Well people seem only to have good things about these boots (and they're all true - i just got a pair and they're awesome) however to be fair i'll point out my few trivial concerns:

1) The toe leather is not as well protected as on some boots. My last pair of boots had the entire toe wrapped in rubber which i failed to appreciate until now - after just one hike the front of my boots are a bit scuffed up. To be fair, i'm the sort of person who abuses all of his gear some how... In any event i think that eventually I'll need to treat the toe with something to keep it from wearing out.
2) The sole is stiff as hell! I think this is a great thing, however if you are traveling terrain which might be described as anything less than rugged its annoying. I wore them to work for 1.5 weeks just to break them in before my first hike and I was having second thoughts about their comfort, however it's simply that they're not street shoes. On the trail they're amazingly comfortable.

Ditto all comments regarding narrow feet - that's what I have and fit nicely.
Also, these are the first pair of boots i've owned that I wasnt thrilled to pull off at the end of the day. I got into them at 5 AM, walked a mile or two to the car, drove for 4 hours, hiked 6 miles, drove back another 4 hours, and walked home again all without once having to adjust them or regret not having brought a second pair of shoes for after the hike (something always did before I got these).

Finally, I cant' speak to their breath ability since it was between 20 and 45 degrees F for my first hike in these, however they are both warm and waterproof. They kept my feet comfortable for the whole trail which was a mix of mud, snow and water ice.

They're very comfy and not overkill for those days when you need a glove but not a full blown storm gauntlet. As advertised on the packaging, they are good for temps between 20 and 30. I think if you were working pretty hard they'd be fine as low as 5 or 10 but for more sedentary activity they'd be too cold. I got them with the intent of using them as my mid to lightweight glove and carrying a very heavy pair for truly cold conditions. I think they will serve in this role well. Allegedly the leather is machine washable. Have yet to test this. They are supposed to be lined with some water proof membrane. I did not get the chance to observe their water resistance.

Really nice jacket.

Fit: I'm 175 lbs, 6'1" and the fit is perfect.

Warmth: It seems plenty warm but I wont really know till the winter. I recently spent a few nights at about 4000' so it was pretty chilly (40s) and this jacket kept me plenty warm with only a t-shirt on underneath. I was a bit sunburned and exhausted (thus unable to properly warm myself) and this jacket really made the difference between a lousy evening and a comfortable one.

Packability: It comes with a stuff sack - once packed into said sack its about as tall as a nalgene and about twice the diameter. With a compression sack im sure you could do better. It does not seem that the stuff sack is at all water shedding so that needs to be dealt with by the user.

Other stuff: The materials probably would shed light drizzle but would not likely hold up to a down pour. I know this jacket is not technically a down-sweater but I'm planning to use it as such and I think it will prove to be very versatile as both a standalone and a layer.

I just got a chance to try these out - they were overall really nice. As usual pros and cons exist...
pros:
-grip is very comfy
-straps are the most ergonomic straps of any hand held equipment ive ever used (lots of ski poles traverse poles, ice axes and so on...)
-markings on the shaft allow you to quickly adjust them to your known preferred length
-the tips actually provide GREAT purchase even on the granite that permeates the white mountains! i could hardly believe it but where my boots slip these things can be relied upon for a great amount of weight and balance
-comes with interchangeable powder baskets

cons:
-while comfy, the padded straps did cause my hands to sweat a bit more than i would have preferred. i sweat a lot other may not experience this - it was only about 60 the day i used them
-the obvious trade off with trekking poles is the use of your hands - certain terrain mandates that you stow them or something so that you can scramble uphill

overall good purchase.

POST-HOC UPDATE:
-After a good 60 miles of usage one of the seams on the padded straps started to come undone. I imagine this is a defect and wont happen again once i get them replaced. Furthermore it did not really impede my usage of them at all, its just irritating that new gear has something wrong with it.
-On a really long hike after a lot of downhill your wrists start to get tired - i have small weak wrists though so this may not be true for everyone.
-I just finished a hike that had a combined 20ish miles worth of scree rock fields - trekking poles are indispensible in such terrain.

I've used this thing a number of times. Some times it works and other times not so much... I think that basically it boils down to a number of factors, some of which may be out of your control. If you can't arrange it in such a way that no water could possibly get, then it wont work. This seems obvious, but imagine real-world conditions: a bunch of sleeping apparatus, some nalgene bottles, maybe some trekking poles or other technical paraphernalia attached to the outside of your very full pack. There are bound to be a few odd bulges that pull the elastic edges away from the body of the pack creating the potential for water to get in. Now imagine that you are up on a ridge in wind and rain - water is flying around practically horizontal...some parts of the pack are bound to get wet despite your rain cover. You basically need to be very careful with the arrangement of your pack and probably use a few dry-bags in additional for your critical items like sleeping bag and extra clothes.

