Dr_Crash

Micro Puff (2.6 oz Polarguard Delta) 16 oz EP Belay Jacket (6 oz primaloft) 28 oz Ok, 3/4 pound apart. (If comparing with the DAS jacket, only 1 oz apart.) drC

Re: the comparison I didn't ask about the 1.4 oz of weight I asked about warmth. The garments then are nearly a pound apart. drC

I am not worried. I am looking at Wild Things gear and Patagonia. Patagonia puts more Polarguard Delta in their Micro Puff garments than Wild Things puts Primaloft in their EP jacket / pants, for the same total weight or less. Their DAS parka also has about the same amount (5.3 oz / 4 oz in sleeves) of insulation that the Wild Things belay jacket has. I am trying to figure out how to compare them and which one would be best. Both brands are very reputable. Any opinion, NOLSe? drC

Rainier for example. The belay jacket would be for stops, and it definitely gets down to 25 at night. I might also get that when backcountry skiing, in case I need to do an unplanned bivy. Patagonia's micro puff pants look warmer and lighter than the Wild Things EP Pants but still are an extra 14 oz. Argh. Any idea how the 6 oz of Primaloft compare to 2.6 oz of Polarguard Delta (what the Patagonia Micro Puff is made of)? drC

Pants on snow would be REI One heavyweight (to be replaced by some Mammut Champ, not as insulated I think), on rock some Arc'teryx Shaska pants. I don't think I would sleep w/o insulation, mostly against the wind. Brrrrr. drC

Web site for Nunatuk? Why did you choose this combo (looks like you have it) instead of say something like the alternative I am considering? How "liberal" is the 20 rating in your opinion? If I go for something like that my other layers will be merino bottom / capilene top and a Marmot driclime wind jacket. drC

I've read that Polarguard provides more warmth for the weight and more longevity (if using the continuous fibers version). Informed opinions? YA

I am thinking of dropping my 23 degrees synthetic bag in favor of a combination EP Half Bag / Belay Jacket. Wild Things says the combination would be rated at about 20-25. Total weight would be 52 oz (24 oz for the bag and 28 oz for the jacket). I do not know about how much room it would take in a pack and have asked them. Has anybody used that bag in real life? Comments? Another possibility would be a sub-kilo 20 bag (34 oz) and a Patagonia micro puff Polarguard jacket (16 oz) for a tad less weight (50 oz total) and more warmth (since I'll want to carry a jacket anyway), without the water resistance advantage of synthetic for the bag. What would you guys with experience think would fly better for the Cascades? Do not put price in the equation. Thanks, YA

How would you compare the Quark to the Aztar (a bit lighter, less clearance, and fixed adze/hammer) as far as an all-purpose tool for alpine and waterfall? drC

I would recommend against getting the Pieps DSP advanced. My only reason is the temptation to get the thing out to play with the compass / altitude. The extra $75 they're asking is close enough to get you a separate dedicated instrument that will ensure that your beacon will be where it should be at all times: next to your skin or skin layer. drC

I love my Barryvox. Very small, lightweight, excellent harness. I love the customization, and the fact that I can train with both analog and digital modes; this way when someone who never used a beacon shows up with a rental F1, I can get the F1 and give them my Barryvox to find me I'll give them my big metal shovel and take their Lexan crappy one too I am shopping for a second beacon. I was going to buy another Barryvox, but will get a Pieps I think. The price difference is not that much, and if you've practiced looking for multiple victims, you'll see where the Pieps has a great advantage. If you have practiced digging somebody out, you'll also appreciate the time that can be saved just flagging a found victim and moving on. Its disadvantage is the narrower reception band which may not help find older beacons with a deviating emission frequency... (I am over the ghost issue after speaking to folks at Liberty Mountain.) I've used Trackers too and they're great, very simple to use and idiotproof, and have more range than Barryvox in digital mode. They're very bulky comparatively. drC

Anybody has experience to share? I am looking to replace my REI One pants, and the Mammut seems to have the features I want. I am looking at the Champ and the Castor (and I am looking online...) Bentgate claims here (http://store.bentgate.com/caspanbymam.html) that the Castor is waterproof but Mammut's Web site lists both the Champ and the Castor as being made of Scholler Dryskin Extreme. Any idea? Thanks! drC (My son wants me to add this to my post: - Here you go, darling.)

