iceclimber

A pair of the original MH Hydra gloves might fit the bill. The Hydra Pro that replaced them had slightly different (worse for me) fit and I can't speak to what the current generation of Hydra glove is like.

Have a climbing partner who's had the same issue finding a pack that fits her. She picked up a Patagonia Acentionist 35l in the small/medium size and has loved it.

Mark, saw a 200 lbs MEC employee stand on top of one...no problem with the helmet.

Both, take a look at this discussion on neice.com and the short review at review on mountainproject.com

Batura 2.0s sold

Trango S boots sold

First generation Baturas are sold

I recently replaced my Suunto Vector with this Sunnto Core No issues with the visibility of the dial.

Finally getting around to a long overdue clear out of climbing boots. The LaSportiva, Scarpa and Salomon boots listed are size 46, the Kayland SuperIce boots are a US 11.5. Kayland SuperIce - US Men's size 11.5 Used for a season and change, very little wear - $250  Scarpa Freney - EU Size 46 Seen a couple of seasons, again little wear - $150 LaSportiva Trango S - EU size 46 These are the pre GoreTex versions, lots of life left in them - $150  LaSportiva Batura - EU size 46 First gen model, contact cemented leather patches on the tongue to reduce wear from, and improve comfort of, the two upper eyelets. - $200  LaSportiva Nepal EVO GTX - EU size 46 Used off and on for a few years, some chipping of the green TPU midsole on the front. Doesn't affect crampon fit or function - $250   LaSportiva Trango Primes - EU size 46 Small tear in the gaiter, sealed with GoreTex repair tape. The right boot has a surface tear, affects appearance only - $200 Salomon Super Mtn 9 Guide - EU size 46 Uninsulated, one of the best fitting boots I've every had - $100  LaSportiva Batura 2.0 GTX - EU size 46 New this season, wasn't really happy with the fit. Very good shape - CDN$450  PayPal or Interac email transfer for payment, and buyer pays shipping. Happy to send more photos and answer any questions.

Can't imagine they wouldn't warranty them. Go for it.

Heard back from BD's QA folks and they've not seen a similar situation with the rear bails. There wasn't anything remarkable with the aluminum insert; certainly doesn't appear to be defective materials or design. Only thing that makes sense as a cause is that during fitting the Stingers to the Baturas I hadn't adjusted the frame length and in the process of levering the rear bail, I applied enough force to flex the plastic heel lever and deform the aluminum insert such that the wire slipped through. I was fitting the crampons on a workbench in my basement, not in the field, so I could exert considerably more force on the lever than I would when actually apply when putting them on in the field. Bottom line is inspect your crampons for wear, particularly the rear bail assemblies if you like to reef them down tight and during sizing. Had replacement bails shipped to me by BD's warranty department and the Stingers are back in action.

A couple of evenings ago I was inspecting and fitting my Stinger and Sabretooth crampons to a new set of La Sportiva Baturas, when I discovered a problem. Wanted to get the word out for others to inspect their newer style BD crampon rear bails for similar issues. I was adjusting the length of one of the Stinger crampons, when I noticed that the rear bail wire was no longer sitting in the groove of the retainer in the tension adjuster; it was rattling around free in the plastic track between the retainer and the bottom of the lever. At first I thought it might have been a manufacturing goof, but that didn't make sense as I'd had about 10 days last season on the Stingers, and there's just no way I wouldn't have noticed the wire not sitting in the retainer. The date code on the Stingers is 1334. Pulled the rear bail apart completely and found that the bottom lip of aluminum retainer, which the tensioning screw runs through, had deformed with the tension of the bail wire. I can only assume the wire deformed the retainer sufficiently, such that the wire was able to pull through. When I checked the rear bails on the Sabretooths, same design, they didn't show similar patterns of wear I wear a large boot (size 46) and size/tension my crampons carefully; amongst the things I take into account are making sure the rear points don't extend beyond the back of the heel, that the retaining posts on the rear assemblies clear the heel of the boot, and that there's no rattle nor play in the crampon. That generally means I have a reasonable amount of tension on the heel bail; not so much that I have to struggle to get them on/off, but enough to ensure a secure fit and interface. Attached a few pictures below that should help clarify: First is of the aluminum retainer. Note the deformation on the left hand side of it; that was the end that was tensioning up on the wire. There is some deformation on the right side as well; that's from me re-assembling the bail with the retainer reversed and tensioning the rear bail on the boot with a moderate amount of pressure. Wanted to see how easy/difficult it would be to deform the retainer. It doesn't take much. And the retainer assembled in the levers on the Stinger Next are a couple of photos of the rear bails of my Sabretooths, have more days on them, but they don't seem to show anywhere near the same pattern of deformation I've emailed BDEL's warranty group and, of course, they put replacement rear bail assemblies in the mail to me yesterday, and I've shipped back the bails for their inspection. I asked them to have someone from the QA group get back in touch with me once they've had the chance to inspect the assemblies. Whatever I hear back, I'll pass along.

