Contributions by EXPO650 (16)

I bought a pair of the #1 size and 1 of the #4 in spring of 2005. I spent that entire summer in the backcountry with these sacks and it didnt take long before they became one of my favorite pieces of gear. Excellent, flawless build quality that will take anything you throw at it - I used the big #4 as a bear bag for all my stuff and the webbing strap on the bottom showed no sign of stress from being hung upsidedown and the drawcord was strong enough to keep everything from falling out during the night. Also, I never lost any sleep over hoping that all my food, clothes, etc. were staying dry in the downpoor - Hang the sacks upsidedown and a firehose wouldn't make it inside. END OF STORY: These things are bomber and a great bang for your buck!

Got this probe as part of a set last winter. Thankfully I have yet to use it in an actual burial, however in the nurmerous practice sessions I have done it has functioned flawlessly. I'm a big fan of the PFA assembly - all you gotta do is give a yank on the T-bar and the sections pop into place. I would give it 5 stars, but I'll wait till i have to use it when it counts for a rating like that.

A good piece of equipment that gets the job done well. I have only used it in practice burials so far, but if I were buried, i would'nt have a problem with my rescuers using this shovel to dig me out. The blade is nice and stiff and a good compromise between size and weight. The angled handle end is comfy, but can be a bit fussy when trying to secure it to the outside of a pack. Also, the blade doesn't slide well at all, so butt-shovel-sleds are a no go.

This was my 'company pack' for all of last winter. It had more than enough room to hold everything I wanted it to for the mountain. The diagonal ski carrier was a bit unwieldy at first, but after a seson of using it I would much rather carry diagonal than teepee. Huge plus for the insulated drinking tube. If I hadn't been issued one of these then I probably would have bought one just like it.

Fantastic skin! The STS tails fit my '05 Guns without a problem. The grip is absolutely excellent!! There is more to be desired when it comes to gliding, but to me that aint a big deal. As with most things, once you find a rhythm taking them on and off gets easier and easier. The bag I got with mine is still holding up OK - no holes etc., but it's only a year old, so we'll wait and see, i guess.

The blade on this thing is massive!! It may be noticably heavier than other shovels, but if that means I will be able to get to a victim faster by moving more snow then I think carrying the extra weight is worth it. The only negative - On more than one occasion when carrying the disasembled handle on the outside of a pack I have witnessed that the male end of the shovel (the end you attach to the blade) can become packed with enough snow to prevent the user from depressing the button that locks the handle and blade together, thus rendering your shovel useless. All you need is an end covering (duct tape or whatever) to prevent snow from being packed into the handle. With that solved I would give it 4 stars.

The only bad thing about these boxers is that I can't afford to update my entire boxer drawer with them. As far as being outdoors is concerned, I dont bother bringing any other kind of boxer with me. The fit is fantastic (the tri-pannel cut does a decent job of keeping the material from jamming itself into cracks *Ahem* where it shouldn't be) and the material is quite stretchy, so no need to worry about blowing a seam out. They dry very quickly and do a great job of holding off the funk of your junk after you've been on the trail for multiple days. If you're looking for a stellar piece of gear this is it!

Demo-ed these on two different powder days last season. The Chiefs performed well in first tracks/untouched pow conditions, but as soon as the runs got a little tracked out it was hard to push them without the tips flopping around like fish out of water. Before lunch time i was already wishing for something stiff enough to punch through the crud instead of trying to follow every little dip and rise. On piste abilities were less than desirable (forget about carving anything). Unless you`re lucky enough to live in a place where all you get is first tracks, and enjoy riding a soft ski, then I would look for something else.

This jacket is one of my all-time favorite pieces of clothing!! I am blown away at how warm (not in a stinky, sweaty way) this jacket is. Since I bought this jacket, it has replaced a heavy-weight fleece in my pack on every hike, climb, etc. At first I was skeptical about not having some sort of draw cord around bottom hem, but the fit is slim enough that I have never needed one. Definitely worth its weight in gold!!

Had this watch for about a year now and it has been a great help whenever and wherever I happen to be. My biggest complaint is that you can't set the alarm in the dark. The set button also activates the light (which you need for setting the alarm), so once you get to the alarm function the light is activated when you hold down the set button but it doesn't stay on long enough for you to reset the alarm. In order to have light again you have to hit the set button again which saves the time you weren't able to see to fix into the alarm. *Ugh* just use your headlamp! After hitting the default reset buttons on accident last winter the compass has not worked right since. Unfortunately the directions weren't that much of a help with recalibration. Not a big deal as I prefer my manual anyway. Altimeter is delightful and accurate, but needs to be recalibrated every once in a while. Barometer worked amazingly well during ski season, but for some reason hasn't worked that well since - not sure if it's me or if the weather is getting smarter. The watch has never faultered once, but I don't think the build quality is the greatest. Oh yeah, it's FREAKIN' HUGE!! If you ever get lost you can easily use this thing as a signal mirror or dinner plate (if you lost that too).

With the exception of three nights, this bag was my bed from June through mid August 2006. The low weight and compact ability was wonderful - think cylinder about the same width and length of a football only minus pointy ends. Bag temp ratings in the US are a little ambiguous and the 35 F rating on the Equinox was for me definitely not a comfort rating. I normally wear long underwear whenever I sleep in a bag and do not normally get cold very easily, so I was pretty bummed to have to get up and put a fleece layer on whenever the temp went south of 40 F. BOTTOM LINE: Great small size/compactability, but if where you're headed is going to get colder than 40 F @ night, bring a fleece layer or liner to throw on to keep you toasty till morning.

Used them on two, month long treks this summer and they shined on all terrain (esp. river crossings, snow fields, steep descents and travel on loose terrain) we encountered. Very light and super dependable. Can't wait to whip them out for the winter.

I love these things! I got these for a couple of reasons: 1) They are much lighter and more comfortable than my Chacos; 2) They protect my toes in and out of the water. Once back on dry ground the copious amount of screened drainage ports and quick-drying mesh/padding do a great job of making sure you don't carry a bunch of water around with you. The grippy sole has not let me down on the slippery stuff either.

I worked as ski instructor last winter and found the Apex material to be absolutely wonderful. It provided just the right amount of ventilation to keep me from sweating. I also had some problems with the snap, it popped open a few times when I had to pick up kids after a fall. By the end of the season, I had also managed to put a couple of slices in the lower inside pant legs (due to ski edges, I would assume). Not a great thing, but as they are all below the gaiter it's not exactly the end of the world.

It’s very warm and compactable. I have used the sleeping bag in many cold weather conditions and have been very satisfied with its performance every time. I spent one night without a tent at 9F and was toasty warm inside this sucker.

This is the best mid-range backpack I have owned, and it is a very multi-purpose piece of equipment. I have used it for hut-to-hut hiking in Europe (4 day trip, but I bet you could go longer with this thing), general travel, hiking, camping, even school. I used it over Thanksgiving '05 for a camping trip in NM and was amazed, it was cleared as carry-on luggage when fully packed plus a Thermarest strapped on the daisy chain.