I’ve coreshot or significantly nicked several ropes this fall and winter. Initially it really pissed me off. I felt like I wasted a lot of money (in one case I truly feel like I did) on gear that really isn’t worth buying. Mostly though, it’s helped me think about what type of rope is appropriate for daily use and when I need to be really careful about protecting my rope so that it lasts as long as possible.

First, I’m going to share a few of my experiences and some comparisons between Sterling and Mammut, the two rope manufacturers that I’ve used the most. Then, at the end I’ll share a few of my conclusions that might help guide readers when making a decision about rope purchases

Some experiences and a few comparisons

ALL of the ropes that I’ve had in the 9.0mm range have not been durable. This should come as no surprise to anyone at all. However, the complete and utter lack of durability of some of these ropes leaves me wondering whether they should be sold at all. It seems distinctly possible a rope this skinny could sever during a big fall or while sliding over an edge. The Sterling Nano is the least durable rope I’ve ever owned. Don’t get me wrong, Sterling produces some nice ropes, but many of their Fusion series ropes are just too soft. I’ve had two Nano’s so far, and both received coreshots and significant wear during what I would consider normal use. I nearly severed one during a rappel this winter. It was the rope’s first use, and it left me wondering whether I should even bother using the rope again. I had one Mammut Serenity 8.9 mm as well. It has held up slightly better, but it has countless nicks in it’s sheath. The 8.9mm Serenity feels slightly thicker than the 9.2mm Nano. Either way, a rope this skinny isn’t going to hold up well for most people. I’ve also heard (hearsay only) that the purple Nano is actually built differently than their other colors and is more durable. I’m not sure what that means, but it might be worth buying a purple Nano if you decide to pull that trigger.

A Sterling Nano showing significant damage after a single use.

Stepping up in diameter, I’ve used both the Mammut Revelation 9.2 and the Sterling Ion 9.4. Both of these ropes feel far more durable than their skinny brethren. Each of these ropes has lasted nearly a year with light use (whereas a single long day or a single trip will trash the Serenity or Nano). The Revelation was actually one of my favorite ropes, and I used it for nearly an entire winter season while cleaning and working routes in the Hell Hole during the 2010-2011 winter.

Many nicks in the sheath of an 8.9 mm Mammut Serenity

The next step up in diameter durability for most manufacturers is to the 9.5-9.8 millimeter range. I’ve used both the Mammut Infinity 9.5, my favorite rope thus far, and the Sterling Velocity 9.8. While I’ve had good luck in the past with both ropes, This fall I nicked or coreshot two Sterling Velocity ropes rather quickly. One was absolutely my fault, yet I was still surprised by how quickly it happened, The other incident , during the rope’s first use, involved several nicks during normal toprope wear and tear that a rope of this diameter should hold up to. Both were less than three weeks into my ownership of the rope, and with less than a week’s worth of climbing on each.

I’ve only really used one rope over 10mm in diameter – a Sterling Marathon Pro. It’s a burly rope and I’ve had several of them. If used occasionally they’ll last several years before they begin shedding lots of fuzz from the sheath. The Mammut ropes over 10mm always felt a bit too stiff to manage, especially once they begin to freeze.

conclusions

Here are some of the conclusions I’ve drawn about ropes over the past few years.

