bearbreeder

consider that you can bump up big cams when needed ... depends on the crack ... one thing ive really been liking are the DMM dragons ... they basically save you a quickdraw, if you use those to sling each cam ... but for saving weight ... i would say look to your belly first, your biners, or other packable gear second (what you dont need to bring) ... and cams last ... if its somewhere adventurous, do you really want to leave behind all that new shiny gear when ya need to bail in the face of those storm clouds

i dont think fit relates to weight at all ... a good fit doesnt mean that you need to have all the fancy suspension, frame, etc ... it just means something that fits your body length, straps that dont dig in at the wrong places, something that doesnt shift, etc ... a well fitting pack and be quite light and still carry quite comfortably ... one of my better fitting packs is a MEC 13L bullet ... which IMO is quite important for doing multi if im going to be climbing with it for 15+ pitches ... and it weights 300g whatever you do dont compromise on fit ... with enough different packs around you shouldnt have to these days youll know if a pack fits you the moment you put it on with the weight you want ... its like bad fitting shoes, if its bad, it wont get any better too many people IMO get caught up in what other people are using, famous people are using, the latest intrawebs trend, or the fancy (or not so fancy but internet trendy) brand names ... when a few hours at the store trying everything on and running around with it will be the best judge of what youll like

one advantage about buying "name brand" gear from somewhere like REI and Backcountry ... youll never had to worry or argue about warranty ... even years after the fact ... the simple fact is that there are tons of very good climbers out there who use those "name brand" packs to do crazier things than most people here would do with any pack ... as to what you should get ... get what FITS, is decently durable and does what you want for the price you want ... and where you have options if it doesnt fit or doesnt work out the way you expect did i hear FIT ??? ... it all starts from there

whatever fits and you can wear all day ... i prefer velcro as i can take em off easily or pop the heels down at belays ... you can get comfortable shoes that have good "performance" if you find the right fit ... i use katana velcro personally ...

ive taken plenty of falls on the blue c4/dragons ... i prefer placing it for that size over my other cams if it fits well ... remember that they are passively rated as well

offsets ... purple linkcam ...

i find them no issue to place and clean ... my issue with em is that even if you sling em they can sometimes rattle out of vertical or diagonal cracks, especially the larger sizes ... even if they feel solid when you place em ... the smaller ones are very useful though as they work as larger nuts or smaller cams ... and they are great for belays

neutrinos work fine .... i use em and never notice a snag for trad ... so do some top level climbers if you look closely

i use the alpine smart on 8mm doubles/twins ... it works just fine ... the assisted locking feature is nice considering rockfall and for rappels ...

the dragons work just fine ... other than the sling i find no real difference between them and C4s ... i use em interchangeably on my rack as to extending the slings when pumped ... i carry em extended sometimes on my chest sling should i know that the pitch requires that piece to be placed from a poor stance

my tennies are still working .... 3 years now ...

arent the patents expired?

you should be able to ask them about the fill weight if you call in ... whether they are en-rated or not i have no clue took a look at the alchemist, its like many other zipered packs, nothing special ... the fabric seems quite durable though

WC nitros ... i own and use neutrinos, heliums, phantoms, specters, shields, nanos, FS minis, various solid gates, etc ... the nitros have a minimal notch, are decently light, full size, easy to clip and fairly cheap i find no functional difference between my heliums and nitros, so i save moola

just shows that all those climbers can use many different brands and there is no "best"

MH is used by a certain piolet d'or recipient and many other good climbers first ascent is used by quite a few famous high altitude climbers and guides like i said ... look at all the "brands" being used and what people do with it ... and i suggest that its the person, not the brand, that allows them to do what they do ... as long as the gear works and is decent if the top climbers can use different brands between them, some not considered "top quality" ... you be the judge

consider that the "top climbers" in the world use an assortment of brands between em ... whoever sponsors them ... and they can still climb at that level ... i dont know anyone who says "i cant do this climb because im not wearing this brand" ... as an example eddie bauer first ascent is fairly new on the scene and not considered "top quality" ... yet it goes to everest, antarctica and quite a few good climbers use it ... you can google who ... make yr judgement from there ... what i know is that with my godawful climbing ability, brands are the least of my worries ... the money i save for gas is much more important ...

ill test em for ya 3 days? ... and stored properly, no exposure to dampness, chemicals or uv? ... id still use em

i own and use the BD dyneema slings ... nylon is too bulky i find ... i find it much easier to tie knots with dyneema as well ... each have their advantage and disadvantages ... if you have rope in the system i dont see any worry in using dyneema .... even the often quoted "DMM dyneema death test" says this ... keep in mind DMM still sells dyneema slings .... http://dmmclimbing.com/knowledge/how-to-break-nylon-dyneema-slings/ While the impact forces in the tests for the nylon slings are lower than the Dyneema® they were still high enough to snap wires. This isn’t to say Dyneema® is bad and nylon is good. On the contrary, comparing the two materials, Dyneema® has a strength to weight ratio higher than not just nylon but also steel, a significantly higher resistance to cutting and lower water absorbtion (important in winter), making it an ideal material for slings and quickdraws. It is also more resistant to ultra-violet rays and chemical attack than nylon but has a lower melting point. This is an important factor to consider when abseiling – pulling a rope through a Dyneema® sling, say as in poor abseiling practice, will generate enough heat to severely weaken the sling, if not melt through it.

made by old navy with "frost free" synthetic stuffing ... i find it warmer than my atom lt except for the lack of a hood i honestly find it the same as any other fairly light synthetic puffy ... with this one for 19$ ... i dont care what happens to it ... ill save my $$$$ ones for where it matters ...

ive been using this since the new year squishing steve ... and using the money i save for gas money instead ... bought mine for 19$ works as well as any of my other puffies i find at a fraction of the price http://oldnavy.gapcanada.ca/browse/product.do?cid=5286&vid=1&pid=862727&scid=862727003

i own and use some EB FA ... it literally is a take it back for any reason and well take care of it guarantee ... even after 20 years+ i find the "quality" functionally no worse or better than most other outdoor brands

no you obviously know how they set it up off the internet ... exactly ... and can do an expert accident analysis without even seeing a diagram or talking to those involved gotta love the intrawebs ...

there are idiots climbing ... no offense to the OP ... you werent there and you dont know however we do know that everyone loves comparing their diick size on the intrawebs ... the people best suited to figuring what happened are the people on the scene .... or professionals ... in this case likely the people who make biners

are you sure it wasnt hooked to begin with ... or something didnt shift? neither i or you were there so theres no way to tell ... were just arguing in circle about who has the bigger diick ... the only evidence would be a photo/drawing of the setup and the failed biner ... which according to our BD friends, OG failures usually break at the bottom of the biner ... perhaps you have test data which shows otherwise? my suggestion would be for the OP to send the biner in with a description and drawing of the setup to a manufacturer ... and let them analyze it i assume that the OP used 2 opposed in the setup since its a non locking biner?