I bought this for hut-to-hut trips in the White Mountains. It is not recommended for loads over 25 lbs, and for good reason. It is comfortable up to that, but the suspension can't handle heavier loads, and becomes annoying and painful. I have carried far more weight in my Gregory Shasta much more comfortably. I liked the water bottle pockets, and especially the handy little pockets on the waistbelt for lip balm, gel packets, a compass and other little items. The mesh bucket pocket is useful for quick access to raingear in changeable weather.

I bought this for a long weekend in the Catskills in cold weather, so I would be carrying lots of warm clothing. I ended up carrying over 40lbs, including water (I'm 125lbs). The folks at Campmor were generous with their time and advice in fitting the pack to me. I liked the fact that you can buy the waistbelt separately if you need to mix sizes. The The Shasta cost more than a few of my other options, but the fit was far and away better, and worth every penny. I was more comfortable with my 40+ lbs in this pack than I was with 30lbs in my previous pack. It is also fairly light for a large pack. My only regret is that I didn't ante up for a model with more outside pockets for easy access to small things.

When I started shopping for climbing helmets, I was left wondering why they all seemed to be virtually unchanged since the days of hemp rope, steel oval 'biners and thick-soled boots. As a cyclist, I'm accustomed to selecting from a mind boggling array of styles, colors and sizes of helmets from XXS to XXL. Perhaps due to the smaller market, there seem to be fewer than half dozen makers producing maybe a dozen styles of climbing helmets, in at most 2 sizes to fit all. Most of these offerings looked about like a mixing bowl inverted on my li'l noggin, but fit less well. Then I discovered the Tracer. Ahhhh, at last, what a helmet should be! It fits, it's adjustable, it's ventilated and it's light. On my first all-day outing, I forgot it was on my head. 'Nuf said.

I got this little gem for mtbike trips when carrying bike gear and camping gear on a plane guarantees my check-through bags will be at (or above) the weight limits.

Pros: It's light, packs small, is very breathable, and easy to set up. One-piece design of pole-hub system minimizes fumbling with the poles. Freestanding design and swift-clips let me throw down the tent, erect the pole set, toss on the fly and finish clipping the tent body from inside when setting up in the rain.

Cons: Total mesh tent body does not hold in much body heat. More of a warm-weather tent the a 3 season tent. It's narrow width means it's a 2 person tent only if you are really chummy with your tentmate. Makes a generous solo tent.

These are my first rock shoes, and I practically stole them from EMS for $55 on sale. They were the only thing EMS had in my size that actually fit. I have very narrow feet and seek out AA's with AAA or narrower heels in street shoes. Needless to say, shoe shopping of any kind is torture for me. Add a Morton's foot to that, and 98% of all rock climbing shoes are off the list for me. The Phoenix fit nearly perfectly on my right foot, and the lace-to-the-toe allowed me to customize the snugness. My slightly larger left foot had a bit more big toe curl, but the unlined leather has stretched to accomodate it, and after 4-5 climbs, I no longer have an unpleasant pressure point on the big toe knuckle. In fact, right now, they feel like they were custom made for my feet. After a couple months of once/week use, some indoors and outdoors, they still look practically new. I think they will last a while for me. My only question is the rubber. I have difficulty smearing in these, but can't tell if it is my lack of skills, or the shoe. When I finally do wear the soles out, I'll have them resoled with something good and sticky to see if it makes a difference. Meanwhile, since the shoe fits, I'll wear them.