Gear Review

Gregory Crampon Case

As you get to be on more intimate terms with your crampons, you'll soon learn that they require special...shall we say...accommodations.

Carelessly toss a pair of steel crampons inside your pack, and you'll be lucky if anything comes out alive. The steel tips of your crampons can quickly shred all that critical nylon: your expensive Gore-tex shell, your tent, your sleeping bag—not to mention your tender human flesh.

Enter Gregory's plastic-reinforced crampon case, which features a bungee cord to securely keep your crampons—and their teeth—away from your delicates.

You'll still want to store crampons point-to-point, of course, but this case is sturdy enough to prevent any stray edges from causing trouble.

On the downside (there's always a downside), the case is heavy, adding about 8 ounces to your load, which may lead you to try the rubber-caps variety of protection instead.

Or, if you're feeling really stingy, get rid of your steel points entirely by switching over to a light-alloy crampon, like the stubai ultralight universal, and (gasp) forego any protection whatsoever.

» back to miscellaneous gear