Reviews by User: MountainMan Cowboy (50)

I think if Brunton is going to ask this amount of money for a device they should make the device worth that much realistically. First off the display is comparable to a 1980 Casio watch. Secondly, directly referring to my first point, I was not impressed with the complexity of use due to the cheap-o display. Third, I coud not figure out intuitively how to see if a 'storm' was coming or not. What a useless expensive POS. I would reccommend the High Gear Alti-Tech 2 and a good weather report instead. You will be saving a lot of money plus the Alti-Tech 2 is a superior device comparatively despite the fact that it does not calculate wind speed.

This one is a no brainer must buy for any serious lightweight backpacker.

I tested out this awesome bag a few nights ago at around about 10,260 feet. When the sun goes away the temperature always drops, and the mountains become cold here in Colorado. There is no escaping that reality if you want to sleep high. The lithium is just the ticket. The only problem I have found if you want to call it a problem is that I slept too deep. Bears could have been stealing my food and I would not have cared. Maybe it was just the Lithium, who knows. I dare anybody to find a better bag. Full zipper rocks now so you don't overheat and possibly sweat. But even if you do sweat the bag seemed to cooperate correctly with that issue amazingly well. Just be sure to wear capilene or have a wicking liner inside and the imperfections of mountain sleeping can simply vanish into smokey thin air. Mostly smokey because of the California wild fires.

This tent was used in heavy Colorado rain and the 2 wall design worked flawlessly. People in other brand tents were complaining while I was bone dry. The vestibule caused absolutely no problem with rain coming 'into' the tent. This simply was not an issue. Actually, it may be one of the better tents out there for heavy rain conditions because of the stout fly design. Since the fly can be easily made tight there is no chance of the fly and the inner wall ever hitting. The 'backpack' type snaps and closures make this a fool proof design for any rain situation.

Up here in Northern Colorado we have terrible cell phone service. And most of the time when you go into the mountains here you get no cell phone service at all. Never, ever. Even if you climb to a peak. That is where this device shines. It is a link to the outside world. Whatever that need be. At the very least you get to communicate to others that you are "A" ok. And when you get back home the tracking feature can be quite fun. I just wish this thing was a bit lighter in weight. It does not rank among one of the items you want your buddy to carry instead.

Great baskets, but I have noticed that Black Diamond needs to extend the naming regime of their entire line of baskets due to the fact that they have multiple kinds of "powder" baskets depending on whether you buy these seperately or buy the carbon fiber flick lock poles. It becomes confusing for the customer, which can be simply cleared up by just a little bit more effort on behalf of Black Diamond's executives. Sometimes I wonder about these executive type people, but try not to. Because this usually leads to indigestion. C'mon folks! Do your job, it's not that difficult.

This headlight in total weighs over a pound. Don't go by the 4oz which is listed. The battery is terribly heavy. And the runtime appears as though it would suck big time. 15-50 hours? I wish I did not listen to the other reviewers, they are obviously using this for reasons other than hiking & camping. Brunton once again has disappointed me with terribly designed and overpriced gear.

I would highly suggest skipping the extra time it takes to try out this simple accessory. The functionality might be fine, but I was not able to hook it up to the inside of the I-tent in an appropriate quick manner, and even when I did get it attached I was skeptical about its support weight. Too much hassle for a piece that was obviously not intended or designed for the I-tent.

This is a very cool device. If you are tech savvy when hiking then you will want one of these. It seems essential for any tech-hiking nut. However, you might want to leave it home if you are going to where you will not be getting cell phone signal and want to save weight.

Go for the El Dorado instead for a little more leg room. Even a 5'6 person will appreciate it for the extra 3 oz. of weight.

I needed a lightweight tent for high altitude adventures that would fit myself, my dog, and my gear. In a newer, thought out design. This tent could not fit the bill more. Not only does it have these really cool hubs that help set it up extra fast but it also has that added vestibule area that is just perfect for housing your gear. Or your dog if he is too dirty to come inside. And it doesn't even weigh 4lbs. Replace the steel tent spikes it comes with for some MSR or Bibler titanium ones and you will even lose some more weight. Oh, did I mention all 3 poles are connected, all the time, even when you stash them. Doesn't that kinda mean it is more like 1 pole? Considering you cannot take it apart into 3 pieces. But yes, the tent poles are already connected to make setup even more intuitive. This is by far the best tent for that purpose on the market. And it looks cool too. If you are just buying it because you like the way it looks then it will probably piss you off but hey, that's not really my problem. 5 stars! What is wrong with this tent? I set the fly up correctly and had no problems stuffing all the gear out of my pack in the vestibule, plus my pack, as well as some misc. items with room to spare. My 120lb dog and myself fit fine inside the tent, and Im sure there was room for another person. If you want elbow room for 2 people you should always get a 3 person tent. The door is actually quite large for any alpine oriented tent designed lower than usual to handle high wind, and I especially had no problems getting in or out of the tent seeing it was a once piece mesh door. Most of my other tents like Bibler tents have 2 doors to unzip before you get out and you should see how tiny those doors are! Overall, there is no design problem with this tent. The style of the tent dictates that it's not going to be ideal for some huge guy car camping. I'm surprised this tent does not have more 5 star ratings. I'm sure when people see my review they may give this tent another look. Unless of course you are not into 1 person 5 star luxury :)

Buying another replacement because this water filter absolutely kicks ass.