•  The skinniest single ropes are too skinny for daily use, and probably too skinny for any sort of rock or alpine use. I know there are people that will disagree with this, but when your safety and the success of a big alpine trip rely having a full-length intact rope, sizing up just a bit seems like a wise decision. The weight difference between a 60-meter Sterling Nano and a Sterling Ion is only 240 grams, just slightly more than half a pound, yet the durability of the Ion is much, much greater. In addition, you’ll replace ropes less often meaning you’ll save money in the long run.
• Mammut ropes always feel fatter than Sterling ropes. The Mammut 8.9 feels fatter than the Sterling 9.2. The Mammut 9.2 feels fatter than the Sterling 9.4, and the Mammut 9.5 feels like the Sterling 9.8.
• Mammut ropes generally feel stiffer than the comparable (see my conclusion above) Sterling rope.
• Mammut ropes always feel short. Sterling ropes always seem generously long. In fact, if you’re going to buy a Mammut rope you might consider buying a 70-meter model. Many of the Mammut ropes I’ve had end up being as much as 10 meters short by the end of their usable life. Mammut attributes this to shrinkage, I’m not sure I buy this explanation and will hold off on my own explanations.
• I’ve had really good luck with the Mammut Revelation 9.2, the Mammut Infinity 9.5, the Sterling Ion 9.4 and the Sterling Marathon 10.1.
• The Sterling Nano 9.2 is, in my opinion, utter garbage. Not only is it expensive, it’s the least durable rope I’ve ever owned and I’ll never buy another one.
• I’ve had several Sterling Evolution Velocity 9.8 ropes with varying degrees of success. If you buy one of these ropes you might try to baby it at first, as this rope seems to stiffen after a few weeks of use, and then feels a bit more durable. Initially this is a soft rope that handles nicely but also nicks easily. Kind of a crapshoot if you ask me.
• The Sterling Marathon 10.1 and Mammut Infinty 9.5 are both good choices for every day rock climbing use, but won’t slide easily through an ATC Guide or Reverso in autoblock mode, especially once they’ve been used for a while. Consider using a Kong Gigi as an autoblocking belay device instead.
• Dry treatment is fleeting. I’ve been able to use non-dry ropes for most winter days. If it’s really going to be wet I’ll grab a dry rope. This way, I can preserve the dry-treated rope for really wet days.

I hope this helps you during your next rope purchase.

Late last season I purchased a pair of Black Diamond Fusion ice tools. I had the chance to use them for about a month before the season ended. This was just enough time to get comfortable using them. I used them again yesterday, with the Fusion picks, while climbing the Black Dike. It’s the first time I’ve used these tools for traditional mixed climbing that has more of an alpine feel. I can honestly say, after using the Fusions yesterday, that they were the best tool I could have brought along. The fatter Fusion picks still look pretty good; Cannon mixed routes have a tendency to destroy picks. Even more importantly, the tools are stiff, which makes them very responsive to feedback. Feeling around on snow-covered rock for hook placements demands a responsive tool. The hammer is another nice addition. I was able to pound a tool into deeper, pick-width cracks, using the head of the other tool. The solid steel head is good for pounding, and doesn’t deform at all when it gets pounded on. I used to pound in my Nomics too, and this worked fine, but the head had a tendency to get very dinged up.

Here’s my original review from last season. I’m looking forward to using the tool more this season.

Ok, so I guess I might just have a climbing pack fetish. I’m not afraid to admit it. Mostly, I go for highly functional daypacks that will work well across all climbing disciplines. I’ve reviewed several versions of the Cold Cold World Ozone in past posts. For simplicity, durability, and price the Ozone takes the cake. The fact that you can have it tailor made to your own specifications, with or without things like spindrift collar, axe loops and compression straps makes the Ozone about the best available option.

The Alpinelite 30 is solid all-around alpine pack

One other worthy contender, especially if you’re looking for a low-priced alpine climbing pack, is the MEC Alpinelite 30. Clearance models of the pack are on sale right now at the MEC site for $39 CAD. Regularly priced at $54, this pack is worth the money and should last through many alpine or rock trips. At 660g for the standard length, the Alpinelite 30 is also one of the lighter packs available. Since the Ozone is about as good and simple as packs come,  I’ll be using it as a reference throughout this review.

I’ve been aware of the Alpinelite 30 for several years now. MEC has produced many quality packs over the years, and their Serratus packs (discontinued several years ago) were the best value on the market. The Serratus Genie, a superlight summit pack has been used on many fast and light ascents. Look at some pictures of cutting edge Alaskan ascents from a decade ago and you’ll spot the Genie on the backs of many climbers. I’ve kept my old Genie around just in case I needed it for an alpine trip or as a template for a new custom pack. MEC is now selling the Genie again, and both the Genie and the Alpinelite 30 are reasonably priced and highly functional fast-and-light pack choices. And on to my review….

The Alpinelite 30, a nice looking simple bag, is sized similarly to the CCW Ozone (true to size at about 30L) and comes in two different torso lengths. I bought the longer length and it fits my 6’1″ body perfectly. The torso length is about 19.5″, which is about 1-2″ longer than the stock Ozone. The pack is constructed of lightweight 210d dyneema/nylon ripstop fabric. The bottom is 420d nylon for added durability. As a reference, my ripstop Ozone is constructed entirely of 500d spectra grid fabric that feels much more burly. The lid on the Alpinelite 30 is fixed and the pack (without backpad) can stuff into it’s own lid for easy packing during a longer trip where a small summit pack will be needed.

