Reviews by User: Sarah Geneser (7)

I have a pair of sierra designs booties that are meant to be worn indoors. They are sooo warm and cozy during the winter, but I have wanted some down booties I could wear outside occasionally. These seemed like a good fit, but when they arrived, they were sadly lacking in down. I did not find them to be particularly warm, so I ultimately ended up returning them.

I added this shell to my growing arsenal of jackets. I've been bike commuting all summer and needed something that would allow me to continue as the days grew colder in Salt Lake. This jacket is very comfortable and the back is long enough that it doesn't ride up and keeps my lower back warm. Which I find to be an important characteristic for skiing as well. I tried out a number of other bike specific (waterproof) jackets, and found them to be fairly uncomfortable and lacking in breath-ability. Not so for the Venta- it is surprisingly warm considering how light it is (the windstopper material works admirably), and comfortable even with a few layers underneath. The pit zips are more than adequate to vent off excess warmth and moisture when I really get cranking. I've survived a couple of pretty heavy (for SLC at least) rides in the rain - my commute takes about 30 minutes - and the jacket has held up beautifully. I've not noticed it beginning to wet through at all. I was genuinely impressed with its performance (though, admittedly my expectations for softshell water resistance are pretty low). I've also worn the Venta climbing, and it provides a welcome cozy belay even on brisk Fall days. It has nice details like fuzzy lined pockets (on the outer jacket side but not the inner side - likely for added warmth without sacrificing weight), velcro cuffs, two hood pull adjustments, fuzzy lining at the neck zipper (mandatory in my opinion), and bi directional pit zips (awesome for convenient mid ride venting!).

These capris are extremely comfortable and excellent for activities like yoga, pilates, etc. They are very lightweight and cool. They aren't great for climbing, as they tend to pill quickly with the abrasion, and I doubt they would hold up long. They are sized a bit large, I typically wear a medium, but even a small is pretty loose fitting, and the elastic around the waist is not very strong, so if you size too large they will be constantly falling off.

Love the white shirt. The material is thick and excellent quality. Unlike many other "outdoor" shirts- this one actually feels like it might hold up to a beating. I also appreciate how long the shirt is- it fits nicely under my pack belt without riding up.

This jacket is very well made and provides great warmth. It has held up valiantly to a considerable amount of abuse and thanks to its wool composition, doesn't smell manky after continual use. I have long arms (3 inch ape index), and the sleeves are more than sufficient in length. My only complaints are that the zipper cover near the neck is not very well engineered (it's made of too flexible fabric and folds over so that it doesn't cover the zipper), and the zipper scratches my skin. I have to manually put the zipper cover back into place so that my skin doesn't get irritated. The hood is quite large and because it doesn't have a pull string, it isn't very useful in windy conditions- since I can't keep the hood up. Overall, an excellent coat requiring only a few minor tweaks.

This fleece is amazingly soft and cozy. The only problem was that the sleeves were a little short (I have a +3 ape index). If you've normal human length arms, I would highly recommend it.

This helmet is extremely comfortable and warm, however, I was unable to get my bluetooth to work for incoming sound with my Motorola Razor. I also made several calls to Giro where I was sent to Skullcandy's technical service. Nothing ever came of any of my time and efforts. I finally sent an email expressing my disappointment to Giro and they are supposedly sending me a pick up slip for the helmet. However, it has not yet materialized. Giro customer service is remarkably poor. It's shocking to me that Giro would advertise bluetooth capabilities for a helmet that can't even pair with one of the most common cell phones on the market. Perhaps Maxwell and my experiences are the exception rather than the rule, and I sincerely hope that's the case.

These pants are surprisingly warm and heavenly comfortable. I only wish Backcountry would order new shipments more often so that I could buy a second pair- since they always seem to be sold out!