Reviews by User: tim h. (9)

I picked up a set of these with the Tortoise frames when they were on SAC, and have been very, very pleased. The pair I got came with Gray, Dark Amber and Vermilion lenses. The gray are basic, but very functional. The dark amber have been excellent when out on the water -- they mute the glare off the waves on even the brightest days and make the water and sky a much more pleasant color with higher contrast for navigation. The vermilion have been my favorite lenses -- on long drives/hikes/rides through mountains/valleys, they make the trees pop in a way where it feels like all of a sudden ever leaf is crystal clear. I've been very happy to have the multiple lenses. It means that when I inevitably scratch a pair, I'll still have plenty of backup functionality. And with Costa Del Mar, all three sets of interchangable lenses are polarized; with other manufacturers, when you get interchangable-lens glasses, usually they only give you one pair of polarized lenses and additional polarized lenses cost an arm and a leg. The value on these glasses -- three polarized lens sets for the price they are offering is awesome. The other thing I appreciate is that each set of interchangable lenses has their own frame around the edge -- this makes the lenses feel much sturdier and it is a lot easier to change them in and out without smudging/scratching the lenses themselves. The case these come in is awesome -- it's a padded box, approximately 3x5x6" (guessing), that has separate slots for each set of lenses not in use and a spot for the glasses, along with a cleaning cloth. The only downside is that this is the only protection these glasses come with -- there is no sunglass bag or small soft/hard case for protecting them when you are out of the house. This seems like a huge oversight to me, since everything else is so well thought out and such high quality. There is no way to provided to protect the glasses when you aren't wearing them except for this giant padded case, at lease the size of three typical sunglass cases. You will need to buy or have laying around some other case in order to take these with you anywhere and keep them protected. At the price I paid, this is a reasonable compromise, and I'm very, very happy with these glasses and the value they offer. However, if I were paying anywhere close to list, I'd want them to have at least a soft case.

At less than $70, these are leaps and bounds the best deal I've seen for breathable, waterproof pants. I haven't had a chance to take these out in winter yet, but initial impressions are that these are insanely comfortable on, run true-to-size (I'm a 30" waist, 5'10, 160lbs, and the small pants fit perfect), and look decent on in the compost color. I tried both the black and the compost, and liked the compost look better. The highly-visible rivets on the front of the black pair are distracting and just aren't my look. But whether these are ideal or not, they really are an amazing deal. I will be using these for winter wear hiking and playing disc golf when the temps drop below freezing. Looking forward to being warm and dry.

I've had this tent about a year and used it camping a dozen times in different conditions, from 15 degrees up to around 85 degrees, and in varying wind and rain, and it's done well in most conditions. 15 degrees was really too cold for this tent. I'd not recommend using it if you're going to be camping in sub-freezing temperatures. For the weight, it's got generous space and good internal height. It's one of the easiest to set-up tents I've ever used once you've figured out the poles. It can be done with one person, but is challenging; but with two people it's a breeze. The snap system for the rain fly is simple and very effective. With the rainfly on, this tent will withstand all sorts of wind and rain. Just make sure to prop the two tiny little vents at the top of the rainfly to help keep airflow, even during bad weather. I had one or two small drips earlier this summer when camping, but that will easily be fixed with some seam sealer (happens to all tents). The biggest drawback is that the rain fly is at such a steep angle (great for stability in high wind) that it makes it awkward to get out of the tent in the middle of the night since you're essentially crawling on the ground to unzip the door. If the doors on the rainfly were repositioned or redesigned, this would get a 5-star rating. Good space for the weight (two people can easily pack this in), and an incredibly simple design to put up and take down.

