Clothing

Gear

Accessories

Get Your Profile Dialed

AndyM

AndyM: #6,100 of 166,954 More Information

5 Reviews:

Helpful?
0 Yes

2 Questions:

Helpful?
1 Yes

0 Answers:

Helpful?
0 Yes

0 Photos:

Helpful?
0 Yes

0 Videos:

Helpful?
0 Yes

0 Comments:

Helpful?
0 Yes

0 Wishlists:

Helpful?
0 Yes

0 Field Tests:

Helpful?
0 Yes

Flag

Un-Flag

Close

Something wrong with this profile?

Thanks for pointing it out. We'll take it down immediately and send it to our clean-up crew.

This profile was: (Optional)

Use your real name to add some legitimacy to your content. Real names mean real community, and real community means real knowledge. Gear Gurus who use their real names get bumped up 1.5x for each contribution - you deserve the credit. For more info check out the Help Center.

This is how you compare to all the other Gear Gurus on Backcountry.com. You earn one point for each list / review / question / answer / gear photo / comments / votes you contribute. You gain an extra point every time someone gives one of your contributions a thumbs up, but you lose a point for every thumbs down. Bonus: if you use your real name, your point total increases by 1.5x—you deserve credit for putting your neck on the line to make this community better. For more info, check out the Help Center.

Change me.

This is how you compare to the other Gear Gurus within a group of products. You earn one point for each of your list / reviews / questions / answers / photos / comments / votes. You gain an extra point every time someone gives one of your contributions a thumbs up (killer), but you lose a point for every thumbs down (filler). Bonus: if you use your real name, your point total increases by 1.5x-you deserve credit for putting your neck on the line to make this community better. For more info, check out the Help Center.

Patagonia Triolet Jacket - Men's

October 22, 2011

What's the actual color tone like on the Balsam Green and Channel Blue? On Backcountry, it looks bright, but on the Patagonia website it looks a lot darker (more of an olive on the main chest area).

Helpful Votes: 0 Yes

View Product Details >
Read all Q&A about this product >

Guaranteed Blisters

New Balance 101 Trail Run Shoe - Men's

New Balance 101 Trail Run Shoe - Men's

Rating for this product: 1 September 19, 2011

First off, I bought a size 10, which is what I normally wear in New Balance shoes (and have been fitted as that size at one of their stores before). New Balance is normally my go-to shoe company for shoes that fit my feet well.

Right after wearing them, I wore them as approach shoes for climbing. I immediately noticed the rubbing on the outside edge of my pinky toes, causing blisters. Lots of dust and grit got into the shoe, so I chalked the blisters up to the grit. I chucked them in the back of my car and didn't have a chance to use them for a while.

Tonight, I decided to give them another try, this time on a treadmill at the gym. I figured no dust, so I should be fine. Wrong... I had to stop after 1 mile because I already had blisters. I looked on New Balance's website, and see lots of complaints about this also.

Bottom Line:
Pros: super light, rock stop works great
Cons: mesh upper lets grit & dust in, outside edge rubs on your toes giving blisters, insoles wad up every time you take the shoes off after wearing them barefoot

Helpful Votes: 0 Yes

1 Comment

View Product Details >
Read all Reviews about this product

Great

Arc'teryx Caco 3 Chalk Bucket

Arc'teryx Caco 3 Chalk Bucket

Rating for this product: 5 July 2, 2010

I bought this for gym bouldering. It's everything I expected, and nothing that I didn't. It doesn't tip over, doesn't leak chalk in my car, is big enough to get both hands in, and the mesh side pocket is big enough for a big & small brush plus my keys. I dumped about 2/3 of the largest bag of Black Diamond "White Gold" chalk in it for the first fill.

Helpful Votes: 0 Yes

0 Comments

Permanently Out of Stock -- View Product Details >
Read all Reviews about this product

Solid

Patagonia Footwear Karakoram Approach Shoe - Men's

Patagonia Footwear Karakoram Approach Shoe - Men's

Rating for this product: 4 May 31, 2010

I bought these about about a month ago to replace my pair of La Sportiva Boulders. The thing I didn't like about the Boulders was that they were very, very tight in the toe, even ordering a size up. No such problems with the Patagonias! I haven't put them through their proper paces yet outdoors, but I've worn them every day walking around the hilly streets of San Francisco and tested their grip doing easy bouldering at an indoor climbing gym.

