Great basic axe. Strong shaft, enough weight in the head to thump into ice. One big problem I had was when we were trying to lower a friend with a broken ankle down a couloir after we were in a slide. We had one picket left, which we used as the initial anchor to lower him and myself a rope length. I boot axe anchored us with a clove hitch, and our buddy dug up the picket and descended to us, repeated by 9 pitches. We were trying to be as fast as possible, but the clove hitch knotted the wet rope up tight around the bottleneck of this axe and took a bit to get undone. Had the shaft been a solid piece up and down, it would have just slid off and we would have been out of the couloir faster. That's my only complaint. Maybe I should have used a different anchor method, I don't know. Either way, my next mountaineering axe will be a solid shaft from bottom to top.

I have a rather small sized head and this one has a thin enough profile it doesn't make me feel like I have a mushroom op top of my head (size 1 helmet). The suspension built into it is top notch, super adjustable and very very comfy for a climbing helmet.

The thin metal strip is the achilles heel of these. I've used these for a year mountaineering and ice climbing, and from the start the strip has nearly welded at the toe bail. The result is the strip bends over itself at an angle. I have tried cleaning it out, but again on a trip in ouray the thing seized and had to bend over itself to tighten. It has developed a crack in the metal from tightening it while frozen/bent and I'm sure it will fail soon. Cobes.

Super light, but didn't handle a pacific northwest rainstorm very well. After prolonged exposure to light rain, the jacket started weeping a bit inside. But for its weight it was more than acceptable. It blocked wind extremely well and kept me very warm over a base layer in the snow when active. A small ember blew out from a campfire and burned a hole in my jacket though, so I think I'm getting a little more resistant shell from arcteryx for climbing and using this around town. Cobes approved. I'm 5'10", 165, and a medium fit me perfectly.

This is a super warm layer. I wore it jogging in 25 degree weather and was sweating. I wore it ice climbing with a shell jacket (Arctery Beta LT) at just under 20 degrees and it was too hot. Super, super warm, especially for its weight, which is almost non existent. The fabric is super fragile though, I snagged it on an icicle and it tore right open without much resistance. Fixed with duct tape. Fit is trim, but needs to be so it goes under a shell. No pockets. But I'll trade that for its warmth to weight ratio, it's at least as light as a tshirt. I'm probably going to get the bottoms as an under-shell layer as well for those cold ascents, and use the side zip for ventilation if needed.

This bag has down dandruff, and it's not nearly as warm as I was expecting. I've used it to 10 degrees and needed more layering than I should to keep warm. I do sleep a bit warm, too. Not very water resistant, the bag was wet through the fabric from condensation. And it's heavy by a pound compared to others in its category. It's roomy, and the collar is a nice addition for the price. I also appreciated the water bottle compartment in the toe box. On value alone it gets a 4. But more importantly, it doesn't compare to other bags for the intended use. If I was on a shoestring budget it would be a tough call because when you're cold, wet and shivering the $100 or so you saved isn't what's running through your mind. For another $140 you can have a Feathered Friends bag (Lark) that sleeps warmer, is much more water resistant, and weighs over a pound less.

Soft and warm. I bought two different ones, I wear this everywhere. Absolutely NOT windproof in the least though. Everything fit good on me at the wrist and waist.