I have been hoping that the same sole split would not happen to mine, I have had them for about 3 years now and I just found that the sole started to form the exact same crack as seen in others pictures. Oh well I guess I have gotten good enough use out of them. They are super comfortable and great for backpacking with a heavy pack. Just know that 1.5-3 years is all the use you will get before they crack.

This kit may be expensive... alright really expensive but it is totally bomber. The rigging (ratchet, slings, buckles, and line adjuster) are super heavy duty and will last for a long time. It is also super easy to set up, I took it out of the box and had it set up in less than 15 min on the first try. The slack specific webbing is also very nice, it has been a while since I have slacklines and the textured side helped me find my groove much quicker.
I wouldn't recommended this for a first kit, that alot of money to shell out and have it sit on the shelf... figure out if you like the sport first, but if you do I would highly recommend this to anyone.

**As a reply to the pictures of the broken spacer rings, I can see how that could happen but they didn't totally shatter, just super glue them back together, its not even a big enough deal to remove a star for me.

These things work as described. I have size 14 boots and they are plenty long enough. They are super stiff, even more so than the standard center bars that came with my crampons. This isn't an issue with mountaineering boots or super stiff backpacking boots but if you are going to hike for long distances with these I would recommended getting the flexible center bars; your feet will thank you for it!

If you have larger boots make sure you get the extender bars. I chatted with one of BC's gear experts and they said that my size 13 backpacking boots (Vasque Wasatch GTXs) would work with these without the extender bars but the crampons are a good inch too small for my boots. These are great crampons especially for light mountaineering or hiking in steeper icy conditions. Just get the extender bars if you have larger boots (11+ would be my guess based on the crampons compared to my 13s)

Well I got them in the mail today. My old Chacos were going on 5 years old and the straps were starting to go (I wear them almost every day of the year, snow or not. These ones fit the almost the same and feel just as great under foot... still the same old Chacos but it hurts to see the tag that used to say Made in Colorado replaced with one that says made in china. I am planning on sending my old ones back to Chaco at some point to get re strapped and resoled so that they can continue to be proudly made and assembled in the good ol US of A.However until some one gets smart and comes out with a sandal that is as awesome as Chacos there is no reason to look anywhere else for a high quality technical sandal that will do everything from take you down the river, up the mountain or in to work.

Some notes on fit: the foot bed is about 1/4 of an inch shorter than my old chacos, not a big deal but my toes are right on the edge now.
The heel strap is a bit shorter as well, my foot slides right into my old ones when they are loosened, with this new pair I have to reach down and pull the strap up behind my heel.
The main strap is shorter also. The buckle rides right on the top of my foot rather than off to the side a bit like my old ones.
I am guessing that everything is a bit shorter to cut down on material costs. Not a big deal but they just dont fit like my old ones.

I run to work every day in Dutch Harbor Ak. We get 250+ rainy days a year and so I needed a jacket that would be water tight and reasonably breathable. The sale price of this jacket was what made me choose it and overall I am satisfied with my purchase.

Body type: 6’6”, 225. Size purchased, XL

Pros of this Jacket:
-Super light weight, and the fabric is a rip stop nylon so it should be durable inless you abuse it.
-The event fabric is much more breathable than gortex.
-The arms are nice and long which is great for a tall guy like me.
-The pockets are watertight and huge.
-The cut of the jacket is athletic enough to not flap around to much in the wind (which we also get a lot of) but loose enough to slip a fleece under it for warmth.
-The color (pool blue) is light which helps keep it cool even of a sunny day, I didn’t think I would like the color much but it is growing on me.

