After a year of owning the older version, I realized it was the one piece of clothing I never leave home when I head into the alpine. So, when the new version was on sale, I had to try it out. Compared to the older, furrier version, the new R2 seems sleeker, more compact, easier to layer, but perhaps a tad less warm. I've found this to be a good tradeoff.

This little vest provides an amazing amount of warmth, yet lets your arms and pits sweat. Its loft provides warmth and allows it to breath amazing well. It also seems impervious to retaining any water and dries immediately. I own another Patagonia fur-type fleece and have found them to provide greater warmth for their weight than any traditional fleece. Additionally, as with all of Patagonia's technical clothing, its cut trim and slim for active, fit people using it as intended - in the alpine and backcountry.

I just got back from using this at 10K feet on Mt. Rainier. It dipped below freezing with 50 mph wind guests and the bivy performed flawlessly. No condensation and very wind resistant. I was able to fit my boots, water, food, and extra clothing in with me. It provides just enough space to prevent claustrophobia and no more. My only complaint is that it could benefit from a little extra shoulder room (I'm only 5-8, 160lbs). Otherwise ideal for a foul weather bivy. I plan on bringing it often for climbs.

This has been my go-to climbing tent this year. I've used it on most of my overnight climbs, and brought it up to Mt. Rainier twice. It's seen warm nights, snow, and rain throughout the Cascades. My conclusion: as long as it's NOT raining this is the best tent I've ever used. It sheds wet, sticky PNW snow due to the steep walls, and it stood up to 50mph guests on Rainier (it did move around quite a bit, but held strong). If it's raining you'll get noticeable condensation and if you're taller than 5-10 you'll hit the wall. Otherwise, this tent does it all at half the weight.

After finishing multi-month long climbing class I've used quite a bit of shovels. I've used this shovel to build a snow cave and hauled it up Rainier. Pro's: It's a bit wider than most...but that doesn't help much. It's also relatively light. Cons: The construction is rather sloppy with lots of play in the handle. I've found that I prefer the narrower shovels as they work just as well and are easier to fit in your pack. Also, the handle is shorter than most, so you have to bend down a little bit more.

This pack has served as a great alternative to those frameless mountaineering packs for multi-day climbs. It's carried up to 40 pounds well, my helmet fits in the lid, and the straps can hold crampons and an ice axe. It does have extra stuff you don't need, like that stupid stretch panel and the straps for holding a tent on the bottom, so I just cut them off and saved a couple ounces. This pack is well designed, super comfy, and strikes a perfect balance between weight and carrying capacity: Over three pounds lighter than the Arc'teryx Bora but does the job just as well and a lot more comfy than most climbing-oriented packs but weighs less than a pound more. Perfect! (Note: you may have to put bike lube in the alum. stays to stop them from creaking)

I never got to wear these outside, so I can only comment on the fit and compare them to the last generation Vasque Super Alpinista, which I own. First, they are much lighter than the previous generation, though a little less stiff – but still plenty stiff for front pointing. Unfortunately the instep is much, much higher. (I have an average size instep). Worse still, the bottom part of the instep can’t be tightened because of the new tongue design. Thus, when you do tighten down the laces it creates a pressure point at the top of your foot while most of the instep remains lose. I wonder if this is a production issue, as the boots were supplied with unusually high-volume insoles.
On the brightside, from a design standpoint these are absolutely awesome! Just as warm and protective as the La Sportiva K4S but much more svelte for technical work with a superior sole. Just remember, they don’t fit like the last generation Alpinista they replace. I hate to return such a great boot, and wish Vasque hadn’t changed the fit over the previous model.

Since most people deservedly give this jacket rave reviews, I'd like to point out a few shortcomings that are often overlooked. First, this soft shell is very, very slow to dry. Slower than Schoeller and much slower than Patagonia's double weave. Second, the pockets are low for casual use and therefore interfere with pack straps. Attributes include the most durable fabric I've ever seen for a soft shell and great water repellency. Also, the pit zips are really nice.

This is a brilliant execution of Patagonia's light-and-fast alpine philosophy: welded seams, only the pockets you need which double as vents, fabric just thick enough. Decent stretch and this dries faster than Scholler or Gore Windstopper. My favorite jacket. A jacket for people who use it for its intended purpose: Alpine climbing. 5 stars hands-down.

I bought the Denali looking for a warm fleece that I could layer with and keep me warm with just a t-shirt. It accomplished the latter just fine, but this jacket is just too bulky to layer with. Every size small, from every brand, fits me perfectly, but the sleeves on this jacket are so large I could fit my cycling thighs through them. The materials are great, and the jacket is warm. There's just way too much of it. Very cumbersome getting this thing under my hard shell. Also, people complain about wind resistance, but I would like to add that the new wind-pro Denali solves much of that problem with moderate winds. Perfect for carrying my back pack with laptop, but not at adept on the mountain because of the cut.