Best Outdoor Recreation Clothing
Zipper closure.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This is an excellent fleece sweater with great length where other sweaters lack for me."
"Perfect for fall and spring so I purchased different colors for everyone in my family."
"Fits pretty close to expected."
"I got all my family members one for Christmas year before last and they still have them and wear them regularly, this seller has some great stuff and awesome customer service, I had to message with size changes and when everything arrived the has gotten it all right!!!"
"I bought seven sweaters, seven colors, at different times."
"I bought this jacket as a birthday gift for a friend and it was perfect!"
"I thought I'd give this one a try, it is very soft, stitching good and zipper."
"So you may want to order a size down."
Machine Wash. Front-zip fleece jacket with standing collar and logo at chest.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Probably Columbia's cheapest fleece."
"I returned the first jacket because the nap flattened and would not return to the stand up position giving the appearance of a stain."
"Very nice looking."
"This has worked really well for me, it was a bit smelly to start but that out gassing has faded and now its nice."
"I've had a previous light Columbia fleece jacket and liked it a lot."
"Northface fleece jackets are a little thicker and warmer."
"By the time I got home, package had arrived, and wife or kid opened it and placed the jacket on the table. It was the annual meet the executive day for all the team leads. And nope, didn't get any promotion that day :( Note that the real fleece jacket from Columbia never shed even a single piece of ball of fuzz. All that is needed is a very light jacket to keep the chill out long enough for you to generate heat as you go hiking. Is great for work or indoor as well where some places they turn the A/C on high."
"Terrible quality."
ThermaLock 100% nylon shell fabric provides water and wind resistance while maintaining breathability.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I wanted to post a picture of the size chart because i do think they run a touch large, and I couldn't find a size chart before I ordered."
"I ordered 2/3T and they fit my tall 2 year old twins (36"), there is enough room for us to extend the tabs on the shoulders and they should work into next year too (depending on how many inches they grow)."
"Quality snowsuit - warm, not bulky, waterproof, elastic at ankles to keep elements out, very sturdy seams, easy on and off for kids, partial elastic shoulder straps (much more comfortable)."
"They are big but not so much that she can't wear them and she'll be able to wear them next year and maybe even the year after that."
"The 3T is a little big, but since the straps are adjustable, I just tighten all the way down and they fit her perfectly!"
"Ordered a 4T for my perfectly fitted 3T son."
"We haven't snow tested it yet but for overall quality of material and fit it gets five stars from me right now."
"He is almost 2 yrs old, 75th percentile for height and this fit him pretty well, there is room to grow but I would say they run a bit small."
Best Boys' Outdoor Recreation Clothing
Built tough with Riptech Nylon shell and Kevtech palm patch for the extreme use kids give them with winter sports. Patented SnowStopper Sleeve so Snow Doesn't Get Between Coat & Glove.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The gloves look great, are very warm (my kid says), and customer service was excellent."
"Great Idea!"
"Heavy duty."
"Best product!"
"Son loved that they stayed in place and fit him great."
"We've used this brand/gloves for years."
Best Girls' Outdoor Recreation Clothing
Built tough with Riptech Nylon shell and Kevtech palm patch for the extreme use kids give them with winter sports. Patented SnowStopper Sleeve so Snow Doesn't Get Between Coat & Glove.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Great Idea!"
"Heavy duty."
"Best product!"
"Son loved that they stayed in place and fit him great."
"We've used this brand/gloves for years."
"I was worried about how these would fit but, they fit great."
Best Men's Outdoor Recreation Clothing
Machine Wash. Front-zip fleece jacket with standing collar and logo at chest.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Probably Columbia's cheapest fleece."
"I returned the first jacket because the nap flattened and would not return to the stand up position giving the appearance of a stain."
"Very nice looking."
"This has worked really well for me, it was a bit smelly to start but that out gassing has faded and now its nice."
"I've had a previous light Columbia fleece jacket and liked it a lot."
"Northface fleece jackets are a little thicker and warmer."
