Contributions by DeanDay (40)

I'm 6'1" 195 and got the large. Fit good, comfortable for 3 day hike ascending from 5,800 feet elevation to 12,000 feet and back. Needed to carry volume but wanted to go as light as possible for 15 mile long trail ascent. Large is 5,000 cu.in. and only 4 pounds. I had no problems, but I only had 20 pounds in it. It's a bare bones pack. Not as comfortable or sturdy as my Arc'Teryx Bora 80, but 3 pounds lighter. It was perfect for my situation.

I was concerned since I'm 73" tall that I wouldn't fit. It's OK, but just barely. I think 73" is the maximum height for this bag. Two 72" long, 20" wide rectangular pads are needed to slip into the bag. I may have an old one, there's no way to couple the pads, as they have separate sleeves. The sleeves do have a slight gap, but it's not an issue. Anyway the bag is great for my wife and I. It was warm down to 20 degrees F. It's a good 15 F bag for backpacking since it only weighs 42 ounces per person, and you get to sleep with your wife.

Only two poles that are connected by a plastic hub (like one pole really since they are connected), so there's not much mystery. Easy set up. The one pole goes into the "hood", and the other is placed long the brim of the hood into grommets on the sides. It is similar to the Bibler Tripod Bivy only there is no pole to create foot room. This bivy is slightly more roomy than the Bibler Tripod. The dimensions are on the Big Agnes website. I haven't tested it in a nasty storm yet, but so far it's a nice bivy.

I like these pants. They're not as thick as I thought, but very comfortable, and work great for cool weather hiking. The built in belt works great. I am a 36 waist 34 inseam pant, and the XL was just right.

This 1000 cordura nylon shell covering is great. Wind, water repellent, very durable. Tough and warm. Sizes run larger than other brands. I'm 6'1" and weigh 195, and the large tall was just right. I normally would take an XL.

Warm polyester but the regular length is not long enough for me. They were on sale, so I thought I'd try the x-large. The length is still marginal, and the waist is too big. The x-large really is for a 40 inch waist. The sizing on the chart is right. They have a fly which I consider important, since I wear them hiking in the winter. It's drag to drop you're pants when it's cold.

Seems a little soft for what I like in a pillow. Head sinks in pretty far. Other than that it is good. It's pricey, but a very comfortable pillow.

There are three Easton aluminum poles. One short one, and two long ones. All poles go inside the tent. The short one goes on the top between the top of the two doors. The long ones go diagonal from corner to corner on this rectanglar tent. There are internal twist clips that attach the poles to the inside of the tent. Easy to set up. This is the best tent I have ever owned. It's roomy, and so versatile. It works in any kind of weather. With the two huge doors, half of the surface of the tent can be open mesh, so summer is ok too. Weighs about 7-1/2 pounds fully packed with the Bibler ground cloth.

The pack comes in three pieces to enable a custom fit. The pack body, the exodus shoulder straps, and the exodus waist belt. It was not obvious how to put these together, and the instructions had bad black and white small photos. We finally figured it out, and got it together, and it didn't fit my daughter right. It was such a hassle to put together the first time, we didn't have the energy to do it again. We sent it back. It's probably a good pack, but we never got that far.

This bag is the most comfortable sleeping bag I have ever slept in. Warm, soft, it is a dream. It used to be mine. My wife tried this bag, and now won't sleep in anything else when we are camping even if it's warm. She just unzips the bag if it is warm. It has a wider cut, and it is roomy enough to where to don't have that claustrophobic feeling. Expensive, but well worth it for winter camping. Don't let your wife try it, or else buy two.

I use the 2" thick 20" wide rectangular two track pad with the bag. The Big agnes pillow fits the pillow pocket just right. Very comfortable sleeping bag. Good backpacking bag.

This pillow is for rectangular style Big Agnes sleeping bags with a pillow packet. I put them in my kid's Big Agnes Encampment sleeping bag, and the pillows work great. They don't fit my Big Agnes mummy style bag very well, even though there is a pillow packet in that one. This pillow is great for one type of sleeping bag, but is not for any other.

The sleeping pad fits inside a sleeve in the bag so you don't slip off the pad. When I looked at the bag's dimensions, I thought it would be huge. The Big Agnes pad fitting into the back of the bag took up the room. With the 2.5" thick Big Agnes REM dual air core pad in the bag, it's a little tight but OK. I'm 6'1" and weigh about 195. The 2" thick Big Agnes two track pad fit better, and the 1-1/2" thick Big Agnes Hinman pad would be even better. Overall, it's a great backpacking sleeping bag for weight. The dual air core pad and Stilwater bag only weigh 5-1/2 pounds, and it's rated down to 0 F.

