Reviews by User: Barry Blalock (17)

Friends, Family, Countrymen... to truly perfect this great piece when the temps are sub 30's layer like this; baselayer = merino wool / capilene / polyester / etc., Midlayer = MontBell UL Thermawrap. Now if you have a hardshell make sure you have another barrier over your Thermawrap because as I found out the hard way when going fast and hard and pumping sweat, there was too much body heat (condensation) on the inside of my shell so whenever the winds blew, I was uncomfortably chilly. To fix this, put another wicking layer over the Thermawrap and your hardshell and your body heat will dissipate just fine and you can tell the wind to kiss your ass. What can I say that hasn't already been said by others? It is super light, it is surprisingly durable, it does block about 87.349% of the wind, and finally, keeps me warm when stopping for a break on the trail and I've drenched this piece in my sweat. Very, very nice! Upon seeing the 3 thumbs down, I had to reassess my review and look at what negative factors contributed to a misunderstanding or dislike of this article. It could be that my review just wasn't technical enough so let me try... This jacket only has two front hand pockets which are not fleece lined or zipped. It has an elastic waistband that does fit snugly around your waist if you are even a hair overweight. The only zipper is the one on the front that goes both up, and surprisingly, down. It is extremely packable, stuff sack is probably 3.5"x6", but even when in it's stuff sack in can go smaller if needed to. It cuts decently through the wind, give it a 4 out of 5 stars and has no factory DWR applied to it so the 15D material gets wet very easily. In bitter cold, (0-20 degrees F) do not expect this to keep you warm if you are not moving. You will get hot while moving if the temps are (21-+ deg. F) It could afford better stitching so it would last longer. It feels super light, slightly cheap, but it's from the no extras added design. Once again, super packable.

So you read the reviews, right? You may just think that every single one of the people who have decided to review are hardcore gear heads with too much time on their hands... maybe they are, at least I thought that. I mean, I read the reviews for this jacket, and needless to say, I still felt the jacket and/or it's raters were an anomaly at the very least, I would not have ever expected such a product to exist that was as great as people say it is. Well it is great, and it does exist. MHW takes this jacket to a level not yet reached by other outdoor companies, but this is my opinion so interpret it how you wish. Never would I have foreseen my writing this review, strictly because of the time it would consume, but I must bow down to the superiority of this jacket and indulge you with a brief and colorful synopsis of why I've found it to be such a marvelous piece of equipment. I work outside in Louisville, KY and the weather here is pretty fair year round. Winter avg. temp. is 25-30 F with gusts of 10-15 mph winds due to our location on the Ohio River Valley, like I said...fair. I do not get cold very easily when active outside, albeit, who usually does? With this jacket on, due to it's incredible windstopping, all I need is a long sleeve t-shirt underneath and I am Golden. Never has wind been blocked with such tenacity, and to further test this jacket, I rode with all my windows down in my Subaru when it was 20 F outside for a good 30 miles without once feeling any unusual cold holes in this jacket. MHW has amazed me, there is no other word that can describe any more eloquently a jacket such as this. This has been my two-cents, so it is with my continued slack jawed amazement I shall adorn my back once more with this jacket to go and confidently brave the breezy ville.

Here are the pros: 1. Works for what it's supposed to (Supplying you hydration) 2. Stays put if you have a Deuter hydration compatible backpack. 3. Bite valve works and is leak free 4. Bladder doesn't leak Here are the cons: 1. Super tricky to refill if purifying (imagine trying to refill a ziploc freezer bag creekside) 2. The method of sealing this bladder closed is by sliding on/off the orange clip which after a month of use will ultimately wear down the plastic and render it unusable. 3. Just feels poorly produced and untrustworthy and fragile. I do understand that I've given it more Pros than Cons, but the Cons described really will make you the user sympathize with my frustration in it's design if you choose to purchase this. It does work for what it's intended to do, but the hard time I had refilling it creekside and the wear lines along it's closure truly make this bladder not one to take along for the long haul. And if it can't be trusted for the long haul, why waste your money? I've instead chosen the 3L Nalgene CXC Rapid Fill Tanker which functions wonderfully. It is a 5 star product which I wish I could have purchased from Backcountry if only they carried it. Refill from a purifier, I use the Katadyn Hiker Pro, works like magic as you filter your purified clean water directly into the bladder from the purifier. It is leak proof, durable, and will last me a long time. Here is a link to Nalgene's website for it. http://www.nalgene-outdoor.com/store/detail.aspx?ID=1035

