I thought for sure I was a 5.10 guy and only a 5.10 guy. I own 2 pairs and they fit me very well. But when the toe blew out of my Jet 7's I decided I would try some Sportiva's. And wow.. These shoes wrap my foot perfectly. I have a higher instep, wide forefoot, and mid-narrow heel. My street size is 8 mens (41), I have size 41 Spires, 40 Jet 7s, and decided to size aggressively into a 39 in the Miura. They definitely hurt for the first week or so of climbing, but stretched perfectly.

I have to agree with a fellow reviewer, they really do feel like cheating. My climbing jumped leaps and bounds with the Miura. The sole under the forefoot is a perfect blend of stiff enough to edge on micro-chips, and flexible enough to grab dexterously with your toes. The slingshot rand keeps your foot in great position even when the shoe is bent, and keeps you sucked into the heel. The stiffer section of the shoe ends right where my foot flexes normally, making smears easy and less unnatural feeling to me. That said, the ultra sticky Vibram rubber also helps a lot with that. The 4mm thickness seems to be a good number, since it gives great sensitivity, while so far lasting 2 months of climbing. Speaking of durability, I was told by a partner that the metal loops for the toe velcro have been rumored to rub a lot against the rock and blow out, but so far just some scuff marks on the finish. Heels you ask? Well they are classic Sportiva awesomeness. Hooking with the ball that is the heel of the Miura is easy, there is no dead space, and it has a good coverage of rubber, without gimmicky (to me) ridges. The only thing I wish is that this shoe had a bit more toe coverage, for tricky toe-hooks, as currently it is lacking compared to its Solution cousin.

Honestly, I don't know if my words could do justice to this shoe. But as one of my climbing partners likes to say: "I can't BELIEVE you are standing on that!". That pretty much makes the bill worth it.

There is so much good about these shorts, it is hard to find a place to start... Lets start with the fabric. It is a near perfect blend of tough, breathable cotton and stretchy spandex. It holds up very well to anything; falling on your ass all day bouldering, crack climbing and chimneys, lounging at the beach, or partying hard on the dance floor. It moves with you, allowing full range of movement, even though it covers down to past your knees. And the knee has a double hit of fabric, ala Carhartts.

The construction of these shorts is phenomenal, everything I have come to expect from Patagonia, which is becoming increasingly my go to company for softgoods. The button, I know this seems like a small detail, but it is very well thought out, using a ribbon to hold it instead of the standard thread, which pretty much everyone has had problems with at one time or another. The stitching is holding up very nicely, all doubled up.

The rest is well thought out, the security pocket holds an iPod, camera, cell phone, wallet, or any combination. And it is located right under where your leg loops ride so you can stash and climb all at once. The other pockets work very well with my harness too, but that might be just how I wear it.

The styling is pretty chill, fits in pretty much everywhere. I never feel like Im the dirty climber when Im kicking around town like some of the knicker style pants make me feel. Definitely something that not just climbers should get, they are my favourite, and so comfortable. I have the Large (34-36) and it fits very true to size. I am 6'1" and 205, and it's below the knee and awesome in the waist.

Great bar for on the trail, on the bike, in the class, where ever you are. I like the flavours all of which are great, although I can't actually eat the nut ones. The Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter is an awesome flavour, but you need to switch it up every so often so flavours don't get boring. I like to mix it up with the Blueberry Crisp, Cool Mint Chocolate and even the Cranberry Apple Cherry. If you switch out different bars at random, then you will never find that the taste is overly repetitive. It isn't dry like some bars, but moist and chewy, which makes it easy to eat and promotes drinking water at the same time. There are TONS of nutrients to keep you moving, even on hungover hike day when I forgot to pack a lunch. The square shape of the bar makes it easy to pack, and unique.

Black Diamond makes a good lamp and the 6 different light settings are definitely useful, and always appreciated. The triple LED is perfect for in camp, and lighting up that last belay at sundown, and the large single LED is awesome for lighting your way skiing up those last couple hundred meters to the next camp or any activity with speed or the need to see into the future. Super light weight for the power, and fairly bomber construction. Can drop it or cram it in your pack, it'll be fine. I do have a few gripes with it, including the size of the housing, which while functional, is aesthetically not pleasant. The circuitry in this is also not perfected in my mind, as BD chose to not go the same route as Petzl making the light level stay consistent as the battery drained, and just opted for longer run time. It does however, outshine most similar sized Petzl's, as it has the unfair advantage of the extra spot bulb.

Each individual piece is great, and as a package, it's solid. The ATC is basically the standard of modern belay/rappel devices and the simplicity of it shows you why. The AirLock2 'biner is stellar, a wide mouth to swallow up messy belay stations, and a smooth gate sleeve action to make sure it opens and closes when you are getting pumped. I do have one thing to say about it though, it tends to, in my personal experience, cross-load during a rappel. I think it is due to the shape, the whole 'biner loads almost angular, but is not a problem if you pay attention to your system.

I have a 27oz. Klean Kanteen, but not a powder coated one. I won't try to attest to the durability of the coating, but the standard stainless steel bottles are bombproof. Mine is dented to hell, scraped, battered and beat, and still has no rust, and no punctures. I have boiled water in mine, and it works just fine. I think these should be the main bush bottles people use, because they are more versatile than a Nalgene, and the weight difference isn't significant.

