Rainier_Wolfscastle

Second the Trango S, FYI, they only take crampons that use front posts/straps instead of bails

If you are just backpacking, why not just spend $30 on some Sierra Designs or REI rainpants? Lighter & cheaper. If you must spend more, you can get those Marmot precip pants with full side zips for less than $100. I know those Arcteryx pants are nice, but they are still way overpriced IMO.

white lightening - wax lubricant. Designed for bike chains. Doesn't attract dirt

Don't buy one for moutaineering. Not versatile enough for reasons previously stated. Use seperate tops & bottoms. They are OK for ice climbing (less bulk around waist for harness) & resort skiing (keeps the pow out if you yard sale). 1 piece long underwear aren't bad though for winter use. Quite a bit more comfortable with less bunching around the waist. Just be sure you are not going to overheat wearing them.

I've been noticing a white powder build up on my teleboots recently. Seems to come off at lower elevations or indoors. Weird.

Looks like they fixed the weight on the Parka. Previously it was listed at 23 oz. The new figure of 36 oz. sounds about right.

Das Parka is the bomb. Best weight to warmth ratio for synthetic. Cloudveil Enclosure Parka is pretty nice too but their listed weight is waaay off. Ad says 23 oz. My scale 33 oz.

4 years of MRE's were enough for me. I recall getting Chicken Ala king every meal for 2 weeks straight. I agree with other posters. Army gear is heavy & outdated. One of my least favorite items is the extreme cold weather sleeping which is neither warm or extreme in any respect. How about a 400 lb 5 man tent?

Cloudveil Koven or the lighter Drizzle Jacket are both really nice, athletic fitting shells.

$250 is way too much for these. Get some fatter skis. The heli stinx are old school. They'd only be good if you plan on doing alot of really long tours were light weight is crucial.

If you are worried about protecting the AA's from the cold, just use AA Lithium batteries instead. They withstand cold much better than Alkaline batteries.

yeah. I have a pair of Vasak's with this attachment. In general, the crampons are great, but the new lever feels like it is going to snap off when you cam it over. I wound up sanding a 1/4" off the heel sole of my boots with a belt sander to ease up the tension on the crampon mechanism. That being said, once they are on, they are not going to come off.

Almost all the outdoor clothing I have bought has weighed more than advertised. My Cloudveil Enclosure Parka was the biggest offender: MFR weight: 23 oz. postal scale: 36 oz. I expected a few extra ounces, but that difference was unacceptable. I returned the jacket.

I like the logbook function on the Suunto Vector. Start it at the beginning of the adventure and stop it at the end. Shows total vert, laps, time etc. Great for ski touring. Rarely use the compass, but it's only a few bucks more than the no compass version (altimax)

The cables are typically glued in with epoxy. It's not really a safety issue. It's only purpose is to give you somewhere to clip the device.

If anyone interested: Photos & text

There are tons of choices. I'd just focus on first finding a pair that fits well, has taped seams, full side zips, & a good internal gaiter setup at the bottom. If you bomb though bushes on your skis, get heavier duty material. If you need superlight weight, get the precip/paclite type pants.

Depends how much you like them. I've had one pair resoled 5 times. They are the best fitting shoes for me.

I checked it out at REI last night. As suspected, it's 2 lbs per boot. Still pretty light for such warmth. I wonder how hard it is to clear out snow from the crampon attachment cleat? Could be a frustrating ordeal in the mountains. Still a cool concept though.

The site says this leather boot is good to -30 and weigh 2 lbs each or per pair? Am I reading that right? Sure sounds good. Too bad they don't have an alpine crampon for it yet.

Find a pair Vans / Raichle snowboard boots on ebay with thermofit / intuition liners (many have them). They go cheap (mine were $15). Transfer the liners to your mountaineering boots. Get the combo nuked in special oven they have at local ski/climbing shop. This costs about $20, or try a beer bribe. I don't recommend trying to heat them up in your own oven. It makes your house smell like the previous owners hot stinky feet & and they are easily ruined by to much heat. In addition to a custom fit, these liners will make your boots about 1 lb lighter per pair.

Ryland, if you knew how to pack your gear, you wouldn't need 3 extra lbs of access zippers & pockets to get at your gear from every possible angle. Yes, I am aware that the Gregory pack is 15L larger. If you can't fit what you need in 90L then you should seriously rethink what you are taking from what you want to what you need. If you absolutely have to have 15L more, add the Serratus alpine pocket. Makes a more versatile pack as you can remove it later for more reasonable size loads.

They'll work, but neither your skis or bindings are great for high speeds or hucking. I use the Nitrogens on tele at the resort & they are good for most conditions, but are definitely scary at higher speeds. If you want a setup for on and off piste, get the Fritschi Freeride bindings on alpine boards. Heavier, but bomber.

This is a stupid pack. Who really needs this many gadgets/pockets/zippers & attachments? All that extra fluff adds up to a pack that weighs something like 8 lbs empty. Get the Serratus Alpinelite 85 which weighs in around 5 lbs and has all the features you need and nothing more. Probably costs about half as much too.

Man Face