I dont have too much to add to what others have said. good, fast cooking, light, packable, mostly easy to get fuel (especially if you have the international version), but hard to control the simmer.

Just two other points.

The dial that controls the flow of fuel broke on mine (i'm not sure how, but it was 10 years old and in sub-freezing temps). When I went to get a new one I found that there is a new version of the pump and fuel controller (it came out in 2003 or 2004). It is a little more beefy and harder to break than the old one, but the fuel control is not a dial anymore - it is a little fold-down wire thingumy (I cant explain but you can probably find pictures on the MSR website). In my opinion this makes simmer even harder to control, though it may be just that I spent a decade getting used to the old version.

The other note is that if you are going to foreign countries you might want to track down what they call "white gas" in advance. I have the international version and have run it on unleaded gas a lot (which gives less good performance) because I couldnt find white gas. eg, in finland you get white gas at a marine supply store - ask for "special benzene 80/110". (who knew?) In sweden you can get it at gas stations, but it is labelled for use in certain lawnmowers. (Not all swedish lawnmower gas is good - it needs to be four stroke not two stroke). The moral of this is that asking a knowledgable local can save you a lot of hassle. You shouldnt expect that camping stores will know - most people in europe use propane or butane stoves and I have asked unsuccessfully at many stores. Of course you can burn unleaded gas in the international version of the stove, but then you need to clean it more often.

I have had the zodiac gear sling for about 5 or 6 years and like it a lot. It is excellent for times when you have a lot of gear to lug around, especially because of the "backpack" kind of fit which puts weight on both shoulders. Before I bought this I had mostly just racked on my harness and on regular slings over the shoulder. I havent used any of the purpose-built gear slings that go over one shoulder only.

The Zodiac has held up well under climbing use, including scraping and thrashing up some offwidths and chimneys. It is not frayed or damaged. It was a bit more pricey than some other options but I think it was worth it. One thing I like a lot is that I can carry all my gear to the cliff on the sling and not arrive feeling lopsided from having all the weight on one shoulder. This also saves me from putting the gear in my pack, which I always found to be a hassle because everything would get all tangled and snarled together. On the Zodiac my gear hangs neatly where I put it - though I do make a lot of clanking noises on the hike. One day I want to load it with bongs so as to get the full windchime effect!

As with all racking systems, the way you want to position your gear depends on what sort of climbs you are doing. This is an excellent rack for vertical and steeper climbs, but not so good for slabs as the gear tends to fall forward on the rack, collecting in front of you and obscuring your foot placements or even making your body position awkward. I would recommend racking your gear more behind you on slabs, and the Zodiac is not much good for that. I have tried hooking the gear back with an extra sling so it doesnt fall forward, but find that it makes the gear harder to get at when you need it.

One more piece of advice. When I first bought this I got one that was too large. That was a mistake. Luckily a friend had one that was too small for him and right for me so we traded and were both happy. Fit is important with this rack - otherwise the gear falls too low and gets in the way or too high and awkward to get to under the armpits. The shoulders also feel funny if it is the wrong size - my girlfriend doesnt like to climb with the Zodiac I have because it is too big for her and feels wrong. This might mean this rack should be bought at a local store rather than online, so you get to try it before purchasing.

Overall this is a good product. It is comfy and durable, and in my opinion good value for money. The main drawback is that it is not so good for low angle routes and the main issue to keep in mind when buying is how it fits.

I have tried a lot of biners and can fairly say this is my favorite for many applications. I use one for a belay biner because I like a small biner so my belay stays comfortably close to my harness. It is also a great munter biner (very useful if your clumsy partner happens to drop his belay device off that multipitch in the dolomites). As a general all-around biner my attaches also get a lot of use - I notice they are always the ones people borrow if I give them the chance to pick and choose from my rack.



These biners have a nice gold color and a red band that has reminded me to lock before rapping once or twice. The action on mine has stayed very smooth through 4 or 5 years of use (I do keep them very clean though - no putting them down on the sand or mud between routes) and I am very satisfied with the value they have delivered for the not-too-bad cash outlay. In my opinion they are worth every cent.

I bought this rope maybe 8 years ago for trad climbing because of its low impact force. You can't beat (or at least couldnt back then - I cant guarantee that now) the Beal ropes for soft catches, which is a nice feeling if the pro is a little thinner or more dicey than you'd like. It did the soft catching exactly as advertised, had a nice hand, and I didnt have the kinking problem that someone else described, My only gripe was that it seemed a bit less durable than I expected. The sheath was fine (and still is, though the rope is retired to toproping by now of course), but I felt that the core was not the best possible.

What happened was that after a year or so of use (when I expected the rope to be maybe through half its life - a couple of falls logged but nothing more than 0.3 fall factor and I am light) the rope started to feel a bit flat, like it was not quite a round cross-section anymore but more of an ellipse. This was especially noticable under tension, like when lowering a leader on a sport route. I dont think it was a serious problem and it didnt stop me climbing on it, but it somehow made it feel a bit funny. Anyway, it is not something I have had happen with any other ropes and some people commented on it also kind of bothering them. With that said, I still give this rope a 4 because it didnt go floppy and dead for a while longer (a normal rope lifetime in my experience) so I am not sure if it was a real durability issue or just my weird gut feeling to a not quite round rope.

It is worth pointing out that this experience was with a rope manufactured long enough ago that many things might have changed. What hasnt changed as far as I can tell is that this gives a super-soft catch and a high fall rating. Both are good things in my book.

Maybe the first time I agree with dynoguy on anything (though I dont bother post when I disagree). These make me feel safe. I have these, rigid friends and camalots, but have climbed with almost everything that came out more than 3 years ago. These have a nice smooth action and a solid feel. Trigger design is a personal thing, but I find these a lot easier to hold, position and place than the camalots and friends. They do definitely get less beautiful after a serious fall - it is necessary to straighten them carefully if you want them to work properly.
I would recommend these and aliens as the small cams of choice but in large sizes I like camalots better. One more thing - I was able to wrap a bit of accessory cord around the trigger and make a nice little extended loop that helps to retrieve them from even the deepest placements. You can do this for most U-stem cams in a fairly nice way but it is hard for some other designs.