I bought this pack mostly for winter sports and mainly as an overnight pack for ski touring.

The pack is large enough for your layers, food and even sleeping back on overnight ski trips. It fits comfortably and adjusts nicely to accomodate your needs. I especially love the compartments for ice tools or axe, crampons and helmet - helps keep you organized on a technical trip/route and on long days out mountaineering, no matter what the season.

One of the only major negative parts of this pack is the weight of it. At over 3 lbs, you can definitely feel the weight of the pack on certain activities, such as multi-pitch iceclimbing. As the description explains, though, you can remove various parts of the pack to make it lighter.

I took this on a backpacking trip for 3 weeks in Costa Rica and found it to be the perfect size - not too big and not too small, with lots of compartments to keep things in, including a zipper underneath the lid to keep things safe as needed.

Definitely a great pack for the all-around sportsperson who needs verstility.

In 5 years, I have been through 5 water packs, until I got this one. The removable tube is helpful when you are filling the pack because you don't need to pull the tube through the hole in your pack to free the whole unit. You can simply clip the tube back in and stuff the water pack into your pack.

My main problem with previous water packs is that they leaked, not necessarily within my pack but from the spout/mouthpiece. So far I have taken this one on dozens of trips, including travelling abroad, and have had no issues with leaking. The locking feature on the mouthpiece obviously helps this.

Finally, the elastic cord attached to the piece that zips the unit closed means that you won't lose it or drop it. It fits snug and secure, and again, has not caused any leaking yet.

Highly recommended if you want to stay hydrated while you are on the move.

I brought these pants with me hiking in Costa Rica - they have a lot of versatility, especially with the two lenghts of legs, and they are quickdrying but they are not flexible. Sitting on buses for a long time wearing these pants was uncomfortable. Another plus is that they are not too warm, so great for hiking in warmer climates where there is humidity and bugs.I also wore these on a scramble here in the Rockies the other day. They would be great for lower graded terrain, but we were doing lower 5th class rock that did not require a rope but required me to raise my legs up to reach higher steps. I found the lack of flexibility in the shorts to be really restrictive.I will still wear them, but considering these things, I will not wear them when I can't have any movement constrained. The waist is also a bit high, as it usually is on women's hiking pants, but on this pair it isn't so bad. Again, not that comfortable when sitting, though.I am 5'5", 135 lbs, and bought a size 4.

This is a great shovel and packs nicely. The extendable shaft is a nice feature, and the shovel is light enough that it doesn't add too much weight. I felt it could be bigger, especially when digging snow pits to set up camp, but also wouldn't want to carry something much larger for the day. Need to make sure to pack both parts of the shovel in the same place in your pack in case of emergency (may not have time to fish around for the handle!)

I bought this with one of the BD probes in a package, which made it really affordable.

Highly recommended though this is the first shovel I've ever bought.

Just had my first season on these skis. We didn't have good snow in the Canadian Rockies, but I had my chance at a wee bit of powder, and the skis were fantastic. They are lightweight but still wide enough to cut through the powder. Also took them for a day at the ski hill and felt confident on them even though they are touring skis.

I tried them on pretty much everything: long tours, turns through the trees, in powder, on groomed hill, skinning, ski mountaineering etc. So far I feel it is my skiing that needs to improve, not the ski! Highly recommended and pretty good looking, too.

I got them fitting with the Dynafit Vertical ST bindings - so they are super lightweight when I need to strap them to the pack.

Bought these about 1 1/2 months ago and have been out climbing pretty much each week. They were never painful to begin with, but are now starting to feel 'comfortable' by rockclimbing standards. I have felt comfortable using them on all kinds of rock (at sport crags, on slabs, and cracks).

I have a really narrow foot and narrow heel and usually have a hard time finding shoes that don't start sliding off the back when I am putting pressure on the toes. So far these shoes have been superb. I just need to give them a bit more time to mold to my feet a bit more.

I have two pairs of these pants, and often wonder if I should just buy a pair that I won't use for outdoor activities because I think they are quite nice just to wear, especially with the bottoms halves zipped off.

For rockclimbing, the pants are stretchy, so they don't inhibit any movement, and they are also tough material and won't tear when they are scraped against rock.

I have worn these hiking a lot as well. They can get a bit warm in hot temperatures, but are fine when you zip off the bottoms. They are not quick drying, but will eventually dry out. Ultimately, they are really comfortable.

The only problem is the draw string waist. When you are carrying a heavy pack for long periods of time, the draw string can rub against your hips - not too comfortable and needs to be adjusted. If you can get a away with not using the draw string, I'd go for that.

That being said, sizes fit smaller than other pants, and eventually stretch out a bit. Washing them brings them back to size slightly, but for the most part they are a bit big on me now.

I have been wearing these boots mountaineering for 2 summer climbing seasons now. They are very lightweight boots, so that if you bring approach shoes (like light trail hiking shoes) these boots can be slung over your pack no problem, and do not add too much weight. They are light on your feet too, but the ankle support is still great for uneven terrain. I have been able to use them for hiking, scrambling, and full-on mountaineering. I am able to climb 4th class rock in them, as well, and feel confident on 5th class when roped up. I have worn them when I am also carrying a heavy pack and feel stable.

In snow and water, they stayed warm and dry - just be sure to wear socks that wick away sweat and moisture. They are not very insulated, so for multi-day winter hiking or outings, that is something to think about. I would wear them for shorter ice-climbing approaches no problem, so they are only compatible with crampons that sling around the back and don't have the 'clip' features.

Hope that helps!

This is a jacket without all the bells and whistles, but it is lightweight, durable, and a good fit. It might be a bit difficult with a harness to access side pockets, but there are some internal pockets and one chest pocket that are easy to access. The length of the jacket is one of the best features - covers the bum pretty well and won't creep up when you're bending over. There is some extra room in the body to wear a fleece underneath, which is important. It's pretty goodlooking too. Size small fit me well: 5'5", 137 lbs, athletic build.

I purchased the size small and it was a perfect fit for me (5'5 1/2", 134 lbs).

It is a beautiful jacket, though I bought it more for high alpine temperatures and conditions, so style is fairly irrelevant. Each of the features is both helpful and easily accessed. There are draw-string pulls on various parts (the waist and the hood most importantly) that allow for a snug fit that is custom-created by you.

The removable hood is also a great feature, and it is large enough to fit over a helmet.

It fits into a stuff-sack 1/5 of the size of the jacket and is a good weight considering the warmth of the jacket.

I have enjoyed it so far, and I trust it will serve me well in the upcoming season of mountaineering.