I've had this jacket for several months and really like the design and fabric for pretty much everything except the hood. The hand pockets are high, so they are accessible even with a backpack strapped around the waist. The fabric is incredibly waterproof and seems durable so far after half a dozen hikes in the rain. The small weighs 14.6oz on my scale, so it's a very reasonable weight for a 4-season eVent shell. I like athletic fit clothing and ordered both the S and M sizes to see which worked best for me. I'm 5'10", 160#, 38"-torso, 30"-waist. I tried on a lot of layers and combinations before finally opting for keeping the Small. It fits well over a Medium-sized Backcountry.com Shift Softshell, or over a medium-sized Mountain Hardwear Burly Wooly sweater. The arms are articulated well enough for climbing even on over a couple of other layers. The medium would have allowed a little more room for additional winter layers, but I wanted the slimmer fit for style in urban settings as well as for backcountry use. My biggest gripe is the hood -- it flops around, has a weird bendy-front that does nothing to help it stay in place, and is generally just a pain to work with. It does okay in zero wind, but with any wind it is hard to keep it on unless it is over something else... I think it would work great with a bike helmet for instance. The other minor gripe is the vertical chest pocket -- I love how roomy it is, but it dips so low that contents in the chest pocket slide down and get in the way of having your hand in the left pocket. The chest pocket is HUGE, and really could benefit from being smaller and not being so deep, so it wouldn't inhibit access to the left hand pocket. Double zipper is also sometimes hard to start, but that's true of a lot of double-zipper jackets. The breathability is great and I don't miss pit zips in this jacket. Highly recommended if you get it on sale, but at full price, I would consider other eVent jackets before this one. Oh, and the Moroccan Blue color is lighter/brighter than it appears in the pictures -- it's still a true blue and not a teal, but it is bright. I really like the blue color, but it might be a little too electric for some people.

I've got this in two colors -- navy and gray -- and it's awesome in both. A little itchy directly adjacent to the skin, especially at first, but this gets better with washing. Simple to wash: cold then dry flat, which is less fuss than many other wool-based pullovers. Protection is great from the weather, and even does a decent job keeping out wind and rain. It does absorb water, but it does so very slowly, and doesn't lose warmth, so you can be outside for several hours in a light rain without needing a shell. I've worn this almost 24/7 for several days of hiking/camping in inclement weather and its still virtually smell-free at the end. Also folds up and makes a great pillow. I'm 165#, 5'10, and this fits great in a medium over a baselayer or casual shirt. For the weight-conscious, I've weighed my two and they came in at 17.9 and 18.3 oz.

I'm 5'10", 160, and a Medium fits perfectly. Not too tight and I could wear it in public solo if I wanted to. Comfy fabric compares well to smartwool/powderhorn/other wool baselayers. My disappointment however, is in the Tahoe color. The Web site seems to depict Tahoe as a darker blue, which works for me... however, upon purchasing this shirt, I discovered that the Tahoe color is BRIGHT TEAL. Not that this is a bad color, but I'm going to be returning it, as this just is a much more attention-getting color than I prefer, and doesn't work as well for me. I haven't tried any of the other colors, but since they're out of Medium in everything now, I'll wait until the next round of sales before trying this shirt again in a different color. Definitely a good value for the money (as are all the backcountry.com products I've seen), but please, please name colors in ways that help customers know what they are getting.

I picked these up on discount and have been incredibly happy with them. They come all the way up to the knees, providing warmth and great support for the lower legs, and are incredibly comfortable. Large fit perfectly (size 10.5 feet), and in addition to being great for the back country, they're plain enough to wear with a suit if need be. So I've had these everywhere from the office to the peaks. I've got 4-6 other types of smartwool and other wool socks, and are only matched by the icebreakers as the best socks in the drawer. lightweight makes them great for all occasions.

I've had TNF and Prana in the closet for years as my goto outdoor shorts, but the Blurr Meta's have quickly become my new favorite shorts for almost all outdoor activities. Fast-drying, highly-breathable, durable fabric with an athletic cut makes this great for everything from the backcountry to summer nights on the town with friends. Longer than most other shorts, they have an almost euro-faux-capri styling (these are shorter than 3/4 length -- probably more like 3/5 length)... seem very duable and run true to size, but are athletic cut. I'm 5'10', 160lbs, size 30 waist, and the 30" shorts fit great, but there isn't any room to spare; slightly tighter than my other 30" shorts (maybe 1/2" or 1" tighter). I really like the gray - it's a dark gray that looks a little dressier than the khaki. After buying a couple pairs I went back and bought another set so I'll be covered for a couple years. Highly, highly recommended.

I bought one of these in Green, and it was a very well made coat. I have an Alycium Softshell that I also got at BackCountry, and it's one of the best coats I've ever worn. So I was excited about the Alycium component jacket. I'm 5'10, 165lbs, and the small in the softshell I have fits snug and is great for fall/winter wear, but not large enough for layering, so I went with a medium in the Alycium Paramount Component Jacket. Unfortunately, the medium was far too large, and they were out of small sizes. However, in trying on the coat, I was impressed by the warmth and by the fit and finish -- compares favorably with coats retailing for twice as much. The inside layer is a nice, basic fleece-layer. The outer shell moves well and looks great.