The Good:
*Vibram rubber grips steep slopes well and foot holds
*Sole is stiff enough to edge on easy climbing
*Footbed has a perfect combination of enough give to not wear out my feet but firm enough for scrambling
*Sizing matches street shoe sizes, without being overly snug or loose
*Material feels very durable, and will be able to take scuffing on rock

The Bad:
*The stiff sole and rubber will take some time to break in. Do not buy these the day before you head for the mountains. It took me about a week of wearing them every day to soften them up.
*The fat laces aren't great at staying snugly tied. I'd suggest they copy NuBalance's laces which alternate thick/thin.
*If I crank the laces really tight, the second row of lace loops put pressure on the top of my foot. Normal tightness is fine.

Bottom Line:
A solid approach shoe that can actually do what it's name implies.

Helpful Votes: 0 Yes

0 Comments

Permanently Out of Stock -- View Product Details >
Read all Reviews about this product

La Sportiva Miura Climbing Shoe - Men's Discontinued Rubber

March 30, 2010

I have a pair of Miura VS that I absolutely love, but will have to part with them for a couple weeks while they're resoled. I was going to buy a second pair of VS to spread out my wear, but am wondering if I might be get more options by getting a pair of the laceups. Are the laceups better in cracks (more twist resistance) than the VS?

I climb indoors 3 times per week, and do outdoor trad, sport, and bouldering in the Sierras.

Helpful Votes: 1 Yes

Sold Out

Disappointed for the Price

Five Ten Prism Lace-up Climbing Shoe

Five Ten Prism Lace-up Climbing Shoe

Rating for this product: 2 October 2, 2009

I bought a pair of these around May, and just had to retire them. Unlike other synthetic uppers/linings, the perforated Prisms stretch... A LOT. Climbing 3-4 times per week for 3 months had them stretch about 1 full size on me, which was far more than I expected for a synthetic. In the end, they had stretched so much that the laces were bottomed out, and I could no longer tighten them enough to prevent my foot from rolling inside the shoe when I edged.

In addition the combination of the chisel tip and the super soft Onyxx rubber runs into problems as the rubber breaks in. I found that the side and upper rubber stretched about a quarter inch outwards over the chisel tip, actually making it more difficult to edge. Also, this caused the sides to show much more wear than I normally see.

Finally, while the very soft Onyxx rubber is amazing for slabby work, I found the combination of it plus the extra soft last to be extremely painful whenever I put my feet in any crack and cranked.I would buy these again if they were redesigned with a stiffer rubber/last, a reworked chisel tip where the sides did not bulge over the sole, a non-perforated synthetic upper (or synthetic lined leather), and a snugger heel.

Oh, and just like seemingly every other synthetic shoe, they will smell putrid if your feet sweat a lot. This did not factor into my rating, but others may want to consider it.

Helpful Votes: 0 Yes

0 Comments

Permanently Out of Stock -- View Product Details >
Read all Reviews about this product

Very Nice

La Sportiva Miura VS Climbing Shoe

La Sportiva Miura VS Climbing Shoe

Rating for this product: 5 October 2, 2009

Quite pleased with these. I picked them up to replace a pair of 5.10 Prisms that had overstretched. I compared the VS against the Miura laceup and Evolv's Pontas. My feet are pretty flat, with a low arch and wide front. The Miura laceup had a weird dead space above the toe, and the Pontas was too narrow. The VS just fit my feet perfectly, and had the added bonus of a downturned toe. So far, I've only used them bouldering in the gym, but they have amazing edging and cling to holds on overhangs. In addition, the last is stiffer than my old Prisms, so I'll be able to use them on outdoor sport routes without feeling like every crack is torture.

For sizing, I went with a 41.5 compared to my size 10 (43) street shoe. I also found the "size 0.5 down from Miura" to work. I went to a local R*I to get base sizing off those, then was able to confidently order the VS online.

Helpful Votes: 0 Yes

0 Comments

Permanently Out of Stock -- View Product Details >
Read all Reviews about this product