Gregory’s Alpinisto 25 and 50L packs shine in their functional versatility, carrying comfort, and their balance of light weight with durability. Over six months, IFMGA Mountain Guide Mike Lewis tested these packs throughout Colorado, in North Carolina, and on a six-week trip to Canada.
YETI sent us a duffle, gear case, water bottle and cooler to see what we thought. IFMGA Mountain Guide Mike Lewis tested these items through the winter and early spring including a six-week ski trip to Canada, mountain bike day trips, Flatirons scrambles, day hikes, and cragging days. He can summarize his experience with the items in a few elegant words: “Bomber as F$&K.”
PrimaLoft’s Gold, Silver and Black insulations are made with sustainability in mind and are durable, have high warmth-to-weight ratios and remain warm when wet. IFMGA Mountain Guide Mike Lewis tested four items using PrimaLoft insulation made by Helly Hansen, Millet, Fjällräven and Flylow.
Mammut’s Eiger Nordwand Pro SO Hooded Jacket and Pants are very well-made with intention toward functionality, durability, mobility and multitasking, and even a little, or maybe a lot, bling. IFMGA Mountain Guide Mike Lewis tested these mountain crushers throughout the Rockies of Canada, Colorado, Wyoming and Utah.
MSRP: $149-165 (depending on color) Onboarding to new fashions and tech trends takes me a hot minute, or several years to be honest, but eventually… Read More »The La Sportiva Machina Tech Pants: Low Profile Adjusting in a Skinny Softshell
![Mike Lewis wears the Phantom Down Parka on a cold day of ice climbing in the Colorado backcountry last winter. [Photo] Yaroslav Lototskyy](https://alpinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/xmountain-hardwear-phantom-parka-1-1-900x620.jpg.pagespeed.ic.tBxcbwLcXp.jpg)
Mountain Standards Gear Review: IFMGA/AMGA guide Mike Lewis has been using the Mountain Hardwear Phantom Down Parka for several months. He writes: “Its 800 fill down is really warm, making it a good choice for the 6000-meter objectives such as Denali, Aconcagua, Ama Dablam, Cotopaxi, Elbrus–basically, anything that is not an 8000-meter monster…. It appears that few products compare to the Mountain Hardwear Phantom Down Parka in terms of its warmth-to-weight ratio at 619 grams (20 oz.)” Five stars.
![The Dragon Alliance PXV2 Snow Goggles shed fog as the author wears a nose and mouth covering to comply with COVID-19 protocols this past winter at Loveland Ski Area, Colorado. [Photo] Catherine Houston](https://alpinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/xdragon-alliance-pxv2-goggles-1-1-930x620.jpg.pagespeed.ic.XwdcqF4nfi.jpg)
Mountain Standards Gear Review: IFMGA/AMGA guide Mike Lewis has been using the Dragon Alliance PXV2 snow goggles this past winter. The goggles come with two fog- and scratch-resistant lenses, and feature a Swiftlock changing system that allowed him to swap out the lenses with gloved hands on a ski lift. He writes: “My suggested ideal uses for the Dragon PXV2 goggles include downhill resort skiing, heli and cat skiing, backcountry skiing, high altitude mountaineering and polar exploration.” Five stars.
![Mike Lewis stacks the Trango Agility on a rope tarp in Clear Creek Canyon, Colorado; the red rope ends are clearly distinguished from the rest of the rope. [Photo] Mike Lewis](https://alpinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/trango-agility-rope-1-1-900x620.jpg)
Mountain Standards Gear Review: IFMGA/AMGA Mountain Guide Mike Lewis has been appreciating the Trango Agility 9.1mm rope for its handling and added safety feature of prominent red markings on each end of the line. He writes: “I believe the red ends will likely become a standard in rope design and manufacturing, and…the tight ‘Spider Wear’ construction allows [the Agility] to run through a device as smooth or smoother than any rope I’ve ever used.” Five stars.
![The author slides the pinky rest up the shaft and rest steps up snow to approach the next pitch of ice. [Photo] Yaroslav Lototskyy](https://alpinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/blue-ice-akila-ice-axe-3-1-930x620.jpg)
Mountain Standards Gear Review: IFMGA/AMGA mountain guide Mike Lewis has been using the Blue Ice Akila ice axes for a variety of missions. He writes: “The Akilas kick butt for skiing and light and fast technical mountaineering because they are light, have technical picks and curved shafts (so knuckles don’t slam into ice when ice climbing), and are short and can fit either on the back of a small pack, or even in it. Whip them off the pack for some low-angled ice or even a steep bulge, and then plunge them in 50-degree snow to top out a major mountaineering objective. An effortlessly slidable plastic pinky rest makes for easy gripping on technical ice, yet can be moved out of the way, further up the shaft or completely off the axe, when sinking into deep snow.” Five stars.
![The author using the Trango Vergo to rappel down into the Zen Wall near St. George, Utah. [Photo] Catherine Houston](https://alpinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/trango-vergo-2-1-930x620.jpg)
Mountain Standards Gear Review: IFMGA/AMGA Mountain Guide Mike Lewis announces that the Trango Vergo has replaced the Petzl Grigri in his kit, awarding the Trango Vergo five stars. He writes: “Having been a die-hard fan of the…Grigri for more than 20 years, I now proclaim that after less than three months of using the Trango Vergo assisted braking belay and rappel device, I am officially a Vergo convert. A light sadness trickles through my body in making this bold statement.”
![The author takes a snack break off trail in the Indian Peaks Wilderness, Colorado, while wearing the Dragon Alliance Flash LL Ions. [Photo] Catherine Houston](https://alpinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/dragon-flash-ll-ion-sunglasses-1-1-930x620.jpg)
As an IFMGA/AMGA guide, Mike Lewis spends a lot of time in the mountains in all conditions, rain, snow or shine, and he appreciates the value of quality eyewear, especially after LASIK surgery that left his eyes more sensitive to the elements. He’s been using the Dragon Alliance Flash LL Ion Sunglasses that feature Dragon’s Lumalens technology and eco-friendly manufacturing. Lewis points out that the big, flashy style of the shades might not be for everyone, but the quality is all there. Five stars.
![Mike Lewis holds the Nemo Chogori 3-person Mountaineering tent in its compression stuff sack. [Photo] Chris Wood](https://alpinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/nemo-chogori-tent-1-1-930x620.jpg)
Mike Lewis finds that the three-person Nemo Chogori Mountaineering tent provides a good in-between option between lightweight tents and expedition tents. The former don’t fare as well against the harsh conditions typically found high on a mountain, and the latter are too bulky and heavy to be ideal for fast-and-light missions. The Nemo Chogori filled the niche for Lewis, who awards it four stars.