On day 1, as a I unboxed the pack a few of the Alpinelite’s weaknesses quickly became apparent. Where the lid attaches to the body is an obvious weak spot. If you repeatedly grab the pack by the lid eventually the stitching will fail. After a while this happened on my old BD Sphynx pack too. The other obvious weakness to this pack results from it’s lack of any real frame. It comes with a single sheet of 10mm foam that can be removed to use as part of a bivy pad. With just a single piece of foam as a backpad the pack flops around and is very challenging to pack well.

After a bit of tinkering I managed to come up with a method for stiffening this pack. I added a folded piece of 5mm Evazote (you can get this from MEC too, and its the same piece of foam I use in my Genie) sized similarly to the original backpad. I also bought a piece of corrugated plastic and cut it to the size of the backpad. After a bit of fidgeting and folding I was able to fit it inside the sleeve correctly. Now, with 20mm of padding and a full length plastic framesheet this pack has become my daily use pack.

Adding extra foam and corrugated plastic made the pack much more rigid

The pack has just enough of the right features, and nothing additional to clutter it up. The lid is small, but will hold essentials like a first aid kit, headlamp, knife, tape, and some energy bars. It’s actually reversible and if you’re so inclined the Alpinelite 30 can stuff into it’s own lid for use as a summit pack on longer trips. The small uretek zipper does feel a bit flimsy and I can see a repair being necessary somewhere on the horizon. The lid lacks the elastic underside of the Ozone, part of what helps the Ozone pack well and hold a lot. The lid on the Alpinelite 30 doesn’t sit as well when the pack is fully loaded. The lid is not removable, but tucks inside the bag easily when you’re not carrying a full load.

The body is a simple and well shaped tube, which like the Ozone, is made of a single piece of fabric. There are no seams to blow out along the sides of the pack. When the pack is full it will just about rest upright. Like most narrow alpine climbing packs, it wants to tip over when loaded.

Compression straps attach at the edges of the backpad

On the outside several key features make this bag attractive. Two ax loops at the bottom, plus attachment points above allow one to carry two axes, or a shovel handle easily. The ax loops adjust in size, so one could probably carry four tools on the outside if necessary (not that uncommon for me during a normal craggging day – sometimes I bring a set of conventional tools and a pair of leashless tools too). The Alpinelite 30 also has compression straps that are removable. A series of D-rings along the backpad allow full circumference straps to be attached. You can then carry skis, a shovel, sleeping pad or crampons externally. The option to remove the compression straps is awesome, and it seems like a concept all pack makers should embrace. I don’t use them 90% of the time and my guess is that most other folks don’t either.

A simple strap system still carries well once a plastic framesheet is added

The strap system on this bag is simple. Like many other lightweight alpine packs, the Alpinelite 30 doesn’t have a padded waistbelt.  A single piece of 1.5″ webbing wraps around your waist. The sternum strap is both adjustable and removable, another nice touch. The shoulder straps feel thin but carrying heavier loads with it hasn’t been a problem so far.

The Alpinelite 30 seems like a suitable pack to use across all climbing disciplines. It carries a full day or rock or ice gear easily, can carry skis, and could easily make the transition to light alpine overnights. The slightly empty pack will climb well. A single chimney might trash it, but otherwise this is a really versatile pack.

I’ve been using this pack for several weeks now and I’m very happy with it. All in all, it’s a nice pack. It holds more than my 18″ torso (stock) Ozone, but less than my custom alpine Ozone. However, with a shorter spindrift collar it’s much easier to manage the constant repacking at a crag than my alpine Ozone. It feels durable enough to stand up to everyday use, but I know it’s not going to last nearly as long as one of the CCW packs. For $39 who’s complaining anyways?

[View with PicLens]

Many lightweight climbing packs come with a single piece of foam that acts like a suspension and protects your back from the contents of the pack. Packs like the entire Cold Cold World lineup, Wild Things, and MEC Alpinelite 30 and Genie come with foam backpads.

Depending on your preferences or packing methods this may not be enough support for the things you choose to carry in your pack. In my own experience, once the lid of a pack has items in it a soft pack will flop over, making packing more difficult.

There’s are a few easy fixes to this problem. One is to use a framesheet from an older pack. I save the framesheets when I discard my older packs. That way I can cut or modify the sheet and aluminum stays to fit one of my newer packs. The other solution is lightweight, simple and relatively cheap. You can buy corrugated plastic and cut it to fit the size of your pack.

