hmaki

I'm reading these previous posts after my Seattle shopping trip last weekend, and will tell my tale. I went to Patagonia set on buying the DAS(bc it's "better" when wet), which I did. I then "had" to drive to the U-Village Eddie Bauer to see the Peak XV which I knew was on sale. Turns out it was 50% off. I bought it and was really torn between the two, and was set on returning one or the other after an in hand once over. The $135 price on the peak XV was obviously a steal! Are you kidding me? In the end though, I liked it better, so the DAS was returned. Some design features on the DAS are nice, but the fit wasn't as good for me, and I decided to just sack-up and go with down. I figured if I'm sweating it's too hot, so off with any parka. If the precip is rain, it's too hot for any parka. If I fell in a river, I'm soaked, so is any parka (unless it's in a dry sack) So the old "down vs synthetic" isn't super relevant to me. As long as you're aware of what's going on, 850 down is awesome. So far it seems quality made. I'm more into mountaineering than super technical rock or ice climbing, so for me the use is more of a camp/cold weather outer wear parka.

The main reason they're called First Ascent is bc Jim Whittaker was the first American to summit Everest using Eddie Bauer gear, among other expeditions EB was involved in. I have the big tahoma pack, downlight sweater, and some base layer items. It's all really nice quality. I really like the pack, IMO it's MH or Gregorie quality, but streamlined. Their "everything you need, nothing you don't" slogan is something I think is needed. So much gear has all this extra BS that realistically does nothing. I think the main focus of their stuff is peak type climbing, hence RMI using it. Don't get me wrong, MH,OR, all that is great, but Viesters, Hahn, and others are reputable, and the current line is the first production run. Any bugs should be worked out with time. About the "belay knife," I would definately use a Benchmade or SOG or something else.