Reviews by User: hydrogeek (8)

I was looking for a light weight, windproof, warm jacket for year round high-elevation explorations (hiking, backpacking, snow shoeing, fishing). Many of the jackets which I looked at were either not completely windproof or not warm enough. Then I tried the alchemy alongside the Arc'teryx Sigma SV jacket. The Arc'teryx proved to be windproof, light, and warm. However, it wasn't wide enough through the shoulders and the arm lengths were a little short (the Sigma isn't offered in an XXL either). The Alchemy was the last jacket standing. I am tall with wide shoulders and an XXL Alchemy fit perfect...actually the sleeves are a little longer than I expected. This jacket has it all and I was able to try it out during the blizzards in NM and CO 2006-2007. I was surprised how warm it is and there is room underneath for a wool vest if it gets really cold. It is totally windproof (top it with a Mountain Hardwear Dome Perignon Windproof Beanie and your upper torso will be happy). Plus, I discovered that the jacket is made in the USA which is a major bonus in my opinion.

I ordered this Ibex jacket on the advice from Ibex customer service that it would be weather and wind resistant (the key word is resistant). Fortunately, I had ample time to try this jacket out and bad weather cooperated during November and December in NM, CO, and UT. Unfortunately, this jacket is NOT windproof. Try holding it up and you will see daylight through the porous cloth material...that to me is a very good indicator that it is not windproof. It will shed light rain but I was afraid to subject it to heavier rains, so I tucked it under a Gore-Tex shell (my apologies to the Ibex folks) and stayed reasonably comfortable. I was surprised that it wasn't very warm when worn alone as an outer shell. Most Ibex gear is very good at temperature regulation. Sure, I could heavy-layer but my object was to find a light, windproof, warm outer jacket that didn't need bundles of layers because when I'm hiking in the high country, I want to keep things light and functional. It is a light jacket and would serve well in more moderate weather but didn't work for me during high elevation, backcountry explorations in the West. As with other Ibex clothes, it does appear to be made well. Unfortunately, unlike many of the other Ibex products, it is not made in the USA which was a downer for me.

I was looking for a "nicer" brown button-up shirt and the silt color worked for me. However, when I received the shirt I was totally disappointed in the workmanship. There was an excessive amount of hanging threads and poor seams on this shirt. Sure you can still wear it but there is a reason people pay more for products from Ibex, SmartWool, Mountain Hardwear, etc. Poor construction ain't one of 'em.

The actual colors of the khaki Marmot Drake shirt do not match either the Backcountry or Marmot website photos for the shirt. Don't get me wrong, I love Backcountry (only lukewarm feelings for Marmot) but their photos do not represent the truly hideous colors of the khaki version of this shirt or else the shirt available through backcountry is an older version of the khaki shirt. Who knows? Either way, my girlfriend couldn't stop laughing when I pulled this "last-call beauty" from the box it was shipped in. Botttom line: feels good but khaki has horrible color combination.

I was looking for a light weight, windproof, warm jacket for year round high-elevation explorations (hiking, backpacking, snow shoeing, fishing). Many of the jackets which I looked at were either not completely windproof or not warm enough. Then I tried the alchemy alongside the Arc'teryx Sigma SV jacket. The Arc'teryx proved to be windproof, light, and warm. However, it wasn't wide enough through the shoulders and the arm lengths were a little short (the Sigma isn't offered in an XXL either). The Alchemy was the last jacket standing. I am tall with wide shoulders and an XXL Alchemy fit perfect...actually the sleeves are a little longer than I expected. This jacket has it all and I was able to try it out during the blizzards in NM and CO 2006-2007. I was surprised how warm it is and there is room underneath for a wool vest if it gets really cold. It is totally windproof (top it with a Mountain Hardwear Dome Perignon Windproof Beanie and your upper torso will be happy). Plus, I discovered that the jacket is made in the USA which is a major bonus in my opinion.

This khaki color combination is excellent, too bad all the XXL shirts were gone. I have very wide shoulders and as a result, cannot wear many of the XL shirts from North Face, Marmot, etc. (exceptions being Mountain Hardwear and Columbia). The shirt felt great otherwise and the color combination was soooo much better than the khaki Marmot Drake shirt.

When I was looking for good wool socks, I started out with mid-level socks like Thor-Lo and WigWam. They were OK, not great. Then I took the step up to premium socks with SmartWool and my feet were happier. A few months ago, I took the step up to super-premium and purchased some Darn Tough full cushion hikers and 1/4 cut merino hikers. WOW! These are the SUVs of socks...they're ready for anything, any day, any time, any conditions. My major complaint with the SmartWool Medium Crew hiker is that it doesn't stay positioned on the foot and leg. Darn Tough socks stay in place. It's a great sock and I tell all my friends to buy a pair and compare with SmartWool. Too bad Darn Tough doesn't make other clothes. Great product!

This is the best base layer I've ever owned. It's super light yet very warm and regulates temperature well. It's not itchy. It's stretchy and hugs the body well. It doesn't hold odors so wear it all week in the backcountry. My only complaint is that it's not made in the USA like some of their midweight base layers which, by the way, are also great.

When I was looking for good wool socks, I started out with mid-level socks like Thor-Lo and WigWam. They were OK, not great. Then I took the step up to premium socks with SmartWool and my feet were happier. A few months ago, I took the step up to super-premium and purchased some Darn Tough full cushion hikers and 1/4 cut merino hikers. WOW! These are the SUVs of socks...they're ready for anything, any day, any time, any conditions. My major complaint with the SmartWool Medium Crew hiker is that it doesn't stay positioned on the foot and leg. Darn Tough socks stay in place. It's a great sock and I tell all my friends to buy a pair and compare with SmartWool. Too bad Darn Tough doesn't make other clothes. Great product!

This is an all-around great shirt. The fit is really considering most North Face shirts fit a little smaller that their size. The quality is good, the material is soft yet cool enough for late summer evenings and warm enough for fall days. Plus, the color selection is good. Nice shirt.