Reviews - May 2009

You may not have heard of Wegner, but as the company that makes the Swiss Army Knifes, you quite probably have one of their products. These days they’ve branched out into backpacks and this – the Rival – is just one of the range of computer carriers now available. But is it any good?

Well, the first thing that strikes you on picking up this pack is that it is very well made… and correspondingly heavy. However, I spent some time using it as my primary computer bag and discovered that it offered a high level of protection for my laptop, plus excellent organization with it’s many pockets. It was also big enough to take books, documents and a change of clothes for an overnight trip, which was great. It fits all but the bulkiest 15"/15.4" notebooks and complies with most airline restrictions for hand luggage, all of which makes it a reasonable choice for business travellers.
On the downside, though, there are a few aspects which drove me nuts, the main one being unnecessary gimmicks and design quirks – shock absorbing shoulder straps for example (?!) – which make it heavy and fussy. It also felt bulky on the back when full, and the total absence of a waist belt left my shoulders trashed in no time at all.

Overall, this is a very well made bag for the price which falls down on its over-design. Simplify it, slap on a waist belt, take away some of that heavy and unnecessary rubber and you’d have a great computer rucksack.

Reviewed by Ben Winston on behalf of planetFear
 

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5.10 make the best rubber. After 17 years of climbing, in some 40 different makes and models of shoe, it’s the conclusion I’ve come to.

The Anasazi V1 (previously called the Anasazi Velcro) is possibly my favourite shoe of all time. Top-notch Stealth Onyxx rubber and a slingshot heel rand that works miles, miles better than the previous models make for a shoe that, to my mind, can’t be beaten. They don’t stretch much, meaning that you can buy just half a size under your normal shoe size and not have to cripple yourself. The pull loops are chunky enough to use with ease and are off-set, one on the back and one on the side (a bug bear of mine is when the loops are both on the sides, and when you need two hands to use them). I can honestly say that my climbing has improved a grade with these shoes!

After all the plaudits above I do have two gripes. Firstly that my feet sweat inside them. I don’t recall this happening in the Velcros and have had to invest in a thin sock to act as a liner (on the recommendation of a friend who has suffered the same frustration in other shoes). The sweat allows my feet to move inside the shoe a little, meaning a distinct loss in sensitivity. The addition of the sock has fixed this. Secondly a tiny nick has appeared in the rubber join on the toe of one of the shoes. This happened rather early on and has not grown. In fairness this has happened in most climbing shoes I’ve worn over the years.

Here’s some blurb from the 5.10 website.

The VCS and Lace-Up Anasazis are the top selling performance shoes in Europe. The VCS offers more sensitivity for pulling on holds on steep rock--a powerful tool for extreme sport climbing.
Lined Cowdura synthetic upper
- Stealth® ONYXX™ soles
- Side exit heel seam
- Dual pull-on loops
- Asym™ toe
- Slingshot rand
- VELCRO® Brand Closure
- Padded split tongue

Designer: Charles Cole

Concept:
Highest-end performance shoe for sport climbing and hard bouldering

Development:
Although the Anasazi V1 (formerly known as the Anasazi Velcro) led the high-performance shoe category for years, new technology has allowed us to make it better. The V2's have new Stealth® Onyxx™ rubber, with 25percent more friction and twice the durability of other rubbers. They also have our new Happy Fingers heel, with more comfort and security than ever. Test team includes Evo, Jibe, Chris Miller, Mario Lacedelli, Michi Weiser and Noah Bigwood.

Reviewed by Matt Heason on behalf of planetFear
 

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