Reviews by User: nothingmuch (6)

Note: the hood actually is removable. This jacket is very nice, it looks good and feels good. It's pretty heavy with both layers, but you don't notice it after a while. I like the meticulous attention to detail (various loops for attaching things, large array of pockets, magnetic thingies for the various flaps, goggle wipe) this makes it a very useful jacket altogether, it's well thought out. The inner sleeves with the thumb hole really make a glove that goes inside the jacket insulate well, they keep the outer sleeve on top of the glove quite firmly and are pretty comfortable. The snow skirt is comfy and not too obstructive, and it attaches to pant loops. One downside is that the hood is a bit too wide for windy rain, it's hard to see if you want to keep the hood on your head, you need to tighten it. Perhaps the adjustments on the back of the head can help, but I couldn't really get this done very well.

I have the men's version of this sweater and it's *really* comfortable. It's warm and well fitting (stretchy but not too much), and it breathes better than a microfleece (though I'm noticeably warmer with it I'm never sweaty, when sitting at home for example). The neck is a little bit wide for the other sizes but it stands up well. Maybe this doesn't affect the women's version. It also really looks good - I can actually go out with it if I don't feel like ironing a shirt.

I have the men's version of this sweater and it's *really* comfortable. It's warm and well fitting (stretchy but not too much), and it breathes better than a microfleece (though I'm noticeably warmer with it I'm never sweaty, when sitting at home for example). The neck is a little bit wide for the other sizes but it stands up well. Maybe this doesn't affect the women's version. It also really looks good - I can actually go out with it if I don't feel like ironing a shirt.

I wear these boxers for running, hiking and day to day (sometimes). They are very comfortable, and don't stink when hiking. One problem is that the little size tag is on the right butt cheek, and if it gets in the wrong orientation it can itch a bit, and this can be a little tricky to fix. They are also not very durable, but that shouldn't matter for underwear ;-) I went with some friends on a fairly technical hike/climb down a stream, and when we were fording pools of water (and other unidentified liquids) we did this in our underwear. Sliding down some rocks with a 55lb pack made two small holes on the backside, but these haven't grown larger. The upside is that despite all that funky water they *still* didn't stink.

This cookset disperses heat very nicely, it's easy to clean even with just a little bit of water and your bare hands, etc etc. However, I don't think this is a good solution for backpacking. The coating is very very delicate. For reference, I gently chopped some vegetables on the lid, and it's starting to peel. To visualize what I mean by "gently" - I abuse my non stick pans at home quite brutally in comparison (peel off eggs with a steel spatula, etc), and none of them have gotten chipped or scratched over several years now (so it couldn't be that bad). Also, when I was frying some onions before hand there wasn't enough mass inside the pot to absorb the heat, and some of the coating got burnt on the side. I wouldn't have expected it to happen this fast. When I set it down on a blanket, that bit immediately peeled off. Lastly, I screwed up and left the PackTowl thingy slightly humid, packed for about 3 weeks (it appears to be dry before it actually is). The mold ate through the 2 liter pot's nonstick coating, making about 10 little holes, the size of about a small lentil each. These little holes ran deep, and weren't there due to some impact. So basically, if you buy them (which I wouldn't whole heartedly recommend) be very very careful.

These are great for extra water... You can easily wash with them by putting them between your ankles and gently pressing down to get a teensy bit of water. Drinking is a bit more difficult but for cooking water it's great. The big drawback is drying them... It takes forever. Luckily you can boil them, so you can pour boiling water on the outside to help them dry a little faster.

Two of the features I really appreciated are the draft flap, and the vent zipper thing on the feet end. I was very snuggly warm, and when I was too warm I could easily vent the feet using said zipper. The hood fit well. Also, I have dermatitis, which means my skin is very sensitive to icky fabrics. I was okay with this bag and didn't need my cotton liner which I did not feel like unpacking. I didn't understand the little pocket on the hood though. I don't think it can fit dentures, and there's nothing else I can imagine someone might want to put there. Odd.