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"Nice tent." Is it made in China? North Face is modestly sized unit of VF Corp. Quote from their most recent SEC Form 10K: " Sales to VF's largest customer, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., totaled 10% of Total Revenues in 2010 and 11% in 2009 and 2008, the majority of which were in the Jeanswear Coalition."

Canister stoves have disadvantages for long-distance hitch-hiking trips in that the fuel is only available at sporting goods stores, which can be especially difficult to reach without full access to an automobile. One obvious alternative is gasoline stove, which is heavy & expensive & slightly fussy & dangerous for the mentally deranged (companions one may encounter) or those with severe hangovers. Alcohol burners are relatively safe, light, cheap and highly reliable, use readily available fuel and are perfectly good for minor forms of cooking.

Very little gear, if any, will last a lifetime, assuming a reasonable lifespan. Trangia stove definitely might.

For me, nothing beats a can of cold beans. Also, years ago, lobster guts (brown and salty spread) in a can at 35 cents each, were palatable. Don't know what this is called.....nor what it costs today, nor even if still available. In Europe, try (the pricey) Schmaltz..(refined pig fat)...in many delicious flavors

Back in my Kerouac-type travel days (with "K-Mart" pup tent) one year as usual I lugged a Primus along, but got fed up with my "cooking" & obtaining fuel, and eventually stopped using it. My diet on that particular trip switched to one or two cans of cold beans per day, plus one daily meal in a diner. Was relatively expensive. I vividly remember that while eating from a can of beans on the roadside, a "real" bum threw an empty can of beans at me.....which, come to think of it, reminds me of some of the posters encountered here. Today, if traveling but not intending to cook much, I often bring a Trangia mini kit, knowing that small quantities of fuel are easily available, if desired. This is akin to the "soda can stoves" one can read about, and is absurdly lightweight (or is that "fast & light????") essentially indestructable, foolproof & maintenance free.

"Moderate 5.12 routes"

Is simply an extraordinarily excellent 22-ounce, 1-2 person tent for $24.86, offering quite superfluous "reverse snob appeal" as side benefit. Competitive alternatives (mainly from comparable, Asian contract manufacturers) are available starting at far, far higher prices. About ten years ago, I switched almost exclusively to "tents" without floors & have owned or continue to own, four of these, with total retail "value" of perhaps $800. Generally they work but are questionable vs. mosquitos and do nothing vs. legions ants, spiders & hell-knows-what, on "forest floor" or deep grass in many regions of the world, including NE USA. Notion of throwing a fairly delicate & expensive item of equipment (the typical tent floor) into gravel & dirt, is now, to me, unacceptable. Carrying a "Floor Protector" and paying for this, to my mind, defeats basic purpose of unit and has NEVER been acceptable to me. I will continue to use various excellent floorless "Tents" for snow and off-season, but at this moment, for mild summer weather I've experienced over many years slightly above and mainly below treeline at many locations, this seems a very fine ultralight and minimalist shelter. When or IF floor wears out I'll toss it like plastic shopping bag.....F**k em.

Shopping at Wal-Mart proves I can bear the dreaded truth and face the abyssal nothingness, against the background of which Being arises.

Dear Counterfeit Fake: Have fun. Buy yourself a cheap tent to save wear on your REI special!!!

A 22-ounce tent is probably much lighter than average for the mass of trail hikers, regardless of socio-economic background. When I last bought something similar, in 1979, it cost $19.99 at regional version of "K-Mart." So in current dollars, it was MUCH more expensive back then. But not nearly as well designed and somewhat heavier.

With unusually ferocious mosquito season in my region, have put $24.86 where my mouth is & purchased a Sri Lanka-made Wenzel pup tent from Wal-Mart (free shipping). It weighs 1 pound 6 ounces without poles or stakes. It's about the same space as my $145 Integral Designs Sil Shelter, but sewn-in floor, storm door, screen door and screen window may offer advantages under certain circumstances, for the six ounces of extra pack weight. It offers about twice the space of my $185 (1991 dollars) Sierra Designs "Divine Light" tent, which was made of (supposedly) "breathable" fabric & weighs about 1.5 pounds. Unlike my NF "Starfire," I can stretch out without need to lie diagonally across the floor plan. I expect my 5'2" lady friend can be tucked in also, when necessary/available. The legions of boy scouts, etc., who typically acquire this tent mostly don't apply seam sealant, without which it would certainly leak like sieve. Coleman-brand sealant from Wal-Mart: $3. Current season should find this equipmental gem in Pennsylvania, New York, New England and the Italian Alps. (sadly neither Washington nor BC!)

I recommend small, ultralight cartriges of nitrous oxide fitted into a bicycle tire inflator....for the crux moves. Very compact and effective tool.

