These are really comfortable, and they smear and toe well. Unfortunately they don't edge well new, and they really don't edge well once you've worn them awhile. And they smell bad. I really like wearing them on all day multi-pitch climbs where comfort matters, and when climbing either below my normal grade of difficulty or on something hard that doesn't require any edging.

First, if you've never owned a smartwool product here is the lowdown. It never stinks, I mean seriously climbing all day, day after day smell fine doesn't stink. It's way less itchy than normal wool, I can't wear normal wool sweaters, but I wear smartwool shirts as a base layer and it feels soft and wonderful. Some people have complained that they are still sensitive, and I notice that if I throw on a shirt right after getting out of a shower it's mildly itchy. Oh, and unlike a lot of other wool products you can throw this one in the dryer, just put it on low heat (and to be fair mine has been thrown in on high heat accidently on more than one occasion and doesn't seem worse for it). My wife accidentally threw her non-smartwool merino sweater in the dryer one time and it now fits my daugher's dolls.

So, about the weight on smartwool fabric. The microweight is semi-transparent it is so thin and is really for hot weather (I've worn in in 105 F) or just having a breathable base under your real clothing in other weather. The lightweight is to the point that it starts to provide some insulation on cold nights, especially the long sleeve, but can still be worn comfortably in fairly warm weather (under 90 degrees F for the short sleeve, under 80 F for the long sleeve in my experience). The midweight is a winter only unless you live way up in the mountains or only wear it at night. Durability seems good, I wear it every chance I get and it holds up well against everything I've thrown at it including rock climbing. After many years of abuse I took a lightweight T caving with me (not the best idea in retrospect) and after sliding around on my back and belly quite awhile it managed to get a few holes, but I love it so much I still keep it around as a work shirt.

On the sizing and fit I have a 30-32 inch waist and the small fits me well and the medium hangs loose on me. Smartwool's cut is a bit of a compromise between athletic and casual. The zip-T zipper works well, zipped up it comes most of the way up my neck, and unzipped a bit the collar lays pretty flat so you could pass as trendy back in town.

The bi-weave is just stellar, the first time you rappel you'll appreciate it, and the first time you rap in the dark you'll never go back to regular middle marks. The rope has a nice feel, supple not stiff. It is small enough to save you some weight, but not too thin to be hard to catch in belay devices or to blow the core on your first whipper.

First, the good. It protects your head well, is reasonably light, has a great adjustment wheel for a good fit, it's comfortable enough you forget to take it off after a day of climbing, and takes years of abuse without any complaints. Also, the price is right.

The bad. It's not heavy but is heavier than some other newer helmets, and that can add up if you are looking up belaying all day. It also doesn't vent well, which means in hot conditions your head gets warmer than you'd like.

This harness works well, and it's shortcomings are best described by what it doesn't have that you'd get in a more expensive model.

The good: It works as a harness and keeps you from falling to your death. It won't set you back too much money.

The bad: Non adjustable leg loops, traditional double back buckle instead of a speed buckle (just saw somebody in one of these the other day who forgot to double it back), gear loops not very sturdy. The comfort isn't as good as some other models, but isn't horrible either.

If you are just looking for a solid cheap locking biner this is a decent choice, I've built numerous anchors with them and they seem durable and reliable. If you have a few extra bucks you could move up to the positron locker and get the sweet keylock nose that doesn't catch on stuff, and if you have a lot of extra money you could move up to the vaporlock and get the sweet keylock and shave some weight at the same time.

Oh, and it's too small to use as a belay biner except in emergencies, so don't buy it for that.

I just spent 8 nights sleeping on a thermarest trail stuck into the Sleeping Giants Memory foam kit. It was worth every penny. It's not as good as my bed at home, but better than some beds I've slept on.

When I was a kid I would sleep on the ground. As I got older I went to a thin closed cell foam pad. As I got older still I went to a thermarest. Now I stepped it up another notch by putting a nice layer of memory foam on the thermarest. Ahhh, how much more enjoyable the outdoors is with a good night's sleep.

Now my only problem is deciding if it is too bulky/heavy to take on a backpacking trip.

With the 40 pack you don't get the number of roof jugs. With 60 you get mostly more screw-ons. With 50 you have a perfect base climbing wall. Just a couple misc notes: You will always need more holds. I already bought a set of 5 roof jugs. I suspect I'll by more holds a few at a time forever. You need to buy more T nuts if you are starting from scratch. They only include enough T-nuts to mount the holds it comes with, and you'll need a lot more in a piece of plywood. The instructions say ACX plywood. They should elaborate and say for indoor use any AC, AB, or AA plywood will be fine. Just don't get any BC or lower as it will have voids that your holds may pull through. If you go into Home Depot or the like and ask for ACX plywood nobody will know what you are talking about, tell them AC or AB. Climbing outdoors is still superior. Use a climbing wall for training when you can't go outside (i.e. you live in Florida 10 hours from any walls or it is raining/snowing)