I trimmed the plastic so it’s a bit narrower than the foam inside my Ozone

I have to admit this isn’t my originial idea. I have a friend who’s done this in the past to stiffen his CCW Chernobyl. However, when I tried to find the right material I ran into a brick wall. Corrugated plastic is hard to find. Often, you need to buy it in bulk, and when all you need is enough for one pack that doesn’t make sense.

where to get corrugated plastic

After a bit of searching I found a good source for “coroplast” in New Paltz. PDQ, a custom printing shop in the Stop and Shop Plaza, uses coroplast for custom signs and sells it for $2/foot². I bought 3 ft² for $6 and cut it to fit two of my packs. 4 ft² will easily make two framesheets with some extra just in case you make a mistake.

You can also buy corrugated plastic at Dick Blick, an art supply store that has a few locations throughout New England. If you’re passing through stop by and see if they have it. Here’s the information about coroplast from their website. If you mail order it you may have to buy 10 sheets of it to satisfy their requirements.

cutting corrugated plastic to fit your pack

Once you have your sheet of corrugated plastic you’ll want to size it appropriately. I did this by laying my foam frame insert atop the plastic and tracing it’s pattern onto the corrugated plastic using a magic marker.

I slid the plastic sheet between layers of folded foam on the Ozone

Now that I have a rough idea of the size of my framesheet I can go ahead and cut the corrugated plastic. I decided to make the framesheet a little smaller than the padding. In order to protect the pack and padding I also chose to round the corners. This keeps the edges from feeling sharp and poking holes in my packs.

One final addition, that I didn’t do, would be to wrap duct tape along the edges of the corrugated plastic to protect both the pack and the edges of the corrugated plastic.

Here’s a link to another post about making alpine packs stiffer. Good luck and have fun!

I heard a short radio news piece the other day about President Obama’s wardrobe. Apparently he decided, only a short while into his presidency, that he was only going to keep gray and blue suits in his closet. That way he never has to think about what he’s going to wear. Even small decisions like deciding what to wear can take valuable time out of one’s day and distract one from more important tasks.

My days are certainly not as busy as Barack Obama’s, but I still don’t like thinking about what I’m going to wear each day. I decided to stock my closet with only a few specific items long ago. I love and hate outdoor clothing. When you climb a lot things wear out. Having functional new gear is nice, but finding the right product can be really challenging. Often replacing those well-loved items presents a significant challenge because manufacturers no longer make certain functional products, having moved on to something newer, lighter, or “better”.

Certain designs are timeless and functional though, and smart gear and clothing companies opt to keep these products’ design, cut, and construction the same or similar to past iterations of that product. Products like Cold Cold World packs, The OR Ferrosi Hoody, and FiveTen’s Guide Tennie all come to mind. They’ve remained relatively unchanged over the years because their simple design is functional and minimalist. Things don’t need to be changed just because competitors are releasing “better” new products.

My three aging, yet faithful, pairs of Wavefarer shorts

One such item is the Patagonia Wavefarer Boardshort. For five years I’ve been almost exclusively wearing Wavefarer shorts during the summertime months. They’re simple, lightweight and durable. I bought two pairs of Wavefarers in 2007, and two more pairs in 2008. Since then I haven’t bought another pair of shorts. I’ve run, climbed, hiked, swam, surfed, and clowned around in them on every summer day during the past five summers. They’re light enough to approach alpine climbs and then stuff in your pack when you change into pants as the weather cools or the terrain changes to snow, and they’re durable enough to butt slide down rock slabs with a pack on during warm days on the rock. Ironically, there are much better boardshorts out there for surfing, but if you want a short that does it all these are the real deal.

Constructed of simple Supplex nylon, Wavefarer shorts have a minimum of pockets and seams, things that will break, tear or wear out. A classic one button/drawstring flat-lying waist keeps them snug on your hips and won’t chafe with a pack on. One zipper pocket on the right side is big enough to hold my wallet, phone and keys, but only barely. Don’t plan on carrying too much in there. A knee-length inseam makes these shorts long enough but not too long.

Sizing the Wavefarer short correctly is important. The waist isn’t very adjustable so getting the right waist size will make them fit properly. For me, size 33, which is the same as all other Patagonia pants I wear, is the right size – snug when they come out of the dryer and stretching to a comfortable fit once I’ve worn them a few days. If they’re sized too loosely they’ll fall off. Unless you can find them to try on in a store, mail ordering a few pairs in various sizes and returning the ones that don’t fit might be the way to go.