Rated down to 15 F. Comfortable in a bivy. Packs really small. Big Agnes makes good pads. Great backpacking pad.

I already had a Big Agnes REM dual core pad (0 degrees F rating), and wanted a lower tempreature rating. This pad has a minus 25 F rating. It doesn't pack as small as the dual core, so if you need pack room, and don't need the minus 25 F rating, the REM core is a little lighter and takes up less space. I use the mummy pads in a bivy, so I don't slide off. The Big Agnes two track pad is great, and it's warm. I have slept in minus 10 F in the bivy, pad, warm sleeping bag with no problem.

I needed a warm and comfortable long mummy pad to fit into my Bibler Tripod bivy. It fits, and it's great. Warm in 10 degrees F. I think it would be hard to stay on if I wasn't in a bivy. Easy to inflate, fits into the provided Big Agnes sack. The repair kit and instructions fit into a little pocket in the Big Agnes sack.

I needed a warm and comfortable long mummy pad to fit into my Bibler Tripod bivy. It fits, and it's great. Warm in 10 degrees F. I think it would be hard to stay on if I wasn't in a bivy. Easy to inflate, fits into the provided Big Agnes sack. The repair kit and instructions fit into a little pocket in the Big Agnes sack.

Ordinarily, I like a wider pad. This pad is only 20 inches wide. But, this pad fits into my Bibler Tripod bivy, where a wider pad does not. It is warm and does the job. I don't know about it being self inflating, so far I have to blow it up more tha a few puffs. It's the warmest pad I could find to fit into the bivy. I like it. It seems to fit into the bag fine for me. Also, it has a little pocket for the repair kit.

Ordinarily, I like a wider pad. This pad is only 20 inches wide. But, this pad fits into my Bibler Tripod bivy, where a wider pad does not. It is warm and does the job. I don't know about it being self inflating, so far I have to blow it up more tha a few puffs. It's the warmest pad I could find to fit into the bivy. I like it. It seems to fit into the bag fine for me. Also, it has a little pocket for the repair kit.

I ordered the long and was disappointed with the pad. I sent it back. The battery pack takes 6 AA batteries, and it's sort of a hassle to get the batteries in the plastic battery pack. Then when I turned it on, it was not as warm as I had hoped. A "non-electric" pad is just as good, and not as complicated. It's not worth the money.

I wanted to fit a large (26" rectangular wide) pad into this bivy. It looked like it would fit from the pictures. The pictures do not give enough detail on the size of this item. It is about 13" wide at the head, 34" wide at the shoulders which is 32" from the head, and 19" wide at the foot which is 54" from the shoulders. You will not get a rectangular pad into this thing, but a long Big Agnes REM mummy pad does fit inside this. Great bivy, and I'm glad I bought it. Water proof, roomy. Packs small, weight about 3 pounds.

I haven't had cords since I was in high school. (30 years ago) Very comfortable, loose fit. They are my favorite pants. I'm used to blue jeans, so the soft feel of the corduroy is biased. These are warm, great in the winter/fall/spring, but too much in hot weather.

No zipper. 1 lb. bag, polarguard insulation. Packs small. Great light bag for backpacking trips for cool above freezing weather.

Slept overnight in minus 5 degrees F. Combined with the North Star Dark Star minus 40F bag, it was warm, and I get cold when I sleep. I got the 9 deluxe after reading reviews about not staying on the narrower mats (I'm 6'1", 195). I've slept on the pad in my house on tile. I'll take it backpacking this summer, even if it's big, because it's so comfortable. The air-bag inflate is tricky at first, but it's not bad once you get used to it.

This jacket is not warm as jackets go, so I'm not sure how it would work for skiing. Probably not bad with fleece under it. It has zip external, and mesh internal pockets. It appears to be wind / water proof, breathable (3 layer "Gelanots"). The hood is zip-off, and has small visor-like extension in the front. The material is nice, not plastic feeling, and it should be weatherproof.

Lightweight, stretchy, air permeable, water repellent. Probably a good aerobic activity jacket in cool weather. Zip with internal placket, zip mesh pocket, adjustable.

Very light and surprisingly warm for its weight. The 900 down is lofty, but compresses into a small nylon bag. A great backpacking bag. No zipper is a hassle, but it's made to be light. Not for warm nights without a zipper. This is a fall/spring bag.

