Contributions by Jim J. (5)

I have both of these sets of 3 cams and find them to be well made, reliable and easy to place. I also have a set of C4 Camelots and prefer them in the smaller sizes because of the greater range. However, the tech friends perform the best in the middle and larger sizes due to less side movement and resistance to walking. My ranking of these is a tie with Metolius ultralights in sizes 3 and above with the C4 Camelots having the edge in sizes 2 and below, but the differences are pretty small and subjective to both the user and the rock material.

I have sets of Friends, Metolius ultralights and a few smaller C3's and wanted to fill out my rack with a modern set, and the .5-3 C4 combo pack was perfect. The smaller C4's are about as useful as you could ask for, beautifully made and possessing the largest range of any conventional cams I know of, however, even the size 3 has a tendency to walk a little more than I like. They can be placed with good stability but it takes a little more futzing than with Friends or the Metolius cams....don't know why unless it's the double pivot design which is responsible for the wider range. At any rate, these are top notch and recommended highly up to size 2. Above size 2 they are still usefull but I think there might be better choices in larger cams.

Oval lockers are not the most exciting pieces of gear a climber racks up....until you need one. Like all Petzl products these are Cadillacs of their class; finely crafted and finished and offering the user a sense of confidence not found in other gear. You either like auto lockers or you don't, but for my money these are the best.

This is a nice harness, very well made with reasonbale comfort. However, the waist measurement range is misleading. While the belt will accomodate a larger waist size the harness has a velcro tab that needs to be closed for proper fit. So, if you're on the upper range of the medium size, order a large....The same is true of the Mammut Focus harness which is almost identical with the addition of adjustable leg loops...for $10 less, and even better made. If you want a light weight sport harness that can double for shorter traditional climbs it's a good bet, but the Mammut is a better buy.

I purchased this set as a base filler for other Metolius curve nuts when I started replacing Black Diamonds. Like Metolius' curved hexes these stoppers provide multiple placement options not available in other nuts...in a sense you get the "half sizes" up or down with each size piece which can really make the difference between a "good" placement and an absolute bomb proof one. Mine also came with the colored anodized heads. I think the original plain aluminum ones were prototypes as I've never seen them anywhere else. Additionally, my set came with the Metolius nut tool (the deluxe one with the rounded handle) as a freebie...

This is the second one of these I've purchased because it's a great layering shell. I had a similar parka from Sierra Designs that I'd worn for about 5 years, but the MH Exposure II is significantly better in areas of fit, breathability, venting and appearance. As long as the vents are closed it is absolutely waterproof and suitable for summer Sierra showers or winter snowfall. An excellent product.