Alright so the trekkers are not the best tool ... but they work. When you want to get in the backcountry with your regular alpine set up, they are a means to an end. I have been using them for many years and if used properly they will go the distance with you. They can be heavy, awkward and fragile in some situations. If you spend the time and figure out the techniques, they can help you get wherever you want to go!

I've been using the trekkers for a while now...consistent-use over 4 yrs and they are still getting the job done, trouble free (knock on wood). I really like when i take them off at the top and step back into my 9-16s...that is priceless in itself. certainly wish they were lighter...but oh well. just make sure you adjust them at home before going out and you should be good.

There are many good at set ups out there, but for hard charging you will be glad to hear that reassuring "click" as you step into your trusted alpine bindings. The trekker will give you access to the goods and with a few mods you can lighten it up and make it more versatile. It is not the best for side-hilling especially on firm or icy skin tracks. but again, it is worth carrying the extra weight if you are getting into some gnar. If Pow skiing is your main goal out there the AT binders will work fine for you.

they work for simple touring-- but if there is any sort of technical touring involved I tend to ultra struggle with trekkers-- but they got me where I needed to go for four years and are super nice when you want to have the strength of your own binding for your lines during the day?

Amazingly bad design for 4 reasons:

1) NOT for today's fat skis. When a fat ski was 70mm at the waist, it was fine, as there was very little lateral torque that could be applied to the trekker-binding interface. Not the case now. With so much ski hanging off the side of the bindings, it applies enough torque to rotate the narrow trekkers right out of the binding. If you end up side-hilling up something over a couple degrees, which is pretty much anything other than a powder skin track across a flat field, you'll be hating life. They'll either pop out completely, or the ski will flatten out to the point that they start to slip down the hill sideways.

2) I have lost nearly every original bolt and nut on these, and that was when i had a screwdriver with me, checking as I hiked!! They didn't get the sizes, thread-counts, etc right on their hardware, and you end up needing to check them every quarter mile or so because they loosen constantly, even with red Loctite on them. It really makes for a bad day in the mountains when you and friends have to dig in the snow for a tiny screw just to be able to keep going.

3) Failure of the main pivot. When plastic gets cold, it gets more brittle. On a rather cold day (~10 deg F), I had the plastic toe piece that houses the main hinge pin shatter on me. It tripped me up and i fell over. Raging mad. Upon standing up on the other foot, that one broke too! Literally, 6" from each other, they both broke to the point of no hope of further use.

4) HEAVY!!! Like adding a 10lb sack of potatoes to each foot. You'll burn out MUCH faster with these than with a real pair of AT bindings.

If you are a person who likes to occasionally go about 200 meters outside a ski area boundary across perfectly flat terrain, then these are fine. But don't even think of getting them as a tool to access backcountry stuff, because they aren't. I've been going backcountry for over a decade now, and these are the worst product I have ever seen. Horrible design, and horrible craftsmanship. Save your money and get a pair of Fritschis or Dynafits.

Ok these are decent for the skier on a tight budget, but not for $179. I was given these by someone who was sick of them. Mine have broken twice both times at the toe piece. On the good side BCA has always been really cool to warrenty them. Still there heavy, time consuming, and they break. Just buy some Fritchis

With the advent of the Maker Duke and Baron, there is simply no need for this setup anymore. For a little extra money you can get a touring binding that is as good as any alpine binding out there without the hassles attendant with this rig. With the Trekkers you are very high off the ski, which can make skinning tough, you have lots of adjustments to deal with and there are numerous steps to get ready to ski once you get to the top of the skin. And, then there is the weight issue. These were a great alternative when they came out, not so much anymore. I have kept my pair for visitors, but they have become a last resort. I give these 3 stars because they do work, but consider the other options first.

The good news is...they work. If you are doing a lot of sidecountry skiing, or short tours and require the use of your high din, all metal bindings, and are afraid of breaking your touring binders, then these do the trick. The problem is that if you're touring on anything steep or technical, these don't work very well. They are clunky, bulky, and awkward. Also, now that bindings like the duke/baron are on the market, trekkers are now obsolete, because you get the same rigidity, retention and bomberness of an alpine binding with touring capabilities. Also, even though the dukes are little on the heavy side, they are still lighter than most alpine bindings with trekkers in them. Also, trekkers do take up a decent amount of room in your pack. There are lots of flaw, and negatives to trekkers, but if you want an alpine binding on the way down, these are your best, and only option.

I had some minimal problems with my trekkers. When using look px bindings, if you don't use one of the risers, they can hit the rear piece of your binding and pop themselves out.
Today i took them out and ended up having to ski down a small hill in my skins to get to some more uphill. I took a head first dive and the front plastic toepiece of the trekker broke off. So i guess make sure you don't wreck in these things. It also sucks having to put them in your pack and have one more thing to fiddle with. And you'll have more swing weight than with an at binding, at least when you are going up.
If you can afford it, stay away from these. The marker duke might be the answer some of us have been waiting for.

