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Gear Boot Crampons and 'monocular' suggestions

In2h2o

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Looking to add Boot Crampons and perhaps a monocular to my set up -

Crampons - Scarpa Gea boots, not into ice climbing or 'really steep' couloirs, would be nice to have and have wanted them on more than one occasion, thinking lots of sales going on may be good time to buy.

Monocular - not sure if anybody has this in their pack? Seems like would be a good addition - always have binoculars in my car but looking for light weight sturdy monocular.

Suggestions? Thanks!
 

jmeb

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If you’re not scrambling over much rock—alu crampons can save a lot of weight.

test fit crampons to your exact boots. Fit matters and not all boots work with all crampons. For example—I bought some camps because a good deal and literally couldn’t get my toe to seat properly.

Check that the rear bail does not interfere with the walk mechanism. Happens more on ski touring boots than gets talked about—and losing range of motion sucks
 

Mothertucker

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Petzl Leopard alu, because I like snow, and my old Messner steels are hevi. ETA, I misplaced my compact binos, I won't say they are lost, yet.
 

Slim

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As far as fit on the front goes, several companies make alternate toe bails, and often times a toe bail from a different brand will also fit, so you might be able to get a better fit with some switching.
 

Jim McDonald

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Nikon 7x15 hg, compact, high quality optics
 

Slim

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@In2h2o , sounds like you should look at something light and compact, because you want it more as a just in case item and you are not sure how much you will use them, so probably don’t want to get to multiple pairs.
Weight and packabilty matters a lot for somehting like this, because if it’s big and heavy, you will be more tempted to leave it behind.

Aluminum crampons would seem to be the first choice, but check the actual weights, my old Camp full alumimium are heavier than my new Petzl Steel-Allu Hybrid.

I like the idea of hybrid crampons, my thought is that if there has been enough melt freeze to create ice, it has also some exposed rock. So, I figure, the minor weight penalty of the steel front half is total worth the piece of mind and reduced maintainance that @jmeb mentions.

I would take your boots and postal scale to a store and try some on, or order a bunch from Skimo.com or Cripplecreek.com, possibly with some spare toe bails, and try them on your boots, see which fit best front and back and what the actual weights are, then decide.
 
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jmeb

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As far as fit on the front goes, several companies make alternate toe bails, and often times a toe bail from a different brand will also fit, so you might be able to get a better fit with some switching.

This is a good point. The failure-to-fit in my instance with Camp NanoTech Semi-Autos whose front toe "bail" has fixed upright points that do not work with all boots.

In general, full automatic crampons are typically seen as superior for ski touring. But I've heard good arguments from seasoned vets that semi-autos are just as good in their experience.
 

johnnyvw

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What are you trying to look at? Magnification and weight/bulk tend to go hand in hand. If you want something small and light, and don't need a lot of magnification, you can never go wrong with Zeiss:

I have a pair of these binoculars. Still only 10 oz, the clarity is great for the price.
 
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In2h2o

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Thank you everyone for your replies, seems like I have some homework to do re: fit and weight.

@johnnyvw just using for scoping out areas while touring for decision making -
I'm used to using binoculars for checking surf and wind - just thinking would be helpful ski touring.
 

johnnyvw

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I found a review of the Zeiss. If you want something super small and light, it seems to be a good way to go (I was surprised at the size!) Magnification is low, but thats the trade-off

Zeiss MiniQuick 5x10 monocularA monocular the size of a fountain pen? Call James Bond!Objective lens size: 10mm | Magnification: 5x | Field of view: 91m | Eye relief: 16.5mm | Closest focusing: 4m | Waterproof: Yes | Fog-proof: No | Weight: 22.7g | Dimensions: 114 x 20mm


https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod.../20811/KBID/16572?SID=dcw-1294751353370094800
Small and compact
Exceptionally well built
You're paying for the size
Magnification a modest 5x
If it's a mini-moncular you're after, our pick is the MiniQuick 5x10 from leading optical specialist Carl Zeiss. This monocular not much bigger than a fountain pen, making it a truly ‘take anywhere’ device, which comes with its own handy pocket clip to prevent it from getting lost. Despite its micro proportions, the performance isn’t what you’d call unduly compromised; we still get a useful 5x magnification and a 10mm objective lens, plus 16.5mm eye relief. What’s more, it claims to be sufficiently ‘weather sealed’ to withstand water spray – although you probably don’t want to go swimming with it tucked into your trunks. At just 4.5-inches long, if you’re truly looking for an ultra lightweight pocket sized monocular, this very much fits the bill. However, if a small size isn’t your top consideration you could get more bang for your buck elsewhere.
 

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