Reviews by User: Spencer Buchanan (27)

Awesome, awesome awesome! The only drawback, like other MHW tents I have used is it is a very close and cozy 4 person tent. There is plenty of room if you want 3 and gear. The advantage is there is a longer floor about 7 ft, so if you staggered the bags, then 4 would fit decently. The vesitbule is insanley huge and a great help to hold the gear or cook under. There is not venting but it has two zippers on the vestibule on either side and you can vent it a bit and still stay dry. Oh and the zipers! Man the tags on them are long and you can zip everything up in like 2.3 seconds! I timed it... not really, but it is fast. The catch is if you go too fast you will catch the fly in the vestivule zippers. The zipper cover material is nice but is a pain, you just have to take it slow, but it is very easy to zip aside from that. The frame structure is awesome too. Two poles. I have seen this system on a few others and it makes for a simple setup. I got this tent setup in 2 minutes all by myself in the rain! The frame is a little goofy since the two branches to the back have to cross but not a big deal. The steaks are gimpy, but most tents have gimpy stakes so do yourself a favor and get some beavier stakes. I do not really need to stake it but you need to stake the two poins on the vesitbule. Maybe I was doing it wrong or it was raining, but I never got the vestibule completely taught. There are 8 points total on the tent to stake, 6 on the body of the tent, aside from guylines. The two middle points never touched the ground without weight in the middle so it was a pain to get the stakes to stay put as they should have. The clip system for the poles are solid and quick and painless. I am a fan of the sleeve but these clips made me happy on setup. Gear pockets are minimal here. I was sort of bummed. you have tons of room on either side and no gear pockets, just the back and two small ones up front. Two doors makes nice for a lot of room. At first I struggled with the middle piece there, but considering the opening of the tent, I really like how the doors open since that would be a huge door laying on the bottom fully unzipped. Great venting on the mesh and we stayed warm and dry the whole night even though I forgot a rain jacket so i was soaked going to bed. It holds up great to wind and rain and I would take this anywhere. for a 4 man and 10 lbs it packs really small and the poles are super burly to hold up anywhere. my next step is snag the footprint for a light weight shelter. With this pole system setting up just the fly is a cinch! The best part; this is definitely a family tent! I took my 2 year old daughter and very particular wife out on a rainy night with this thing and everyone was happy. Of course my daughter was regardless, she got to play in dirt, but it held up to her literally bouncing off the walls of the tent during the storm. It is not so heavy so I am happy to carry this puppy on our next hike for the amount of comfort and ease we had.

This thing is a beast! it is huge and has hella-room. The sides are riddled with gear pockets. The fly is kind of gimpy as it covers the sides but not fully the doors. To remedy this, the doors are waterproof, but to get the full advantage of waterproof/fly space, you have to get the vestibule! 11 freaking feet of space! This has some of the most sq. footage in this tent range and I will get nothing less. Always a cute touch with the welcome mat, but helpful to keep the tent clean too. The poles are pretty light and super strong. The pole to tent interface is slick and the sleeves for the poles are pretty tough. I hate tents that the sleeves get ripped! The bathtub bottom rocks but the footprint is not that much more and always another set of comfort. This is actually pretty light too for what it comes with. If I put the vestibule, gearloft, tent and all in the carrying bag it fits fine and is not bad. I can actually pack everything up pretty easy between a few backpacks if you wanted to take this out yonder and have a huge tent. Definite must for a family of 3 or more!

I was so bummed. I am an XL in Arcteryx, westcomb jackets and XL in other backcountry shirts, but this I can barely fit in the XL! So sad... maybe I need to lose some weight anyways. Good thing they have XXL. The wool on the outside is really nice touch, and yes will get all baled up under the arms, but it is cool I think. The fleece on the inside is so deceiving. The wool on the outside is no merino and looks like you can use it for sandpaper, but then you put your arms in and it feels like a bed of soft... fleece. The hood is bomber and has plenty of room, not helmet worthy but nice. It is a more stylish item than a technical peice but would keep plenty warm under a shell regardless. I think the best part is the goat. Backcountry does a great job of not plastering their name everywhere, but a simple little goat on the collar. Classy!

Bottom line you get what you pay for. It is everything it is advertised as. It is good construction and will not fall apart on you. The comfort level is minimal and does not breathe well on the back. If you need a school bag, this looks great since it has tons of room and all the other trendy kids at school will think you are cool too. The hip/waist belt is left wanting if you are really going to be hiking with this though. I prefer an actual hip belt that has padding not a lame strap. If you spend more for a day pack like from osprey or deuter, you will get a lot more, but if you are cheap snag this one for a nice pack.