These are great for moderate skinning conditions. Horrible on side-hills (but manageable). I've used these multiple times already in the Bridger backcountry and they have been great! When side-hilling, my front hinging pin is bent a little bit because of the force. Otherwise they've been great!

Do yourself a favor and get a real AT setup. If you get some AT binders in SAC you won't even be out any extra coin.

The trekkers are alright for the occasional, low-angle tour. I do not recommend these for long tours, or anything technical with steep switch-backs.

They can be fully adjusted for boot size and generally stay on pretty well, although I had a problem with the heel strap breaking...I replaced it with a strap from some old crampons and it works better than the original setup.

With the additional height and lateral movement between the boot, device, and binding, it's almost impossible to get a good edge when traversing.

They can get the job done when needed, but I do not recommend them if you plan on touring frequently.

So they are heavy, and they are kind sloppy, but what are you a man or a mouse? click these into you high din bindings for that all the confidence you need when you get to the top. These are great for the slack country not the best for extra long distances. If you want you Alpine bindings in the backcountry these are great.

They work well, but you are a little high off the ski making them awkward at times.

If it gets below zero where you are, the plastic on the back of the binding can snap very easily, and they are not good for anything longer than 2-3 miles. However, if you are doing lift accessed BC, like ridge hopping at Kicking Horse, nothing is better because you keep your normal bindings, which keep your boots glued to your skis when you need it. Remember, every mountain has a line down it, the question is, do you have the tenacity to hold it?

I went out for the first time on my new trekkers and I liked em. Side hilling isn't the greatest, but it never is any way. I didn't mind sitting a little higher up either. They work as they are supposed to. There's a definate learning curve with balance at times. I learned quick to take a knee and use a quasi/telemark stance when making your way down a depression. if you don't you will fall forward and eat it on your face! If they break on you all the time then consider losing some weight. I found they're pretty beefy for inbound/outbound day trips.

These work very well as a half AT set up. I use my alpine boots in them and i have not had any trouble. my only anti about the trekkers is that you are about 1 to 1.5 in. above the ski so side hills are not as friendly esp in the spring. i would recomend them to anyone who would like to get off the lift line and into the deeps without the AT prices.

It works exactly like it's supposed to work.

I've owned a pair for about 3 years and they're fine if you just need to get up a slope of moderate angle. They leave you pretty high off the ski and climbing very far in alpine boots isn't too fun. Still, if your goal is just to get above the lifts or climb a ridgeline and not to tour, these will do the trick.
Pretty beefy construction and fairly easy to use. Heavy, though. I'd save the $179 and buy a pair of Diamir 2's instead! (Those will work with alpine boots, too!)

The Alpine Trekkers served me well during my recent skin up Mt. Talac in South lake Tahoe. The Trekkers put you a little high off your skis and also give a little too much tortional flex when traversing steep slopes. Overall, they are awesome for occasional jaunts into the backcountry, if I did more BC I would get some AT bindings.

If you’ve ever dreamed of finding freedom skiing in the backcountry hills, but you don’t have tons of cash ready to burn, the Alpine Trekker may be your ticket to freedom. At ~$180, these things are a ton cheaper than any of the AT bindings on the market. Plus you get to keep your current pair of alpine skis, boots and bindings, and in the backcountry, these are invaluable contributions in your quest for freedom

If you're new to backcountry and want to try it out without dropping a lot of cash or insist on the performance of traditional alpine bindings, these may work for you. Personally, I had three issues with the adaptors: The heel height adjustment is difficult to set with a ski pole, which leads to the next point. Kneeling to adjust the heel often causes the bindings to release the adaptor. There is no way to lock the heel on the fly when you run into a short downhill that's not worthy of removing the adaptors (it takes a couple minutes), which leads to amusing face plants for the not-so-free-heel-inclined.

These are definitely a worthwhile choice for the beginning tourer or someone on a budget. I have not had any problems with them yet. My only complaint is having to find room for them on the trip down in a relatively small pack.

My trekkers work great. If you are in the market, pick some up. You will not be disappointed.

Sweet setup until they explode on you. Used maybe 10 times, slipped forward one day and both of them snapped into five different pieces. I was fortunate enough to be at the summit when it all went down. I'm going for the Duke's now.

If you can't afford a full AT setup for the backcountry, this is a great alternative. They definitely perform as expected, but adjustments can be a bit tedious and annoying (especially when you're slope side & it's cold and windy)! The 3 levels of height adjustment are nice for differing slope degrees, but can be hard to manipulate on the fly.

So here is the deal. The nickname of these backcountry trekkers are the "Backcountry day wreckers" These things break all the time on me. If i were you i would spend the extra cabbage and just get some AT bindings, i recommend the fritchee freerides by BD. Again I would stay away from anything BCA, their AT bindings, the naxo's also have a bad rep for breaking. I know the setup is not cheap, but the bca trekkers are not even close to being the same as a randonee setup.