My right big toe is still numb months after a really cold day on Rainier... Not frostbite; doctors have no idea except maybe some nerve damage. Hmmm... drC

So, for the curious... Would you post the jpg of the Valdez pack redlined with your changes? (And a link to the original's Web site)? TIA! drC

60-75 pics a day is good; add a dozen or 15 more w/ the 32 Mb card that came with the camera. I am there to climb, not shoot And I could drop to 3 MP, I am not even sure why I have settled on 5 MP (oh wait, it's because it's less wasteful than the 7.1 MP ) drC

Yes dear, those are the ones I mention in my original post (down to -13 F). 1. Look at the debit that Nx (as in 40x or 80x) gives you, or read the card's spec (find that info on Sandisk or Lexar sites). 2. Get a good review of your camera to see what debit you need (see dpreview.com and others); some cameras, for example the Canon A95, do not benefit from an accelerated card. 3. Once you know what you need, shop for price. eCost.com which generally has good price, or one of the many price comparisons networks will get you there. I solved my 1 Gb problem for now by getting a Kingston 128 Mb card (doesn't list acceleration) for $3 (if the rebate check ever comes in). It will be fine for doing some 5 MP shooting on short day trips, and I'll get a bomber 1 Gb later, or a 2 Gb, seeing as prices drop all the time... drC

Dru, you should ask these questions in the Newbies forum. They'll help ya. drC

If you're looking for France, I'd say Serre-Chevalier is a good place. It's huge, and you're very close to La Grave for that day of adventurous skiing. Other resorts are close by. Head over to the TGR forums and ask there. Buster will likely say Serre-Chevalier too (and stay in Briançon) but there are people from all over Europe there. Have fun. drC

I also think battery life will be a greater issue. The Canon comes with a Lithium Ion battery, so hopefully the battery life will be okay even in cold. The S70 cannot take AAs unfortunately. I seriously considered the A95 which can, but in the end, the wide angle of the S70 got me. Speaking of batteries, any idea if the cheap replacement batteries are also Li-Ion or can they be anything at all as long as the form factor, voltage and rate are the same? How to know which is which? drC

Hey, I just ordered a Canon S70 to replace the crappy and old DSC-P1 which is dying at home (can't charge batteries anymore). I am going to get a 1 Gb Compact Flash card. Lexar makes a fast one for $75, and Sandisk makes a similarly fast one for $100, but whose operating temperatures go as low a -13 F (-25 C) versus the regular 32 F (0 C) of other cards. Does anybody have trouble using regular flash in low temperatures? I mean, the camera's rated to 32 F too, and I know it will work below that. I'd expect the same for the compact flash, no? Is the 32 F rating simply because the card or the camera are not moisture-proof (and moisture could then freeze inside at these temperatures)? YA

True. But the waist belt is not load bearing so it doesn't really matter if it's not exactly the right torso length. drC

Crap. And I was in MEC last week and they didn't have standard size Genies (not that size matters that much given there's no hip belt, but you gotta save that 3rd of ounce). drC

I need to correct that. The player has a boatload of features, including FM radio with presets, equalizer, options galore etc. They're just hidden between magic 2-seconds press of the few buttons on the player. RTFM. It still eats accents (and the letter following) though Boo, especially in 2004. Player is ridiculously small and lightweight, runs 15 hours on a basic alkaline AAA. drC

I got a 1 Gb Sandisk MP3 player for $129. Does its job well though not many features, no FM, and eats French accents (all accents for that matter). iPod is a bit big and will skip while running. drC

Either Rainier or Alpental if there's snow there. I'm going by myself, but if anybody wants to join... drC