Over five years, wearing three pairs (I lost my favorite pair shortly after getting them), the only problem I’ve had is that the stitching along the butt has blown out on two of the pairs. This is easy to fix with a needle and thread – there’s no need to replace the shorts, just repair them and keep going.

Several of the pairs I own have solid color Supplex fabric. Recently Patagonia has been making the shorts with print pattern fabrics, which I’m not in love with. However, several of the more subdued print patterns are fine, and after the shorts break in you won’t notice the pattern at all. This year’s lineup includes solid patterns again, which is nice, and also includes stretch versions, and longer and shorter inseams. At $60 a pair, the Wavefarer short isn’t cheap, but if you calculate the number of days you’ll wear these the cost seems reasonable. If you’re looking for shorts that you can wear 24-hours a day during the summer months, the Wavefarers are the way to go.

Last year’s model are on sale now at the Patagonia website. They’re $41 which seems pretty reasonable given how long they’re going to last.

Four years ago I traded in my Ford Ranger pickup, which had a cap on the back and a sleeping platform inside, for a Toyota Yaris hatchback. Sleeping inside my truck during climbing trips was easy and pretty comfortable. It was hot during the summer and itchy during bug season, but I could sleep anywhere. It’s a little more difficult these days with a Toyota Yaris. 6-foot tall men can’t easily sleep inside Toyota’s small subcompact.

Most years I spend around 50-70 nights on the ground, so having a comfortable camping set up is important. Sleeping in a claustrophobic backpacking/climbing tent at a car camping area during the humid east coast summer months is about as comfortable as going to the dentist to have a tooth drilled. A spacious well-ventilated tent is the key to comfortable car camping.

If you’ve looked around at major manufacturer’s tents you know that finding a tent that allows full cross-ventilation, even during heavy rain, is next to impossible. Marmot, REI, Big Agnes, Mountain Hardwear and all the other major tent manufacturers make tents with full-coverage rainflies. They’re weatherproof, but they’re also hot. If you’re in West Virginia during a summer thunderstorm it’s going to get moist inside the tent too because there’s essentially no ventilation.

Enter the $199 Eureka Sunrise 8. The Sunrise 8 is a no frills car camping tent that’s comfortable enough for two people to live out of, or roomy enough to sleep 4 people reasonably well. An 8′x8′ footprint, 2-pole dome design, and 5′ high center with steep walls make this tent well suited for car camping. At 12 pounds It’s not a backpacking tent, but it still easily fits in the back of my car. Stuffed dimensions are 25″x8″.

Two features make this tent stand head and shoulders above the rest. One is the durable Oxford polyester floor. The floor on the Sunrise 8 is made of heavier, more durable material than most other tents. You can set it anywhere, will never need a groundcloth on wet ground, and don’t have to worry about your stuff getting wet or damaged. The real alchemy occurs in the windows though. There are four windows which can be almost entirely open during heavy rain.

Each of the four walls, including the door, has a zip open window that covers a good portion of the wall, starting at the bathtub floor and ending near screen mesh at the top. The fly, which has two support poles, essentially creates awnings over each window. Even during heavy rain the the windows can be open. This means you never have to pull the fly on your tent when it starts raining in the middle of the night, only to become a sweaty mess inside.

There are a few other nice features too. One large door, with full rainflaps makes entering and exiting the tent easy. A gear loft makes organizing small items simple too, and there are cupholders in the corners so you’ll never spill beer inside the tent.

The Achilles heel of this tent is the fiberglass poles. Fiberglass tent poles are cheaper than aluminum, so manufacturers like Eureka who aim their products at a mostly recreational crowd can offer a less expensive product. Several pole segments have splintered where they meet the aluminum sleeves at each end. Our fix has been to wrap the pole with a bit of duct tape and keep using it. It’s not an elegant fix, but in five years of using this tent we’ve never had to replace a single pole.

Our current dilemma is over whether we buy replacement poles (perhaps an aluminum replacement?) or replace the tent. After five years, and approximately 150-200 days of use, the tent doesn’t have a single tear. The fly, which has lighter weight fabric than the rest of the tent, has one tear. We’ve not cleaned or maintained the tent at all and it still looks great.

