1. The North Face S4K Boots
I have thought of getting a new pair of high quality hiking boots, The Zamberlans that i took to Everest base camp are great in comfort and quality but are rather heavy so i had a long look around and the 2 that caught my eye were the La Sportiva Tranga and The North Face S4K, We do have a pair in store although not my size and i had a trip down to REI to check out the La Sportiva, Now REI did not have the exact model i was looking for but i had a play with the model in store, First thing i noticed were on that model the sole whilst stiff was not as stiff as the S4K which is close to solid, I also thought the build quality was better on the S4K but the model i had in hand was the cheaper version of Tranga so maybe that had something to do with it, I decided to stay brand loyal and get the North Face S4K, I am normally a 11.5 without my custom insert and a 12 with the insert, The North Face does not seem consistent with sizing so i went up to a 12.5 and glad i did as they fit perfectly, In hand you can feel the quality, A sold boot with super ridged sole, Run your finger and thumb between the ankle section to find a very padded section soft to the touch, The ankle grips well and the toe box is big, The stiff sole allows for semi crampon compatibility, I will say that for 90% of hikers these boots are too much and are designed for trekking/climbing the Alp/Himalayas and not your usual trails, Even the soles are extremely stiff i was surprised when i took my first steps to feel a spring forward and not the moon boots walk, Although i feel some breaking in will help they are instantly comfortable, Spring has sprung here in NC and the weather is normally 60-70 so too warm for these boots but i did take them on a 11 mile hike and swapped them out at the 8 mile marker as my feet were getting hot, The style of the boot is very eye catching and i personally love the look, There is a neoprene sock at the top of boot which help keep out any debris from entering your boot, At $350 they are certainly not cheap and have plenty of competition from the likes of La Sportiva and Scarpa amoungst others but i feel The North Face has pulled out all the stops here and if they can make a 'lite' version they will take by storm the $250 market-lets hope
2. The North Face Verto S6K Extreme
This is one i have deliberated over for many months, My summit boots, I did actually get a pair of La Sportiva G2 SM a few months ago and returned them for the next size up which seem like hens teeth and almost impossible to get, I did manage to get a good look at them and wore them around the house for a while, The look fab, really nice and felt very well made, Nothing not to like and have had great reviews, Working for NF again gave me a chance to look at their new gear and they have recently released a new 6000m and 8000m boot, Reviews have been slow coming out but they have started and all seem very positive with one preferring the 6000m S6K Extreme over the G2 SM, I read a review by fellow Brit Tom Richardson here and reached out to Tom who quickly responded to my e mail and questions. It seems the boots were designed by NF UK and are hand made in Italy and he helped with testing the prototypes on no less that Mera peak, What are the chances of that? Anyways i decided to once again fly the flag and at the same time as ordering the S4k above i ordered the S6K Extreme in a size 12.5 as above, Well they arrived and i tried them on with my summit socks but no custom insert and could not believe how tight they were, I mentioned the inconsistency in sizing above, I took the thick summit sock off and put an ordinary pair on and they fitted although snug but enough to get the feel, First impressions are extremely good, This are a 2 boot system like the La Sportiva G2 SM, Now the G2 SM has a neoprene inner boot where as the NF S6K Extreme has a very nicely made boot with 200grm of Primaloft, These feel very nice and have a different color lace for each foot so no getting it wrong when getting dressed in the middle of the night for the summit attempt, I shipped these back to NF and so far has taken over 2 weeks which is not good but they should arrive on Wednesday and now the size 13-yes 13 is out of stock so more waiting, Styling wise i love the look and color of the La Sportiva but everything else goes the NF way, Lets hope they get back in stock soon and i can finish my first impression review and get to break them in somewhere
3. Grivel G12 Crampons
Reading the review by Tom Richardson on the S6K Extreme boots he mentioned that he uses Grivel G12 crampons, Ian Taylor also recommended them so i am now the proud owner of these spikey terrors, Just need the boots to arrive to try them, Playing with them they seem well made and easy to adjust
4. Therma Rest Luxury Map Sleeping Pad
Sleeping on ice means 1 thing and that is to have a good sleeping pad with a high R value to keep you insulated against the cold, I asked Ian Taylor who is running the trip what he suggested and he came back with the Therma Rest Luxury Map sleeping pad, I ordered the Large size from Campsaver and within a couple of days it arrived, Its bigger and heavier than i expected especially compared to my Big Agnes sleeping pad but as it self inflating it will life easier at altitude, At 3 inches thick and with a very high R value it should work great and just by laying on it you can tell a good nights sleep is on the cards, One of the things i hate about the lighter pads is the noise, I move around a lot at night and the light pads are very noisy like rolling around on a bag of potato chips- Not this bag
I will be testing it out over the next few weeks as the camp sites come open-Cant wait
5. Black Diamond Vapor Helmet
My choice in helmet was between Black Diamond and Petzl, Both are great and really come down to fit and style and Black Diamond worked for me, I chose their lightest helmet which is the Vapor but in truth their Vector would have done just as good but preferred the colors in the Vapor, Its extremely light and has a good ratchet tightening system and is very comfortable, Once again Campsaver got my business
Yes i know i look a tit but if it saves my noodle i dont care
6. The North Face Duffel
I have a North Face duffel bag in a size XL which is now 7 years old, Its been everywhere from Japan in the winter to Mount Everest base camp and everywhere in between, Its kinda big for most uses so i grabbed a 95 ltr Medium, As always with me its in Yellow, I like the lighter colors as you can see it when it comes through customs and i can write my name etc on it in big letters with a sharpy so nobody will steal it, They are bombproof and will last for ever
I still have some wants and over the next few weeks will get the balance of what i need or want, One thing is the new and latest Summit Series Cobra 52 backpack which has been out of stock for a while and has just come back into stock
Until next time
Dave
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