Started my 2 year old girl on these this year and aside from her being the cutest thing alive on snow, these only accent her. They actually fell out of my car shopping and someone had to stop me to tell me how cute they are. These have a great base and a nice side-cut for her. There are no bones about these and now I have a lifelong skier at age 2! Slap on the T4 sweetheart bindings and you cannot go wrong for any grom.

This is a sick sleeping bag and is super toasty warm. I notice people tend to have bad reviews for Big agnes because they misunderstand that they are not your normal sleeping bag! The bag has no insulation on the bottom. This is smart since there is no poin really since as soon as you lay on it, you have flattened any insulation there anyways. The pad is what keeps you warm on the ground. SO Big agnes slapped in a sleeve instead at the bottom to put the pad in. Never did I roll around and lose the pad from under me. Such a confort as compared to any other bag I ever had. It is kind of a love it or hate it system though. Some complain that is limits mobility in your bag or you cannot sleep on your side. I say they are babies! I am 270 lbs, and a big kid in the shoulders and gut. I was comfy on my side, back, stomach, anyway. Granted I was pretty snug in a few positions but I am not dancing in my bag, I am just trying to sleep and stay warm. This combo is a winner. The pad is tough, and rolls nicely. I might get an air core too for something lighter on the summer trips, but for 0 degrees, you will be toasty with the heavier pad. Big anges seems to rate a bag at 0 degrees, for example, and then they seem to out perform that by 5-10 degrees. Cant totally rely on that, but that is my experience with this one. The zipper is strong, goes about 3/4 down the side of the bag and zips in nicely into another if you get left and right zip bags. The best testament to these bags is my wife! She has had trouble finding a bag that fits her hips and keep her warm too. Yeah we could get a crap-bag from wal-town, but we wanted something that will work and is light. This bag won her over and she does not complain about being cold! Woohoo!

Okay this has got to be one of the most impressive tents I have ever seen. It is light, and very easy to setup. The setup is a little different. There are not hooks or sleeves but eyes you put teh poles through. Put the poles through all the eyes and then snap in the ends of the poles on the tent all at once and you will have a tent fast. The poles are awesome and very strong. The fly material is so dang light with that hollow core material but keeps you dry. I have a buddy that has used this in the snow and it works in any environment. The size of the tent is a cuddly 2 man tent is the one drawback. You will stay warm with two people but if you had a dog with you , you would love this tent.

I love this big house tent! It is super nice with the bathtub, but any single layer bottom is bound to get moist. Bag the tarp and get this puppy to make up a dry bottom, or a sick shelter with just the footprint, poles and the fly! Snag the vestibule and you will have reached ultimate enlightenment!

These are incredible and my wife was so happy we got them. She learned to ski on them and they are a beauty. Now that she is getting better, she is able to rock it all over the mountain and still have a great time. The bindings are nothing amazing but she does not need anything above DIN 10 anyways. They are so quick and easy to mount and if you know how to setup the DIN settings, tear it up and save a trip to the shop. Quick, easy, and not that heavy.

I had the same problem as Lou with this shirt. It fits snug and I usually wear an XL. Not in this shirt. The material is light and very good for active wear for sure. I have never been a fan of their Jackets, but their shirts and hiking pants/shorts are very good quality and one to look for for sure.

Okay so it is far more than instant hot chocolate, but man this is insane. Small, light, powerful and great for anywhere. The initial pot is only 2 cups really, though you can put in more for sure. The 1.5 liter pot system is a great addition for sure! The funniest thing is to be on a mountain with a ton of other guys and they are hovering over their old stove for 20 minutes when you rip this out and get eating before their water is warm. Always a classic. The fuel is small and seems to last a while. The Igniter is electric and seems to be pretty good, but in past experience they are not super reliable so I always keep some matches or a lighter around anyways.

In a good way for sure! Most BC outerwear I am an XXL where I am an xl in arcteryx, marmot, westcomb. Of course I have a big gut. The XL fits me fine, but is tight, which is kind of how this jacket should be since it is a mid layer under a shell. I guess I am that big guy though, the arms totally filled up in the XL. the xxl is a little roomier and I like its fit. It is not an ideal fit, but yeah this is great material and brethes and keeps the water at bay for sure. Got to love the lemony color. the site does not give it justice but it looks great in real life!

Nice and light, works well under a jacket or on a nice fall day. Since this is not at all waterproof I prefer to have it under a shell since my arms stay warm generally instead of a whole down jacket. 700 down is a nice touch to keep it lighter and very packable if you don't want to wear it. Plus since it is TNF you can always know you will look trendy on the streets of a big city.

