Dear KUB - do you take me for a fool? I've got a damned degree in field biology, and have been trekking wilderness for over half century. Hundreds and hundreds of
trips. And I mean on foot, not on the internet. Don't make resort to REAL sarcasm!
I grew up in the woods, and don't think I need to download the Pocket Guide to Scatalogical Science to know how to go camping.
Thank you Drew, I've just googled it and it does look terrific, a bit on the expensive side for us here, but looks like it's worth the money.Originally Posted by Drew Wiley
In Argentina we (the non sponsored amateurs) tend to gravitate towards the locally made stuff and so far I have no complains with the clothing and the backpacks made by a couple of small local firms. They still avoid the ultra hitech stuff and stick to the heavyduty classical designs. There is a particular tent made by a local firm (Outside) I was considering for the next season but it's almost 1 kilo heavier than the Bibler.
It is very strong, a friend of mine used it on the Aconcagua last year and it survived several really strong high mountain storms. I have to check on the cost to get the Bibler shipped and taxed here.
The cameras are an issue indeed and for me, it all comes down to trade offs. At first I thought that a light, field type 4x5 camera could do the work just fine, but they tend to catch a lot of wind and become quite shaky (or at least I'm not capable to keep them steady). I think that the ideal high mountain LF setup (If there is such thing as the high mountain LF) would be a very flat box type camera with just one universal lens.
Thomas,
One thing that I do rather enjoy about lightening my load is that once you've trimmed enough weight, you can start adding back luxuries until you reach the right (for you, since it's different for every person) balance between weight and comfort.
Right now, I'm using the tarp & net tent setup shown in my blog, with a quilt and an inflatable pad. Currently, that's a Thermarest Prolite, but I have on order a Kookabay pad that's supposed to be lighter and pack smaller (http://kookabay.com/) than the Prolite. I also ordered one of their pillows
So far, it's turned out to be very comfortable. I'll find out how it deals with storms sooner or later.
I've gotten the weight of my camping gear down to around 10-12 pounds depending on how much insulation I carry, and I dehydrate my own food and carry it in freezer bags (which are both light and inexpensive). I'm going to trim some weight from the camera, but I haven't started on that yet. One easy one is to go back to my Ebony darkcloth, since it's only a couple of ounces, while the darkcloth I'm using right now is a BlackJacket that weighs close to 18 ounces.
I'm with you. Here are some that I've been eyeing for more intense use than I plan for my tarp/net tent combo:
http://www.brooks-range.com/StoreBox...et_tent_a2.htm
http://shop.bivysack.com/product.sc?...2&categoryId=4
http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com...roducts_id=105
Currently, I use llamas to pack my stuff in. I am able to stay in the back country for 28 days without replenishing. Between my llamas and I, we port in around 240 pounds of gear. I have been doing this for years now and have lots of experience to share.
When I used to pack it on my back, the best I could do for a three day trip was 74 pounds. I used a bivy bag instead of a tent and a methanol stove with a one liter pot that just barley created a hot meal for me. Every ounce of weight was scrutinized. I used an internal Dana pack that could carry 7200 cubic inches of gear. The internal pack was chosen because I could navigate in dense timber off trail easily. I do use down bags, but I will not use any with Gore-Tex in them. The Gore-Tex is placed on the outside and when it gets cold it will sweat and dampen the down bag.
Carrying 74 pounds of gear in and out plus toting a 4x5 system on my back all day at 10,000 feet above sea level was exhausting, and it had a huge impact on my yields. The most I ever carried was 84 pounds. Carry a 100 pounds was not physically possible for me nor for any of my friends. The biggest reason I switched to llamas was because they kept me fresh. When I switched to llama my yields more than doubled.
Hope, this helps...
Stephen - I find pack animals pretty restrictive, and unfortunately sold my pasture etc
anyway to concentrate on projects here. As I get older I am contemplating the option
of horse shuttles into the backcountry to base camps and hiking from there, but am
not at that point yet. I'd hate to restort to medium format, but one simply cannot stop
the aging process. Below timberline a simple tarp or tube tent can be used as an
emergency shelter, but at higher altitudes that's out of the question. The various ultralight tents are basically housewrap material which will keep water out only a few
hours, then will leak steadily. My Goretex bag is a special type of Goretex more breathable than the jacket type, so very comfortable, but not truly rainproof. Frost or dew dries right off, however, without the usual delay sunning the bag.
Rakesh - ultralight tents are being used in certain conditions by backcountry skiers.
But winter powder snow is reasonably "dry" stuff. A wetter spring snow or heavy rain
is another matter altogether. And a heavy snowload or blizzard is something else too.
A number of my friends have tried ultralights, and they're fine for a mild rain or keeping
out mosquitoes, but are guaranteed misery or danger in a serious storm. A freezing rain
with ice rime can be really bad. I'll probably pick up an ultralight for short trips in relatively predictable weather. But so far I haven't found any substitute for the special Toddtex fabric used on the Bibler. All the other singe-wall tent materials seem
to fail in protracted storms. And bivvy sacks and "coffins" won't withstand a heavy
topload, and are generally useless except for sleeping. Tried them. Bibler makes the
best bivvy too. I know the owner of Black Diamond and might even take a trip with him this Fall, and this this subject has come up. The ski pole/walking pole tent support
idea is great for saving weight, but won't survive any serious wind. You can set up a
Bibler from the inside even in a horrific storm. They've used them on the high col on
Everest. But I hope this thread continues, because finding more lightwt options is an
extremely valid topic for all us outdoor LF types.
www.kifaru.net
Enjoy.
Interesting Rakesh. I must confess I'm not a big fan of the pyramid style tents. I actually prefer the tube ones. I sent an email to the shipping agent that buys me stuff in the US and he will quote me the Bibler during the next few days.
I agree, and here comes another question. What do you guys use for communication? Lastly I find myself camping alone quite frequently and the idea of a relatively small device for communication is really tempting me. I read on some blog (I forgot which) about some pager style satellite messengers, what about them? A sat phone is too big and too expensive.
Wow, thanks for the responses guys, lots of info here. I headed over to EMS (no REI's around NYC) and talked to a few people, tried on a few bags. I think I'm settled on the Gregory Baltoro, seems to have good reviews and felt comfortable to me.
I'll probably follow the advice of an additional day pack for my camera gear, with everything in wraps or small cases.
Next up is grabbing a tent, so thanks for the insight on that as well.
-O
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