Don't you just hate wrong Tech Specs.

If you own one, you will end up loving it and never forget to bring it. Quadruples as a pillow, neck rest, lumbar rest, and foot warmer to fill up the end of the sleeping bag. And it comes with it's own stuff sack which is attached. Really, What more could one possibly want out of a pillow? I also believe the weight is more like 3.5 oz.

This is the best sleeping pad available right now. Buy it.

I hate it when my dog starts eating some human poop it just found in the woods. Do us all a favor and buy one of these and teach yer kids and yer wife how to use it too. Thanks. You people make me sick. Hahaha.

This is my favorite pack right now. It even smells the nicest. No seriously, it's lightweight and has everything you need to assemble a tight package if you are intelligent enough. Could use a few more gear loops or pockets but that would add weight. 5 stars for 5 days! And it still smells good.

Won't fit larger dogs.

Ultralight? No. I got the large. It's too heavy. Company uses too much plastic. Can't roll it up at all like the description states. Utter lie. It's a normal cutting board. Rigid. I might order the small, because I think that one might roll up. Who knows. Certainly not the gear experts at this site. They don't even have access to their warehouse to check it out for you. What's the point. Time waster..

I would ignore the previous reviews on this product and take my advice. This is one great piece of equipment. I checked it out in a retail store before I went ahead and purchased it from Backcountry.com. The people who gave this product a bad review must not be very experienced with combining gear.

I think these poles are the best on the market considering the Life-Link carbon fiber avalanche probe poles malfunction in cold weather. I know this is supposed to be a review about the Black Diamond poles, but I think the fact that Life-Link did not recall their poles which were designed so poorly that they malfunction in the field, or worse yet, simply sleeping overnight in your truck to go skiing the next day. Well what good is a pair of avalanche probe poles in the backcountry if they are going to self destruct all by themselves. Unacceptable. So I would highly recommend just buying the Black Diamond poles which seem to work so far. However, I would like to see a little more competition so that 'we' the customers have more of a selection on quality because I really cannot compare these poles to another brand with all considering. Don't slack off Black Diamond! I am noticing some obvious improvements that could be made.

Mountain Hardwear did a great job on this summit bag. I will be packing this in my backpack for sure. The materials used are solid and light as can be. And you will be surprised by how much of a cushion they actually give you on the back. It's only a few centimeters thick but that's all you need for a pack this light. What a wonderful thing.

These pants are bomber. You might cut them up downhill skiing at the resort, but that's not what they are intended for. As far as backcountry pants go, these work almost as well as a full bib. Conduit material is bomber.

My first pair is still with me and still looks practically brand new even after 50 plus trail miles. They are the most scratch resistant lenses I have ever used. They totally smoke my Oakley's in comfort and functionality. The anti-fog rules. There really is not anything bad to say about these glasses except for maybe they would not look good on somebody with an enormous head.

Don't let all the stuff inside fool you out of this prized little bag. I was able to fit the Optimus Crux stove, a 110 gram canister of fuel, a plastic 1 cup measurer, seasoning container it comes with, a good sponge (which it comes with too), and an extra fork with still room for a spatula! (which it also comes with). I would leave the mini egg beater at home. That's where the weight comes into play. But hey! I just fit all the stuff I need to cook a meal minus the boiling pot into this thing. That is pretty incredible.

I have used this in an emergency to put a brookie trout in while i was busy fixing my line and before I got my leash out. When I filled it up for the first time with water from the lake the dogs went at it like a giant dog water bowl. All in all I think it gets used least as a kitchen sink, but hey! All the better! What better is an item when it more than triples in use!! Seriously, what more do you want? Maybe you are not serious.

I have used this in an emergency to put a brookie trout in while i was busy fixing my line and before I got my leash out. When I filled it up for the first time with water from the lake the dogs went at it like a giant dog water bowl. All in all I think it gets used least as a kitchen sink, but hey! All the better! What better is an item when it more than triples in use!! Seriously, what more do you want? Maybe you are not serious.

I think it is quite obvious this is the best headlamp available. The only thing I had trouble with was figuring out how to switch modes with the "half press". I don't think this headlight has any competition right now however, so we will need 6 stars when the better one comes out. It would be ideal to eventually be able to control the type of color of light between blue and red.

