bonathanjarrett

Read John Long's "More Climbing Anchors"

I think you nailed it! Well articulated.

It seems from reading everyone's posts that almost everyone owns a hardshell jacket with some sort of waterproof breathable fabric. However it also seems like many people are either not entirely satisfied with the performance or bring it yet rarely ever put the thing on. Why is that? Have we been duped into thinking that we have to carry a hardshell? Surely there must be a better solution out there. It is surprising that owners of Gore-Tex haven't risen up in revolt, because G-Tex's claim that it is "guarenteed to keep you dry" is misleading at best. Read the FAQ on their website. Their claim states that, "No liquid from the outside will get to you on the inside".

I guess my point is that what we are dealing with here is a judgement call based on experience, comfort level, pack size, technical knowledge, etc etc. There are going to be pros and cons to each side of the debate, but I would never say one technique is better than another. There is a time and a place for a Kiwi Coil, chest harness, or no chest harness. The chest harness is a function of the size of the pack that you have on. At some point you need to decide that the weight of the pack is great enough that the discomfort and difficulty of stopping a partner's fall does not outweight the probability of being upended and potentially seriously hurt when falling into a crevass with a heavy pack on.

This is all well and good to postulate about centers of gravity when you are sitting at a computer, but how many of you all have ACTUALLY pitched into a crevass with a heavy pack on with or without and chest harness? Similarly how many of you have ACTUALLY arrested the fall of a partner who was wearing a heavy pack while wearing a chest harness yourself? Is there really anyone out there who is willing to fall into a crevass with an 60-70lb pack on without a chest harness? Kiwi coil? Perhaps, but what about the middle person on a rope team? Strangulation? Never heard of it with a PROPERLY ADJUSTED chest harness.

Oh my God! That almost happened to me once too!!

I would like to solicit opinions on the merits of waterproof/breathable fabrics from my fellow climbers. Lay it out: Gore-Tex, competing laminates, DWR, umbrellas. What do people think? Have we been swindled into believing that Gore-Tex and the like are the pinnacle of weather protection?

I think we have raised an important debate about the merits of water-proof breathable fabrics. Obviously opinion is as important as science. So as to not mire this discussion in our personal debate I am going to start a new thread in the climbers section so that others can weigh in with their thoughts also.

You call me an idiot, but you are the one who has been completely brainwashed by the waterproof-breathable industry. REI and the like have swindled the public into believing that if it not G-Tex it is crap. Gore-Tex hats, gloves, and shoes exemplify what I mean. There are people who buy the G-Tex version of an all leather boot because they actually think that it will keep their foot drier. Come on! Apparently you are unable to think for yourself and experiment with alternatives. As for the umbrella comment, it was merely a farcical reference to the fact that if the suggestion that I made doesn't work, you need to start filling sandbags to stop the impending flood.

The question is whether you feel like you are likely to be flipped. A heavy pack will put you in greater jeopardy and therefore a chest harness becomes more important. If you are traveling with a light day pack, I would not imagine that you would need any chest harness. On expeditions when I carry a heavy (read 75 pounds)pack, I use the following system. If I am at the end of the rope team, I tie into the rope about 3-4 feet from the end with a figure 8 on a bight and locking biner. This travels up through a biner clipped to my chest harness. The tag couple of feet is tied directly into a reinforced grab loop on the pack. If you pitch into the crevass you can drop your pack immediately, relieving the tendency to be flipped. If you are in the middle of the rope, tie in with a butterfly and locking biner. Then connect your pack to your harness with a locking biner and cord or webbing. I have found that in either case, tied one inch webbing to be perfect as a chest harness.

A piece of tied one inch tubular webbing is the best way to go. Rarely are you going to be pitching into a crevass with a pack so large you should need a manufactured chest harness. The tied webbing can serve double duty for a variety of tasks such as setting up crevass rescue anchors. It, if fitted properly, works just as well as a manufactured chest harness, and it is certainly easier on the wallet.

My advice is no hardshell at all. The only reason a hardshell really works is the DWR treatment applied at the factory. That is what truly provides protection from rain. The water needs to bead up and roll off. If it doesn't, the outer nylon becomes soaked and the garment is essentially impermeable. Your sweat from the inside makes you soaked. As well once it is soaked it takes forever for the jacket to dry. My solution is an ultralight shell treated with Nikwax's DWR treatment. It keeps you very dry, breaths way better than any fancy GTX membrane, and the nylon itself drys exceptionally fast even if it becomes soaked. If it is raining so hard that does not work, you need an umbrella...seriously.

Sharpen; allow to dry; that's it. RUST? Climb more...They are gonna rust. Steel + water = rust. It's a fact of life. They are not going to be worse for wear though. Walking on rock is far worse than a little rust.

European Death Knot... aka the overhand. Leave 12 to 15 inches of tail and cinch it down tight! Don't use this knot if you have more than 2.5 mm difference between rope diameters or the ropes are icy. Also don't tie an overhand knot in the tails. Doing so negates the benefit of the knot to begin with. This is a scary looking knot (hence the tongue in cheek name). However under the low load situations in rappelling it is more than adequately strong. I believe this is the knot currently suggested by the AMGA.

Has anybody bought or used the new Marmot Pounder (40 degrees) or Pounder Plus (25 degrees)? It is not on their website yet, but it is for sale. Wondering what the verdict is.

Any recommendations out there for a synthetic alpine sleeping bag? Weight and compressibility are obviously a concern. I would like to keep it under 2.5 lbs. Temp rating around 25-32 degrees.