I have one of these and two in the 21 oz version. so far so good. they do keep your water/gatorade cool but only for about an hour or so in 95 degree weather; oh well, what can you do?

the valve lock feature has saved me from messing up by front teeth and having to visit the orthodontist.

also, i've had these for about three months and haven't had to wash them in the dishwasher; they have maintained a funk-free taste. I have used them for water, gatorade, and Skratch Labs.

these worked well until i started wearing Levi's. after a few days in jeans the top part (spandex) started to detach from the bottom part (wool). i had three pairs and it happened to all three of them after the same amount of time in jeans

this website, and the Mavic website, state that the large has a maximum fit of 63 cm. i tried this on at the retail store and the box the helmet came in says the maximum fit is 61 cm, and it certainly felt like a 61cm.

I gave this three stars because it seems like a high quality helmet. I took two stars off for the misleading sizing claims, which are especially frustrating to me and my fellow big-headed brethren :)

No matter what I tried I could never get these to be comfortable on my feet. I had them heat-molded; I wore them around the house any chance I had; and, of course, put a bunch of hours on the slopes. After a while I realized I was over-tightening a bit too much, but even after that realization my feet would be screaming when the buckles and power strap were lightly tightened. I used the laces for the inner boot but it came down to two basic scenarios: I could over-tighten the buckles in order to get sufficient power transfer (and consequently cause enormous pain in my feet) or I could lightly tighten the buckles and power strap in order for my feet to be sufficiently comfortable but then sacrifice power transfer and consequently performance (the buckles would also become completely loose after 1 run).

good ski. handled my 6'1 210 frame pretty well. I made the mistake of getting the 186 cm size when I'm not the most experienced skier; that was the main reason I parted with these: wrong size. The only problem I had with the design and build quality was the fact that there aren't any pre-drilled holes for pre-drilled skins or for rigging rescue sleds and better anchor utilization. Like I said, I'm not a super experienced skier, but I was hoping to have those features at my disposal once I was comfortable enough to head out in the backcountry.

The unthinkable happened yesterday: an Arc'teryx product failed me. Without warning the right elbow ripped out when I was at my desk at work; i was merely bending my arm. I've worn this shirt for 3 months and only in casual situations. I love the fit/patterning of this shirt and the fabric is beautiful looking but it is not durable. I'm surprised that Arc'teryx has this listed for rock-climbing.

Anyways, if this shirt kept the same patterning but employed a durable fabric I would easily give it five stars.

I have really liked these poles. I was weary when I bought these (carbon fiber) over the aluminum, fearing they would break; but, they have stood up to the abuse (I've broken 2 aluminum poles in the last 12 months but these guys have been studly). I totally dig how compact these are. I use Arc'teryx backpacks (tall) and I clip these suckers on the side compression straps when I don't need them. They NEVER stab me in the back of the knee or hit me in the back of the head. In fact, these fold up so small that all my backpacks are at least an inch longer. If I'm pushing it, or running, I will simply fold these up and keep them in my hands until I do need them: very effective. These poles are very light and have a generous grip length for hoofing it up steeps.

BUT... My one beef with this product is the lack of durability of the baskets; they are notched so they can attach to one of the other pole sections when folded. These notches worked great for a little while but after some exposure to scree they bent open a bit and consequently could no longer attach to another pole section. If these poles were $20-30 less I could forgive this, but since I shelled out $150 for the pair it kind of left a bad taste in my mouth.

This jacket is not for hiking and trekking, as the Arc'Teryx website claims (I think backcountry.com had it listed like that as well, when I bought it). You can certainly use it for hiking and trekking but it is total overkill unless you plan on sliding down scree on your stomach or if you like to scratch your back against a tree, like Baloo, while still wearing the jacket. Yes, the jacket can be packed down to a reasonable size but the ProShell fabric gets very wrinkly (more so than PacLite, which I have experience with).

Don't get me wrong, this is a great jacket. I have been totally amazed by the quality of craftsmanship with this and other Arc'teryx goods. Some people like to say that Arc'Teryx is only a logo and that their prices are inflated. I disagree. I believe you get what you pay for.