Golly, I didn't know that being fit was such a good idea! I always thought that carrying a lot of unnecessary weight made me go faster! This is all so insightful! Real food for thought!

I must have misread the first subhead "So what HAS changed in alpine climbing?" and author's immediate answer: "From a myopic perspective, two things: gear and attitude." And extended elaboration on this theme. I've always had trouble with basic reading comprehension. Sorry. Due to my disability, I still think it's a bit of fantasy

Premise of UK article that was linked is, that "light is right" is view that emerged in 1980s. That's hooey. Am looking at account of 1892 non-hut trip of Mummery and two companions in which total kit, including hemp rope, all camping gear etc., was 25 pounds. That's a bit more than 12 pounds per person. They were in vicinity of Mount Blanc, probably working on a first ascent.

The Mummery Tent, in some form, was used by a number of the British Everest expeditions of the 20s & 30s, by Mummery on Nanga Parbat, & in Caucasus, and by many, or perhaps nearly all, of the best English climbers from 1890s, supposedly to 1950s. Wondered if REI or Camp & Trails, etc., ever imported this item. 4x6 feet, pup tent configuration, except it had low walls. Under two pounds. Floorless. Many variations. Is open question whether a contemporary Wal-Mart pup tent offers superior performance. They are comparable in a number of respects. Borrowed "Invisible on Everest" (Parsons, Rose) regarding history of mainly British gear. Well worth a look, but didn't give good sense of what the stuff was like.

Does anybody know where one might find images, design specs, etc? I've got a book that says it was manufactured, in some form, until 1968. I don't remember it. "Until the 1950s it was virtually emblematic of high-altitude camps" according to author Mike Parsons who was, or perhaps is, head of Karrimor (English gear maker). Was designed by Mummery in late 1880s and in oiled silk weighed less than two pounds. He used it on Naga P & elsewhere.

Can't access my "CAG" volumes & am trying to remember some relatively obscure discussion, almost certainly in the footnotes, about (Becky's??) correspondence & perhaps disagreements with the U.S. Board of Geographical Names (or was it the state?) concerning features of the Cascades. Can anybody give me general account of this & perhaps volume and page numbers? Am very interested in any similar issues locally or elsewhere?

The company Web site says these tents work good in 160 MPH winds!! Wow... that's be great!! And based on the company's reputation I truly believe it!!!! Now..... the National Weather service says that in sustained winds greater than 155 MPH: "A high percentage of frame homes will be destroyed, with total roof failure and wall collapse. Extensive damage to roof covers, windows, and doors will occur...Complete collapse of many older metal buildings can occur. Most unreinforced masonry walls will fail which can lead to the collapse of the buildings." http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/sshws.shtml

G-Spotter: I've used garbage bags a fair amount for sleeping. You need 2-3 & join them with duct tape. However, you are unable to realize their actual utility, which is as vapor barrier liner, rather than as bivy sack. Given your severely limited brainpower, you'd be unable to grasp the whole VBL thing, so don't please don't trouble yourself about this. You'd almost certainly suffocate if you tried this. After using both improvised and manufactured VBLs in very wide range of circumstances, I've lost interest without drawing any conclusions. I detected no difference in utility between manufactured and improvised VBLs. Brands were "Glad" and something else.

I have an OR (non-waterproof) sack on last legs. It compresses winter insulation due to needlessly small circumference. Yet is a fairly standard dimension. Why they can't add a few inches......? Would making it 10% larger make it 10% heavier? There may or may not be a math puzzle here.

I vote for "Scrambles Amongst Alps." Wonderful.... Schteck dis on diz list 4 sure..... Mine Wahl isst Klar.... Vaat einem Great Idea Daat Vee can fur dis..vooot.... Onlee in AmerikAAA.!!!!

the wolverines are f*cked.

Cool shit. Mountaineers Press missed boat, sadly. I'll pick up a copy from Wal-Mart with my newest extraordinary High-tech Chinese dirt cheap puptent!! God Bless King Edward!! This is thread drift, but if one seeks education in history, could do worse than look up Geoffrery Winthrop Young on Wikipedia and go from there.....

I emailed the "Mountaineers" publishing arm about 7-9 years ago and suggested they publish "Mountaincraft" in facsimile edition. Young is significant figure in Brit mtnring history...& wrote major work that relates slightly to early "Freedom of Hills" editions. (see index etc. of early editions.) Is marginally viable idea for a publisher.........ought to be done. The facsimile edition..... Before books die economically speaking....... I cherish a fascimile edition of the 1918(similar era American) 1200-page "Camping and Woodcraft" by Horace Kephart......Despite damage by my dogs.........and catching on fire by candle light in various restaurants & etc......Kephart is somewhat better writer than Young.......quotes Shakespeare & etc...but is more a bullsh*tter than Young. Entertaiing & even enlightening stuff.