Sperry

I bought a couple of the owalls primarily for racking my wired pro. They work great, with the keylock gate and all, for racking. However, they are a little beefier than I expected. I suppose the extra weight and girth help attain the high strength rating the biner possesses. Had I been looking strictly for a racking biner I would be a tad disappointed in the owall. However, for rigging hauling systems and other utilities, the owall is perfect. It is a nice working biner and feels good in the hand. I have even purchased a couple of the locking version (and additional non-locking) for these purposes. So, for a great all-around workhorse, the owall has proven to be a great addition to my ever-expanding rack.

I originally bought this bag as a haul bag for multi-pitch lead climbing. However, as soon as I unpacked it I realized this was no haul bag. The boxy shape and zipper-flap access do not lend well to accessing and dragging gear around the crag all day. Additionally, the pack straps are not accompanied by a waist belt. This makes hauling the loaded beast a bit of a task - not ideal on challenging approaches. After deciding to send it back and opt for the Metolius Quarter Dome, I realized the Huey makes a great general gear bag. Bomber construction, easy access, and tons of room (100L). So, I have decided to keep the Huey as a bomber duffel and get a climbing-specific bag to tote my rack and rope around in.

The harness has proven to be a great choice. It fits very nicely and I hardly know it's there. The leg loops have a nice feature. A segment of elastic to allow for minor variations in clothing layers (or leg size). So, I don't regret buying a harness without adjustable leg loops. I have even played around with the handy loops for setting up for a frantic quickdraw grab. They work. Great idea. I chose this harness because of its light weight (and my positive experiences with two other Black Diamond harnesses) and simplicity. After a month of use, the harness hardly shows any wear. I was a little hesitant about such a lightweight harness and its comfort range. However, hanging belays have yet to be a problem. I expect this to perform quite well for my multi-pitch trad climbing.