Marmot knows how to make quality gear, and for some reason it is a company that always slips my mind. But when I went looking for a PacLite shell, this one was at my local shop. Now I know it is the cheapest PacLite shell you can buy, but that means nothing, cause this shell is amazing. It packs down to the size of a 5 pin bowling ball, making it perfect for something that lives in your pack in case it storms. And it is unbelievably durable. I have climbed in it several days so far this season, skied some trees, and hiked/bushwacked a coupled weekend trips with it, and it looks amazing. The style and cut is perfect for everything except the low-ish pockets, which I never use shell pockets while on the trail anyway so not a negative to me. I don't know how well the "Angel-Wings" actually work, because when you reach high enough any jacket will come down, but overall I would say it is great. If the Minimalist had a dual direction zipper for rainy belays, I would say it was a near perfect shell, and even as is, it is top notch. I am 6'1" and 205#, and the Large Minimalist fits perfect, even with layers or a puffy underneath.

"... give you much more security than a daisy's bartack loops and more convenience than a sewn runner." That says it all really. Do the majority of climbers need a PAS? No. Do I even? No. But it makes life a heck of a lot easier and it's safe. I tried the whole sewn runner thing, with it girth hitched and some overhand knots in it for adjustability, but it's a pain in the ass, and shorter than a PAS. The PAS racks up relatively clean whether you use one 'biner on it or two. I have mine between my legs and under to keep it out of the way and prevent it from snagging. I use mine to help me clean a route, set up a rappel, and anchor into a belay.

... and this kit should always be with you. This is a prefect little kit for throwing in your pocket or bag during a short day out, and I even started carrying it around town and to class, just in case. Nothing in here is useless. The moleskin, solid selection of bandage sizes, gauze and tape. I use the tape quite a bit actually, for my knuckles and hands while climbing. But it is not durable enough for that, as it is meant more to hold down a dressing really. The safety pins are great for lancing blisters or securing a sling. The only thing missing was the medications as mine is a Canadian kit, which was easily remedied with Ibuprofen (6 x 400mg), Benedril (antihistamine)(2) and Imodium(2). A few other additions to my kit are a small tube of super glue, which helps secure bandaids while climbing, and some Poly-To-Go Polysporin. This makes a well rounded and great kit.

This kit has everything you need for a short day trip hike in the woods, to a several day long backcountry excursion. I carry this thing pretty much everywhere, in my truck on when I travel, or in my bag when I'm hiking or backcountry touring. I have had to use it on many occasions, but the equipment is pretty easy to replace, except for a few items, that I would just replace the whole kit if I had the need to use them. Being Canadian I had to add in my own medications, but it makes it a little more tailored for you.

Very basic, minimalist pack. It doesn't offer a lot of organization, and only one pocket as the brain makes storing smaller items a little tricky. But other than that, this pack is awesome. The suspensions is dialed and comfy. The design allows weight transfer to the hips, and the waist belt holds it all. This pack is great for daytrip summits, or really lightweight overnighters. Stuffing a rope in this isn't hard, but because of the zippered top loading design, you have to dig out almost all your gear to pull it out when you hit the crag. The stiffness of the packs material is a positive and a negative really. Positive because it is literally bombproof. Negative because it has no stretch or give to get that one odd piece of gear down deeper into the pack.

I don't know what it is about the Adjama, but it is a ridiculously comfortable harness. Long stints as belay *****, lead falls, rappelling, scrambling, mountaineering, ice... This baby handles it all, in style. Blue, the blue is a gorgeous colour on this. The gear loops are set up nice for a multi-use harness; flexible in the back for carrying a pack, and the front two clip gear very easily. The adjustable leg loops are what sold me on this one over the Sama, because it makes it so much more useable. Stuffing legs covering in layers and snow pants through some elastic leg loops isn't my thing. The different colours belay loop is nice if you find that area of your harness getting messy, it just makes it easier to find and more reassuring.

The sizing was a lot different than the BD harness I have been in. I am 6'1" and about 205# for general knowledge. My Momentum in L fit poorly for some reason, and didn't give me much room to cinch down in. But this L gives me plenty of tail on the auto-doubleback buckles, something I like, while fitting my legs. I recommend going to try one on before committing to it.

And just if you need one more kicker in this deal, it has classic Petzl bombproof build.

I used this harness as I was starting out climbing, because it came relatively cheap, and was pretty comfortable to sit in for a minute or two. I had it for a year, and over that time lost enough weight to need a smaller size, so the XL I had wouldn't fit anymore. I tried my friends exact same harness in the L and it just didn't ever feel comfortable. I didn't like the leg loops for longer hangs, as it dug in but at least never rode up. I will still give it 4/5 since it is a really good harness, and perfect for a budget or entry level climber. The gear loops are solid and stay in a very good spot for grabbing draws. The buckles are effective at doubling back, but I wish that there was an easy marker to show your partner you had it proper, like some harnesses that say danger or have red. I put red tape on mine for a good visual, and since it is now my spare/loaner harness.