Cons: There are several things that make this jacket a deal only when on sale, I would never pay full price for this thing.
-The cut of the jacket is a bit short in the body.
-The draw cords are a really flimsy elastic material which I don’t believe will hold up for long and it doesn’t do a great job at cinching things up tight.
-The hood design doesn’t let you put it up and down with the jacket fully zipped up.
-The stitching does seem a bit looser than other jackets, I don’t know it may be an event thing but the stitches show more on this jacket than my other gortex products.
-The Zipper always snags on the interior storm flap halfway up the jacket, it gets a bit annoying sometimes.
-This jacket could use pitzips, not necessarily for the breathability factor; I have never gotten clammy and wet even running in rainy weather, but pitzips do a great job at getting rid of excess body heat to cool you down. A breathable fabric doesn’t do that.
-Color choice, the pool blue is growing on me but it would be nice to have some of the normal options like red, green, blue and orange.

Overall it is a good jacket with a couple of design issues. It finds its niche in-between a tricked out burly mountaineering shell and a light weight trekking rain jacket, good for general hiking and trail running. I would never pay full price for it but on sale for under 200 bucks it is a great bargain that won’t disappoint.

I really like this shoe, I am new into trail running and this shoe has really helped to ease the transition. The grip is great on anything but wet rock. The cushioning is good enough to run on the road a bit which is good because I have to run to the trail. The toe box is huge which is good for me but might not be great for some. They are nice and light (mine are 14s) so light is really important to me.
The best thing about them is the boa lacing system, it is great just to be able to pop the shoes of and on easily. I do question the durability but so far so good. I though it would look dorky kinda like a new version of Velcro but instead they just look high tech and people comment on how sweet they are!

I am taking away one star because the plastic design on the side is starting to peal a touch at one of the points, I don't think it will peal further but if it gets snagged it will.

Overall it is a great shoe that will take the miles well and the BOA lacing system rocks, I am sad to see that it is already being phased out of the shoe world.

With the raptor series Osprey finally can give CamelBak a run for their money.This pack is awesome for running, its light, sits nicely on your back, breaths well, and the HydraForm reservoir really does keep the water from sloshing around while your moving.Not to mention you get the amazing craftsmanship that Osprey always gives and the All Mighty guarantee that cant be beat!Bottom line osprey packs are awesome and this pack is the best trail running pack out there, CamelBak has nothing on this!Some of the key features on this pack: The lid lock for your bike helmet works great, the padded pocket to hold a cellphone or glasses, a nicely organized main compartment that holds all the tools you might need, the bladder design is light-years ahead of anything else out there: it is easier to fill due to the handle, and the design doses help the water to come out by simply biting the valve. Finally the bite valve has a 360 bite surface so it doesn't matter how it gets to your mouth the water will come out, I always hate how with most bite valves with a straight slit you have to bite at one spot to get it to open, not on this pack! And the magnet is a nice touch that keeps the hose right where you need it.I will say though that the Raptor 6 is a bit small for a tall guy (I'm 6.6) however you can make it work or just go up to the Raptor 10 which comes in a large size. And I am kind of skeptical of how durable the elastic chest strap will be, but hey if it goes bad Osprey will replace it for free, forever!

I have had this knife for about two years now. Its is a nice light utility knife that holds a decent edge and can be clipped to nearly everything.
I will say though that i have yet to find a biener that fits the "biener hole" and I have never found a way to safley open it with one hand.
Its a good knife though and I would reccomend it to anyone.

I wrote a pretty lengthy review below but I just wanted to add that I just took this shell into the Adirondacks in early January and found the wind proofing to be excellent. One day we hiked for a couple of miles across a frozen lake in single digit temps and right into the wind and this thing kept out the icy blast. With the hood cinched and the zipper up there was going to be no wind getting into this shell. Just another reason why this is one of the best shell out there!!

Ok to the dude that took a star away from the knife because "he" hadn't tested it in the wilderness yet, wait till you do and then write your review. It gets so annoying when people take stars away because they havent fully tested the product or they got the wrong size and it didnt fit. That isnt the products fault, help us all out by saving your two sense untill you have some to give.

