I got this for backcountry skiing, and really have no complaints. The 3 layer Gore Tex kept me dry in some pretty wet snow conditions last winter. The Balsam Green color is really quite nice (like on the Patagonia site). The pockets are high enough as to not interfere with a pack's hip belt. It seemed to vent pretty well keeping it on while hiking up with the pit zips and chest pockets open on a blue sky day. I noticed the same thing others did with the longer sleeves, but it doesn't bother me because I always cinch up wrist straps so sleeves fit easily into my glove cuffs.

I got a pair of these to use for backcountry skiiing. I really like how they're a slimmer fit than so many other pants that seem tailored towards snowboard style. The 3 ply GoreTex worked really well in the wet snow we had last year. My only complaints are that the boot cuff is very snug around my Black Diamond Factor boots, and the snaps at the waist can come undone, especially when wearing a backpack with a hip belt.

I bought this a bit over a year ago to use for carrying climbing gear during approaches and occasionally on shorter multipitch routes. What I found was it isn't really well designed for that. It's a bit too tall, so if it's loaded it hits your helmet when you look up (I'm 5'10"). The plastic back plate is so thin that it doesn't really provide any stiffness and really only prevents things from poking you in the back. The compartment in the lid actually is kind of a pain because if you stow a decent amount of stuff up there (keys, wallet, phone, sunscreen, etc.) it makes dealing with the lid kind of a hassle. The description talks about an "Integrated vertical rope carry system", but I haven't been able to figure out what that is. I replaced this pack with a Petzl Bug, which is is clearly designed with climbers in mind.

Let me start by saying I've tried a lot of different shoes for approach, and this is the first pair that I've been completely happy with. I tried New Balance trail runners (squishy sole had terrible grip scrambling), La Sportiva Boulders (unbelievably tight toe, even upsized 2 sizes), Patagonia Karakorams (painfully stiff upper that stubbornly refused to break in), and Merrell Trail Gloves (no underfoot protection for walking on scree). The Adidas fit true to size, have a beautifully grippy sole, stiff enough sole that your feet don't get beat up by scree, and the Adiprene is stiff enough that you keep your footing scrambling up rocks. They took almost no breaking in (I wore them to work 1 day before a weekend climbing). The coolest feature is the foam tongue top... it's hard to explain, but since its shape is fixed, it keeps the tongue from bunching up or sliding to the side. Oh, and the price was hard to beat at $65 on sale!

Overall, I'm quite pleasantly surprised by Adidas' foray into real outdoor gear.

I'm up to 3 pairs of these now. My first pair I mistakenly bought in Large, but still wore it as often as I could for over a year with no signs of wear. However, since they hung pretty low (5'-10", 165), so I bought 2 new pairs for this climbing season. The Mediums fit perfectly. Bottom line is it's a great short that moves with you, dries fast, and has a low profile waist band that is great for under a sit harness. Only bummer is this season doesn't have blue anymore!

I bought 2 of these shirts on sale to use for climbing, and was really pleasantly surprised. The fit's great: sleeves and tail are long enough to cover upper arms and hang below a sit harness and the sleeves slide up easily on your arms for unrestricted movement. Also, the material wicks sweat well. All this for the same (or less) price as a normal cotton t-shirt. Well done North Face!

First off, I bought a size 10, which is what I normally wear in New Balance shoes (and have been fitted as that size at one of their stores before). New Balance is normally my go-to shoe company for shoes that fit my feet well.

Right after wearing them, I wore them as approach shoes for climbing. I immediately noticed the rubbing on the outside edge of my pinky toes, causing blisters. Lots of dust and grit got into the shoe, so I chalked the blisters up to the grit. I chucked them in the back of my car and didn't have a chance to use them for a while.

Tonight, I decided to give them another try, this time on a treadmill at the gym. I figured no dust, so I should be fine. Wrong... I had to stop after 1 mile because I already had blisters. I looked on New Balance's website, and see lots of complaints about this also.

Bottom Line:
Pros: super light, rock stop works great
Cons: mesh upper lets grit & dust in, outside edge rubs on your toes giving blisters, insoles wad up every time you take the shoes off after wearing them barefoot

I bought this for gym bouldering. It's everything I expected, and nothing that I didn't. It doesn't tip over, doesn't leak chalk in my car, is big enough to get both hands in, and the mesh side pocket is big enough for a big & small brush plus my keys. I dumped about 2/3 of the largest bag of Black Diamond "White Gold" chalk in it for the first fill.

I bought these about about a month ago to replace my pair of La Sportiva Boulders. The thing I didn't like about the Boulders was that they were very, very tight in the toe, even ordering a size up. No such problems with the Patagonias! I haven't put them through their proper paces yet outdoors, but I've worn them every day walking around the hilly streets of San Francisco and tested their grip doing easy bouldering at an indoor climbing gym.

The Good:
*Vibram rubber grips steep slopes well and foot holds
*Sole is stiff enough to edge on easy climbing
*Footbed has a perfect combination of enough give to not wear out my feet but firm enough for scrambling
*Sizing matches street shoe sizes, without being overly snug or loose
*Material feels very durable, and will be able to take scuffing on rock

The Bad:
*The stiff sole and rubber will take some time to break in. Do not buy these the day before you head for the mountains. It took me about a week of wearing them every day to soften them up.
*The fat laces aren't great at staying snugly tied. I'd suggest they copy NuBalance's laces which alternate thick/thin.
*If I crank the laces really tight, the second row of lace loops put pressure on the top of my foot. Normal tightness is fine.

Bottom Line:
A solid approach shoe that can actually do what it's name implies.

I bought a pair of these around May, and just had to retire them. Unlike other synthetic uppers/linings, the perforated Prisms stretch... A LOT. Climbing 3-4 times per week for 3 months had them stretch about 1 full size on me, which was far more than I expected for a synthetic. In the end, they had stretched so much that the laces were bottomed out, and I could no longer tighten them enough to prevent my foot from rolling inside the shoe when I edged.

In addition the combination of the chisel tip and the super soft Onyxx rubber runs into problems as the rubber breaks in. I found that the side and upper rubber stretched about a quarter inch outwards over the chisel tip, actually making it more difficult to edge. Also, this caused the sides to show much more wear than I normally see.

Finally, while the very soft Onyxx rubber is amazing for slabby work, I found the combination of it plus the extra soft last to be extremely painful whenever I put my feet in any crack and cranked.I would buy these again if they were redesigned with a stiffer rubber/last, a reworked chisel tip where the sides did not bulge over the sole, a non-perforated synthetic upper (or synthetic lined leather), and a snugger heel.

Oh, and just like seemingly every other synthetic shoe, they will smell putrid if your feet sweat a lot. This did not factor into my rating, but others may want to consider it.

Quite pleased with these. I picked them up to replace a pair of 5.10 Prisms that had overstretched. I compared the VS against the Miura laceup and Evolv's Pontas. My feet are pretty flat, with a low arch and wide front. The Miura laceup had a weird dead space above the toe, and the Pontas was too narrow. The VS just fit my feet perfectly, and had the added bonus of a downturned toe. So far, I've only used them bouldering in the gym, but they have amazing edging and cling to holds on overhangs. In addition, the last is stiffer than my old Prisms, so I'll be able to use them on outdoor sport routes without feeling like every crack is torture.

For sizing, I went with a 41.5 compared to my size 10 (43) street shoe. I also found the "size 0.5 down from Miura" to work. I went to a local R*I to get base sizing off those, then was able to confidently order the VS online.