I really prefer having a three cam unit in these sizes. It happens all the time that there is a shallow placement that works better (or at all) with the middle lobe pointed one way. Its a rare pitch that doesn't see a #3 placed. In these small sizes they fit in many more places than equivalent wild country friends.Only thing I don't like is the plastic sleeves on the side get beat up after awhile and there is no way according to metolius to fix them.

2 problems
I'm on my 3rd nipple/rubber bite valve. They keep getting torn rock climbing. I have a locking valve on mine which is essential as I keep ripping the things in the 1+ year I've had it.
Also the cover is an absolute pain to remove. It takes a lot of strength and patience especially on cold mornings to open it up.
Other than that, yeah it works.

Probably perfect for jello but otherwise the spoon is rather shallow and can't scoop up much soup. Its also a bit too long to fit in my pot.

I actually ended up sending this pack back after 1 trip. The torso length seemed right and it appeared to fit pretty well loaded up at home but after the first couple miles with a very moderate load (~20lb) my back started to hurt a bit.
Also after I got to where I was going scrambling with this pack was uncomfortable. Every time I stepped up high my leg would interfere with the hip belt.
I've ended up going back to a frameless golite pack for these kind of trips.

I've ended up wearing this way more than I though I would.

It doesn't have a ton of insulation but it blocks the wind incredibly well and makes any insulation, be it a t-shirt or sweater, work much more efficiently.

It feels extremely durable and I'm not afraid to take it climbing.

If I bring this jacket, a t-shirt, a very light fleece and a very lightweight rain jacket I can take on just about any activity as long as I'm not sitting still for forever.

Only complaint might be that it fits too tight to roll the sleeves up, but the times when I'd be too hot with the jacket on but just right with the sleeves up are pretty few and far in between.

The pocket on the back is not very useful to me either. Most things I would use this for I have some sort of backpack on.

Every once in a while I think, oh it won't be so cold, I'll try using the insulated camelbak again.
And no matter how vigilant I am I can't keep the tube from freezing and am then to lazy to dig the bladder out of my pack to drink straight from it.
Nothing wrong with the high tech method of keeping a plastic gatorade bottle inside my jacket.

great light,
very solid feeling to it, batteries last forever
plenty of light for mountaineering, hiking, figuring out whats wrong under the hood of your car
buttons are super easy to manipulate even with somewhat thick gloves
the diffuser lens is great. you slide the lens over the LED for proximity light and then slide it out for long distance spot light.
Great for finding rap stations after the sun sets.

I've had this sucker for maybe 7 years now and it still going strong. The kevlar cord still retracts fine and the headlamp itself it plenty strong enough.
I was happy to have it along on a 2am wakeup to start up a glacier when my princeton tec lamp died.
Its got a big crack from who knows what and the foam that rests on your head keeps coming off but big whoopee.
Only problem is that its so small that I keep thinking its lost forever but it always somehow turns up.
So small that you have absolutely NO excuse not to have a headlamp with you.

very comfy. I found that this helmet my head better than the similar BD Half Dome. The adjustable wheel is the back works great. So much better than the crappy cheapo helmet held together with duct tape I've been putting up with for years.

This is a very bright headlamp.
But my experience living with this thing wasn't the best.
Its regulated which means instead of quickly getting dimmer and dimmer as the batteries run out it maintains the light and near full strength for a while and then dies.
But this really means that it doesn't last very long at all and when it dies it happens fast. The description here says 150 hours. Please. On the lowest setting it works for a bit longer but on medium/high it can die in a couple of hours.
Plus the CR123 batteries are much more expensive than normal AAA/AA and so where with a normal headlamp I would say, well I've got a trip tomorrow and I don't remember when the last time I replaced the batteries was so I'll change them just to be safe. But with the price of these you go, uhh I'm sure there fine.
I tried buying a rechargeable battery kit for these.
DON'T.
The rechargeable don't last at all.
In the end I returned this thing as it didn't work for me.
But maybe if you're cousin works at Energizer you should get this headlamp.

Its a great harness that fits wonderfully but I'm a little worried about its durability.
After 1 or 2 months of moderate use it looked pretty ugly. The fabric is worn down in spots and has small tears in places.
Nothing structural but I hope it stay that way.
Oh, and to be fair moderate use means a whole lot of chimneys to which very little doesn't get abused.

I bought this to replace a mad rock harness that had two gear loops rip out. So its a least better than that POS.

I tried on the Petzl harnesses and found that one I was in between sizes on them so the gear loops ended up being in wierd places and that the rear gear loops are almost all the way in the back. The BD harness has none of these problems for me.

Whatever you do, get a harness with speed type buckles. SO much easier than double backing webbing, especially when you've left your harness outside the tent in the snow and it has frozen. (don't do that)

In the end all the cams work but everyone has a preference.
The problem I have with these is that the trigger wires seem to wear out faster than on my metolius cams.
Also I've found that I just reach more for my u-stem metolius more, can't really explain it I just like the feel a little more.

This jacket is a super good value but it has a couple problems.
First off it has a super small lightweight zipper that is difficult to manipulate and get stuck.
After an all day snowshoe trip I ended up ripping the jacket at the armpit when I tried to take it off like a sweater when the zipper got stuck.
Also the laminate on it started to flake off after having it a year or so. A friend has the same jacket and has the same issue.

I've used it way more than a just in case piece. Its breathable enough and very waterproof. Works great for hiking/biking in downpours and skiing.

One thing I really like is that instead of pit-zips that go from the torso past the armpit and down the arm like most jackets, they start from the armpit and just go down the arm. They are much much easier to maniuplate and seem to work just as well.

I'd just prefer something a little more durable.

This is a fantastic jacket. I've used it from everything from all day downpours in the andes to skiing in colorado.

I've since bought a gore-tex jacket, and realized that yeah, the precip doesn't breath as well as it.
But as its a bit more lightweight and packable I bring this with me on every trip that I don't plan on hiking uphill in the rain for hours on end.
For the price and weight I love it.

I feel like I've been living in these pants since I got them last november. The bibs are a great height. Nothing seems to get in.
I've worn them skinning uphill on super warm days and had no problem overheating.

Only complaints would be that I've gotten quite a few little cuts from skis on the outside of the pant leg. I wish the beefier cordura went 360 around the bottom cuff, not just on the inside.
Thankfully no crampon shots yet.

Also the velcro on the built in gaiter comes undone often and isn't that tight around ski boots and on regular boots is super loose.

I do wish it had 1 good size pocket on it. It does have a very small pocket that is the size of a single cell phone and thats it.

Overall great jacket, not terribly heavy.

Minor complaints are that I've found that I don't like the velcro closure on the cuffs. The velcro isn't continuous but is a series of dots so it has less holding power than otherwise. After just 1 season it doesn't stick as well.
Personal preference and all I wish it had a bit of elastic in the cuff too.

The top of the front zipper comes up to just below the top of the neck. A little extra coverage to my mouth would give a little more weather coverage.

A note, I tried on a whole bunch of the other MH shells and found that they all fit differently, the Xenon being best for me.
But otherwise this is a super durable and breathable jacket I can use all year.