I will say that the form factor, integrated stuff sack and adjustable elastic + velcro fastening system leave very little to be desired, but unless you get the rest of it just right, you'll get your stuff wet.

Also this will be obvious to those of you that use tents but if you get it wet and leave it in the stuff sack for any duration it will be mildew on it - mildew causes the urethane to de-laminate thus totally ruining the thing (I learned the hard way...)

This is a great buy for anyone getting into winter hiking / ski mountaineering. I use this axe primarily while climbing up Tuckerman Ravine in NH. It really gives you great confidence as your clambering up a slope so steep that your knees dig into the snow in front of you. I've seen many people fall the whole way down various aspects of the headwall after loosing their footing and I have to say that the only times I was ever concerned loosing my footing was when I hadn't yet pulled out the ice ax. It really gives you a great deal of extra balance and leverage on steep and slick ascents. You can find this one on sale relatively often as well. I got mine form REI for about 60 bucks and I've seen it at EMS and backcountry.com for similar prices.

These are great but they do have some ups and downs. I've had two pairs of these but Im considering moving to the Fugitive at some point for a variety of reasons. In any case:

Pros:
I find them to be among the most comfy boots available. This of course is subjective. Not a Vibram outsole, however they really do cling to all but the steepest and slickest of surfaces. They are waterproof. They are warm enough for light winter use. I go hiking in spring snow all the time in these and I use them for hanging around camp after a day of skiing.

Cons:
After a while of heavy use they need to be treated to restore the waterproofing. I think that the underlying trouble is that the GoreTex eventually broke down - but this was after some serious abuse. I also find that the soles wear down a bit quicker than I wish. This I think is due to the relatively soft rubber used (which is what I suspect gives them some great grip).

Pros:
Cheap, easy to use, 3/4 basket is sweet, grip is very comfy, straps are really nice.

Cons:
Flimsy, constantly feel like I'm about to snap mine in half on steep ascents where my skins are beginning to slip or where I need extra balance. One of my friends bent his simply pole planting down a steep slope. I'm 6'1" and occasionally I wish that they were a bit longer - they feel even flimsier when they are extended all the way. Finally, when I get to a really steep slope I tend to switch from my poles to my mountaineering ice axe and stash the poles on my pack. These poles are slightly unwieldy to carry on a pack since they do not collapse as much as 3 segment types - they end up sticking way up in the air and knock around on my skis... Not the end of the world clearly, but worth mention.

Its the best jacket I've ever owned. Waterproof, windproof breathable; all the stuff they claim it to be are absolutely true. I got it late last winter for ski touring, resort skiing and hiking and i'm still wearing it now that its June. If you get warm easily as I do, you *will* sweat a bit under it (though markedly less so than you would with any lesser product), but thats what the pit vents are for. Also as you move around the breathability increases quite a bit. Unless it's really warm out and your standing still it should be fine. The only thing that actually irritates me about this jacket are the pit vents - I have a tough time opening them while im wearing the jacket. I've found this to be true for every jacket i've ever owned so I guess it's not too big of a deal. On the other hand, they provide 2 zippers per vent so you can open from either end and adjust the location of the aperture.

excellent fit for general mountaineering axes...cool looking as well.

gets the job done, i suppose, but i cant figure out how your supposed to tie it down once placed over the spike. i usually try to loop it through the little aperture in the spike itself, but this only works on some axes. i could swear that the thing snagged on a branch once while i was skiing and it fell off... imo the bungie needs to be long enough to loop over the head of the axe.

I haven't used this thing first hand though I've heard through reliable sources that it's an outstanding bag. Supposedly the material is so stretchy that you can sit upright indian style without having to unzipper anything!

I have last years version but form what i can tell nothing has changed. the only real drawback here is the lack of a free-standing architecture - this makes pitching on a platform a pain in the neck but nothing some parachute cord and nearby trees cant solve. while not being especially light, it takes up very little room, so its great for solo trips where you want more than just a bivy.

the asymmetric design has a ton going for it! the internal nook leaves all the room that you need for some night time reading, a head lamp, toiletries and so on. the vestibule is just the right size for a pack and boots. some have complained that it is cramped in side, though i find it to be plenty spacious. i'm 6'1" and 175lbs, so not especially large but have found my self more than comfortable in it.

the stakes that it came with were the worst stakes ive ever seen, two of them bent immediately. the bottom of the barrel stakes that you can get in bins at REI are of greater quality. its non-freestanding design also requires a good number of them. not really a big deal imo thought minimalists may be irked.

this thing is extremely hearty! as a result of poor planning and waning daylight, i ended up pitching the thing at over 5000 feet on the presidential ridge of the white mountains. i tried to get in the lee of the terrain as best as possible, but i still got hammered with 50mph winds all night long. when i got up the next day you could have bounced a quarter off the fly. im considering using it as a winter tent in conjunction with a bivy sack since it seems pretty bombproof.