"By the time I got home, package had arrived, and wife or kid opened it and placed the jacket on the table. It was the annual meet the executive day for all the team leads. And nope, didn't get any promotion that day :( Note that the real fleece jacket from Columbia never shed even a single piece of ball of fuzz. All that is needed is a very light jacket to keep the chill out long enough for you to generate heat as you go hiking. Is great for work or indoor as well where some places they turn the A/C on high."
"Terrible quality."
Best Women's Outdoor Recreation Clothing
Zipper closure.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I had already ordered one in the Paisley Purple color and I liked it so much that I decided to get another one in Heather Gray! These fleece jackets are so cozy and pretty colors."
"The sleeves are a perfect length, and it's so soft!"
"I already own and love this Benton fleece in the half zip and waited too long to re order in more colors (all sold out except for pink) so I opted for this full zipper version."
"Very nice."
"This is a good chilly weather coat. It's not a coat for freezing or cold winter temperatures."
"There's no wind protection so when it's windy, it cuts right though you and because you're sweaty, you end up getting sick."
"I love the bright pink."
"----------update------. Alright, so I've been wearing this everyday for work in the morning and had to literally go across the street at the nearby store while at work to buy a thermal because it dosent actually keep me as warm, when I'm at work it's 42-43 degrees and my uniform includes a short sleeve shirt."
Best Outdoor Recreation Accessories
Get PurePulse continuous, automatic wrist-based heart rate tracking to maximize workouts, better measure calorie burn all day and to gauge how your cardiovascular health and fitness levels change over time — all without an uncomfortable chest strap. Stay connected with call, text and calendar alerts on your wrist and transform your Charge 2 from workout to night out with stylish accessory bands. Our #1 selling fitness wristband - built with PurePulse heart rate, multi-sport modes, guided breathing sessions & interchangeable bands. Track all-day activity like steps, distance, calories burned, floors climbed and active minutes;Find moments of calm throughout your day with personalized guided breathing sessions based on your heart rate, Like all heart rate tracking technologies, accuracy is affected by physiology, location of device, and different movements.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I found the Fitbit to be an incredible fitness device compared to the Apple watch. The fitbit can also track sleep, and give you an estimate of your cardio fitness score (V02 Max). Other features: Clearly the fitbit is not a smart watch, but the text and call notifications are great when you're working out and don't have quick access to your phone. Accuracy: Tie. I have no idea what the negative reviews are talking about (Maybe they received a defective device or have exceptionally hairy arms?). The apple watch is slightly more accurate when it comes to distance, and probably more suited for someone who runs at a competitive pace. I love watching my cardio fitness score change and keeping an eye on my resting heart rate overnight. Apple has a ton of 3rd party apps which are great, but it lacks the complete integration of the fitbit. I haven't decided which one I will be keeping yet, but if I were basing my decision on fitness alone, at a non competitive level, I would choose the fitbit hands down. There are other useful features that make the Apple watch appealing in my line of work, so I'll have to weigh those into my decision. The apple watch doesn't have the same coolness factor with regard to fitness, and really doesn't motivate me to workout anymore than my iPhone would. It is perfect for someone who doesn't care about tracking fitness goals, but wants to leave their phone at home during a workout. The ability to stream music, track distance with a built in GPS, and respond to text messages are wonderful. I have a 7 inch wrist and the large band fits me on the last 2-4 holes (keep it loose when not working out)."
