Contributions by Julia Niles (6)

Wow. This sucker is warm! For the size (it compresses quite small) this thing really packs in the BTU's. There was a cold snap up in the Canadian Rockies while I was on my ice climbing trip. I couldn't manage sitting in a coffee shop with nothing to do but write reviews for another day- so I went for it. At minus 18 C, this thing is KEY apparel for the belays. Even following my fellow torture lover, I wore this jacket happily- and forgot my pain for a few brief moments . . . until I had to get back on the sharp end.

This jacket rocks my world. The fit is superb- long sleeves with a comfy thumb hole. When its a bit chilly- a hood to protect against the stiff breezes, yet it's light enough to barely know its there. This jacket doesn't waist any weight on extra pockets or random frills- it is a lean, mean, ski touring machine (especially when I wear it). I have yet to find a better jacket for the long up-hill battles on skis.

There is a reason why this tent has withstood the test of time: it gets the job done. There is no other tent I would rather be in in a patagonian storm or a the classic wind and sleet Storm of say the Waddington Range. I have slept in mine many nights guiding on Denali or just car camping in Indian Creek- and miraculously, it still stays dry in a squall! And if for some reason, it falls apart, there is a lifetime warranty. The doors make for super easy entry and exit, the windows are in the right place for checking conditions, and the color fends off depression when stuck inside. When living in it long term with three people, it provides plenty of pockets for everyone to claim a bit of their own real estate. It might be heavy, but it is worth every ounce when sitting out a storm. To staying dry in the mountains!

The Sawtooths Range in Idaho is not known for rain. It had also been a dry summer, so wet weather was the last thing I expected. The Quark went in the pack just because it was too light not to bring. It would at least serve as good wind protection high on some route at Elephants Perch. Little did we know, we had chosen the wettest weekend of the summer. We were three pitches up the beautiful rock climb, Myopia (IV 5.11), when we turned around and saw death by cloud moving in fast. Ten minutes after touching down, the rain and thunder started. We got to our floating tent and scrambled to lift it to high ground. It was raining too hard to get in the tent- so dawning the quark, I became the human water repellancy tester. I couldn't believe how dry I stayed. We cooked dinner in the deluge, I watched as our friend's ancient gore-tex soaked right through, meanwhile the 9 oz Quark kept me totally dry. I got in the tent that night cozy and dry. After twenty four hours of rain, the hillsides had slid down covering trails with 5 feet of debris. The floods caused a chaos of mudslides in the region, yet I remained in peaceful oblivion wearing the phenomenally dry Quark Jacket. All that said, I would not choose this jacket on long expeditions where it might be subjected to lots of friction with rock or ice. It does not have lots of pockets for days of use. Its best attributes are that it is light enough to put in the pack when you might not need it. And it really works when you do. Now, all we need are Quark pants.