if i was just rating taste, i'd give this five stars. it's delicious for a freeze dried meal, and pretty damn good even if it wasn't.. my issue with it, and other MH meals is that they load this stuff up with an incredible amount of salt. take a look at the nutritional info, and beware if you have issues with salt or high blood pressure. i don't have health concerns, but i do notice a headache after eating a pouch of many MH foods.

I love my Sweetwater. I recently used it as the sole filter to support a 6 person party through Yosemite Valley, and another 4 person party through Desolation Wilderness. It's extremely light compared to the alternatives, packs relatively compactly, and most importantly, provides fresh tasting, easily pumped water. I have been careful and selective to pump from clear, fast moving water, and haven't even had it clog or need to be field serviced after pumping upwards of 60 liters over this past trip. To me, that's pretty stellar performance. I highly recommend this filter to anyone seeking a light, reliable, sturdy filter.

i've had my Elios for about a year, and i find it extremely comfortable and lightweight. the highest compliment I can pay to this helmet, is that the moment I put it on, i forget it's on my head. i've worn it for over 10 hours at a time, with no comfort issues at all. the ratchet adjustment makes for quick and easy fine tuning to your head, or head plus hat.
the tabs are easy to use when mounting a headlamp -you don't even need to take the helmet off your head. i bought the blue color so it wouldn't get too hot in the summer. so far, venting has been sufficient.

ultralight, compact, multiple settings, great spot beam. oh, and really long battery life. been reliable at temps from 15-90 degrees. stays put on your head, or easily clips onto a climbing helmet. like many folks, i don't even bother with a flashlight anymore. one of my favorite pieces of gear.

but not a safe as i feel since he uses one too, and friends, he likes to burn a little herbage before we climb... thank you GRIGRI!
the self-locking mechanism isn't absolutely 100% fail safe, but it's close enough for me, so I don't worry whether in the climbing gym, or out in the valley way up off the deck. after familiarization, this device is super easy, intuitive and a pleasure to use. i don't mean to say that you should be less aware when using it say relative to an ATC, but the fact that it's an extra layer of protection via the auto-lock, is a really nice feature. matter of fact, i'm pretty sure my climbing went from 11b to 12d when i got my grigri -well ok, maybe not.Cons?? a little bulky and heavy compared to an ATC, and slightly more complex when using for other applications like rappeling. happy and safe climbing!

i wear an 11 in nike and montrail, and a 44.5 in this boot with room for thin wicking liners under midweight wool hiking socks from wigwam -my foot measures a D width.great fit, easy to adjust lower boot fit from ankle fit via lace locks -nice feature.i climbed for about 8 hours in these in crampons in snow and ice -pretty warm with only minimal numbness in the toes during the dawn hours on the frozen ice.i had little time to break these in (just a 3 mile loop up and stair climbing), but they felt so good, i was OK wearing them for a multi day trip without worry. they break in like a sneaker -fast and easy.I wore the OEM feetbed, but will switch to my normal superfeet greens for better stability and fit.This boot is a perfect balance between a mid-weight hiker and a mountaineering boot with plenty of stiffness for crampons (i used BD contact straps).I found the sole of the shoe extremely grippy on wet and dry rock, and even on ice w/o crampons they seemed to grip pretty well. overall, i'm very satisfied with this boot, and would recommend for cooler weather/heavier packs and of course summer mountaineering. for reference, my first trip in these was with a 32lb pack over 18 miles and 6000 feet of elevation gain trail/rock/scree/snow/ice. The boot showed no sign of wear on the upper, rand, and soles were even pretty much new looking. i probably wouldn't wear this boot unless i need crampons or expect extreme wetness, so i expect them to last a very long time even with their softer sole. for lighter packs and all-dry climbing, i'd wear a lighter boot or shoe, although given the support and funtionality, these boots are extremely light! cheers.

Reliable, proven, easy to use. Easy to control the flame level, and quite powerful for boiling impressively quick. highly recommended cannister stove.

i like this bladder for saving a bit of weight relative to my camelbak bladder, but i made the mistake of taking this bladder on a climb where we were required to melt/boil snow. because this bladder has a small cap opening, it was very difficult to fill out of the pot of boiled water. i should have either taken my camelbak, or ordered the wide-top opening model platy so i could full right out of the pot. my mistake, not the product's. we ended up using a trail mix package fashioned into a funnel to fill this bladder from the pot. apparently it works great with a step down water filter attachement, which is good when you have a non-frozen water source & filter.

i've used this on all my trips except for the most ultra light summer backpacking trips. it does a great job of heating teh sides of the pot, and saving valueable heat from escaping into the wild blue yonder. in cold temps, it aids boiling time, and i'm always boiled up faster than my buddies who don't use the exchanger. it's heavy, but can offset its own weight over long trips due to saved fuel. this is especially true in mountaineering/alpine trips where temps can be very cold. i'd give it 5 stars, but it is a bit heavy... sidenote, mine is litterally 16 years old, and looks brand new. well made and very durable.

slept as low as 35 degrees so far, and it's a warm pad. love it. extremely comfortable, and pliable (as opposed to stiff like other pads). very comfortable even for a side sleeper like myself, and wasn't at all slippery like other pads i've used. takes about 5 minutes to blow up, i did it in a couple shifts with a a few camp chores in between blow up session.. i have the long mummy version, and it packs down to the size of a nalgene bottle, and at 23 oz, it's lighter than older style pads half the size. LOVE IT!!

