GearFlogger

Black Diamond QuickWire quickdraws

OK, we all know we're being extorted when we buy quickdraws. You can lessen the pain by buying them in sets of 5 or 6 from some vendors. Black Diamond, purveyor of all things shiny, offers two of their draws in sets: the Quicksilver and QuickWire, with the only difference being - you guessed it - a Hotwire wiregate biner on the rope end of the QuickWire, in place of the Quicksilver bent solid gate biner on the rope end of the Quicksilver draw.

For some reason, you don't really save any money buying the QuickWire in a set. By any money, I mean enough to buy a decent beer. The QuickWires will cost you $14.95 apiece or $87.50 for a set of six, saving you a whopping $2.20, so don't feel pressured to go for the so-called Quickpack. You'll save a teeny bit more on the Quicksilver pack ($3.75: see, I told you it was teeny, why did you make me show you?) but lesson learned: it pays to do the math on the draws.

Spleen vented, the QuickWire is a solid draw, weighing in a 3.5oz with a 12cm Dynex dogbone. An 18cm length is also available at the same price, and honestly I wish I had gone with those for easier clipping (less far to lift the rope) and less rope drag. The 10mm wide webbing is a little narrow for the type of repeated grabbing you might engage in (self abuse!) on a sport route, but for alpine routes and other situations where every ounce counts it's a solid design choice, especially with the lightweight and non-water-retaining properties of Dynex. You're not necessarily saving a lot of weight with the wiregate, just a few grams per draw, but it will resist icing and minimize gate lash.

Performance is great, with easy clipping and smooth, consistent action. BD makes a lot of other draws that aren't sold in packs and if you're set on buying the Diamond you may want to carefully compare your options. For example, the Hotwire draw (remember, don't get confused between the biner and the draw that have the same name) is the same as the QuickWire except that the bolt-clipping end has a Positron biner, which has the advantage of a keylock design for snag-free clipping and un-clipping. If you anticipate grabbing the draw a lot, stop sport climbing. Failing that, there's the much cheaper Freewire or the divorce-settlement-priced LiveWire. Choose your poison wisely.

$14.95 for one draw or $87.50 for a six-pack at REI

Sierra Designs Jive jacket

Sierra Designs has decided that carbon based life forms deserve carbon based clothing. They've partnered with Cocona to produce what you could call either a hard soft shell or a soft hard shell, depending on how you see your glass. The very wearable Jive jacket uses Cocona's xCellerator fabric, which is derived from coconut husks and has a very soft hand while providing highly breathable waterproof protection.

The lightweight (one pound) Jive makes all the right moves. The reach-across chest pockets don't interfere with your pack's waist belt, and they have mesh backing so they partner effectively with the pit zips to vent your next-to-skin nastiness outside to where your partner can enjoy it. The pit zips start just below the pit and extend to the elbow; at first we were worried that wasn't sufficient venting but it seems to work just fine, probably because the fabric itself breathes so well. Also, pack straps usually get in the way of pit zips that go farther down the torso so the design makes sense.

The hood is helmet compatible, although wearing a helmet does cause the hood opening to ride up over your chin, especially with larger volume helmets like the Petzl Meteor III. Oddly enough we liked that just fine, and the hood is articulated enough that it provides excellent visibility side-to-side. We're very particular about hood design around here, and we really liked the lay-flat design of the Jive's hood, and the fact that the fairly trim opening kept the elements out even while open.

The microfleece zipper guard rests comfortably against your chin, and the rip-and-stick cuffs, hem and hood drawstrings provide ample adjustments. There is a left bicep pocket that is just tad too deep as items fall around your elbow, and an inside left zipped pocket on the chest. Performance is great; light rain sheds quickly and heavy downpours stay outside thanks to the waterproof zippers and fully taped seams. Breathability is good while buttoned up and great when fully vented. There's minimal clamminess if (when) you overheat, nothing that a light wicking layer - which you're wearing anyway, right? - can't easily handle. Built for backpacking, Sierra Designs bills the Jive as a 3-season jacket. We think they're selling an excellent jacket short, and there's nothing to prevent it from doing winter alpine duty as well.

$279.00 at Sierra Designs

Freestyle Killer Shark watch

Another surf-inspired watch design from Freestyle, the Killer Shark is available in a full rainbow of high-gloss colors including the ever-popular Walt-Disney-threw-up-on-me Rasta. The white color is unusual in a watch, and very appreciated for the fact that it will be living under a tropical sun and will stay cool. Plus it matches our gangsta spats.

Apart from the colors, the Killer Shark is a pretty standard watch design circa 1980s Casio-style: digital quartz movement, chronograph, stopwatch, dual time/alarms, pre-set timer and calendar. The sports pedigree kicks in with 100m water-resistance, Night Vision which turns the digits a cool blue, and Hydro Pusher buttons that can be operated underwater.

If you're looking for a cool, inexpensive watch to go with your retro Members Only jacket (you know it's still in the back of your closet, freak!) the Killer Shark is big on your wrist and will survive all the surf and sand you can throw at it.

$60.00 at Amazon

Jansport Salish backpack

Ever since Jansport hooked up with Ed Viesturs a few years back they've produced some really nice packs like the Ascent 52 and the Tahoma. On the quirkier side comes the Salish, a 3.5lb crossover pack that makes some odd design choices.

We call it a crossover pack because although it's light and relatively small - about 2,400ci or 35L - it has a floating lid with two zippered pockets and external attachment points including side compression straps and a funky three-point bottom webbing arrangement that let you get all crazy with your load. The foam framesheet is nonremovable and doesn't provide any support, although it does protect your back from the pack contents. The molded hip belt is actually fairly beefy, and includes a small elastic mesh pocket (the manufacturer product web site says they're zippered but they're not) on each side. Together these features seem a bit confused about what kind of pack they're supposed to add up to. A beefier frame would have made more sense.

The giant mesh pockets on each side are... different. You can leave the whole enchilada open, in which case your enchilada will likely end up on the trail because the pocket is not very deep. Or you can hook it along the opening, which is supposed to make it into two smaller pockets but really just makes it even more difficult to use. There's a shock cord that's supposed to cinch the opening closed but it too doesn't work very well.

The two front pockets are much more useful, with big glove-friendly stay-open zipper pulls and enough space for normal clothing items like shell jackets and pants. There's a hydration pocket that inexplicably zips open along one side (it's open at the top already), ice axe loops (WTF?) and adjustable sternum strap. Overall the pack actually carries well with twenty pounds or so, but the strange combination of features means this platypus of a pack doesn't compete well with any other packs in its class and at its price point.

$89.39 (on sale from $119.95) at Altrec