Epinions Recent Reviews for rebeccad

QuietPower 3: Doesn't mention clean, does it?

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:10:25 GMT

rating: 1/5 by: Epinions Author rebeccad - Okay, full disclosure: I didn't buy this, and don't have an instruction manual, so maybe some of the fault lies with the user. This is in a temporary rental, but is a brand-new machine.Features: 4 wash cycles: Rinse Only,...

Coming Clean With the Front-Loader

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 15:47:59 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author rebeccad - I have had my Whirlpool Duet GW 9150 front-loader for about a year and a half now, and have to say I'm very pleased. This was our first move into the world of front-loaders. Why we bought it When my old washer began making noises like...

Nice camera with some fatal flaws

Tue, 13 Mar 2007 19:31:30 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author rebeccad - I bought my Dimage Z20 in April 2005, which makes it a dinosaur (and Konica-Minolta has since folded). I will say that at the time it was a great camera for the money. Only a year later, however, my husband bought a lot more and better camera for less...

My Kind of Traffic Jam

Sat, 10 Mar 2007 19:13:39 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author rebeccad - My 7-year-old picked this game out for his brother's 9th birthday, based mostly, I suspect, on the fact that it had cars (both of them are pretty obsessed with cars right now). I approved largely because of the ThinkFun label and the reasonable price...

A highly portable mental challenge

Wed, 7 Mar 2007 21:53:42 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author rebeccad - We picked up this demonic little toy on a whim, because it was inexpensive and looked like it might provide a bit of a challenge to our boys who love mazes. You could say that. I have only recently discovered ThinkFun toys (I know, I know--if I ever...

A pack to grow on

Wed, 1 Nov 2006 03:50:45 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author rebeccad - Two years ago I reviewed our kids' Little Teton packs. But those cute little packs were doomed from the beginning, and last spring we made the move: real packs for real backpackers. The selection of packs suitable for fairly small kids who carry real...

Pricey, and worth it

Sat, 7 Oct 2006 14:36:38 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author rebeccad - Having tried the cheap bikes, a year ago we broke down and bought our (then) 6-year-old son the Redline PitBoss. The cheap bikes had been noisy, wobbly, heavy, and awkward, and he'd refused to even try to learn to ride. This bike, light, responsive,...

Quick, light and cozy

Fri, 2 Sep 2005 02:32:30 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author rebeccad - We've been putting our packs on a serious reducing diet the last couple of years, and our tent is the latest victim. We swapped the old SD Meteor Light for the Sirius, and on the whole have no regrets. Is it perfect? No. But for the price and weight,...

Little packers pack their little loads

Mon, 13 Dec 2004 01:30:19 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author rebeccad - This is a nice little daypack, with the emphasis about evenly divided between "nice" and "little." After shopping all over the place for packs small enough for my 40-lb sons, and rejecting many much more expensive options, I bought a pair of Little Teton...

Toasty tootsies at last

Fri, 17 Sep 2004 00:47:32 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author rebeccad - In my desperate effort this summer to lose weight and bulk, I not only got a new pack, but a new sleeping bag. Well, the former sorta made the latter necessary, as the old behemoth wouldn't fit in the new, trim pack. Remembering a series of...

Love at first hoist

Mon, 30 Aug 2004 00:36:48 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author rebeccad - Naw, not a great new beer. My great new pack! I've been experiencing pack love all summer, and I'm here to share it with you. First things first Unless it's been changed, Epinions lists this as a daypack. No way. Uh-uh. The...

Even the kids can tell it's cheap

Fri, 6 Aug 2004 14:46:25 GMT

rating: 1/5 by: Epinions Author rebeccad - We needed a bike for our 5-year-old, just for a couple of months this summer. Didn't want to pay real money for it, since we have a good one at home. Couldn't find one at a garage sale. So I headed out to the discount retailer of choice, and found...

