Contributions by jus_gary (5)

Tri-cams should be a standard on anyones' rack. They work well in shallow horizontal cracks. Don't place too deep for your partner to retrieve, and make sure they know how to take them out. I've lost two red, in two separate incidences where my partners whaled on the pieces trying to get them out, when in actuality they were set. I don't use anything bigger than a 2.0.

I wore this on March 1, over a T-shirt while climbing a tower in windy conditions. It worked extremely well, stretched and took abrasion well. The sleeves feel a bit awkward when I first put it on, like they're too narrow. I definitely should have tried a larger size. Otherwise I love the jacket.

I really like the size of the pack, initially buying it for mountain biking and doing long climbing routes. It can hold my hiking shoes, a jacket,water and miscellaneous other items. The compression panel does not work well for a biking helmet, but what really sucks is the water reservoir. When filled, even half full(1.5l), it causes the pack not to lay flat against my back. I resolved the problem by adding a stiffener and using a competitors' flatter reservoir. But most of the time I just throw a water bottle in the main compartment.

I own the previous version of the Lowa Tempest and thought they were the most comfortable all around hiking shoe. Lowa improved the shoe by modifying the top eyelets with hooks. The sole is a bit slick on dusty polished rocky trails, but thats normal. The shoe is still comfortable and light, but after having it for three months with minimum wear, there's a problem with the internal plastic heel cup causing pain and I have to send the shoes back to Lowa. I'm glad I haven't thrown my old ones out.

I love these poles! I broke my Black Diamond Aluminun FlickLock pole doing a knarly turn in a steep mogul field early in the day and was able to hammer the aluminum pole back into the upper section to ski the rest of the day. It took a complete day to get use to the flex of the carbon poles,I had some problems with the flex when trying to release my boots, but I've adapted. The Flicklocks are solid, the poles are light and handle well at the resorts or in the backcountry. They're so sweet!!!