GearFlogger

Black Diamond VaporLock carabiner

VaporLock sounds like something you get at 2am after trying to cure a night of heavy drinking with a triple bacon guacamole pepperjack greaseburger from Yak-in-the-Box. Nope, it's just more shiny-shiny from Black Diamond, in this case a smallish screwlock pearabiner.

BD claims their urine-colored VaporLock is "the lightest, full-function pear locker on the planet" at 51 grams. Evidently they haven't seen DMM's Sentinel at 48 grams, but whatever. BD also claims the VaporLock increases friction "up to 30%" when used with an ATC. How is that possible without the ribbing that increases pleasure? Maybe their marketing folks are commissioned by the feature, I don't know.

What I do know is that it is a keylock design, and while they recommend sticking to 9.4mm ropes or smaller for Munter hitching I tried it on a 10mm and it seemed to work just fine. There are a lot of applications where you don't need a monster crew-served 'biner, especially if you're not doing rescue work, and despite the hype the Vaporlock is ultralight and nicely sized for general climbing use.

$13.95 at REI

Mountain Hardwear Compressor Bootie

Ahh, camp booties, friends to weary and barking dogs everywhere! You know you're done - with the expedition or at least the day - when you can slip into something a little more comfortable than climbing boots.

Mountain Hardwear's Compressor booties are a good choice for around-camp wear. Like all camp booties the fit is a bit sloppy, but the reward is air circulation around your tired feet. Also, not having to put on real boots when you answer the call of nature, or just to keep your little pigs toasty around the cabin.

The Compressors have MH's Thermic Micro synthetic insulation in a healthy dose, and cuff and ankle drawcords trim up the fit a bit. An elastic gaiter helps in deep snow if you need to hit the outhouse or grab firewood, but don't spend too long out there as dampness will penetrate, even if it won't compromise the synthetic insulation much.

At 12oz for a medium pair they're not weightless, but it's the price of comfort. The EVA sole provides soem insulation from cold surfaces, and nonslip dots provide a degree of traction. Idea: It would be nice if they were constructed in two parts with a removable insulated sock for sleeping bag use.

$64.95 at Altrec

The American Alpine Journal 2010

Looking for a little New Year's inspiration? Look no farther than the annual American Alpine Journal: The World's Most Significant Climbs. Almost 400 pages of climbing porn (Dear AAJ: I never thought this would happen to me...) chock full of photos, mostly black and white, some color, all amazing.

Fully indexed, the AAJ contains eleven in-depth trip reports up front and a glorious 270 pages of shorter descriptions of climbs and expeditions around the world, divided into geographical chapters. Featured in 2010 are climbs by Joe Puryear, victim of a tragic recent accident, Marko Prezelj, Jack Tackle and others.

Section reports from seven of sixteen sections are included, plus book reviews (Ed Viesturs, Royal Robbins, Steve House, John Long, et al) and a memorial section that includes the names of legendary climbers. Some names, like Riccardo Cassin (1909-2009), you somehow expect to see. Too many more names take us by surprise, even having read of their deaths last year. AAJ reminds us of both the soaring beauty and the tragic price of the big mountains.

$25.55 at Amazon

ClimbTech Removable Anchor

There are some very creative people working at ClimbTech. They are possibly crazy as well. Who else would invent a removable bolt? And yet... there may be method to their madness.

The ClimbTech RB removable anchor is removable rock pro based on a clever adaptation of the sliding wedge principle, kind of like a Lowe Ball but with the two sides of a split cylinder over a tapered core. It fits in a half inch bolt hole, although there appear to be 3/4" and one inch sizes available as well if you can find them.

They couldn't be simpler to operate; find a debris free hole of appropriate size, retract the spoons, stick it and clip it. Does it work? That's where we come back to the crazy part. Just check out this high definition video of ClimbTech co-founder Karl Guthrie taking a fifty foot whipper on a removable bolt. 'Nuff said.

$54.95 at ClimbTech

Arc'Teryx Scarabee women's pant

OK, here's the thing: we love Arc'Teryx for their fit and quality while cringing at the price. Only you can decide if the tradeoff is worth it, and we understand if you're looking to score a deal on discontinued items. If you're a skier or boarder looking at the Scarabee pant here's what you need to know.

The Scarabee is designed to go down, like... like... well, let's just leave that one alone. The outside of the pant is Gore-tex Soft Shell, a bomber waterproof breathable soft shell that's really more of a half soft, half hard material. It's a nice combination, and it'll last forever unless you do something truly terrible. Fit is relaxed, not as trim as a lot of Arc'Teryx clothing, so keep that in mind. It's got a RECCO avalanche reflector, so if you regularly go out of bounds at resorts that have the detection gear that might matter to you.

