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My wife has the Exposure 50- in her opinion, it is fine for cragging and hauling stuff around trails, but sucks for scrambling and she would not think of climbing with it. The frame is tubular aluminum that, for her, extends behind her neck and offers nice load transfer but wacks her every time she looks up. The frame is not removable- which I find important for a climbing pack, and is simply too stiff. But what do I know- people here haul 40 pounds in frameless packs (ouch!) and likely climb just fine in loadmonsters... just make sure you have head clearance with the exposure series.

Darstog, have you seen the Wild Things jackets? Epic and Primaloft. http://www.wildthingsgear.com/prod_insulation.php Ice climbing in the Northeast is often a wet affair, and so more than a few people opt for synthetics with good shell fabrics. Wild Things uses Event in their hardshells- maybe they will build a belay jacket with the fabric... I've heard they do some custom work. I also appreciatte the insightful and candid replies by FF, and must ask a slightly off-topic question. I was just about to buy a Rab Quantum Endurance down jacket, but the inner flaking of the coating concerns me... does this flaking affect the ability of down to loft properly? I am now leaning towards a different shell fabric, and thus a different jacket. How long is the Volant (hip length?)