"As a Blaze and original Charge HR owner, figured I'd try my hand at the newest Fitbit Charge 2. It replaces the original best selling Charge & Charge HR. Steps, Flights, Heart Rate, Calories Burned, Connected GPS (shows a little map post workout when tied to your phone, and yes, you need to bring your phone with you on walks/runs), and notifications (as of now, just texts, calendar alerts, and displays phone number of incoming calls). The Charge watch has been the workhorse of the fitbit line. Since you're familiar with the Charge already, let's go over some of the issues you may have experienced and highlights/common questions answered: 1) Build Quality: The Charge 2 is a far far superior quality than the original Charge. **If you had problems with your original Charge band bubbling, the ability to swap bands and how the tracker is connected to the bands should eliminate the issues you have experienced ** Obviously way too early to make a call on how the device will hold up, but given my experience with Blaze & Alta, this feels similar in build quality, if not better, and neither of those devices have suffered from bands falling apart on a wide scale. 5) Display is nice, 4x larger than the original Charge. The font is a bright offwhite, as opposed to the original Charge that had a soft almost blue to it. Some display day & date, and most have option to where when you tap the display it will cycle through stats (may display heart rate, date, steps taken, how far you are in your goals, your hourly movement reminders, etc). Yes, two of the watch faces are digital (numbers display, not hands) and have seconds displayed. There is no 3rd party support at this time such as facebook, instagram, etc (The Blaze watch will be offering these soon in next software upgrade, so I guess there is hope the Charge 2 will get those as well). Heart rate was spot on as it usually was with original Charge HR & my Blaze. Obviously some folks have trouble with them due to body hair and whatnot, but the sensors on Charge HR, Blaze, and now Charge 2 seem to be spot on. An issue I had with the original Charge was it getting "lost" when I hit higher cardio levels. CONS: - vibration is notably weaker than the original Charge. The Charge HR slowly scrolls texts and notifications to you, which can be annoying if you're used to the Blaze. They serve their purpose well though, and I can't ding it for this as it's a step up from the original Charge. The Blaze is their high end product at the moment, but the Charge 2 is a very close second. I'll happily answer questions as I did for when I originally reviewed the Blaze out of the gate, and edit this review to reflect common questions or any issues I face as I put the device through its paces in the coming days."
Best Winter Sports Equipment
50% Cotton/50% Polyester.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Shipping took a little though, so don't expect to get the item quickly."
"It's really comfortable, great soft warm fabric, nice pocket in the middle, pretty bright vivid royal blue, I wear it to work at my warehouse job, it's warm, comfy and it holds my cell phone well."
"price was right and needed red hoodies for work so i got em, so much cheaper than buying through the store and better brand."
"Very pleased with this purchase Pullover fits as expected."
"After shopping a few brick and mortar stores for a new women's hoodie, I ordered a men's size small on Amazon."
"My husband takes a L and I sized up to an XL and I really didn't have to, the XL for like an XL, a touch too big but it's ok."
"So that really ruined the fit of it all for me but otherwise, I suppose someone would be happy with this but I can't stand having something constantly rubbing my wrists in such an awkward and itchy way."
"It was actually pretty hard to get around my neck and arms when first trying it on because of how tight it was."
Best Water Sports
Stearns Basic Puddle Jumper. Choose a fun, floatable swimming aid for your child! US Coast Guard-approved Type V/III life jacket for kids. Adjustable buckle at the back offers a secure fit.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"He's 10 months-old today, weighing about 8.5 kg/ 19 lbs and has decided that he is too big for a baby floatie ring."
"My son has been in the water at a very early age and wants freedom so that is why I purchased this even though it's technically a little big on him. It is important with relying on any floatation device to know what your child is capable of AND you never leave them unattended by water. My son did not like it at first but we made him feel comfortable and honestly at his age and with his determination it's the only way he can be in our pool at the moment. I purchased this 3 months ago and with regular use and exposed to hot sun drying it has begun fading and the design is coming off."
"I bought this product based on seeing a friend throw a 3 year old into the deep end of a swimming pool while wearing this."
"They're easy to put on, my kids (both with sensory processing disorder) don't fight with me when I tell them they have to wear them, and it provides major peace of mind with a child that doesn't know how to swim yet."
"Obviously nothing is a replacement for vigilantly watching children around water but these make it possible for me to introduce my kids safely to the water."
"She's just learning to swim this year and it gives her the confidence to stay in the pool and not clinging to one of us for dear life."
"We initially bought some cheap, plastic arm floaties during a family vacation in Florida but they weren't enough to keep my 2.5 year old's head above water - they weren't that effective at keeping her body balanced so she ended up swallowing a ton of pool water."
Best Climbing Equipment
Keep in mind the Walk may look smaller than your actual shoe size, but are designed to stretch considerably to fit appropriately over your shoes or boots. Made In USA: Designed and manufactured in the USA to the highest quality and performance standards, the Walk offer a secure fit for shoes and boots and are easy to pull on and remove.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Upon inspection the product looks great and I would have given both pair 5 stars except the sizes promoted on the website are not accurate."
