Contributions by White Lightning (5)

I bought these to be completely waterproof, as I've really appreciated that in a pair of studded Ice Runners I used all winter in ice and snow. Compared to my water-resistant Brooks ASR running shoes, the North Face Arnuva 100 TR GTX truly is more waterproof, though I did get wet once so far by stepping in a puddle deeper than the shoe (not much a shoe can do about that.) I've been surprised how warm they are when worn indoors, compared to the ASRs. I suspect that will limit my use of them to days I really expect rain, and that I'll still use the ASRs when there's only a chance of rain. I'm not usually a trail runner, so can't comment on that aspect of the North Face shoes. On pavement or asphalt, they are noticeably slower than my Newtons, about 2 minutes slower in a 5K, with much of that difference due to having to run more carefully in the rain. (The good news is that now I _CAN_ run in the rain.) My main use for these is walking 4 miles a day to work on rainy days, and they are wonderful for that. Overall, I'm really glad to have them, and would buy them again.

I was looking for the warmest possible glove. Keeping 3 fingers together (still individually wrapped inside) really helps. This is much warmer than my Trek Lobster cycling gloves, but I miss that glove's soft absorbent nose wipe area. Similarly, this is about equal in warmth to my almost-warm-enough SWANY X Change glove, except this lacks the zippered area for a heat pack of the SWANY. It's been perfect so far, but today's 20 degrees is as low as it's gotten yet this Fall, leaving another 20 degrees or so for a full test. I particularly like the Heli's elastic wrist bands to keep from losing them. Those work much better than the ones that came with the SWANY.

I've had the jacket for several more weeks now, and still love everything else about it, but now have to agree with the earlier poster that down feather loss is a daily occurrence - about two feathers a day for me. (Hint: if a feather starts to emerge, cut it off; don't pull it out, because another may then follow.) To avoid such litter when necessary, I've now also bought a North Face "Redpoint" jacket, which is very similar, but insulated with PrimaLoft.

I've had the jacket for several more weeks now, and still love everything else about it, but now have to agree with the earlier poster that down feather loss is a daily occurrence - about two feathers a day for me. (Hint: if a feather starts to emerge, cut it off; don't pull it out, because another may then follow.) To avoid such litter when necessary, I've now also bought a North Face "Redpoint" jacket, which is very similar, but insulated with PrimaLoft.

This truly is ultralight - only 2 oz. of down and 6 oz. overall. For me, that turned out to be a bit less warmth than hoped -- equal to, but not warmer than a sweater or fleece. My other concern is that my 34" waist felt snug in size Medium. On rechecking, for Montbell, Medium only goes up to waist size 33. On the bright side, I saw no sign of down leakage, and liked the style and feel. I replaced this jacket with a North Face Flash, also is size Medium, which solved both concerns, alas for more money.

The flash is everything I hoped it would be: warm enough indoors to leave the thermostat low, and also warm enough for outdoor aerobic exercise in frost and wind. The Flash is noticeably warmer than a fleece or sweater, yet lighter than either. It was also windproof in its first outdoor test today. Being able to store it in its own pocket is great, as is its feel on my neck. The blue color and shape are also fine, as are the other pockets and the zippers. I've lost one large and one small feather thus far, but that's typical of down garmets. If you plan to get it wet, down may not be the best choice, but otherwise, this is an ideal next step beyond a fleece.

The flash is everything I hoped it would be: warm enough indoors to leave the thermostat low, and also warm enough for outdoor aerobic exercise in frost and wind. The Flash is noticeably warmer than a fleece or sweater, yet lighter than either. It was also windproof in its first outdoor test today. Being able to store it in its own pocket is great, as is its feel on my neck. The blue color and shape are also fine, as are the other pockets and the zippers. I've lost one large and one small feather thus far, but that's typical of down garmets. If you plan to get it wet, down may not be the best choice, but otherwise, this is an ideal next step beyond a fleece.