stecha from United States, IL Public Profile

This is my favorite hoody to wear while lounging around at home. It's so light and the material is super soft and cozy. The warmth to weight ratio is really good and the handwarmer pockets are a nice touch. I have not used this for any outdoor activities yet but given the weight and the warmth ratio, I'm sure it will be a great mid layer.

Only con I have is the styling. I wish the seams were the same color and was not contrasted. I just think it'd look sharper.

I had a 10 year old pair of REI rain pants that needed replacing pretty badly. This one caught my eye because I am short and needed rain pants with a short inseam. Unfortunately, not many companies make short inseam pants. I had other Rab gear and know it's good quality. What I like about these pants is that it is VERY lightweight. It's easy to shove this in the bottom of your pack for emergencies. Because it is lightweight, the material is thinner than I'm accustomed to....so one of my concerns is durability and longevity. It feels fairly fragile. I've used it about a half dozen times and did scoot down some rocks with these pants and they didn't puncture or tear. They also kept me completely dry and I didn't feel clammy. The bottom of the pant have really long zips so it's easy to slip on over your boots. Only thing I really wish it had was pockets. There are zero pockets in this rain pant.

I'd give this boot 4.5 stars. Prior to this boot I had been day hiking with my (very) heavy duty, but super comfortable backpacking boot. I knew I needed a lighter, mid-duty one for some high altitude hiking I was planning in Japan and Africa. I had read some good reviews about Hi-Tec and thought I'd give it a chance. This is my first Hi-Tec boot and I'm definitely impressed. The boot is just solid & very well made. The soles are Vibram and have deep treads so they grip really well and provide good stability in rocky areas. There is a rubber toe guard which is great because that is the highest abrasion area for me and I ruin any boot that doesn't have protection in that area. I did not get a chance to test the waterproof quality nor can I speak to it's longevity since I've only had it a couple months. One critique of this boot is that it's very wide. It's great when your toes have room to spread but it's a little too much room. Another critique is that the lacing can be a bit finnicky and the lacing hooks feels a bit sharp (probably because the metal is a little thinner than other boots I've had.)

Overall, I would recommend this boot. Mine has taken me to the summit of both Mt. Fuji in Japan as well as Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa. I've had many other brands of boots in the past - Zamberlan, Asolo, Merrell, Vasque, Salomon, Keen, etc. and can say for certain that this Hi Tec boot is a great value for what you get.