There's an instep patch for crampon protection and boot rubbing, two thigh pockets with waterproof zippers and flaps, a zipper fly with snap and a removable waist belt with a nice flat buckle as well as redundant belt loops should you choose to add your own. Built in rubber-lined grippy gaiters with lace hooks keep the pow outside where it belongs. A fleece lining means you can wear it next-to-skin without any clammy action. The pattern even has a built-in forward lean.

For some reason descriptions of this pant sometimes say it has thigh vents, but it doesn't. Otherwise, it's a solid pant at a discount and will give many years of service.

$279.27 at Backcountry

REI Heavyweight Polartec Power Dry women's long underwear bottoms

Getting the right next-to-skin layer is the first, and maybe the most important, step before going out into the cold, cruel world. The higher output your activity, the more important it becomes. What if your chosen winter pursuits are both cold and aerobic? The answer is Polartec Power Dry.

REI's heavyweight long underwear has been redesigned with PPD, and the material is two-faced in a good way; the micro grid inner wicks efficiently and the smooth outer lessens energy-sapping friction with additional layers.

The heavyweight women's bottoms are snug and stretchy, with flat seams everywhere for maximum comfort. They are thick enough to provide ample insulation, thicker even than the men's equivalent. The only catch is the narrow waistband, which is so thin that even the flat seam there feels like it sticks out a bit. If that doesn't bother you, they'll keep you warm and dry in the cold, and the look is sufficiently conservative that you could wear them as an outer layer if you really feel the need to vent.

$39.50 at REI

Columbia Mountain Guard hat

Problems keeping your brain housing group heated? What you need is a space blanket for your head. Columbia has your noggin covered with their new Omni Heat technology, built into the Mountain Guard hat.

Omni Heat uses space blanket style dots to reflect heat back to your body while allowing moisture to escape between the dots. The claim is 20% more warmth, and while we can't vouch for the exact amount the Mountain Guard hat sure does the job.

Omni Heat is just part of the story here. The thick hat is half acrylic half wool, and the ear flaps are perfectly sized for full coverage of your luscious lobes. Don't need them? Button them up and out of the way. The interior is a soft fleece and the overall feeling is plush. The Mountain Guard hat is warm and well-designed, not to mention pretty cool looking.

$49.95 at Altrec

Honey Stinger energy snacks

Energy bars have come a long way, baby. I still have fond memories of nursing a sore jaw for a week after gnawing on a frozen old-school bar back in the day. Seriously, I thought I'd never spray again.

Honey Stinger energy bars, gels and chews will definitely require a little extra will power on your part not only eat them when you're actually hungry. They taste mmm-good. The carbo bars have a bit of a crunch to them; the Rocket Chocolate being especially tasty. The carbs are about 28g total with 18g simple sugars. The protein bars are also great, with about 10g per.

The gel is gel, I haven't found one yet that tempts me outside of life threatening situations. On the other hand, the chews are very de-lish, basically little gummy things with some potassium, sodium and Vitamin C thrown in. All in all a great assortment of flavors, all of them good to great, and very little danger of lockjaw even when cold.

$Various prices at REI

Craft Zero Extreme Windstopper Skull hat

It's beanie madness! The Swedish chefs at Craft hooks us up with nothing less than a Windstopper skull cap, or if you're Swedish, the Skall. Or maybe it's skoal. Alright, let's not assume anything.

The Skull hat weighs basically nothing, and the Windstopper panel protects the front of your noggin from the slipstream, preventing the dreaded brain freeze. Flat seams mean no chafing, and the close fit wicks well and fits easily under a helmet.

The Skull is a nice piece, but beware that it fits small. A normal size head will probably take a large, and even then it's definitely a beanie, i.e. no ear protection. We'd love to see a version with ear flaps, but if you're looking for a minimalist skull cap give the Skull a try.

$31.95 at Running Warehouse

Brunton Eterna 10X25 compact binoculars

Brunton makes gear all along the full spectrum of price points, but we have a soft spot for what we think of as their "bang for the buck" gear; gear where you get a lot for your hard-earned money. Their Eterna series of optics exemplify this value, providing good quality and features for a reasonable price.

The Eterna 10x25 compact binocular is waterproof and armored. It's a weighty unit, just over a pound with the included neoprene lens covers and strap. The strap is wide and comfortable. There are snaps to snap the lens covers to, but that doesn't work out so well in practice because the strap is threaded through the covers so they just hang there when you remove them. It is nice having the thick neoprene there to add a bit of extra shockproofing for us sausage fingered types.

The 10x power is about as much as you want in a smaller unit like this, delivering a 260 foot field of view at 1,000 yards. Eye relief is 17mm, exit pupil 2.5mm. The Bak-4 prism and multi-coated glass provides a sharp picture, and the unit is brighter than you would think from a 25mm objective. Flip up eye cups accomodate eyeglasses, and focus is fast and accurate. If you're looking to spend a little less for a little more, check out the Eterna binos.

$195.14 at Backcountry