Dean D. from United States, NV Public Profile

73 percent merino wool, 26 percent nylon, 1 percent elastane. Size 13 men’s and the XL is good. Length is good below the knee. They are warm and comfortable. I like really thick socks that stay up for my 11” plus pull on boots. These could be thicker, but they are OK.

KE-802 XL Alaska - 60% merino wool, 33% nylon, 5% elastic, 2% lycra, code on the sticker. I wear men's size 13 and XL fit fine. No slip broad band elastic collar. Fitted heel pocket with elastic arch brace. Extra padding under ball, heel, and toe. Over the calf heavyweight socks. I wanted thicker socks that would not slide down for my tall (10"+) pull-on boots. For some reason socks have a tendency to slide down in my pull-on boots. These seem to be OK so far (1 day), and they are thicker than most socks. I have old Lorpen socks that are thicker than the Kenetrek Alaska socks but my old Lorpen socks slide down. For me, you can't get too thick, but these socks are warm. So far so good. Campsaver had a good sale so I could afford the socks. They are expensive.

I bought 3 pairs. They are great except 2 pairs ripped after a year above the ankle when I pulled them on. Third pair still going after 2 years. Maybe I got defective pairs? I am sad that this happened as they were my favorite socks.

This is my second downmat (that’s what they used to call this pad). I had the first one for 15 years and no leaks. I have the long (77”) wide (25”), and it’s a great cold weather sleeping pad at 3.5” thick. It weighs about 2.8 pounds, which is heavy for backpacking, but it’s 7.8 R value is good to -34F. Hard to find a pad that is under 3 pounds that is rated to -34F and is durable. I have had issues with lighter weight pads, they leak. This is the best and most reliable cold weather pad. Packs down to 12” tall and 7” diameter.

I have the king size for my queen size bed. It’s about 3 pounds, very light for the size. The comforter is warm and comfortable. You need a duvet cover to keep it from sliding around. The fabric is nice but slick. The comforter comes with a tie on each corner to attach to a duvet cover.

Made in USA. This is very comfortable. Not as thick as I envisioned, but for the weight, it’s good. The king size only weighs 3 pounds. The fabric is soft. The down is great. No leaking feathers. Western Mountaineering has great sleeping bags, and this comforter is right in line with their standard. Expensive but 800 down comforters are not cheap, and this comforter is good quality at a reasonable price.

I can't get the tent stretched out to Big Agnes specs. I get 93 inches long (96"-BA) by 50 (52"-BA) / 40 (42"-BA) inches wide. Height is 44 inches at the peak, better (43"-BA) than Big Agnes says. Consistent with my Big Agnes experience, and it's better than most tents for length. The weight is a little more than the regular UL2 at 3.2 pounds. My 15-degree long sleeping bag is 90 inches long exterior, so I am happy. The sleeping bag fits in the tent. There are two shock corded DAC aluminum poles. One pole snaps out to a four-corner shape that attaches to the four corners of the tent body. Colored coded ends on the poles, and on the tent corners, you can't miss. Then the tent body has clips that attach to the poles, and it's up. The second shorter pole goes across the top of the short side of the tent and has a place on each side to attach to. There is one top clip on the tent that attaches to this pole. Easy set up. Comes with Big Agnes "dirt dagger" tent stakes. Great tent. If you are tired of your long sleeping bag hitting the inside of the tent, compressing the insulation on your feet, and getting wet from the condensation of the inside of the tent, this is the solution.

Pittards amortan leather palm and inside of thumb. Gore plus warm technology, insulated, waterproof, windproof, breathable. Primaloft insulation in exterior gore-tex mittens, carabiner loop. Yellow (short to the wrist) 700 down mitten inserts inside longer blue gore-text mitten. Made in China. These are warm, definitely made for cold weather. The wrist and forearm adjustments are difficult to make while wearing the mittens, but that is to be expected.

Toray Dermizax 100 percent polyamide exterior. Seems breathable, and water resistant. Insulated with 88 percent wool mixed with 12 percent polylactide. Not real thick or real warm, but good for most winter days if you are moving. Fabric does not feel like plastic, has a nice feel to it. Made in Europe. Has Velcro side closures to adjust waist and has belt loops. Has elastic gaiters. I’m 6’2” and 210 pounds with a 36 waist. I planned on putting them over my regular pants In cold wet weather. The XXL was on sale, so I tried that. Fits over everything but loose, length is good. I was able to tighten Velcro waist and they stay up. It’s good for what I needed, but probably too baggy for skiing in XXL. Side vent zips on thigh, but too low to reach into regular pants pockets. Two front pockets, and one right side thigh pocket. Comfortable.

Dark brown size 13 all-leather (no exterior fabric) 6" high boots. The 65" long laces that come with the boots are too short for this boot. Not sure why they supply laces too short. Good Vibram soles. Made in Germany. I really like the dark all-leather boot. They fit good, look good, and the leather is going to stop moisture and be durable. The gore-tex liner is comfortable and water resistant. They have a white layer on the soles above the Vibram sole that is annoying. Why have a dark colored boot with a 1/4" wide white strip near the bottom all around the boot? All in all, this is a very nice boot, and I like it.