I had the experience of setting this up on a shore of a lake in a windy place. We placed it down not staking it and the thing disappeared in a matter of seconds down the beach. It takes a few minutes to stake it down and get it set right in the wind, but once you do, you are rocking all day. Yeah the shading is not the best but get the side panels and you will be fine. the medium is pretty big for 5 people, and the large would be better. Go big or go home. I did not have a problem with pole construction like others have mentioned. I have good experience with kelty products and they back their stuff too.

I got this for my daughter who is almost 3 feet tall (3 years old) and expect her to use it for a long time. There was no problem with her on one cold windy night and the construction is pretty dang strong for 44 bones! The fabric next to the fabric is pretty tough and hardly ever gets caught up in the zipper. I think this will last her a long time. Bag comes with a stuff sack that is fine, but I can slap this in an event compression sack to keep it dry with other gear and I have no worries.

Shoot you dont need to with these puppies! I love the soles, Great support. They are so comfy and feel like they are a part of the foot. I have a pair of these and the z/2s and I find I wear these more often if I am just cruising around and need a quick shoe on. I have a size 12 and my feet are wide too. I normally wear a size 12. Most people I see fit a size up though since they do not make half sizes. I mean it is a sandal it is nice to have it a bit bigger anyways. Go get yoself some!

Well maybe not but it is insane. Bottom line - Event is better than goretex. It is just as waterproof, and it breathes better. From what I hear some companies are stuck in a contract with Goretex, and that is why it is not too popular. I got this for a B-day gift and it has been the best thing I have ever received. It is great as a rain jacket - Hello 12 oz! and it keeps me plenty warm too. It is so breatheable and I love how articulated it is. I love that they do have the zipper move to the side just a bit. It does not turn the jacket into a sail like the Arcteryx Sidewinder, but is enough to be nice. It can catch as it goes up, but I am not too concerned with that. It is not a big deal. Do yourself a favor, get Event and put Goretex away.

I love how this flips out and after about 5 minutes I got used to it. It comes with a clip for either side, or sometimes I take them both off and you can flip it out from either side. It is cool as a money clip but I use a wallet, so I don't care. I do like that it is light and pretty dang sharp out of the box. Not a fan of the grip. It is fine for most quick use, but don't plan on carving with this or something or your hand will be a hurtin.

Okay these are incredible. I have a wider foot so they do run narrow. I got a size larger and they still fit a bit narrow, but after two days they stretched out enough to be the main shoe I wear now. The extra length is not an issue as it hugs and fits over the top of the foot and not around the toe box at all. I love the fact that they are so tough. the rocker bottom is a great help for a lot of movement on these guys and If you are not wearing these on your feet all day, what are you doing with yourself? The high arch support is great, but if you have never worn Chacos, or these, the first week your feet get tired after about 3-4 hours so give it some time. I love that I can return them to this site if I do get the wrong size as these are Euro sizing. The chart helps but I got two pair just in case and got the best fit. I have worn these over icy roads and walkways this winter, and though the tread is not ideal (actually almost slippery) I was far more balanced on these than any others so I never had any spills. compare that to a few others I had this winter before (the Danskos) that the icy campus I go to had butt marks all over from me. Now all I wear are Chacos in the summer and Dansko in the winter!

Super light, and have a decent tread on them. The down is not as puffy as some fear and they are one piece. The hyvent on the sides is as waterproof as anyone really needs. Warmth=yes. They are pretty tall and are a pickle to get into since all that keeps you in is a drawstring, but once you are in, you don't care.

These puppies are sleek and light. They are not the lightest I have used but they are way stronger than anything else. The Strap is way comfy and helps for sure when it comes to keeping your thumbs on securely on a fall. I would definitely get them again, but hey I wont need to with the great return policy!

works as just a single layer without much wind.

THis is incredible and I have been too warm and soaked the shirt but still stayed warm in 0 degree weather! Loved it.

Well they wont help you ride better, because lets be honest, you suck. But if you hang out with these at the base looking for honeys that suck too, you can get some action! As far as how they actually work when you have that honey holding on to you because she thinks you are all-pro - they will keep your eyes protected any light conditions, but look out she will see you checking out her cleavage with these semi transparent lenses. Just keep focused and you wont be fogging up until you get to the lift, if you know what I mean!

My wife loves the fit, and loves how warm she is skiing now. They seem to fit a little larger but they are super thin for just Cap 3. Cap 4 seems to be pretty thick and Cap 2 about the same thickness but not as warm. Warning, your wife might start complaining about being warm since she wont worry about being cold!

real sick man