"My size L cleats are perfect."
"These are great for walking on the hard-packed ice that happens in New England after we have several freeze-thaw cycles and all the hiking paths become skating rinks."
"Gripped the ice well, but note, take them off before going inside of course not only to protect your floors, but while they offer traction on ice, they'll actually be very slippery on a tile floor."
"They make me feel safe and secure as I track down my icy sloped driveway here in New England and I have been able to walk my dog on icy trails without any slips or falls."
"We regularly got severe ice storms and all our roads were quite hilly, so for 10 years, all 180 of us tried every type of ice cleats we could find, from very expensive professional quality crampons designed for glacier climbing, to very low budget ones. As a result, we became very familiar with the quality and durability of the different types of rubber used in ice cleats. Unfortunately, as soon as I stretched the rubber of the Stabilicers, my heart sank because the sides were so extremely flimsy, just like all the other rubber cleats we had tried over the years."
"Caused me to walk on the outside of my foot and throws my balance off."
"I pick it up only to realize the front rubber strap snapped."
Best Cycling Equipment
Make every beat count with Fitbit Charge 2—the all-new heart rate and fitness wristband built for all-day, workouts and beyond. PurePulse continuous, automatic wrist-based heart rate tracking to better measure calorie burn all day.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I found the Fitbit to be an incredible fitness device compared to the Apple watch. The fitbit can also track sleep, and give you an estimate of your cardio fitness score (V02 Max). Other features: Clearly the fitbit is not a smart watch, but the text and call notifications are great when you're working out and don't have quick access to your phone. Accuracy: Tie. I have no idea what the negative reviews are talking about (Maybe they received a defective device or have exceptionally hairy arms?). The apple watch is slightly more accurate when it comes to distance, and probably more suited for someone who runs at a competitive pace. I love watching my cardio fitness score change and keeping an eye on my resting heart rate overnight. Apple has a ton of 3rd party apps which are great, but it lacks the complete integration of the fitbit. I haven't decided which one I will be keeping yet, but if I were basing my decision on fitness alone, at a non competitive level, I would choose the fitbit hands down. There are other useful features that make the Apple watch appealing in my line of work, so I'll have to weigh those into my decision. The apple watch doesn't have the same coolness factor with regard to fitness, and really doesn't motivate me to workout anymore than my iPhone would. It is perfect for someone who doesn't care about tracking fitness goals, but wants to leave their phone at home during a workout. The ability to stream music, track distance with a built in GPS, and respond to text messages are wonderful. I have a 7 inch wrist and the large band fits me on the last 2-4 holes (keep it loose when not working out)."
"As a Blaze and original Charge HR owner, figured I'd try my hand at the newest Fitbit Charge 2. It replaces the original best selling Charge & Charge HR. Steps, Flights, Heart Rate, Calories Burned, Connected GPS (shows a little map post workout when tied to your phone, and yes, you need to bring your phone with you on walks/runs), and notifications (as of now, just texts, calendar alerts, and displays phone number of incoming calls). The Charge watch has been the workhorse of the fitbit line. Since you're familiar with the Charge already, let's go over some of the issues you may have experienced and highlights/common questions answered: 1) Build Quality: The Charge 2 is a far far superior quality than the original Charge. **If you had problems with your original Charge band bubbling, the ability to swap bands and how the tracker is connected to the bands should eliminate the issues you have experienced ** Obviously way too early to make a call on how the device will hold up, but given my experience with Blaze & Alta, this feels similar in build quality, if not better, and neither of those devices have suffered from bands falling apart on a wide scale. 5) Display is nice, 4x larger than the original Charge. The font is a bright offwhite, as opposed to the original Charge that had a soft almost blue to it. Some display day & date, and most have option to where when you tap the display it will cycle through stats (may display heart rate, date, steps taken, how far you are in your goals, your hourly movement reminders, etc). Yes, two of the watch faces are digital (numbers display, not hands) and have seconds displayed. There is no 3rd party support at this time such as facebook, instagram, etc (The Blaze watch will be offering these soon in next software upgrade, so I guess there is hope the Charge 2 will get those as well). Heart rate was spot on as it usually was with original Charge HR & my Blaze. Obviously some folks have trouble with them due to body hair and whatnot, but the sensors on Charge HR, Blaze, and now Charge 2 seem to be spot on. An issue I had with the original Charge was it getting "lost" when I hit higher cardio levels. CONS: - vibration is notably weaker than the original Charge. The Charge HR slowly scrolls texts and notifications to you, which can be annoying if you're used to the Blaze. They serve their purpose well though, and I can't ding it for this as it's a step up from the original Charge. The Blaze is their high end product at the moment, but the Charge 2 is a very close second. I'll happily answer questions as I did for when I originally reviewed the Blaze out of the gate, and edit this review to reflect common questions or any issues I face as I put the device through its paces in the coming days."