Primes are a bit lighter and warmer than then Extreme Evo, however they do have different soles. The Prime has the Vibram Impact Brake System sole while the Extreme Evo uses the Vibram Lavaredo. The Lavaredo is a stickier compound, with a better edging platform and would be better for a boot that might see some rock climbing.

Find the Exped Downmat 9 positively luxurious..warm and comfortable in winter and great for warmer temps as well. I haven't seen any durability issues with it. I have the original model where you used the stuff bag to inflate the pad, then the sack doubles as a pillow. It's a huge pain in the ass to inflate with the sack so I just bring a stability ball pump to inflate it, I don't even bother to bring the supplied stuff sack. Partner of mine has the newer model and the built in pump works much better and is relatively quick. It's a fairly bulky and heavy pad, but if you want more comfort you have to expect to pay for it.

Nice, thanks gents.

So how long did the round trip take?

Co-incidental timing, but a couple of days ago I'd noticed that the pommels on both of my new Nomics had some play; they've not been climbed on as of yet. Assumed the bolt was loose, however, tightening it had no effect whatsoever on the slop. I find it strange that the tolerances on the head of the new Nomic is so tight that pick replacement or hammer installation requires some considerable work, but the tolerances on the pommel interface are ridiculously sloppy. I was wondering what the effect of that play might be; now I know. Hopefully Petzl gets on top of this quick.

Field is another place to consider as a base, much closer than Banff/Canmore to the stuff up the Parkway, Golden is a short drive and everything in and around Field is at your doorstep. Kicking Horse Lodge is pricey, but good food at the Truffle Pig Restaurant. There's a few B&B's in town, Stephen Creek Guesthouse was one we'd definitely look at next time out there. Downsides: - cellular service used to be non-existant, that may have changed since the last time I stayed (2 winters ago) - BC gas prices - no cheap groceries in town, would need to truck in to Golden or Lake Louise for that

La Sportiva recommends Nikwax Aqueous Wax Leather Waterproofing for treating their leather boots, including those with Gore-Tex liner. I've used it on my Nepal Evo GTX's, and every other rough-out leather boot I've owned, without issue.

It's an MSR Auto Belayer http://storrick.cnchost.com/VerticalDevicesPage/Misc/MostMiscPages/CowTail877.html

MEC has the Loopo available for $53 and they can ship Edelrid product to US addresses.

I've used Magic Wrap http://www.glasgowmfg.com/pages/magicwrap.html, very similar to the Petzl tape, but it's cheaper and comes in longer rolls than the Petzl flavour. Very grippy and about as durable as well. Home Depot, Lowe's, hardware or plumbing supply stores should carry it.

Yes...

Thanks Dane, I'll give that a shot and while I'm at it I'll try the bales from the G20 as well (no retaining strap on those). Really would like to find a reason to keep the Rambos. By the way, do you have the 'new' Rambos, with the black ABS anti-balling plates or last years with the yellow active ones? Mine are last years, just wondering if the frame may have changed as well.

Curious if anyone else has an issue with the fit of the Rambo 4 on a large boot. The crampon frame is essentially flat and doesn't fit the rocker on any of my current La Sportiva boots, size 46 Evos, Primes and Baturas. When levered in place the front of the frame is about a centimeter away from the boot sole. Worst fit is on the Prime, not much better on the Evos or Baturas Anyone else notice the same thing with their Rambo 4/Sportiva setup; have any problems because of it? I've resigned myself to the fact that the Rambo 4 just won't work for me (too bad) and will likely sell them. Don't have any fit issues on the same boots with my other crampons; G20's, G14's, Sabretooths or Rambocomps, so it's not like I don't have other options.