Justin Lichter (Trauma)

These crampons are just what you are looking for if you are looking for the lightest model to go over your approach shoes. They work really well and are perfect for over that type of shoe!
They are about 21 ounces for the pair with the anti-botts and about 17 without.

These crampons are just what you are looking for if you are looking for the lightest model to go over your approach shoes. They work really well and are perfect for over that type of shoe!
They are about 21 ounces for the pair with the anti-botts and about 17 without.

Yes they will work great with hiking boots!

Listen to Darren........He's the man with all of the Icebreaker sock know-how!

You could do that but I wouldn't recommend it. It is good to get your bag out of the bivy so that it can breathe and get any moisture and dampness out. Sometimes there can be a little bit of condensation on the inside of a bivy like happens on a tent fly.

Yeah, they'll work for clothes. Depends on what type of clothes you have for sizing. If it is mostly down and highly compressible stuff then you might be able to get away with a medium, otherwise go with the large.

You can either buy a neoprene sleeve that fits over the hose, like the Granite Gear Winterizer, or the easiest thing is after you drink to make sure that you blow the water back into the bladder.

No, never had that happen or have heard of that before. Would definitely be interested in hearing what BCA has to say about it.

I like the Leki trekking poles and they make a rubber tip to fit over the carbide tip which works well on asphalt. The Leki's are durable, comfortable, lightweight, and easy to adjust.

I would use the Power Traveller, Power Gorilla. They seem to work a lot better than Brunton ones. I don't know if they sell them at backcountry.com though.

Most sunglasses with that aggressive curvature don't work with prescription lenses because it can make you feel dizzy. This is especially true with the higher the prescription. If you have a low prescription than you might be able to get away with a sunglass with that style curvature.

Probably not. You are probably going to get condensation on anything other than a thermos style bottle because of the temperature change.

I'd probably take a lightweight sleeping bag. You never know how many blankets you are going to find and it can get pretty chilly.

They look the same to me, besides for the color.

They might be a little too soft for ice climbing. Usually you want a pretty stiff boot.

I don't think you want to or need to carry 2 different boots. You definitely don't need plastic boots for Kili unless you are doing a specific technical route (which not many people do there especially now that the glaciers have receded). Anyway, if you are doing one of the main routes and as you say your feet get cold, I think you could get away with a thicker sock and a leather hiking boot (more comfortable and easier to break in and deal with than a plastic boot). I think the temps probably won't be any colder than the single digits at 19000 ft and as the sun comes up it usually warms up pretty nicely, unless it is windy.

They both carry similar weights. The Granite Gear Vapor Trail has a slightly bigger capacity and more cushion and padding on the hipbelt and shoulder straps to make the back more comfortable. The Osprey pack has mesh against your back which can possibly rub and can hold a surprising amount of water. The Osprey pack has a few more bells and whistles like a lid and some pockets, but also weighs probably about 1/3 to 1/2 a pound more.

I don't think it would be ideal. The webbing on the side is very small and would definitely put extra stress on the pack. Also, most skis (unless you want to throw some lightweight crosscountry skis on) have metal edges which would have a good chance of slicing the fabric.

The point of the back panel unzipping is so you can get into the big/main compartment to get your avi gear easy if your skis or board are attached to the outside of the pack.

No backpacks are really waterproof unless they use a PVC coated drybag with attached shoulder straps. The materials are typically water resistant but the seams usually aren't taped for waterproofing. This Oakley pack doesn't have waterproof or water resistant zippers. The zippers used are just inverted so the zipper tape is on the outside.

I usually don't use the shocks and don't think it is really necessary.
They say it prevents some vibration and makes it nicer and soft and cushiony on your wrists.

You would also want different baskets that were wider so it prevented the poles from punching through the snow.

Atomic boots typically use bindings with the Pilot system. They have 2 bars and a narrower tread base. To get bindings that work with these boots they will either have to be made by Atomic or Salomon.

You would be right in the weight range of the 172 cm. If you are tall you might want to go with the 178 though.

You can try looking at some hiking forums if you wouldn't mind a used one. You could go to backpackinglight.com>forums>gear swap but it is pretty much used products.

Yeah, it'll work in there. But I think the Dakine Heli Pro 20L pack might have an insulated hydration sleeve. If that is the case then you probably don't need this particular Platypus product since the black pouch is an insulated sleeve. So it would then be double insulated, definitely not a problem with that but you could probably just put a regular Platypus in and save some money.

Platypus is just the water holder (although I think they are coming out with a day pack line next year). The black pouch on this model helps it stay cold in warm weather and helps to prevent it from freezing in cold weather. If you are looking for a hydration pack and bought this product then you would still need a backpack.

I think it is way too big when it is rolled up for a stuff sack. The pads have 2 straps that go around them to help decrease the size a little and come with a vinyl type bag to put them in when they are rolled up.

It is a pretty good width and the stretch system adds a bit of extra width also.

This adds 5 to 10 degrees to your bags warmth, it depends on the night though and how windy it is, damp it is, etc. It is a great addition to a tarp system.

I wouldn't worry about viruses in backcountry water sources in the US. Not really a problem here. If you are going to be overseas in a 2nd or 3rd world country or a warm climate then it is more of a concern. Any other method to treat water, like a Steripen, chemicals (Aqua Mira or iodine), or boiling will get rid of viruses.

UL stands for ultralight. They have other sleeping bags with a little heavier denier fabric.

I would measure where the harness would sit on your legs. If you have a normal climbing harness that fits well then you could also measure the size of the leg loops on that harness.

I asked one of the reps if I could mount the Manaslus or Stokes tele (or I guess it would work with any non-Dynafit binding). His answer was that if you drill holes in the ski, other than the ones in the plate, than it will void the warranty on the ski. His recommendation was to pick up a lightweight bamboo cutting board from the dollar store or some place and then mount that to the ski using the pre-prethreaded holes. Then mount your other bindings to the bamboo cutting board. That way you aren't adding much weight or stiffness to the ski and you aren't voiding the warranty.

Just took a picture of the way the webbing should be.

I use the lid a lot as a shoulder bag, kind of like a messenger bag. To use the lid as a hip pack you unclip it from the pack so that it is separate. Then you pull the webbing out of the little hide-away spot underneath the lid. Then flip the extra material over towards the zipper and thread the webbing without the male/female clip through the ladder lock on the lid so that it serves as the compression. Hopefully that helps. You get a good, sturdy fit that way.