One other thing we’ve found is that if the floor is stretched out and staked too tightly the door is tough to close. Leaving the stake closest to the door a bit looser than the rest fixes this issue.

If you’re tired of sleeping in a backpacking tent at campgrounds or you’re in the market for a functional, affordable car camping tent, take a look at the Sunrise 8. Not only is the ventilation amazing, at only $199, it’s probably the best value around.

This post is also published here.

All my life I’ve had “large” feet. Mine are long but narrow size 15′s. When I started rock climbing in 1996 I didn’t feel like there were too many good rock shoe options. Yes, I could choose from a few different models of entry-level FiveTen shoes, but on the whole I didn’t feel like there were many choices.

For years I crammed my feet into any too-small shoe, thinking that a tight fit would help my climbing. Some tight-fitting shoes actually fit my long feet and helped me climb better. Others made me focus solely on the pain associated with edging and smearing, and I wanted nothing more than to throw those shoes away and go back to flopping my way up routes.

My collection of big climbing footwear

When I began ice climbing in 1998 I immediately hit a brick wall with boots. There was one option I knew about – the Lowa Civetta. They make the Civetta up to size 16. Whew. I was good to go. The Civettas carried me up many a route, albeit sloppily. They weren’t the best boots for using you feet, even with good crampons. I suppose some of the slop was due to my lack of experience. The Civetta, however just didn’t compare favorably to today’s high-tech single and double boots.

I’ve been climbing for sixteen years now and my footwear situation doesn’t seem quite so grim any longer. Over the years I’ve discovered what shoes come in large sizes, and what models fit best. In order to make other big-footed individual’s lives easier I’ve compiled a list of the best footwear available. The quest to accommodate your Sasquatch-sized feet doesn’t have to be as difficult as mine was.

Below I’m going to outline good footwear options for people who’s feet are larger than size 13. If you have size 13 feet or smaller nearly all climbing footwear is readily available. If you have size 14 feet there are still many options. If you’re feet are size 16 or larger you may just want to try barefoot waterskiing or basketball. Climbing footwear may be hard to find.

As someone who has big feet, there are several keys to finding the right footwear and keeping it in good shape. A good climbing shop will have some larger sizes in stock. An even better shop will have stock and be willing to order products too. Try on everything that’s even remotely close to your size. You’ll be surprised by what fits and what doesn’t. Once you’ve found the right footwear take care of it. I resole nearly all my climbing shoes twice and my approach shoes once before retirement. It’s important to resole shoes before they’re in need of real T.L.C. If you blow a hole in the rand it might be too late. When the rubber gets thin send them in to be resoled.

Rock Shoes

Nearly all shoe manufacturers make some shoes to size 15. Most now make multiple models. After repeatedly trying FiveTen shoes I’ve given up. The Italians make damn fine footwear, and their rock climbing shoes are no exception. If you’re trying to fit shoes, most American climbing shoe manufacturers run a bit truer to size. I wear a 14 in most Five Ten, Mad Rock and Evolv shoes. I wear anywhere from a 12-14 in Scarpa and La Sportiva shoes (meaning many models fit me).

Here are the top picks from the current 2012 offerings:

La Sportiva Nago – My very long size 15.5 feet fit tightly into size 46 Nago’s. Sized more comfortably, I would wear size 47. They’re made to size 48. Made in Italy. I’m not interested in any of the shoes produced by Sportiva outside of Europe. These entry level shoes still climb reasonably well when sized properly.

La Sportiva Cobra, Miura, Katana, TC Pro – Believe it or not, size 46 (the largest size offered) in all of these shoes fit my feet and climb unbelievably well. The TC Pro’s don’t quite fit the way they’re meant to fit, but they’re still the most amazing edging shoes I’ve worn and they last a while. The others listed fit tightly, as they should, but not uncomfortably tightly.

La Sportiva Mythos – These stretch a ton and are made to size 48. I wear a 46 in these too.

Scarpa Techno – Scarpa might discontinue these. I like them and wear a size 47. These have been good trad shoes

Scarpa Helix, Reflex – One is a laceup, the other a slipper. These entry level shoes are nice as all-around shoes for moderate climbing and will stretch over time. I wear size 46 and they’re tight. I guess someone with 17′s could wear the 50 in the Helix and be comfy.

Scarpa Force – Another velcro offering from Scarpa, made to size 47. I tried these on and felt like a 47 would be adequate.