Getting ready to thruhike the AT, starting Mar. 8th 2009, and have tried several backpacks to see what will work the best with me. Started out my training using an Arc'Teryx Needle 65, it's an oldie but goodie, and found that while my pack weight of 40lbs. was successfully transferred to my hips, the shoulder pads were pinchin' my neck meat, as Kip from Napoleon Dynamite would say. It's a pack just not meant for extended trips. Then there was the Deuter Aircontact Lite 65+10...this pack never fit me properly. If you want to know a little secret, it's unisex if that tells you anything. The Aircontact's suspension is comfortable and can hold a ton but the pack never fit the same and the straps would need readjusting 4 times every mile... just annoying. Then I decided I'd try this little gem of a backpack and my oh my was I impressed. It's so light and comfy, the pads around your waist and shoulders feel amazing, and it can hold 50lbs. of gear if rigged correctly, just like the guy in the picture said below. I hiked 28 miles in one day with this pack from 9am till 4am the next morning and stopped only twice for a half hour at the longest for meals...this pack is amazingly comfortable. It distributes the weight perfectly to your hips, the backpad is super squishy, the straps never need readjusting, the pocket placement is superb. There's not one thing wrong I can find with this pack! I swear by it.

If you check out my other reviews you'll notice I am a Mountain Hardwear man. This jacket is, like they say, bombproof. It breathes superbly, blocks wind, and keeps me dry through three days of snowy slush. Gore-Tex Paclite is fantastic and this jacket is the perfect conduit through which MH can truly showcase the material. My only qualm comes with the front two hand pocket placements; if this is meant for mountaineering, etc., most mountaineers I know, including myself, wear backpacks with waist buckles. The low placement of the pockets completely hinders my access to them and forces me to unbuckle my waistbelt to get at what may be stored within. I still gave this jacket 5 stars because it is built to do what it is advertised to do and even though it's obvious in the advertised picture that the pockets look low, I hoped that maybe, just maybe, I could make them work. That said, without a pack with a waistbelt, the jacket and the aforementioned hand pockets are just fine. One last thing to fellow reviewers or reviewing moderators who allow rankings; Reviews should be based on material quality, durability, performance in inclement weather, and the like. This helps those who understand the technical sides of gear make an informed decision upon how to equip their backcountry pursuits. So when a 5 star jacket is allowed to be rated as a 2 star jacket because it didn't fit someone properly because that person failed to review the sizing charts, a life saving piece of gear may be overlooked because some dolt ranked it low due to subjective rather than objective merit. Please try harder to filter these guys, lives depend on some of this stuff.

I'd rate this jacket 6 stars if I could because this thing is absolutely amazing. I am getting ready to thruhike the AT and needed a lightweight and packable layer which was durable and weather resistant. I was planning on using the MontBell UL Thermawrap jacket until I saw this was on sale at my local gear shop. The MontBell is a great jacket and it's warmth to weight ratio is superb, but this jacket is only a little heavier, packs into the same stuff sack that came with the MontBell (approx. 3"x6.5") and can conquer 10 degree gusty days like a CHAM-PI-ON. The MontBell was good only to about 25 degrees with a long sleeve baselayer, the Compressor to 5-10 degrees with the same long sleeve baselayer. Another nicety on this moneymaker is the zip up fleece lined hand pockets on the outside, the zip up chest pocket within the jacket, the adjustable velcro cuffs, the cinching waistband and neck band completely lock in your body heat. My Spring 2009 MontBell UL Thermawrap has two hand pockets on the outside that do keep your hands warm but lack the comfortable fleece and handy zippers that the Compressor has. Also, the Montbell has only those two pockets and no more. When you put these two jackets side by side the hands down absolute winner is the Compressor. It's warmer, has more pockets with zippers to keep your stuff in and secured, packs down to the exact same size (once again, approx. 3"x6.5"), has a higher stitch count that gives the user far more durability and confidence with this jacket. I've tried to find something wrong with this jacket and the closest I can come is that it's heavier than the MontBell, but when you see that it's only 6 oz. heavier and has a lower temperature rating with all the features I've mentioned, the weight doesn't become a negative factor for this jacket. I'm in love...

Simple design. Lightweight. Reliable. Super easy to field strip, repair, and clean. The filter lasts for 750 liters of purifying power. All in all it is a low profile, dummyproof, reliable filter. Recommended to everyone I know.