This thing is so much better than the MSR Sweet Water Im still laughing years later.

Wish they made an attached vestibule edition. Otherwise, kinda perfect.

This tent owns. Just make sure you have at least 2 people sleeping in it to stabilize the heat ratio. The vestibules are huge and will make you and your dogs happy.

There are way better bags on the market. This thing is bulky and belongs at the beach with some old lady with over-size sunglasses.

Why can't all things be this simple?

Could be lighter.

This thing is well made and attaches very well and does not appear it will come off. Ruffwear rules. Why can't the human companies produce quality products now?

This bag is gigantic!! Not for backcountry use unless you prize your boots over your water and food. They need to make one for mocs that is a lot smaller. That is what backcountry people need to carry around in their packs. Camp mocs. You are supposed to be using your boots when you are out and about! And why do they call it a shoe sac if I can fit my entire upper left half of my body in it? Honestly, this product has no place on this site.

Ok, I know I have been hard on a lot of companies in my reviews. Not always giving them 5 stars. But this one certainly gets 5 stars. I got the NRG pack also because I figure it's worth not having to buy lithium ion batteries anymore for the extra ounce. It would be nice to see Black Diamond get the weight down on the battery pack though for the headlamp where an ounce really matters but I will give the actually NRG kit the 4 stars on that instead. Haha.

For anybody that needs the longest length of pole, then this is the pole for you. Otherwise these poles will end up causing you more tinkering than necessary. It would be nice to have an expedition pole that is not any more or even less complex than a standard adjustable ski pole. Is that too much to ask for?

What a cool pair of pants put out by Cloudveil. Not the lightest weight pants you can buy because of the added seaming and built in belt. But built with the same fabric as Cloudveil's Prospector Pants. A good buy if you got the money for that combination of features.

I just got My Lithium out of the box around 15 minutes ago and Im completely sold. It fluffed up immediately. I can tell the temperature rating is true. More amazing is the way the full collar cinches up automatically when you zip up all the way. No fumbling around with velcro. The down baffle literally pushes itself up against the hood making a more then plush seal. The down seems plentiful in this bag and I am not too worried about losing loft in the future. But only time will tell with that one. This bag is not the lightest of them all, but it seems it will be worth every ounce of weight. If I have anything bad to say about this bag I will write another review, but otherwise I can see no flaws. I think my expectations will be met with this bag for sure.

These pants are made in Vietnam and made absolutely horrible. The sizing is completely off. The fabric is less than par. I would rather these companies not make pants at all then have to order and THEN return them. What a pain in the butt. Save yourself the time and buy some nylon pants at a retail store for god's sake.

Don't bother. It will only get you halfway there.

At first I was skeptical of this pack. But the description and picture do this pack no justice. First of all the AirFlow on this pack is incredible. And it has the best zipper system ever. There are even two zippers at the bottom, one holds a flip out mesh style attachment for added stowage. And then another zipper opened up to reveal a complete RAIN COVER!. This was obviously when I fell in love. I don't think the description states that, so that was a huge surprise. The Airflow system takes a pinch off the total volume you can pack but it's worth it for a summer day pack or summit pack. This is an absolute winner.

There is nothing good about this product. Do not waste your time ordering and returning it. A huge disappointment considering it is a Brunton product.

Non-Experts need not apply.

Pants came with a 'security clip' attached that could not be removed. I notified customer service yet was still accused by the return department of returning pants that were not purchased from here, my notes read "Loyal Customer, see notes. We will honor the customer's word". Wow, gee, thanks for believing me. These pants will fit fat tall people rather well if you can remove the security clip. Otherwise, sitting down might become an adventure.

All Bibler Tents have to be seam sealed. Even the Bomb Shelter. The only extra thing you have to do with the Tempest is also seam seal the insides. Big deal. Small price to pay for the ideal tent. Watch it outperform every other tent on the market. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this tent and the vestibules, both of them, are great. I actually wish it was a tiny bit smaller for some weight savings but I don't hear anybody bitching about that. 5 Stars from a real mountaineer. If you have the cash and are debating between this and another tent you are wasting your time.

These pants are made in Vietnam and made absolutely horrible. The sizing is completely off. The fabric is less than par. I would rather these companies not make pants at all then have to order and THEN return them. What a pain in the butt. Save yourself the time and buy some nylon pants at a retail store for god's sake.

Why don't you have this? Why did you not buy this already? If you do not have a GPS and need a GPS then buy this one!!! It's all you need. I'm just sorry I lost mine in the woods that day. I just put it down for a second. I swear.

The collar does not do a good job at all and the cords are awkward around the neck when you cinch up. The bag keeps you comfortable,until the mercury drops and the bag does not perform. This bag probably would not even be good in a cabin either because of the lack of leg room.