A week after I got this shell I went for a walk around town in the pouring rain for an hour and a half just to see if I could get wet. I can now say from personal experience that the 100% waterproof guarantee is no joke. I have worn it around town and into the backcountry in very wet conditions and have never had any moisture come through this shell.
The first thing that impressed me though was the quality of construction, the welded seams and the laser cut fabric edges make this shell look like a tank. It is light enough to take backpacking but it still has enough toughness to it to inspire confidence while you are bushwhacking through thick pine or clambering around on exposed rocky areas. This toughness is due to the 70d outer shell fabric that makes this lighter but equal in toughness to the thicker three layer Gore-tex shells. Most three layer shells use two 30-40d nylon shells with a layer of Gore-tex, this one uses one layer 0f 70d and a Gore-tex layer, which means a lot of durability and a great weight reduction.
The fabric is also very wind proof and breathable. After one hike I noticed that there was a dried layer of salt on the back panel from where the sweat had been let out but the salt content in the sweat could not get through the Gore-tex membrane. This just showed how well this shell lets out the moisture; I have never felt clammy in this jacket.
The fit of this shell is also a plus. The sleeves are long (a good thing for me since I am tall and I can never find a shell that fits my wingspan right) and articulated which gives you a full range of motion and keeps all of those warm layers you cram under them dry. There is nothing worse than having water seep up the sleeves of a fleece or down layer because the sleeves on your shell weren’t long enough.
This shell also has waist level pockets. I know that most jackets put the pockets at chest level so that you can still use them with a hip belt around your waist but I just don’t like that design concept. It is nice to be able to rest your hands in normally placed pockets, heck if your hands are cold while you have a pack or harness on, wear gloves!
The hood on this thing works great as well. I was worried because it is huge and without a helmet on it slides down over your eyes but if you putt the draw string in the back it cinches down to fit almost as well as your favorite baseball style cap. The big stiff brim on this thing also does a great job at keeping the snow and water out of your eyes and there is enough fabric around the neck that the hood turns with your head so you never get your view obstructed when you look to the side.
It has three truly waterproof pockets outside. One chest and two hand. They are enough to carry what you need; I have never been a fan of jackets with a bunch of needless pockets. It also has a water bottle pocket inside that will fit a 32 oz. Nalgene.
The jacket is cut just loose enough to fit a couple of warm layers under it without being overly bulky and it is lust long enough to reach a couple of inches below your waist line (if you get it sized right).
As with anything fit is important so make sure you at least try out a similar Mountain Hardware performance cut piece before you buy this one off line.
Overall it is a well designed shell that is cut nicely and tough enough for years of back country and front country use. I have no qualms in highly recommending this product to anyone who is interested in a quality shell.

This is a great head lamp. The focused led lets you clearly see out to 150 feet and the light goes even farther than that. The three luminary leds are great for sheading light over a large area at your feet.
I got mine without instructions but soon discovered that if you depress the switch halfway the lights will individually cycle through three brightness settings that make this thing great for battery life.
The head band is comfortable and the light is not so heavy that it makes your head feel off balanced when you are walking down the trail or working on your dinner.
The light is made of plastic so I wouldnt go chucking it around but it seems pretty durable.
My biggest quam with leds is the fact that you can never seem to see very far with them, the light gets there but you cant make out what you are seeing. This light casts a focused beam that makes even far away objects look clear so I am completly satisfied with this lamp.

Mountain Hardware has packed it all into this tent. The only downside is that all of those extras add weight but for all that you are getting this tent is worth the weight.
The ability to zip all of the vented areas closed makes this virtually a four season tent for anyone south of the mason-dixon line.
And for the sumer time opening the vents gives lots of condensation killing air flow and a great view of the stars to boot.
The fly can be rolled back half way and quickly put down incase of rain. The little vent areas in the fly above the door are one of those little extras that make this tent great.
Plus the fly is 100% waterproof. No ammount of rain or condensation is going to get in here.
All in all a great tent worth ever penny and every once, if you are hiking with a partner and can split the weight then all the better.