Sinecurely

I used this tent for the first time last weekend. It didn't snow/rain/blow so I can't report on its ability to hold up to the elements, but I have a feeling it will deal with all of the above admirably. I should point out that the picture that is currently on bc.com (as of this writing July '08) is not accurate. It shows a full arched pole at the mid-section of the tent. The pole config is different. It has the arch at the front and back, but in the middle there's just a short pole section that holds the midsection of the tent up/out. There is also a third pole (the main pole with the rib and two arches is just one assembly with two hubs) that slots into a sleeve in the fly and creates some nice structure for the vestibule. Its hard to describe, but it works well. You may be able to see the actual config on Big Agnes' site. Regardless, the poles go together easily and well once you've either put the tent together once, and/or read the instructions once. And the added pole for the vestibule means it is large enough to hold a fair amount of gear or to sit in the vestibule if you need to get changed or put on boots out of the elements. The included footprint fits perfectly and seems to work fine. I brought along a waterproof-backed fleece blanket that I put down in the vestibule to keep stuff clean and give me a place to wipe my feet. Inside is roomy (I'm one of those people who feels a "3 person" tent = 2 people, 2 person = 1 person and 1 person = pets or children only). I took it car camping last weekend so I brought my queen size air mattress with me. It just barely fits in the tent and works quite well. There was enough head room for me to sit up inside, even with the 8" thick mattress inflated. The fly stays taught, even without the use of most of the guy-lines. The reflective line is a nice touch, but I don't understand why they used it on some, but not all of the lines. Nice, lightweight stakes are included. Ventilation seems good, even with the fly fully zipped. And you can zip the door from both ends to allow for some top end venting. There is a small window at the top of the vestibule door, but its really just there as a token. The fly zipper sometimes gets snagged a little on the fabric, but comes loose easily and once I noticed the glitch, it was easy to use a finger to keep the material from getting caught. The stuff sack is overly generous in size. I may rearrange that with my own, smaller sack for backpacking. But it does hold the tent, pegs, poles and footprint easily, which is nice for storage.

This is the best multitool I've tried. Over the years I've had swiss army knives, an original leatherman, little leathermen, CRKT knives (great knives, but they aren't multi-tools). They have all been too heavy or too bulky to carry on a regular basis. The Skeletool is a great exception. It is light enough to carry all the time. It has the carabiner to attach to a harness or radio pack (I actually bought it to use for ski patrolling), plus a clip to secure it in your pocket. It is light enough that I don't notice it in my pocket (I have the CX one, but I think they are both the same weight). The blade is sharp and functional, plus it opens with one finger, locks open and closes with one hand. You don't need to unfold the tool to access the blade either. The pliers work as advertised and the wire cutters clip zip-ties with aplomb. I picked up the bit kit because I wanted to have a 5mm allen key to be able to adjust/tighten my snowboard bindings which use a 5mm allen for all adjustments. I love that I can have one tip in the bit tip and one hidden in the handle. I don't have to carry the bit kit around with me or toss the extra bit in and risk losing it. I sort of miss having a scissors in the tool, but I've found I can manage most tasks with the knife. So far it has survived a camping trip to Yosemite - which included rock climbing where I finally got the first scratches on the tool, gutting and filleting four trout, and opening a six-pack worth of Fat Tire. A little bonus: the carabiner spring catches and hangs onto the bottle caps so you don't have to pick them up off the ground after you open a bottle! Note: the current picture on this site shows a flat/razor blade. My CX came with a combo serrated/flat blade.

I'm a total BC JONG so take this for what its worth. This is my first pair of skins and so far they are great. I only have one day on them - not too cold, not gloppy - basic spring conditions. The included instructions made it easy to cut/trim the skins to fit my 188 Bro-Models and the included tip/tail hooks work well on these semi-twin skis. Now I just need to get out there more and perfect my kick turns and learn to remove the skins without removing my skis. The skins are back in their included storage back with the plastic protectors on them and they'll stay there for the summer. Hopefully we'll get more snow next season than we did this year so I get to use them more.