BACK-country relief

Wed, 14 Apr 2004 00:50:20 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author rebeccad - [Note: this is an up-date and relocation of an old review which was floating around in the holes in Epinions.] My Cascade Designs easy chair converter kit, at about 10 oz., is the best thing in my pack for my back, my posterior, and my morale. After...

Tent for tots (and others)

Sat, 10 Apr 2004 16:01:24 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author rebeccad - Between us, my husband and I have about six tents, all of the 3-season sort, mostly 2-man. What gives? The search for the perfect tent, of course! Combine the on-going improvements in tent technology with our changing needs, and you get an excuse to...

Drinkin' and Runnin'

Sat, 10 Apr 2004 14:58:06 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author rebeccad - I'm 90 minutes into a 2-hour trail run, and the sun is getting hot. I'm sweating buckets, but dehydration isn't in my plans. I grab another gulp of water from my Camelbak Flashflo and slog on up the hill, hydrated but not weighed down. What's a...

Love everything but the armrest covers

Sun, 4 Jan 2004 22:14:27 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author rebeccad - There's little to add to some great reviews of this carseat (thanks, guys--I bought it because of you!). It fits perfectly into our Outback, holds the kids safely, and we even solved the cup-holder problem (stubby straw-cups from Rubbermaid stay in...

Well, he doesn't know what "easy to peddle" means. . .

Sat, 13 Dec 2003 18:21:03 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author rebeccad - I recently bought my son the 2003 Torker Blaster for his 6th birthday. This has been an educational experience for an old messenger and bike enthusiast, because on the whole, bikes for kids this small (maybe 3 1/2 feet tall) are lousy. Not to whine,...

Sticking with the Classic

Fri, 10 Oct 2003 00:49:30 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author rebeccad - I was a BIG fan of the old Supernova Xtra. Ran through at least 5 pairs before somebody at Adidas got clever and had to change it all, leaving me heartbroken on the side of the trail. After messing around a bit with the new Control, I've settled on the...

Angel Island

Tue, 30 Sep 2003 23:34:34 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author rebeccad - After nine years in the Bay Area, I finally made it to the middle of the Bay--to Angel Island State Park. We took the kids, made a day of it, and found the Island, even in the middle of the day, worth the visit. What's the point? Angel Island...

Hydration on the cheap and light

Fri, 22 Aug 2003 00:27:57 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author rebeccad - Last year I bought a pair of 1-litre Platypus Hosers for the express purpose of getting my kids to stop chewing up the bite valve on my Camelbak. Okay, I wanted to hydrate the little hikers, too, but I was really tired of the drip down the side of my...

Poppies to the right of them, poppies to the left. . .

Fri, 1 Aug 2003 00:17:01 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author rebeccad - The California Poppy Reserve is, depending on season and conditions, either a mind-blowing experienc...

60 Minutes be hanged, no one shot at us

Sat, 17 May 2003 20:34:24 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author rebeccad - Okay, I admit it. With all the negative publicity lately about Organ Pipe and illegal aliens and drug smugglers and feds running loose with weapons, I was reluctant to take my 3 and 5-year-old boys. My husband was more rational (as always; if he got...

Drip no more!

Mon, 3 Mar 2003 01:49:30 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author rebeccad - Hey, here's one for the record books: a short review from RebeccaD. Just proving it can be done.

The Camelbak Ergolock is a simple giz designed to prevent leaks from the bite valve of your hydration pack while simultaneously positioning it...

Hike your heart out at Mt. Tam

Fri, 10 Jan 2003 01:03:03 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author rebeccad - I have to start this review with a confession: without looking at my maps, I have no idea where Mt. Tam State Park leaves off and the surrounding parks, protected areas, and watershed lands begin. I'll take it from north of Muir Woods (check out my...

Headlamp Heaven

Fri, 13 Dec 2002 01:03:21 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author rebeccad - In the never-ending quest for the perfect tool for the job, we bought ourselves a couple of new LED headlamps before our big packtrip last August. Drawn by the ultra-light weight and the equally light pricetag (as headlamps run), we decided to do our...