Best Camping & Hiking Equipment
Removes minimum 99.9999% of waterborne bacteria, 99.9% of waterborne protozoan parasites, and filters to 0.2 microns; surpasses EPA filter standards.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"On top of one of the lower peaks, I drank from the most disgusting looking crevice filled with brown scum (see photo). Get one for your outdoor adventures, and one for your bug-out bag, which everyone should have in case of natural disaster (or apparently civil war, because the world seems to have gone mad)."
"In the past I always carried a General Ecology First Need XL water purifier and refilled nalgene bottles with it. When you're at high altitudes in the mountains this leads to longer "drink breaks" since you can get winded pretty easy while trying to suck up water through the LifeStraw."
"As soon as I got this thing in the mail I went straight to the nastiest, most contaminated thing I could find."
"UPDATE - 4-25-2016. After more than 3-years of numerous weekend and 2-week excursions, my very first LifeStraw would not produce anymore clean filtered water. I really don't know how many liters of water that was used, but I can say this....with the coffee filter attached to this unit it out last my friends LifeStraw more than a year. Now, I use a Portable Siphon Hand Liquid Transfer Pump with this unit."
"So I intentionally got lost in the wilderness with a couple friends with the LifeStraw in my pocket and nothing else. We were going to die of dehydration out in the redwood wilderness, huddled around a useless LifeStraw. So I grab a cup of water and dunk the LifeStraw into it, letting it soak for a few minutes. Frantically I call my friends and tell them how it wasn't a piece of junk and how we were just stupid guys who didn't read the directions."
"Link to video of review: [...]. Link to purchase: [...]. Tested it in 3 locations. 1."
Best Skates, Skateboards & Scooters
SAFETY - For best protection, we strongly recommend that children wear helmets and knee pads when riding. AWARDS - ASTRA Best Toy Award 2014, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum, Gold and SNAP Award Seals 2009, 2010 and 2011, Parents’ Choice Award 2010, Learning Express Best Toy Award Outdoor 2009, Tillywig Top Fun Award 2014. Swiss-designed, the Micro Mini is also known as the "Mini Kick" - it is the quality choice in 3-wheel scooters for young children ages 3-5.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"We originally pick up a scooter at walmart for our 3 yr old daughter - dont remember the name brand - see picture of pink scooter. The brake cover was hard plastic that my daughter couldnt step on hard enough to stop, so she would have to jump off or run into something to stop."
"Love, love, love this scooter!"
"He learned to ride it easily (he was a bit ahead of the curve physically), and was zooming around on it after two weeks. I broke it down and easily packed it for a trip to Portland, and it allowed us to explore more readily on foot during our vacation."
"We gave this scooter to our short 2 year old for her 2nd birthday."
"It was easy to put together, just snap the handle bar into the piece with the wheels. It was enough that I had to check the box (it says blue) and the Amazon page (to see if purple is even offered)."
"Today as we were riding down the sidewalk, not going fast or doing anything strange, on a scooter only TWO MONTHS OLD, the brake just fell off again. I just spoke with the company and although they were very helpful and assured me that the brake could be easily replaced, they also told me that this is very likely to happen due to the way it's constructed. That's fine to say, but if a child is used to using one and trying to stop even at a regular speed as he/she approaches a street, the brake suddenly not being there is going to throw them."