Update: A friend and I went camping over the 4th of July. The weather was rotten; punctuated by thunder, lightning driving rain and hail. We both have Sprites. I remained very comfortable all night long while my friend wound up soaked as condensation poured in on him all night. I theorize that one of two things happened to him: A) his whole fly is defective and useless, or B) he somehow didn't manage to get the fly taught enough to keep it off of the tent body. I suspect the 2nd option is the most likely. In my opinion getting both the tent body and the footprint if present as taught as possible before attempting to put the fly up is critical to avoiding this problem. Further compounding the issue is the fact that he used the 2007 model tent body and fly with a 2008 model footprint. Both the footprint and the tent body have the hardware required to pitch the fly, however part of me wonders if the 2008 footprint is not somehow just different enough to prevent the fly from sitting tightly over the hoops thus preventing condenstation. At this time, this is the only explanation I can think of given our otherwise identical equipment.

the footprint is a really sweet addition to the sprite due to the pitchlight feature. unfortunately the footprint adds a bit of weight to the whole tent, really elevating the whole package out of the lightweight solo category. if you don't mind carrying the extra weight for a few extra perks its worth it. plus i enjoy having an extra layer of protection between my dead weight, the $150 tent and the ground.

i finally got a chance to try it out in the pitchlight configuration. its a really cool idea, however it takes a bit of fiddling around to get it set up since the tent body is not there to give any support to the fly. i imagine it would be tricky tho not impossible in wind. keep in mind that since its a solo tent you may not always have a second set of hands available to help you. IMO you really need to have the ground sheet guyed out good and taught before attempting to pitch the fly and poles. additionally since its not a free standing tent you need to be especially prepared to deal with sand, snow or other soft surfaces where you may need to prepare dead man anchors or similar apparatus.

Update: the newest version of the footprint is slightly different than the previous models so be care if you got the tent a year or two ago and are just not looking for a footprint. It seems like it should work but i'm not sure.

i just mounted these on my k2 shuksan at skis. so far so good. theres not discernible difference between these and a true alpine binding. i only weigh 175 but for some reason popped out of them with the din at 10 so i bumped them up to 12. so far so good. the overall construction of the thing seems totally bombproof. i've broke a bunch of pairs of bindings but these are holding up so far.

the heel release is a bit clunky to use. there are two climbing positions however the low angle one is so low that i never user it. i might have preferred a higher angle, however thats getting into the territory where you skins will no longer adhere to the show, i think.

they're the the heaviest thing on the market, but it hasn't stopped me from hauling like 50 pounds uphill, and my k2s are light enough that it hasn't been a problem yet. i haven't done any lengthy multi day tours yet, so take that with a grain of salt.

I got these and mounted a pair of marker duke AT bindings. i got these for skiing the white mountains back country and a bit of in bounds skiing as well. they are fully capable of plowing through all of the shenanigan snowpack we have in tuckerman ravine at half decent speed. having said that, they are plenty forgiving - the tips absorb most of the sloppy conditions we've had recently. on the other hand i'm able to lay 'em over almost as hard as i do my fischer gs ski without the tails fishing out on me. i haven't skiied them in powder yet so i cant comment on that, but i imagine they get the job done. they ski tight bumps just fine, and can really rip on hardpack. basically it does everything i would want it to do.

i got this so i could go on winter overnights with my new AT gear. it fits a massive amount of stuff into it! i was able to get a tarp, my bivy, my 15 degree down bag, a fleece sleeping bag liner, some rope, 3 days of food, a down jacket, extra layers, extra gloves, hats, extra goggles, a cookset and ultralight gas stove plus two cans of isopro, climbing skins and two nalgenes into the thing. i strapped my mattress to the compression straps - this was a bit tight but worked.

the list of features is what sold me, after having chosen the size of bag i was looking for. great suspension compared to my old technical day bag. heavy duty, double layered 2 inch webbing toward the bottom serve as a burly ski carrier for A or H frame arrangement. A-framing with the lid on and the pack fully loaded requires some fiddling around to get it right, and H-framing it is prone to loosening up over time. it has a rope stowage strap just under the lid for climbers. the helmet carrier is meant for rock climbing helmets but im able to stuff my ski helmet into it if i fold down the ear flaps. with a race helmet, it might be a tight squeeze. crampon pouch is sweet, as are the pick pockets. i wish it had a shovel pouch of some sort as well as place to stash a probe, but i guess you cant win em all.

this pack does a spectacular job paring down from an overnight back to a technical ascent bag. it comes with an ultralight hipbelt which you can use in place of the molded hipbelt. the lid is easily removable and facilitates A-framing your skis. the compression straps and dual drawstrings at the top allow you to shrink the thing down to the size of a day back for the final push up your ski line.

the sides of the bag have already received a good scuffing from my ski edges, and im afraid that eventually they'll need some patching. luckily my mom and sister are pretty good seamstresses. no other downsides come to mind.