This 3 layer is a good fabric - comfortable, waterproof, and sturdy. The hood has an extended "mini-visor" on it to keep the rain off. I got a large (6'1", 195) and it's a little tight and not as long as I had hoped, but serviceable. The zippers seal well, but the main zipper sits inside the fabric on both sides which makes it waterproof but a little tricky to zip up the first time.

This is a nice light sleeping bag with a good water repellant outside, but it is pretty thin. I got it to take instead of a tent, but I haven't used it in really wet weather. I am not sure I'd trust it alone to 25d F. The bag zips completely over your head, so if you like to breath fresh air it's kind of claustrophobic. I like it when its colder since it zips up all the way, and I put my North Face down 30d F bag inside the Marmot. Plenty of room for lining the Marmot with another light bag, and both bags together are warm in cold temperatures and light to carry.

Great price, and Jansport makes great affordable backpacks. This one is quite roomy for a lumbar pack, and I use it for day hikes. I can carry water in bottles in the bottle holders, food, and a light rain jacket in the main section, and really don't need anything else for a light day hike. It's great.

Getting regular PreCip pants over boots is a tight fit. Full-zip solves that. The long size of XL (I prefer) is 34" versus 33" for regular. The PreCip material is waterproof for the rainstorms I've been in. Light weight, packable, but (like other posts) I wouldn't use them in an abrasive environment.

Beware if you have size 13+ feet, and wear boots. The leg zippers are not long enough, and you will have "fun" getting the pants over the boots. I agree with a previous post on the inseam length being shorter than I would like. Full-zip Marmot PreCips solve that. These pants are waterproof, packable, and a great value.

This glove is not very warm, but it is light weight and water/wind resistant. That's what I bought it for, so I'm happy. I use it when riding a motorcycle in cooler summer weather, and it works great for that. Definitely not a winter glove, but it could be a good warm spring skiing glove.

These are thick, warm wool socks. I love them. I wanted to see what happened after a wash to make sure they didn't shrink up like some wool socks I've had. They did not shrink up, and are great socks. Too heavy for summer use, but great winter socks and very comfortable. The most comfortable socks I own.

Label on it says that it takes a little while (up to 30 minutes) to inflate the first time, and it should be inflated several times before use. So far, it's a good pad, and it comes in its own nylon carrying bag. Comes with straps to attach it to a pack, and a repair kit. A less-expensive pad, and worth the money.

Fully taped, waterproof / breathable 100% nylon, 3.6 oz. / yd2, 2-layer nylon taffeta face with DWR and dry polyurethane coating, includes a stuff sack, 8,000 mm waterproofness, 2,000 g/m2 / 24 hrs breathability. It appears to be waterproof, but it doesn't "breathe" like I hoped it would. The torso is short on me but the sleeves are long enough. I'm 6'1" with a long body and bought an XL. It's the least expensive rain jacket I found, so it's probably a good value.

Fully taped, waterproof / breathable 100% nylon, 3.6 oz. / yd2, 2-layer nylon taffeta face with DWR and dry polyurethane coating, includes a stuff sack, 8,000 mm waterproofness, 2,000 g/m2 / 24 hrs breathability. It appears to be waterproof, but it doesn't "breathe" like I hoped it would. The torso is short on me but the sleeves are long enough. I'm 6'1" with a long body and bought an XL. It's the least expensive rain jacket I found, so it's probably a good value.

Not extremely heavy to me, but very comfortable. I have narrow feet and like thicker socks, so I have a bias opinion. They feel like cotton, but I know they'll wear better.

These Thorlo socks are comfortable, and they are not as thick as the "wear a half size larger boot" comment had me believe. They are "Thor-lon" acrylic, maximum protection level, midweight padding, extended hikes over varied terrain, in moderate climate. I'll wear these everywhere.

I like the aluminum tubing corner brace system on this tent. It's strong, and it's part of the tent so you don't lose it. The tent is easy to set up, two shock corded aluminum support poles crisscross and plug into the aluminum corner braces, and the tent clips on to the aluminum poles. It's not an easy one man set-up. Easier for two men to get the tent set up due to the corner pieces having to be stood up and plugged into by the poles the at the same time. The fly is a little complex for me, but I'm lazy. It has clips that snap onto the tent, and hook-and-loop-closure straps that wrap around the vestibule pole.

I used them on a long motorcycle trip in cold weather. I ordered the large size, and had smaller fleece mittens under them. During extreme use, 15F at 75mph, my hands stayed warm.