climbed shasta this weekend with the 70cm. loved it. glissade, climb, sharp, easy to swing, and perfect all arounder.. great, versatile axe and feather weight. if you own one axe, this is a top contender.

i've seen great hikes gone bad by people who suffer from blisters. moleskin is the answer -just slap the appropriate size piece right on your foot, and boom, you're good to go. i consider this a must for any backpacking trip or hike of length. even if you don't get blisters, they are handy for new hikers in your party, or people with new boots that came unprepared. great product.

what can i say? it cleans and doesn't damage. just what you want for an expensive sleeping bag or down jacket. brought back the freshness to my 10 year old sleeping bag which had gotten skankier than i had realized.

three stars means "adequate for the job" according to the backcountry rating key. that's what this is.. adequate for one-person to warm boil some water and warm up small portions of grub. i disagree with the frying pan being really adequate for anything that isn't shaped like a mcdonalds burger patty in terms of size or thickness.. this kit is really, really small, the frying pan almost laughable, so make sure to break out a ruler and trace out the size of the kit before you order. it's really light, and very compact, but even as an ultralight-minded backpacker, this was too small for me to keep. sent it back to get somethign larger and more functional. your milage may vary..

I chose this jacket because it fits well, is waterproof, stows small into it's own pocket, is relatively light, and has pit zips for cooling down during a warm downpour. Many light rain shells don't have pit zips, and are SO light and cheapie feeling, that they can't bridge the gap to an evening campside wind/warmth jacket which this does very well with layering. That is to say if you're hesitant to go for one of the ultralight, ultrathin rain shells, and you want something that bridges the gap towards the full-blown shell direction, then this is a great comprimise right between the two. Very light, but still substantial enough to be considered a "jacket".
I'm 6'1" and weigh 175 -the medium fits perfectly, and allows me to wear this over a tee, or with a thermal top, thick fleece and the shell over it all with adequate movement for hiking and climbing. Great jacket.

What can you say? It's huge, plush and comfy. I've used it temps down to about 25 degrees in Yosemite, and it's brought me nice Zzzzzs under the stars in Joshua Tree. Great pad. I think it's best when kinda under-inflated. Recommended for those finicky sleepers and girlfriends.

great little gizmo that helps keep fingers in shape for climbing, and helps build some forearm and grip strength. i keep one in the car, and i take it into the office when i remember to.. great little tool for when you're chatting on the phone, and otherwise wasting time doing work!!

i have had this boot for about a year. for me, it is well constructed, supportive and extremely comfortable. it litterally feels like my Nike running shoes. it has an aggressive tread pattern, and does great on any surface i have walked on, and i have not noticed the wet/slippery issue that others have noted. i have used this boot for casual camping, around town, outdoorsy stuff, and everything but hiking, and it has performed well, especially at keeping my feet very warm in the snow on ski trips. i normally wear a Nike size 11, and an 11 in this boot is perfect.

The seemed like a well-made pant. good length on the shorts when zipped off, good detail and soft waist area which is important when wearing a pack on an approach or hike. i'm 6'1" and 175 lbs. skinny climber's body. i tried a medium, and they fit around the waist well, but they are unusually tight in the upper thigh area where your leg meets your torso. it's very odd, and encumbers free movement. i tried the large, and they fit looser obviously, but were too long in the crotch area, and simply a little too big overall. maybe i'm between sizes, but REI's convertible pant size medium fit much more "normal" in terms of being good around the waist, but comfortable and looser everwhere else so as to not impede movement. i wish this pant worked out for me, as i liked the pant overall. i guess some pants are just cut off a weird pattern. i see other reviewers had the same problem.

i've climbed in Five-Tens for years, but picked up some Flashes over a year ago to have a convenient velcro shoe. i bought mine so i had a snug fit, toes slightly curled. the shoe has broken in and now my toes lay mostly flat when my weight is on the ball of my foot -just how I like it for an all-day shoe. i wear a 10.5-11 in street shoe, and the 10.5 Flash is perfect. the shoe is pretty soft and slipper-ish, and i think this has been good for developing foot strength, which i hadn't thought about.
the traction/smearing is more than adequate for my level -i climb 11c/d in these with no problem. for hard bouldering and overhangs, a more aggressive toe might be useful (like the Con-Flict), but for MOST climbers in the 5.9-5.12 range, i would think this shoe is plenty capable, very comfortable, and a stellar deal for the money. i've seen guys climbing really hard stuff, way above my sorry level, so i know the shoe can do it all.. food for thought, you can buy a pair of these AND a pair of the sick new Con-Flicts for about the same price as ONE pair of high-end Sportivas.

i received this bag a few days ago. to give some scale, it's like a tall brown paper grocery bag, but about 50% wider (longways). i EASILY fit two pais of climbing shoes, a harness, chalk bag, climbing helmet along with bottled water, some cliff bars and other odds and ends. the material is PVC, so it's flexible, yet holds it shape and is water resistant so I don't worry about liquids in there. it has an outer pocket that easily fits a phone, keys and wallet, as well as an inner pocket thats big enough for the food and water bottle. it has a zipper across the top so stuff stays in there. it comes with a good, wide strap that allows it to be worn like a messenger bag -very good. the description says "assorted colors". i kinda missed that and a silver one showed up -literally looks like duct tape or something -i would prefer black, but the silver was only just barely not annoying enough to send back. i wish the interior was silver as well -would make it easier to see inside the bag. i give it 4 stars. good bag if you're OK with the beach bag-ish shape.