BSD

I got last year's model half off a few months back and have worn it most days since. Goes well over a t-shirt to cut the wind, or over a heavy wool shirt to make a breathable warm piece that will protect your core from blustery conditions (and maintain non-nylon sleeves for tending fires).

The vest has a slim cut. I wear a medium t-shirt, but will sometimes get a small in jackets. The medium vest fit perfectly.

Full price is a bit steep, but it is a fantastically useful piece that will definitely see a lot of use, and has so far shown absolutley no wear through bushwhacking, bouldering and wrastling with the kids and dog.

This is the one piece of clothing I want with me when it all goes down. Seriously. Pants optional, mid-weight wool shirt required.

Fits snug-great for techy pursuits. I throw a t-shirt over it around town so as not to look like und sprocket.

This probably boosts my temp comfort about 20 degrees in the winter, and is still comfy when the temp gets to 60. I have had mine for two years, and it still looks new.

I really wish these guys made a union suit. Both because union suits are awesome, and because then I wouldn't have to choose between this shirt and pants for my one piece of clothing.

These are real boots. Not as real as Norwegian welt full steel shank 7lbs per pair, takes two years to break in monsters, but I'll take these.

I've had them for a little over a year now, and here's what I've noticed.

-Surprisingly comfy out of the box--made me worry about durability, but no issues there. No blisters even on death march style uppy-downy epics. Even more comfy now.

-Feel extremely stable on all terrain. I know light is right, but I also grew up learning not to sprain an ankle in the wilderness. Ever. Think it would be hard to injure feet or ankles in these boots, even with a heavy load.

-Very warm and dry for a "non insulated, non-waterproof" boot. Yet somehow comfortable(ish) on muggy 90 degree slogs.

-Still look embarrassingly new after a year of steady use. Might need to see if some tight slots near the dirty devil might ugly them up a little.

Recommendations:

-As many others have noted, Size up! I went up about a full size from my measured foot size, and after finally fitting some nice sole insoles wish I would have gone another half size bigger to fit winter socks.

-On the same note, go for the thinnest insoles you can to save that precious toe box space.

A terrific pair of boots that are more than capable of kicking some sh!#.

This thing is great. I am constantly tinkering and fixing things, and now that I have the wave I wonder how I got along without it.

Tools lock in place securely and release easily.

The tiny black tool in the picture is a reversible eye glasses-sized screwdriver. Used it today to repair a pair of ray bans my son found in some mud in the park. Now they work great and I look cool.

The nylon sheath is extremely useful. It has several accessory pockets, and I have mine set up with a penlight on one side, a home-made mini sewing awl on the other, and a mini bic lighter that fits perfectly behind the velcro. Not as cool as the old leather sheath, but very utilitarian.

It is a little hefty for backcountry. But I usually bring it along.
I would gladly trade one of the knife blades for an awl and/or a corkscrew--I always bring a real knife anyway. Might just modify the regular blade to a carver/awl shape.

Every time I try to fix something, and then realize that I have this in my pack, I am filled with the joy of preparedness.

Update: I broke the flathead side of the tiny screwdriver bit while repairing a phone that a baby dipped in a glass of water. I wrote to leatherman's customer service and they sent me two replacement bits free of charge. awesome.

I bought one of these sixteen years ago, and several years later rescued a non-working one from an outdoor ed program for spare parts. Well, of course the one I bought was stolen off of a beach in Panama. I rebuilt the old one and have used that for the last nine years without a hitch. It is crusty and old and fires up every time.

It is often noted that these don't simmer well, but I have found that if you turn down the heat and then babysit the pressure by pumping (carefully!) every once in a while, it simmers like a champ.

I'm considering buying a new one just in case MSR ever stops making them, but it's hard to justify when this one still works so well.

I have had the .78L size for a long time now and it is a spectacular little pot. Rock solid, closes like an ammo can and just works--good size for two people. Nice long sturdy handle makes it just as easy to use over a fire as a stove. Costs half and weighs twice as much as titanium options.

But everyone please stop complaining about the weight of these. First of all, it weighs well under a pound. Second, if you're a real woodsman/woman, then you won't be needing much more than this pot and the food you can fit inside it (safe from critters). And you'll be able to help out that "minimalist" who's mini rocket burned a hole through their 3 oz titanium foil pot. Maybe they'll even be grateful enough to invite you to lounge on their sil-nylon inflatable camp couch and watch a movie on their solar powered smart pad.

I'm an ex wilderness EMT and current medical student and this is the kit I always have on me. If I'm out with the family or a large group I bring something more, but going solo or with competent friends this is it. I will even throw it in the pack around town for those bike vs cab road rashes or dealing with the random subway first responder situation.

It's a great little package with room for extras. I added a pair of small trauma shears, a couple single use superglue tubes, a very small spray bottle of hand sanitizer and another of deet, an extra set of gloves a couple sugar and re-hydration packets, a couple packets of sting-ease, two yards of duct tape and a mini bic lighter. There is more than enough room, and the whole thing weighs in at under 8 oz. Not bad for a kit that can fit in my pocket and handle any common situation.

Just terrific. Light, packs tiny. True to temp rating.

Summer bag for backpacking, climbing, bike touring or river trips.

Rated four season for couch surfing.

Might be nice as part of an alpine UL emergency kit to augment a bivy sack (if yer warm-blooded).

Full zipper, synthetic for wet conditions, comes with a nice compression sack and surprisingly swanky storage bag.

Yep.

So I really like the idea of this pack. Minimalist. Do-all. Rugged. Living the dream right? I just took it on a few days of AT hiking with my 7 year old son and dog, and here are the first impressions:

Pro's:
-Nicely sized: I could see doing five days solo with this thing during summer months, or taking it on a day trip without feeling like a tool.
-Felt very secure on my back with about 30-40 lbs.
-Floating lid for size expansion (or removal) with pocket sized nicely for first aid kit, water pump, light tarp. Side mesh pockets for a bag of trail mix and a poncho. Hip pocket worked well for a small camera.
-Lightweight-ish.
-Price.

Cons:
-I did not find the pack comfortable to carry over an extended period. The lump of foam used as lumbar support concentrates the load over the lumbro-sacral junction meaning sore lower back. The hip pads then form a gap around the rear hips before tightening on the front hip bones creating another pressure point there. Additionally, the flexibility of the hip belt combined with the angle of the load lifter straps causes the top of the belt to peel down as the bottom of the pack is cinched over the hips.
-Quality control issues: the above mentioned lumbar pad was sewn onto my pack slightly crooked. I noticed similar defects in one at a local store. the pack also came with a couple of the fast-ex buckles attached backwards, and i noticed some crooked bar tacking. The pack is offered at a wonderful price point, but maybe at a detriment to consistent quality.
-I would have rather seen a simple double daisy chain configuration than the external lash tabs and dedicated ice axe bungees.
-The location of the internal security pocket is impossible to access when the pack is full. A small pocket and a couple lash points on the lid would be nice
-Bought at full price two weeks ago now they're 20% off. But that's my B.
-Can't stand the orange color in person. But that's me too.

A nice idea for a pack with a few key details poorly executed. Seems like it might work best with a lighter (under 25lb load) and over winter clothing, although the pressure points seemed more due to the load stabilization (ie horizontal compression over the hips) than the weight. I'll see if I can make it work, but in the interest of the do-it-all dream, may trade it in for something that will comfortably carry a load.