Reviews by User: Jeff Viniard (3)

I own two pair of these pants, albeit of the non-convertible variety, and they're the best pants I've ever worn. The fabric is pretty burly, but by no means uncomfortable against the skin. It's stood up barbed and sharp terrors on a construction site and all over the backcountry. Pair it up with a base layer underneath, and the whole deal does a fine job of beating back the wind. The chamois lining around the hips feels pretty decadent, adds appreciated padding when in a harness, and just makes these comfortable pants more so. The only problem I've had wearing these pants is that for the first month I had the first pair, they tended to rotate counterclockwise around my waist (none too fun, I assure you). For whatever reason, the problem stopped, and the second pair never gave me any problems. The price is steep, but if you can find them on sale, they'll last forever.

I'll confess up front that I'm a complete neophyte to AT gear and skiing, so perhaps this should be taken with a grain of salt. I have these bindings on some Atomic 9.22's (190 cm) and they have worked fine in the 10-odd days I've used them. No problems. None. They function well in downhill mode, and have released both on the hill and in my house, in all sorts of falls. But then again, I had the DIN set conservatively for safety. I don't feel failure to release is a problem inherent to these bindings, for regular bindings will do the same if incorrectly adjusted. The touring mode worked fine, with the risers being very effective, but the weight simply can't compete with a lot of the Dynafits out there. I'll put up with the weight, however, and keep my old boots and have fun on the downhills (I'm gonna work on the climb anyway, right?).

I ordered this pack two months back to replace a beloved Kelty pack. Until recently it only served as a pack for hauling books and school supplies. Being a top-loader, it is not particularly well-suited for the access this requires, but it manages the weight admirably. I finally got a chance to take the pack on the trail recently for an overnighter. The suspension felt very comfortable, and the compression straps across the front were of perfect size to hold my sleeping bag in a 20L drybag, though it took some wrangling to get the lower strap around the bag. Even with all that mass that far back, the pack didn't feel too unstable. For daytrips, the same compression straps mentioned above can buckle further across the bag, allowing it to handle smaller loads (maybe 1200 ci) without becoming flaccid. I've noticed wear only on the drawstring to close the top of the pack. The "Cord Lord" used to close this works well, but has a lot of friction between it and the drawstring, which has caused a bit of fraying. Nevertheless, this is a wonderful pack I'm expecting to enjoy for a long time to come.