I got one of these off my buddy, and it is an awesome little tool. I leave it in my just in case dry-bag in the brain of my pack, but seem to use it frequently anyway. The saw is very effective at clearing out branches from a tight belay ledge, or smaller fall across a trail. The knife geometry is perfect so it seems sharp for a lot longer, with the thinner blade just slicin' and dicin'. The can opener is extremely effective, probably one of the best designs in multitools, as is the cap lifter. I love having the tweezers along with me, as pulling slivers is easily handled by them.
There are some things I don't like or feel are necessary on this tool though, the corkscrew being one of them. If I am at home and there needs to be a bottle opened, then home corkscrews are much more effective. And personally, I would never carry a glass bottle of wine into and then out of the bush to ever justify it. And the second, smaller blade. Again, a little useless for me, as the main blade takes care of pretty much anything.

Overall it is a good pack for the crag. I like the other version that BD seemed to have discontinued better, it has a brain for storing your lunch and small non-climbing items, and then the full belly for the rope and your gear. It also was better designed for longer approaches. This version has a nice internal pocket though, and a larger internal volume to make up for it. The pack is comfortable for some of the local areas around me, but for anything scramble-y or long, I didn't like it as it was uncomfortable, the waist belt needed some beefing up.

I love Osprey packs almost as much as BD ones. And this pack will show you why they rock. The suspension stabilizes you and your load out awesomely, and the backpanel is comfortable and breathable. The waist belt pockets are extremely handy, and hold most point and shoot cameras, smaller GPS units, or plenty of trail snack-food. The pockets in the brain make organization a little easier. Front panel access is sometimes annoying, but more often than not a god-send for finding the slippery piece of gear that fell to the bottom of your pack. The only thing I personally don't use or see a real need for is the "Stow-on-the-Go" feature for trekking poles. I don't use them, but when I tried with a friends, I could not get it to work while still moving and in the position they ended up in they were more in the way than anything. If it was over the back and you had to stop for 30 seconds to strap it, I think it would be a much better feature for scrambling.

These 'biners are great. I have the majority of my lockers as the Positrons, with just a Vaporlock as a belay 'biner. They have a very smooth gate action, I have never had troubles with clipping. The gate screws easily and fast, and is never a problem for beat up or pumped hands to work. They are bomb proof strong, I use them to build top-rope anchors mostly, but also to secure a belay and I also keep one on my PAS permanently for cleaning. The size of the 'biner limits its uses a bit, just not really enough room for a doubled rope for the rappel. And if you belay on a tube, not the best I recommend the Vaporlock, but it's fine with a GriGri. I love to keylock nose, never snags on runners, and makes clipping to bolts easy. My partner has only 1 or 2 of these, and mostly uses a combo of the Quicksilver Screwgates, or a DMM keylock, and he tells me he prefers my Positrons.

As far as I can tell, the coloured ones I have, with the copper-brown anodized coating has 3 different coloured gates, yellow green, orange, and the same brown, just if anyone is interested.

I learnt how to belay on a BD ATC on a climbing trip to Jasper, and there is a reason that it has a 5 star rating with 40-odd reviews. It is essentially idiot proof. It feeds the rope as good as any other tube device, brakes as hard as it needs to be, and offers a relatively soft catch overall. The finish is very durable, holding up against scraping on the rock and general mountain tomfoolery, but the rope channels finish rubs out quickly. Extremely simple to set up for a rappel, I also learnt how to rappel on one of these. I have moved on, preferring a GriGri since I climb primarily sport, and bionking my partner back up to his bolt is a lot less work. But that doesn't mean that the ATC is off my harness. I keep it with me at all time, and use it frequently for rappelling and to belay to keep my technique up to snuff.

This is highly recommended as a stepping stone for beginners. Buy an ATC, and after you are competent enough on it, then you can decide to move to something else that could make your belay easier for you, or stick with this classic.

I freakin' love this tool!
The Surge is a big tool, and I mean big, smaller hands beware. The size makes it feel sturdy, indestructible even. But with that comes the weight. Weight is such a major issue to people that they may never consider this as something to take backpacking or even to carry for work. Come on, it's just over 10 ounces (listed weight must include sheath, etc), which in my mind, is nothing for the versatility, and the ability the Surge has to replace a bunch of larger bulkier items many campers still carry. The long reach of the handles and pliers can easily replace a pot grabber, cut wires and nails and repair all kinds of different gear. The screwdriver on this thing has a small reach, but being able to swap in a PosiDrive 3 bit sold in the Leatherman Bit Kit, means it becomes my repair kit for backcountry skiing as well. The saw will literally last longer than any other without dulling, and not because of some diamond blade, but because the t-shank adaptor that holds the saw on this tool will hold any t-shank blade, as in any jig saw blade sold at your local hardware store. And then there is the knife, the big burly outside opening knife, making it able to replace your other camp blades. It has a long reach, sharp factory edge, and strong lockup.
This multi took out a lot of little items in my pack (pot grabber, fixed blade knife, folding pocket saw, repair kit tools), and even if you carry none of these, you will still regret not adding it to your pack.