james tepner

My first approach shoes and for the price I believe I chose well. Light weight feel, no break-in, cushy inside and sticky outside. Much more fun for quick-local hikes and scrambles than my hiking boots! The lacing works well and helps dial in the fit for scrambling as well as holding the heel back nicely for hiking. The sticky rand goes along the sides and up the heel (see images.)
True to street size in my experience, I have a moderately wide foot.

These are the correct floatation tails for the Evo Ascent: http://www.backcountry.com/msr-denali-evo-snowshoe-flotation-tails-6in
I popped them on last night.

These do fit the Evo Ascent: http://www.backcountry.com/msr-evo-ascent-snowshoe
I popped them on last night.

I know there is already a ton of reviews on this but I am compelled to give my rave anyway. This bottle holds 2+ liters, yet can be folded smaller as liquid is used, and weighs close to nothing. My Nalgenes mostly stay at home or only get used as a "pee bottle" since the day I got one of these. I took away 1 star due to the smallish fill opening which also makes it take longer to air dry after trips but that is not a big issue. Get it, you won't be sorry!

I have the older Throttle but I compared specs and this new Trigger seems the same.
This is an AMAZING 3 season against skin or mid layer or stand-alone. It is quite often listed by retailers as underwear but it looks 100% like outerwear. Start the cold morning with hood and thumbholes, finish the afternoon with the sleeves pushed-up, it has a remarkable temperature range yet is light, allows all movement and packs super small. I got my first one really cheap (at S&C) but I loved it so much I found another and bought it at twice that price. The hood is like a balaclava and works great under-helmet or over baseball hat. The only tiny issue is a little pilling after several washes even though I didn't use fabric softener or dryer.

At just 1 lb. this pad has become my favorite and I find I rarely pack my self inflating pad any more since I got this one, and no wonder at 2.5 lbs. Not to mention the versatile uses as a chair etc... and the fact that it can't get a leak or otherwise fail in the midst of a trip. Mine does have a little damage from tools and branches but I feel it is holding up very well considering I often carry it outside the pack.
I am a side sleeper too so I make this pad more comfortable by putting a jacket or some clothes between it and my bag which I am sure raises the R-value besides keeping planet Earth from crushing my hip and ribs. If this one got wasted I would get another for sure.

I use these as liners under gauntlet shells and they work as expected. I try not to wear alone, especially with poles or tools, as I'm sure they would get wasted in a hurry. Gloves take a beating, even really tough ones can barely make a season or two of climbing before they are worn, so of course knit gloves are all the more fragile. Also note the recommended use is "casual" but I've gone well beyond that with them.

This hat blocks wind so well that it is actually hard to hear while wearing it, therefore it is warm. I wouldn't say it is ridiculously warm though, in freezing sleety weather I've worn this over a silk balaclava and under 2 hoods so derive what you will from that. My only issue is that mine is a little too big for me (it was a gift) so it wants to get sucked off of my head while skiing. I recommend this beanie, in fact I bought one for my dad and he loves it.

I have had the MSR Hubba Hubba for about 5 years now and it has been a good tent. There is adequate room for 2, especially considering the dual doors/vestibules. This tent is light yet has held-up very well (I do always use the footprint.) The hub-style pole setup is a little strange if you're not used to that but it makes the tent strong, with nearly vertical walls (read as more interior space) and pitches very quickly due to clips rather than sleeves. I would recommend this tent, especially at a sale price.

I like these shoes! I wore them up and down San Gorgonio as a 1 day (16 miles) last Summer with almost zero break-in and had no issues. They are a good lightweight summer hiker. They breathe very well (non-Gore-tex) I would agree the sizing is true. I would not wear these on any further distance or with more than a daypack as they are lightweight with a lot of feel so your feet bottoms would get pounded. I still use the original Merrell insoles.
These shoes also double for me as indoor workout trainers and they have massive grip on regular floor surfaces.

I purchased (a set of 3) and I use the large (more like huge) for my tent instead of the stuff sack as I can get the air out to ease packing, however the bags DO seep air back in so I'm not sure they are 100% waterproof. I do believe they are adequately water resistant for my needs. The seepage is not an issue for me, but if you plan on using for underwater basket weaving you may look to actual "dry sacks" instead of these inexpensive compression sacks.