Mad Rock Flash – I’ve had three pairs of these cheap shoes and they climb really well. Once they stretch out they are comfortable enough. For gym climbing I like them. I wear size 14 and they are tight at first.

Evolv Defy – Another decent, cheap gym shoe. I wear a size 14 in these too. They’re a bit softer than the Mad Rock Flash.

Approach Shoes

Lots of options here to size 48. Again, La Sportiva and Scarpa seem to take the cake for quality design and durable construction. Five Ten has a few models in large sizes too if you’re into their products. Here are my choices from the 2012 offerings from these companies:

La Sportiva Boulder X – Size 48 fits my feet tightly at first. Some slight initial discomfort leads to a good fit for climbing and approaching without any foot slop inside the shoe. These shoes are durable and climb reasonably well.

Scarpa Geko Guide – Size 47 fits like a climbing shoe and eventually becomes comfortable for extended approaches. The Geko’s are aggressive “climbing” style approach shoes. When sized tightly they’ll actually climb as well as most entry-level climbing shoes. During a guided ascent of the 900′ Community Pillar (III 5.9) in Red Rocks last fall I wore them the whole time and my feet thanked me later in the day.

Scarpa Zen, Mystic, Dharma Pro – All of these shoes are built on a similar last and should fit similarly. They’re all built to size 48. These stiff shoes require a bit of breaking in but outlast most others. They won’t climb the same way that the Geko or Boulder X will.

Scarpa Crux – Also made to size 48, I’ve worn several older versions of this shoe, and despite a lining that accumulates an awful stench (a theme I’ve noticed across many Scarpa shoes), these shoes climb well, hike reasonably and are affordable. They’ll probably hold a resole just fine too.

Mountain Boots

Well, options abound for rock shoes. Approach shoes to a lesser degree. Large-footed individuals have far fewer options when it comes to mountain boots. Most boots are made to size 13 or 14. My feet hate me. I spent too many years in size 48 Nepal Extreme and Nepal EVO. Just this past year I did a complete upgrade to size 49 Nepal Extreme and size 49 Baruntse mountain boots.

When searching for boots in large sizes it’s best to search a company’s full website. Many internet search engines will redirect you to a company’s North America site, but to find the most accurate sizing information you’ll have to look on the European websites. In addition, most boots larger than size 48 are going to come from Europe and may take a long time to order and ship.

Scarpa Phantom 6000 – These boots are made up to size 49 in Europe but only offered to size 48 in the U.S. I haven’t used them but I’m curious about them – they’re a lightweight double boot with a built in gaiter.

La Sportiva Nepal Extreme - Most of us haven’t seen a Nepal Extreme on a store shelf in several years. They’re still made in Europe but the more popular Nepal EVO GTX is the only Nepal offering in the states. These incredibly well made boots come in sizes up to 50 and need to be special ordered from Europe. The build quality actually seems better than that of EVO GTX.

La Sportiva Baruntse – These boots are made to size 50 and stocked in the United States, meaning you can order them and have them delivered in less than a week. These boots climb well and are very warm. They’re going to work for just about any mountain region below 8000m and are suitable for cold weather winter use. They’re like a double boot version of the Nepal, meaning they’re durable and functional.

Lowa Civetta – These boots have traditionally been made to U.S. size 16. They’re warm and have stood the test of time in the greater ranges of the world. The addition of an Intuition liner makes these boots warmer and easier to maintain. However, in my opinion they won’t compare favorably to newer models double boot models like the Baruntse and Phantom 6000, which have flexible outer shells and come with a stock thermoform liner.

Do you have suggestions or other good large footwear options for climbers? Post a comment below and I’ll be sure to add the information to this post, which will also become a page on my site so that it’s easier to find.

Last Fall (2011) I purchased a Cold Cold World Ozone backpack. The Ozone’s simple design and durable ballistics nylon fabric make it the perfect guide’s pack for rock climbing. With no external straps, no spindrift collar, and a stiff foam backpad it packs and unpacks easily and carries well between routes and climbs well on routes.

To my surprise, the Ozone ended up being a great winter pack too. For most moderate ice objectives the tools and crampons, plus my kit of 6-8 screws, lightweight puffy, water and a small thermos all fit inside. The pack worked as well for winter cragging as it did for summer cragging. Placing the tools inside the pack frequently confused my partners but also meant easy hiking through thick brush, no chance of a lost tool or crampon and no worries while taking the pack in and out of cars or houses. I’ve done a number on more than a few car bumpers and walls trying to sneak packs into small spaces only to leave a big scratch. Having the sharp stuff inside, which never occurred to me before having this bag, makes good sense.

