Reviews by User: Steph Powell (50)

I got these gloves as a gift. My mom liked them and wears them often (in the winter) for lightweight occasions. They fit her well and are very comfortable. They are not the gloves to buy if you are looking for something to provide a lot of warmth.

I own several kinds of quickdraws including keylock gate type only, mix of keylock and wiregate, and wiregate only. There are few wiregate-only quickdraws available and this one hits the spot. They are a great purchase for beginner and advanced climbers -- lightweight compared to several other Black Diamond quickdraws. It's worth the extra money to have the wiregates. You can never go wrong with Black Diamond quickdraws - I've always been satisfied.

These gloves are great - My hands FREEZE when I am skiing so I needed to buy something to wear underneath ski gloves. I used to use the cheap glove liners that anyone can buy at Target, but spending the extra money on these quality gloves was worth it. They are very soft and warm.

I love the fit of this shirt and the breathability. It is a great shirt to wear for working out - in early spring / late fall with just a sports bra. It's also a great addition over an under-armour shirt when in colder weather (ie backcountry skiing / snowshoeing). I also wear it as a casual skirt b/c it's pretty comfortable and the cut is flattering.

This shirt is great for working out in cooler weather - it is very breathable but also provides some warmth unlike other thinner performance shirts. It's fit is a little less feminine than other performance shirts, but overall a great shirt for working out, hanging out in the outdoors, or everyday wear.

I was deciding whether to purchase this jacket versus several other more stylish and more expensive jackets. I chose this jacket because it was a bit more affordable and am happy with the results. I didn't want to spend more than $100 for a jacket that I wouldn't wear that much, but it does it's job. I like the color and fit.

This shirt holds up to The North Face standards. It is super comfortable, fits like all other TNF products and is high quality. It's a great hang out shirt and can also be used for minimal workouts like hiking.

These bindings are awesome, lightweight, tour great, and are torsionally stiff.

I like these shoes -- I'm on my third pair. As far as fit go, I believe they fit a little narrower than other climbing shoes. I love the slip-on style - they are super easy to take on and off. They will stretch if you buy them super small altho new climbers typically don't need to buy shoes super small. Overall they are a versatile climbing shoe -- they aren't super strong for heel moves though.

I absolutely love this shirt. I am usually hesitant about buying tank tops online but I was pleased with this purchase. It's super comfortable and fits great. It also seems pretty durable.

This shirt fits the arc'teryx style -- more on the fitting side, great quality, and awesome. I've worn it for climbing at the gym and outside on very hot days. It's great for a variety of other activities.

These skis are versatile - fat enough to ski powder but with a stiff enough flex to ski groomers. The twin tips are nice - might help release from turns better. I ski them tele and so far I'm satisfied. They are stylin!

I got this pack b/c one of my friend's suggested it. I am very happy with it. It is large enough to carry all of the typical backcountry gear (probe, shovel, beacon, shell, softshell(?), snack, camera, gloves, goggles). I looked at the Switch 26 and decided the Switch 36's roominess was definitely worth the extra money. As long as the straps are adjusted correctly, the pack stays in place. The backpack is very comfortable and a great buy.

These pants have been a great purchase. The material is good at staying dry but I don't get too hot - they have venting areas on the inner thighs. The ripstop material on the inside calves is prevented from getting torn up quickly. The fit is very feminine - a nice flare pant!

These socks are perfect everyday socks. They are not too thick and not too thin -- they are warm enough but also don't wear out like other socks! They go great with tennis shoes and lounging shoes.

I don't have much to compare this with, but I am satisfied with this pad. I purchased a Big Agnes sleeping bag and the combo is a great for high elevation and cold temperatures. I wish it could pack down a bit more like other pads (thermarest), but those pads would not have fit my sleeping bag. I am not disappointed with this purchase.

I've always been very picky about buying sunglasses online b/c I'm not sure how they fit. I took a risk on spending the money on these sunglasses but they turned out great. They are very styling, fit well, and worth the price if you are willing to spend this much.

I returned these sandals. I didn't like the way they fit, however, I ordered the Teva Corrada sandals and was much happier with them. They still appeared durable and could make someone happy.

This constellation TNF shirt has the typical TNF fit. It is very comfortable and fits well. The material is not as soft as some of the other TNF shirts like the TNF Blossom Tshirt or the TNF logo shirt. I am still very happy with this shirt and the graphics.

I like this shirt. It is a pretty standard TNF shirt which fits well, comfortable and is affordable. You can't go wrong with it!

I love the North Face Blossom shirt. It is very comfortable with soft material. It fits well. I like it a lot!

I hated the way these pants fit. They were a bit small. I usually wear North Face size 8 and this size 8 was really uncomfortable. I choose comfort over style and these were not my favorite pants. I returned them. If I ordered size 10, they might have been better.

I got this as a gift for my sister and it was her favorite present. She loved the color and the texture. It fit well and was very comfortable.

