ClimberRob

I've had a couple of Norrona fleece jackets now. At first, I really liked them, as the cut through the body and shoulders is fantastic for a tall, athletic build. However, the more time I've spent in them, the more annoying the cuffs, or lack of cuffs, has become. They don't layer well, and always feel big and bulky in that area. If these jackets had more of a "standard" elastic-type of cuff, they would be great! As it is, I'll be returning mine.

Nice idea, but, no matter how hard you try, the top will never close completely. Chalk gets everywhere every time you try to pack it. Fix the closure, and it would be a nice in-between size bag, as described.

This is a great rope. Nice hand, very durable, and very light. This is my go-to rope for everything except heavy top-roping.

Still the standard for me. Great size. Love the "safety" mark to instantly tell, at a glance, whether it is locked or not. A bit heavy, but wears great for aluminum. I've recently tried out several lockers from other companies, but am going back to the Attache.

Absolutely fantastic performance layer. I wear it as an outer layer for climbing in the spring and fall, and as a mid-layer during the winter. Comfortable, warm, breathes great, and, as others have said, perfectly tailored fit if you're a tall and athletic build.

These would easily be my favorite pants if Patagonia would fix the horrible sizing problems. Most Patagonia clothing fits me great; I typically wear Medium pants and Large tops. As the other reviewers have said, the length is a bit short to begin with, then shrinks more than I've ever seen a pair of pants shrink after you wash them. My first pair was a medium, and they ended up shrinking 4" after several washes! Like another reviewer, I ended up with a Large, which is just barely long enough, but way too big in the waist. Patagonia: PLEASE FIX THE SIZING ISSUES! I could easily handle 4-5" added to the inseam length, and I'll personally buy several pairs!

Love this fleece. The cut is slim and athletic. I am 6'4", 170lbs, athletic build (broad shoulder and chest, thin stomach and waist), and the Large is perfect. Great in the chest and just enough room in the waist for another thin layer underneath. The fleece is Polartec Thermal Pro, which I find to provide excellent warmth and breathability. Sometimes the wrist/hand warmer extensions can get in the way, but not often. They can easily be tucked back out of the way, and are great to have when it's really cold.

This is a great all-around harness, but especially excels for me when I'm racking trad gear and doing multi-pitch climbs. Very comfortable and the gear loops are the best I've used, though I wouldn't mind if they were a bit bigger. Only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that I can't, for the life of me, figure out why Black Diamond doesn't bar-tack their belay loops all the way through. I know that they are designed and tested as they are built, but it is the only part of this harness that doesn't inspire confidence.

Overall, this is a good harness, however, the sizing is a bit off for me. My old Petzl harnesses, in size Medium, fit me perfectly. The Sama still fits good in the legs, but I can't get the waist quite tight enough to be comfortable when I'm racking trad gear on it. I'm also not a big fan of the gear loop design. I much prefer the semi-molded gear loops of the Black Diamond Chaos, which I use most of the time. For really hot sport-climbing days, the Sama is a great choice, if it fits your waist. If you're looking for a trad harness and/or spend a lot of time at hanging belays, check out the BD Chaos.

Wow. Very impressed with this pack. Bought this to use as a follower pack for multi-pitch climbing. After being disappointed with the last few packs I tried, I am happy to say that this pack is working out perfectly. Great size, comfortable, and just the right feature set.

This is a good all-around locking 'biner. Nice size for most uses, well-designed keylock. The sleeve can get a bit sticky if you crank it down too hard, but I haven't had it seize up. No safety marking on the gate to tell at a glance that it is locked. Not bad, but I'll probably stick with BD mini-pears or Petzl Attaches next time.

The Inferno is one of my favorite wire-gate carabiners. This quickdraw would be great, but, unfortunately, is missing two important features. 1- The 'biners need to be different colors to quickly differentiate between the two ends. 2- It needs a sewn-in rubber retainer for the rope end to keep that 'biner from turning in the sling. At the price-point, I think both of these things are reasonable. Until those improvements are made, I think Wild Country or Black Diamond are the way to go.EDIT: I noticed that Metolius does offer a dual-colored Inferno draw, and I would recommend that Backcountry starts carrying that one. I guess my only real gripe is the lack of rubber retainer on the rope-end.

The hand of this rope is great. It knots easily and securely and is soft and supple without feeling limp in your hand while clipping. It feels a bit slippery when brand new, but quickly breaks into a great feel. The only downside is the durability. The sheath starts to fray very quickly and the rope seems to attract dirt more than others, even with the Dry coating. Overall, a great all-around rope, but keep it in a rope bag and leave it at home when toproping.

This is a very comfortable harness. The only downside is the gear loops. They are floppy and soft and, in my opinion, a step backwards from the older rigid Petzl loops. I understand why they changed them, but my older harnesses with rigid loops never bothered me and made it much easier to clip and unclip. If Petzl went back to rigid (and oversized) loops, I would give it 5-stars. Otherwise, very comfortable and light, and the tie-in points are bomber.

This jacket has everything I want except length. If you're short, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better softshell for the money. At 6'3", the jacket barely touches the top of my pants when I'm standing still. Bummer, as it's an otherwise great design. If the body length was similar to their other softshells, it would be nearly perfect.