In all honesty, I had a really hard time rationalizing this purchase because of the price. With a year gone by, I look back and feel like it was worth every cent and more. I use this jacket constantly, prob more than I should as it does make one look like a linebacker. It's incredibly warm, even with just a t-shirt underneath, and packs down quite well. The extra material in the arms and bottom of the back means there'll be no freezing wind creeping in when belaying. As for durability, mine still looks like new after a year of regular use. I even kept it on for a climb that included an off-width full of shoulder and arm jams because the weather turned foul. Even after that, not even a scratch!

Climbing shoes are (more than anything) all about personal fit. That said, I own 5 pairs of shoes and this is far and away my fav. I've been reading other reviews about pain and agony, but the break-in pain I borne for these babies was minimal compared to my Scarpa Booster/Stix. And those shoes, incredible climbing tools they may be, have remained painful to wear while my rossa's feel super comfy now and fit like a glove. I bought them on the recommendations of two friends from different climbing circles who had the same experience. They have become my all around shoe. They are almost as precise and powerful as my Booster's, but I climb hard 5.12 and still feel like it's a rare occasion when that extra bit is really necessary. The comfort level I get in these shoes allows me to climb multi-pitch sport/trad, tech slab, and even crack (I'm not the only one, see Alex Honnold's vids in Indian Creek) all the while getting agro quality performance and precision. For sizing comparison: I wear 41.5 in Testarossa's, 10.5, in street shoes, 10 in Anasazi Velcro's, 42.5/43 in Scarpa Vision/Booster/Stix. Size 'em right, and these shoes will make happen the impossible: Big smiles at the sight of Lace-ups.

Whether belaying the leader or the second, this thing is bomber. It's also very easy to use when lowering your climber. It may be useful to note that it's a bit thinner than the BD ATC, so for the beater rope I take to the gym, or thicker top ropes, i leave my reverso at home. Conversely, I feel really confident using it on the skinnies.

This shoe offers incredible control and precision on all manner of vertical and steep climbing. They have also smeared very well when called upon to do so, though I definitely won't be breaking them out for any slab climbs. These shoes are ridiculously sticky even during the break in phase, which, thankfully, doesn't take too long. On sizing: I have a slightly wider foot than normal, and while I wear a 10.5 in street shoes, the 42.5 in these make for a very nice fit (for further comparison, I wear 42 in the scarpa Vision V and 10 in evolv defy's and while the Scarpa heels fit me well, La Sportiva heel cups have always been either too high or just just too big and pouch-like for my foot). These are a great purchase (worth every penny) and if you're going aggro, these are the shoes to get.

An awesome shoe with great performance characteristics. It edges, toes-in, smears, and heel hooks fantastically well . The last is slightly downturned, but not at all uncomfortable. One gets a great feel for the rock with these shoes and despite their sensitivity, I would still recommend them to beginners. As for sizing, it was a bit tricky for me. I wear a 10.5 in street shoes and have had two other scarpa models that I got in 42.5. These shoes run a bit bigger though, and through a little trial and error (and the exemplary support of Backcountry's customer service team) I ended up finding a 42 to be a perfect fit. If you tend do size down in the extreme, pain won't be a huge problem with the Vision V, but the heel felt short and awkward to me when traveling that road. Very sincerely, it's pretty hard for me to imagine someone being unsatisfied with this shoe.

My girlfriend bought me these shoes so that I would have something comfortable to wear on those days spent with her doing easy/moderate climbing. While they are, in fact, quite comfy, I find their performance characteristics to be really lackluster. I can't edge at all in these shoes and they give me no feel for the rock. I've often thought that the problem had to be my own and that the shoe couldn't be that bad, but as soon as I throw on my Vision V or Booster's (both scarpa) the world's seems a different place. These shoes are only suitable for people who desire comfort mainly, and will not be climbing into the 5.10's any time soon. Otherwise, there are plenty of more sensible options (e.g. Scarpa Vision V or any good technical trad shoe).

The sport gets three stars from me because as a belay device it does, in fact, work quite well. But in the end, the sport is lighter and takes up less space, but not enough to outweigh the potential benefit of having an extra XP around to lend to a buddy, or to person X's significant other who loves accompanying to the crag but not enough to buy their own gear.

These 3/4 shorts are easy to climb in, good at protecting my knees, and to quick to dry after post climb river swims. I'd buy them again.

I love these things. They are quite big and easy to handle, clip smoothly, fairly lightweight given their size, and have an overall great feel.

I generally use Petzl spirits as my draw of choice, but wanted to lighten up my rack and bought these to serve as anchor side biners (and pick up some spare dogbones). Now I find myself with a dilemma: these biners clip so nicely I'm thinking I might keep them as is. My fav feature is the notch at the base of the spine. My rope seems to be drawn to it and it makes placing my middle finger for clips wicked easy (much more so than with the Spirit). The only thing the Spirit still has up on it is the notchless gate, which really does make life quite a bit easier. One other thing to keep in mind is that, unlike the pic and description, the biners come in different colors (mine were silver on one side and blue on the other). For what I originally had in mind that's a con, but if I were considering this purchase for use as a draw, a uniform color might be a deal breaker.

This beanie is great. I wear a large in fitted ball caps, and this beanie is large enough to keep my head warm from my eyebrows to the base of my neck. It would fit perfectly if it were just a tad smaller, but as is, it still looks quite good. The base of the beanie is lined and does well in making sure your ears are nice and toasty. The color I ordered was fuchsia and the actual color is very close, maybe just a smidge brighter. A great purchase.

Three months ago, a day after my first climb, I bought a pair of Defy shoes with the intention of dedicating the summer to learning how to climb. In pursuit of this goal, my Defy's spent at least 2 hrs, 4x/week, on my feet either in the gym or at the crag being critical to my progress through 5.10d lead and V3. I would recommend these shoes to others with the instruction to keep a few things in mind before they buy.
1) They do stretch. I wear 10.5/11 in street shoes and got them in 10.5. After suffering for a month, they finally broke in and became quite comfortable. In the middle of month 2, however, they had stretched too much, and as I was getting better and needing to dial it down, the velcro straps wouldn't go far enough to allow it. My next Evolv's will def be a size or more down. The break-in time will suck, but I'll end up with shoes that fit so well, I'll be very happy to pay for resoling.
2) The rubber runs out pretty quickly. I've heard others talk smack about Trax rubber, but I've found it quite sticky and trustworthy on sketchy clips. The problem is that I have two gaping wholes in the toes, and the rubber on the heel is separating from the shoe. This may be due to beginner's footwork, but other reviewers have mentioned the same problem.
3) Lastly, I know it's weird, but they really do reek! I was happily surprised to read this comment in other reviews (glad to know it's not just me). So, make sure you get odor eaters, or something.

I've had this harness for a little more than 3 months now, and after a summer of hard climbing it still looks like new. Beyond its good looks, it's proved to be comfortable even after hanging and belaying all day long. It weighs next to nothing and because of the slimness of the weave, it takes up almost no space at all in my pack. The only negative for me is the snugness of the leg loops. I have 24.5 inch thighs (M waist), and though fine in summer gear, I wonder how comfy it'll be over my fall clothing. Other than that, it rocks!!!

The trade off is simple: Convenience for weight. First, they aren't cheap. That said, neither are the full sized feather light options. What it boils down to for me is the fact that I hate hanging on to the rock (sometimes desperately), and futzing around with a biner caught either on a bolt or my rope. The Spirit's eliminate that annoyance forever. Plus, the new colors look really cool!