingers back into the glove. Average time to get it back in is probably a half hour. My best advice is to throw them away after you've bought them and save yourself the time and pain.

So far they have been great. I haven't gotten to really test these out yet, but on the easy conditions they have worked perfectly. I have size 12 US Vasque M Finities and the spread bar on the Sarkens is "safely" maxed out, you can make it slightly longer but it's not recommended as read in the directions. If your boots are bigger than size 13 you might have a problem. I couldn't decide between these or the Sabertooths, but I got these and my friend got the Sabertooths. He mentioned that he was a bit jealous of the Sarkens. I would recommend these to anyone.

I have only used these boots a few times, but they have been great. They are very comfortable and fairly easy to walk in. The heel fits nice and snug while there is plenty of room in the toe box. I'm between a size 12 and 13 US shoe size and I went with the 12's and they fit great even with a heavy pair of socks. I was expecting these boots to be a little bit warmer than they are. After sitting for only an hour or so my toes were cold, but not freezing. Overall though I like the boots a lot.

Programming this watch is pretty difficult, you do not want to set a certain barometer and also the altimeter. Once you have the correct barometer set then the altimeter is fairly accurate. If you want to watch to remain accurate the barometer has to be updated fairly often, about twice a week. I would recommend updated it right before you head out to use it to be the most accurate. There are a lot of nice features on this watch though, graphs of barometric pressure and change in altitude is really nice. Also an altimeter alarm so you know when you hit certain height with out having to always look at the watch. The thermometer is very accurate also. The watch is water resistant to 50 meters, but anyone who would need a watch like this would love to see it be waterproof. The customer service was great though when I had a question about how to initially set the watch functions.

By far the best shell that I have ever owned. No matter what the weather is, rainy, windy, snowy, and all those combined this jacket takes it with no problem. The PrimaLoft insulation in my opinion is just as good as down, and you don't have to worry about getting it wet. Everything works great, all pull cords work with gloves on too, and the waterproof zippers have worked flawlessly. I am just over 6'1" and got the XL, the sleeves were too short on the large. Incredibly comfortable too, it will make your friends jealous.

I could not have asked for a better light weight jacket. Every other fleece I own the wind cuts right through, but this has been great! Some wind gets through the zippers, but if you are biking or running it feels nice. Weighs practically nothing and packs down great. I am just over 6' 1" and bought the large and it fits perfect. Even the sleeves are long enough so I didn't need to go up to an XL. This jacket has so many uses I hardly ever leave home with out it.