Both Ozone packs, side by side

After only a few weeks using the bag I noticed some things. The stock 18.5” torso length on the Ozone is a good length for individuals that are under 6′ tall. The bag carries fine because it’s small, packs well and rides close to one’s back, but if you want the waistbelt to ride on your waist for carrying heavier loads you’ll want the torso length customized for your back. The other thing I noticed is that this design has extreme potential for 2-3 day alpine routes and longer days on alpine ice routes. Having the option to carry a picket or ax externally in the mountains for a bit more internal carrying capacity made sense.

This spring I contacted Randy Rackliff, who makes Cold Cold World packs, about making me an Ozone pack with a longer torso, a floating/removable lid, a spindrift collar, and external ax loops. We discussed other options and the potential for making a similar yet slightly larger pack. The time needed to construct a new pattern for a bigger pack was prohibitively costly. When all was said and done I had also decided to have the new pack made with 500D Spectra grid fabric, which is essentially half the weight of the ballistics nylon but still durable enough for heavy use.

Close up of floating lid attachment points

I eagerly awaited the arrival of my new pack, which took only one day to ship from Jackson, New Hampshire to my home in western Massachusetts. A new Cold Cold World pack is a thing of beauty. The design is simple and the construction is flawless. There are no loose threads, no missed stitches and each fabric panel fits perfectly with all the others. Little details stand out too – the inside is yellow so that it’s not so dark while you digging for small items deep within the pack, and the haul loop and rope strap are red, which stands out and looks nice too. Even the shoulder strap length was adjusted for someone with a longer torso.

Traditional ax loops were added to the outside

I was feeling hesitant about using this beautiful lightweight bag. Really, not use it? No way. I took it out for a spin at the crag the other day and many of my feelings about the bag were confirmed. It’s the nicest pack I’ve ever owned and the timeless, no-frills design is exactly what most climbers need year-round. There’s nothing extraneous on this bag and it’s going to work equally well at the local crag and in the Cascades and Alaska on big alpine routes.

The 2” longer torso length makes the webbing hip belt ride perfectly on my waist and increases the carrying capacity of this pack enough to make it useful as more than just a crag pack. The floating lid and spindrift collar will help with this too. At the crag I can now carry more than just a single rack comfortably, without overstuffing the pack.

A side-by-side comparison shows the substantially greater potential volume of the new Ozone.

This summer I’ll be able to take the same pack on multiday guiding trips in the Cascades. A BD Firstlight, Big Agnes Aircore pad, and Mountain Hardwear Phantom 32 will all fit inside along with a small climbing kit plus a jetboil.

The best thing of all – the packs are made locally and Randy is willing to work with you to make sure you get the right setup. If you’re interested in a bag like this here are my suggestions:

• Unless you’re really counting grams, Ballistics nylon is the way to go for durability. The weight difference, when compared with most clunky modern packs, is neglible.
• Decide whether you want the pack’s hipbelt to ride above your waist (like a BD Bullet or Hollowpoint) or like a real load carrying pack, on your hips. This will determine carrying capacity and torso length.
• If the bag is a crag only pack consider omitting the spindrift collar, which can make repeated packing and unpacking challenging. I have one friend who cuts the collar out of most of his bags
• .If the bag is a crag pack, omitting the external ax loops would be fine. The tools will fit inside handily.
• The floating/removable lid is nice even if you don’t have a spindrift collar. Then while climbing with the bag the lid can be placed inside the pack, which is largely empty now that you’re carrying all of your kit on your body.

All these comments aside, I’ll probably stick with my current design even though the spindrift collar makes packing a tiny bit more challenging. At some point I’m going to get a Ballistics nylon version for hard, everyday crag use.

This bag, and many of the modifications are based largely on recommendations from Dane Burn’s fantastic blog Coldthistle. If you’re even more curious about packs head over there and have a look. He just finished writing a series of three posts about pack design and construction, components an alpine pack should(n’t) include and how to fit packs properly.

All told, this pack was $158 with shipping. That’s a steal for a versatile, well-made and durable all-around pack. Here are some useful links regarding this pack and versions of it:

• Cold Cold World
• Cold Thistle