So I purchased this jacket with high hopes that it would fulfill the trusted and true Mountain Hardwear standard and this jacket has set the precedent on how 650 fill down jackets should be made. Toasty warm, moderate weight, stout and durable craftsmanship. Wore only a cotton short sleeve t-shirt under this jacket in 20 degree, 20 mph winds for 5 hours and was completely comfortable with no cold spots observed. This jacket can take temperatures much lower if layered correctly. My estimate is -20 deg. at the very lowest. Mountain Hardwear makes quality clothes / jackets / pants / tents / etc. to stand up to the toughest Mother Nature can afford us. This jacket is dur-a-ble as well. Tough sewn in panels protect the high wear spots from abrasive materials rubbing away at the fabric which if not there would shorten this jackets life considerably. I can see this being my go-to jacket in freezing temps and should last me 4 winter seasons at a minimum. Bombproof and coldproof. Great product MHW, thank you.

Good quality, lightweight headlamp. Is actually very bright, even on low. Battery conservation is excellent as well as brightness efficiency. The regulated battery circuitry makes the light burn as bright for as long as the battery has more than 20% left of it's juice. So, expect this headlight to burn bright for 120 hours of the entire 150 hour battery lifetime. A very good headlamp from Princeton Tec!

I would've liked to have been in the boardroom when they had the brainstorming session for this jacket. It is just the right thickness for supplementing your layering system as either a stout middle layer with a long sleeve synthetic under (capilene 2-4) or an outer layer with a long sleeve capilene 1-2. The pit zips are hidden under a flap which tucks naturally into the form of the jacket, not to look garish. Removable insulated hood, with a stiff foam insert to act as a bill. This jacket would stand up very well to the underbrush in the backwoods, no snags in sight. Just to confirm the other positive reviews again, this jacket is superbly thought out. My new favorite softshell, and with WindStopper!?!? Couldn't be happier!!

I've worn Capilene 4 and it's a little warmer but in it I get much smellier than this Marmot piece. I've hiked in this with a MH WindStopper Tech Vest in only 12 degrees and was perfect. I smell bad after two days, but not nearly as bad as when I wear the Capilene. The knitting is tough and doesn't snag, it keeps me smelling alright, and is pretty warm. I'll give it a 5.

People, this knife isn't used for whittling or hacking or splaying open flesh to quarter an animal...it's a pocket knife. And it's good for what it is. I have used this thing for opening packages, mail, cutting twine, small stuff, etc. etc. I use the scissors for small tasks like cutting my finger/toenails when I can't find my clippers. The file for sanding my nails after their cutting. The small flathead for adjusting glasses or whatever. It's handy. Also, the toothpick is fantastic for after meals and the tweezers for splinters and ticks. This is just a small knife to keep on you when you go into the city or on a date or to the grocery or post office. I do agree that the keyring could be on the opposite side but it doesn't deserve 1 star for Victorinox deciding to put it there. The knife does what it does when it needs to be done. Period.

Yes, indeed use with the Raptor stove from Brunton. I've used this fuel in 5 degree temps all the way to 100+ and it works no matter. Great mixture, no bubbling or spurting, no gaps. For best efficiency, use a windscreen even if there's no wind. I use aluminum foil and it makes the meal/water heat up much, much, much faster.

Nice, lightweight, durable piece of cooking equipment. The nonstick surface is nice for frying and sauteing. I have gotten this piece pretty covered in cooked on crap and all it takes to clean it up is heating up some water, a drop of campsuds, and some stirring. I wish MSR would sell an individual lid for it instead of making you buy an entire set. That is crap. Back to the review; it works for what it's supposed to work for and offers easy clean up. By the way, DO NOT USE ANY METAL UTENSILS ON NONSTICK SURFACE AND DO NOT CLEAN UP USING SAND.

Yes, this bag kept me warm while naked inside in 5 degree wet and cold weather. I guess the 2 star review from Kiwi was their way of showing disapproval of the European rating system not yet in place in the States. I have a 0 degree bag and this is only about 5 degrees colder than that. Perfect, warm, dry, excellent. Thank you.

Just wanted to second what Jason Vermillion ranked this pant. Lightweight and very durable. Nice stretch for taking long strides. Slim fitting pant doesn't get in the way of moving fast and this soft shell material is nice and very weather resistant. Great product, but as expected from Patagonia, quite expensive. Hiking boots will fit, but if you can avoid scree filled areas, stick with trail runners.

Okay, that title sounds like a tampon commercial. Great pants, easy to slip on and off, good crotch cut for walking. Very little chafing, not too much swish swishing when walking. What can I say... good rain pants, kept me dry in a deluge and in wet sloppy snow. PreCip is great material, very much like TNF's HyVent. Ideally I'd like Gore-Tex but my bank account kept me from having my druthers.