Aya

My dog has long hair and she frequently gets snow balling up on the insides of her toes which she has to stop and chew out. I made her some fleece booties in about twenty minutes and it solved the problem. Once she sheds, she does fine in the summer.

Mutt!!!!! For SURE! And ps Labradoodles are big, not 30-40 lbs.

Crackers finally admitted that my hips are not normal after I tried some of his off the shelf hipbelt and offered to make me a custom hipbelt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He's the best!!

Sure that he'll chime in sooner or later (probably sooner), but undoubtedly if you contact crackers and get your pack back to him, he'll fix the shoulder strap problem for free.

I have been climbing in the Super Ices for the past 3 seasons now and I love them, mostly because they fit my foot (super super super narrow heel, widish front) the best of any boot I tried on. I'm sure that there are plenty of other boots out there that are equally as comfortable hiking and climbing, but in any case, I never hesitate to climb in them (obviously), but also go snow shoeing, hiking, and x-country skiing in them in the winter time with little to no problems (I say little to no, because one time I did about 4 miles of skiing uphill, and it was the first time I'd tried x-country skiing, I didn't have the right wax, it was A LOT of work, and I ended up with blisters...) There was minimal breaking in when I got them - they were comfortable out of the box. The only change I've noticed over time is that now, if I REALLY crank on them (like stepping up on a rock with a loaded pack with my toe and really cranking up), I can get the soles to flex ever so slightly. But they're really rigid and I've certainly never popped a crampon off or anything. My feet don't tend to get particularly cold until it gets to about 0 or below, and then generally only when the rest of my body's cold, i.e. they seem very warm for the weight and bulk. Absolutely no complaints about quality. Like I said, I've had them for three seasons, and though I'm not out EVERY day, I get out probably about 2-3 days every other week or thereabouts for the three month or so season we have (you do the math) - and pretty much, the boots still look brand new. On of the laces is starting to fray, but that's not really related to quality. Very solid design. Again, all of these things hold true for plenty of other boots. I just really like mine because they fit me so well.

You can rent gear from Bryce.

I've been using Cilo packs for two years now and they've been great. I recently tried on the "next generation" ones and the fit was even more comfortable. It's a rare pack that will fit my 19.5" torso and girly hips, but I loaded it up and it was great.

Check neice.com's photo section.

Heck, I can show you mine, too!! It's the spine thing that's key.

The BD Icon is definitely way brighter than the Tikka XP (which is a great lamp, too). But it also has a big battery pack in the back, etc. - the Tikka XP is nice and small.

The 3 watt LED BD Icons are pretty ridiculously bright... brighter, I think, than a halogen.

FYI - it's probably not your torso length that's affecting this - it's just the length of the rise. There are harnesses (eg Metolius Safe-tech) out there with adjustable rises. In fact, I'd almost imagine that a relatively short torso would make your harnesses sit *lower*, since all your other measurements are probably longer to compensate for the shorter torso ().

Definitely might as well stop by Bryce's on your way down south. It's lovely, and it's cool to be climbing in "Hobbiton". Amazing scenery!! I have some photos here: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v306/Eilial/Smith%20rock%20New%20Zealand/

Duh, W_C. I'm slow!!!!! I think they're (well, I have Grivel horns) great. Keep my knuckles from getting cold...yes, Alex, even on low-angle ice. Probably more a problem of her style than anything else. They'll just take some getting used to. If I can figure out how to get a pair onto some Aztars, I'll be all set.

Do you mean fang or strike? I think you mean the former.