First of all, I have not had any of the problems mentioned in the other reviews. All of the features work to my expectations (except the thermometer which is always high and is about the only function that can't be user calibrated)
The compass works. The weather icon believe it or not is usually accurate. I can hear the alarms. It tells time.
Second, I got mine on S&C for A LOT LESS than retail. I would give it a pass at full price.
Third, this is a heavy watch. I don't notice it hiking and climbing because I wear it every day, but jump on a bike (or dirt bike in my case) and it will beat your wrist to a pulp.
I am happy with mine, I only expected the special features to be useful in addition to other skills and tools, not to depend solely on the watch, but it actually is more accurate and dependable than I ever thought it would be.
Bottom line: You don't need this, but if you want it and see a good price it's not bad.

In my experience, these boots are true to size - I wear a US11 / UK10 on the street and ordered that size here at BC. Breaking them in around the house I began to worry that the boots were too small so I went to a ski shop to get help from a fitting specialist. After measuring my feet I was surprised to find that they are actually a tad big! We replaced the insole with Superfeet® (the size with my proper arch height and position was "G" I think) and it pulled my heel back nicely which also gained more room in the toebox. They still seemed a little tight in the toes so he said the trick is to cut out the inner boot tongue to allow the inner to open wider, instead of the tongue stitching pulling the boot narrower. I did better than that and de-stitched HALF of the tongue stitching then tied-off so I still have the tongue AND it allows the inner boot to slide open wider. I can't wait to climb in these babies!

This jacket is as good as it sounds (see other reviews)
This plus a fleece and a shell, with smartwool or whatever base is my complete system and so far it works for me everywhere.
I would add that I am looking into a far more insulated down or synth/down combo jacket as a belay jacket for extreme cold.
Also, I never wash this jacket so the repellency is like the day I got it.
That's me in the pic third from left and prolly the most comfortable of the bunch.

These really are comfy, especially with some sock layers, and they do pack well. I wore them on a sleety late winter trip to Mt. Lassen last year and I felt sorry for the rest of the group that were stuck in their plastic boots (or inners) all evening while my feet started resting as soon as we hit camp. I love them and to me they are worth the 0.4 lb weight.
Only 4 stars because they slip like mad on ice, they do grip fairly well on snow though.

I swapped these into my Grivel Air Tech Crampons last night and now they fit my US 11 / UK 10 plastic winter boots. Between normal adjustment holes and the flip&flop-to-act-like-a-shorter-bar feature, I doubt the original bars will ever see the light of day again as these will fit all of my boot options now.
Only 4 stars because the length is maxed-out with the winter boots so I don't know what to tell someone with size 14's... maybe there are longer long bars available elsewhere?
See also the 190mm "Long flex" option as I'm sure they would have the same results with fit.

I agree with Dane Burns, and would add that Grivel gives you superior materials (High-carbon hot-forged steel not cast stainless) and construction (note the head and shaft tip are not just glued but riveted as well) at the same or even lower price than similar BD. Compare for yourself. IMO, people buy axes way too long and are usually advised to do so, I think they should be climbing length (short) if used for climbing. I use poles when not on steep terrain. Renting an axe is a good way to see what works best for you before you buy.

This pack holds a ton of gear very comfortably, thanks to the belt and suspension, but it is a bit heavy as a trade-off. I can't afford a separate (lighter weight) "climbing" pack so I manage just fine with the extra weight.
BE SURE TO TAKE CARE WITH SIZING AND CUSTOM BELT MOLDING!
I was shocked during my purchase to find that I was barely a size Medium (I wear L - XL everything) so make the effort to be sized and fitted, as well as having the belt custom molded to your body (Authorized Osprey dealers have a trick little oven to do this) the result is a pack that I can carry 50lbs in all damn day without losing my smile.

These boots were my first hikers ever, many many miles later, I replaced the insoles and laces and started their second life. More recently I did get a light, low-top, non-Goretex hikers for Summer and a pair of plastic double boots for extreme winter BUT, these Asolos are my go-to boots 99% of the time and conditions here in CA. I've even used them with classic mounting crampons and they performed very well.

This (older red model) is the first real pack I got and I love it. Great day pack, summit bagging pack or light weekender. I carried it once severely overloaded and survived but seriously, this pack formed my opinion of Osprey packs as among the best around.

Good price, light weight, seems durable and holds my crampons safely... what more could I need?
You can't go wrong with this bag.

I spent a little extra on these compared to basic BD I was looking at, I used them on one mixed climb and they performed flawlessly on ice, snow, slush and rock. I wear mens 11 Asolo mid weight hikers and they fit perfectly at the longest setting hole, any larger and you better consider an extended bar. The balling plates worked great (no need for tapping).
I love these so far and would recommend them to any other aspiring novice mediocre alpinist ;)

Update: To fit my plastic double boots, I refitted with Grivel Valter Long Bars. See product / reviews here at BC.