Reviews by User: gearjunky (9)

As usual, I was a bit concerned paying this much for a jacket. It is more than most of its other competitors...ok, don't kid yourself, there is no other competitor...lol I spent a lot of time researching jackets and I know a lot of people are into the 3 layer system, but I don't really like wearing three layers all the time. I don't care how it fits it's still going to bunch up at times. This jacket allows me to go with only two layers (my base layer and this). Of course I vary the thickness of my baselayer, but that's all Ive had to do. This jacket is very warm. It never bunched up and performed extremely well, never felt any wind through it, and it is extremely waterproof. I bought the white, because I don't like wearing red (too close to ski patrol and also reminds me too much of blood), and didn't want to buy black being that my Spyder Davos pants are black so I ended up with white. I was concerned about keeping it clean (which since it is white, its going to get dirty)...but more importantly I was concerned about people being able to see me in the snow and in whiteouts. I got my answer last week in Vail. I was skiing with a friend during a total whiteout in Vail, and he mentioned that he liked my jacket, and I told him my concern about wearing white during "whiteouts"....his response: "Thats funny, cuz your jacket is so much whiter than the snow, I can pick you out better than any other color out on the mountain!!" So much for my concern of blending in with the snow!

Being that they are the most expensive base layer, they just didn't "WoW" me like I expected...they didn't really stand out...I have a pair of medium weight Cloudveil and light weight Icebreaker base layer pants and those did stand out as being excellent gear. I'm short for my weight, so I should have know that a boot fit wouldn't really be a "boot fit" for me. I was disappointed by that fact, so these arrived and they look like capris on me...lol..I guess thats better than the alternative of buying the full length and being several inches too long! I just put my socks and kept these above my boots when I was putting my ski boots on, then they kind of "swim" above my boots. I guess it still reduces the material that's bunched up or getting in the way. I think i'll have these tailored to my height to make them work like they are meant to be. The description doesn't tell you but these are made from a thick Polartec material (about the thickness of a sweatshirt). They do keep you warm.

Just like the other readers, these pants are awesome. I know when I was thinking about buying these, I had a real hard time justifying spending $ for a pair of ski pants. I used them for a week in Vail, and all I have to say now is that the $ was worth it. I also have both The North Face and Burton snow pants both of which are waterproof shells, but I only used these new pants during my trip at Vail last week. They worked great all week long from 40F weather to cold snowy conditions.

Helmet is awesome. I like the fact that it is adjustable, and will conform to most head shape sizes. Extremely comfortable and lightweight. I wore it for 5 straight days of skiing in Vail. It was my first time ever to wear a helmet and I barely noticed it was there! The reason I gave it a 3 was because the skull candy headphone system wouldnt work right. The left year of mine doesnt play sound. When I wiggle the connections it will fade in and out. Unfortunately I am overseas for the next three months so Im not sure what my choices are for returning it...I doubt it, but its not this site's fault...to be honest this site has an awesome return policy and the reason why I keep shopping here!

I love this shirt! A lot of the base layer stuff is very form fitting or compression, so when I go in for a break I'm worried that i will embarrass everyone else...lol Actually I prefer slightly loose fitting clothing, just because its more comfortable to me...I think they don't bunch up as much, and this shirt like I mentioned has a more relaxed fit then other shirts so it doesn't look like I'm wearing a base layer when I'm inside Super warm too!!

Just like everyone else has said before me (the reason I bought 4 of these without ever trying them before). These boxers are simple the best there is. I know some people may think the $ is a lot for a pair of boxers but in reality some name brand boxers go for that much for just simple cotton based boxers!!! I bought these specifically for skiing and other snowsports. I wanted some "wicking" material boxers (being that all of my other base layer is...it seemed stupid to wear cotton boxers under my other baselayers). I have to say these are awesome and worked extremely well...to be honest, you can't even tell that they are on..they don't bunch up (I think because of the slick fabric they are made of)...I also wore them on the airplane, and I have to say again...awesome...I am going to replace my entire boxer drawer with them. Yea its gonna be expensive, but it'll be worth it. They are very high quality and I think will hold up better then most!

Don't get me wrong, this jacket is really nice, but I had to give it a 4 out of 5 ranking because of the value. $$$ is a lot to spend for an insulation layer. This is definitely not windproof as mentioned before. I wear it inside the house sometimes on a cold day to get that nice toasty warm feeling. It is a great jacket to combine with a good windproof shell.

The bag itself is nice. The compartments are nice and big and the zippers and such are great. HOWEVER, The wheels on this thing are not protected enough and will get popped off by the airlines! I had this happen to me on my second trip. Then its a real pain to move this bag around. Secondly, the Ixiom wheel replacement that is supposed to be so easy to replace? Yea, thats IF you can get them. Ive been trying to get a pair delivered to my parents for the last 3 weeks and Im in Africa right now with a broken bag with and no replacement wheels in site. Also, what they fail to mention is you can only get the wheel/axle assembly from Burton, which again they are out of stock and Ive been trying to get one for the last three weeks. I dont know how you can let something like this go out of stock on a new bag when your the only supplier? If you look you will see the wheel is exposed, meaning the axle goes through the wheel and screws into the bag. Most high quality bags have the wheels internal, meaning the wheels are placed away from the corners..obviously the wheel/axle is a weak point and real easy to break off especially if its on the corner!