I really liked these pants once I got the right size. I normally wear The North Face Size 8, but I had to go up to size 10 and 12 on these to be satisfied. The 10 is fitting and the 12 is loose, but I like the loose pants for some days. They are definitely long enough and fit nicely. The fabric is very breathable and comfortable. My only concern is that since they are so long, I may wear out the bottom part of the pants quickly. I will definitely buy these again -- I wish there were more colors!

I like this shirt. It is nothing exciting, but a good casual shirt. I got this shirt in size L and another Prana shirt in size M and I couldn't really tell much of a difference in the sizing.

This water bottle is just ok. I would never pay for it or give it as a gift, but it hasn't let me down as a regular water bottle. It is lightweight and holds a lot of water.

I just got these sandals and my first impression is that they are very comfortable and have good grip. I have never spent much on flip-flops, and now that I finally did, I have not been let down. They seem to be high quality also - I hope they last long!

I got this as a gift for my dad. He was happy with it, but it's nothing exciting. A good value for the price.

I love this shirt. It is pretty thick for a baselayer, so I use it as a mid layer with just a softshell over it. I have also worn it as a casual shirt and out for hiking and climbing. My only complaint is that after about 25 washes, the back starts attracting lint more than earlier.

This hat is pretty sweet. It is super super warm though - great for freezing temps, but not great for touring / not too cold weather. The fleece lining prevents it from being too itchy. I wore it all the time through January and February until my dogs chewed the top part off.

I absolutely love this shirt. I wear it too much! I have worn it as a casual shirt in addition to my normal outdoor activities like skiing, hiking, climbing. So far, it has lasted through many washes and seems to be holding up great.

This is one of my favorite hoody's. I ordered a small b/c there are no women's sizes, and I have not been let down. It is super comfortable and has lasted through many washes. It seems to be holding together great.

I love these socks. I would have been more happy buying in women's sizes, but I was not let down with the S/M purchase. They are super comfy and have been durable through many washes. I hope they come out in more lengths next.

I am very satisfied with this sleeping bag. It is a good bag for cold temperatures (high elevations in the Wasatch Mountains) & is very comfortable. I purchased a big agnes mummy pad to use with it and the pad and sleeping bag combo is great.

I love this shirt. It's super comfortable and stylin! It's a bit on the fitted side -- I usually order Arc'teryx / Columbia / Etc Medium and ordered a large for this shirt and was fine. It's pretty thin so it doesn't provide much warmth -- great for wearing on cool nights or days in the shade.

This is a great buy for a beginner or advanced climber. For the beginner, it proves to be one of the more affordable climbing helmets. For the advanced climber, it proves to be very lightweight. On top of that, it's also a versatile lightweight durable helmet -- it does it job well!

This shirt is cute, but it doesn't have anything special. It's typical prana style - soft and on the fitting style. I liked the design, so I bought it, but there are so many other t-shirts out there -- how to decide??

I didn't necessarily want to spend the money on a performance tank top, but this shirt was worth it. It's super comfortable, a great performance material and looks cute! I will wear it to not only climb or hike, but maybe to an after-climb barbecue as well. It probably doesn't have the bust support one might want for running.

I am a fan of arc'teryx but this isn't my favorite buy. It's a great multi-activity shirt: biking, hiking, trail running climbing. However, it fits a little different from typical arc'teryx fit -- a little bit wider than my other arc'teryx clothes. I still like it - it's an all around good activity shirt.

This shirt is great. It fits as a typical prana shirt fits - a little on the small side. It's great for climbing, hiking, or even going to a chill party. I like it lots.

This shirt is very versatile. It is very comfortable. It's great for light workouts, heavy workouts, even wearing around the house. It fits larger than other brands like Prana, Arc'teryx. I like it so much I own 2 and will probably buy a couple more before summer is over.

This chalk is typical chunkier chalk. Great buy for a busy climber. I would buy finer chalk for competitions.

These are great lightweight poles although I'm kinda worried about breakage when I'm skiing hard. Since I'm not skiing too hard yet, I haven't broken them but other people told me to be cautious about this.

This mug is cool and traditional. It beats travel mugs with the little hole in the top that is always open b/c it has a sliding latch on top. The tall shape allows it to fit in thinner cup holders. It's a great mini-gift for people that you don't know what to get and a nice extra gift for someone already getting backcountry.com gear.

These socks are stylish and comfortable. They are thinner than other smartwool socks but still nice and warm. I'm betting they will wear out quicker but I'm still satisfied with them.

These socks are very warm. They go great combined with a pair of ski socks for skiing in colder weather. They also are great everyday socks in the winter.

Great lightweight & warm jacket. This jacket is great under a hard shell on a cold day in the powder but also great alone. This jacket appears to be thin, but the primaloft is surprisingly warm.

These are great for what they are meant to be used for. Good for short tours, good downhill performance, simple, and bomb-proof. They are also very affordable. They are great beginner touring binding if you don't want to drop a lot of money.