hydroman

Don't worry about specific brand pulleys. You just need 2 smallish pulleys and I prefer square nose vs round as they will work better in conjuction with a prussik. I also agree with the others to forget about the ascenders. It's pretty unlikely you will actually be carrying ascenders on a glacier trip unless your climb has some specific need for them. I like using a prussik as it's light and multi-purpose. On an actual climb you may not want to carry 2 pulleys depending on how many folks are with you. If you are a single team of two or three then yes but if you end up as a couple rope teams of three having 12 pulleys between you is a bit overkill.

I've only had one buddy with a pen and he ended up returning it due to consistent problems. No way I'd personally take one to SA. I used polarpure iodine for 9 weeks in SA including Aconcagua and had no troubles. I generally have had good luck with iodine everywhere I've traveled internationally. Though maybe I've just been lucky... My experience have used several filters over the past 2 decades is that they all suck for long term use, some less than others. I stopped trying years ago and have stuck with lighweight chemical purification and had great success. If you don't like the iodine taste give AquaMira a shot.

The Prolite 3 and portage packs are sold. Down to only the NF Tent and the Feathered Friends Parka. Anyone headed to Denali???

For some reason I can’t seem to edit my original post. Anyhow, I’ve lowered the prices on the remaining items… Pics in the link below. Feathered Friends Icefall Parka. Color Blue, Size Medium, Epic Fabric. Worn only a few days on Denali. Absolutely perfect condition. Stored properly at all times. New $475 asking $300. (Sold) Arcteryx Alpha Light Jacket. Color Blue, Size Med. Gore-Tex XCR. Worn once or twice maybe. Bought to replace an ageing jacket that won’t die so I really don’t need this thing. Pristine condition. New $450 (I think) asking $225 Therm-a-rest Prolite 3 Short. Good condition but has 3 patches. One done by me and the most recent two by Cascade Designs. New $75 asking $25 SealLine Pro Portage Pack – 115 liter roll top dry bag packpack. $179 new. Still in packaging, never opened. $110. I have two of these. (Sold) Pair of Grivel Alpwings. Used roughly 10 days for a few alpine routes and some playing on the seracs. Scratched but picks show very little wear. New roughly $400, Asking $225 http://picasaweb.google.com/rlovellford/Gear?authkey=Gv1sRgCKCh8O-ej8OqnQE&feat=email# North Face Expedition 36 Tent. Bombproof 3 person expedition tent. Used for one Denali trip. Great condition, basically looks new. We used a thin pad cut to fit the entire floor on this trip so the floor never saw any abuse. New: $580 Asking: $325. If you want pics shoot me a PM and I’ll set this thing up and snap some. Some stock pics in the link below. http://www.mbstores.com/nofaex363man.html

I'd say that's stretching things a bit... Occasionally someone might hurl lunch but I'd say it's rare, and if it's a regular thing something is very wrong. I've been crossfitting for several years and some of the folks at the gym are beasts. I've seen someone puke maybe a handful of times over those years and these folks are pushing hard. The idea is to get to the edge and ideally not cross over. Feeling like you got hit by a bus regularly is one thing while puking is another. As for elite athletes puking. I agree it definitely happens during all out events. Talk to some rowers about races and see what they say...

Bombproof 3 person expedition tent. Only use was a Denali West Buttress trip but I need to sell for some other gear. Great condition, basically looks new. We used a thin pad cut to fit the entire floor on this trip so the floor never saw any abuse/wear. New: $580 Asking: $350. If you want pics shoot me a PM and I’ll set this thing up and snap some. Some stock pics in the link below (or google images). http://www.mbstores.com/nofaex363man.html Shoot me a PM if interested.

NF Gloves are sold.

Turns out the Prolite 3 is still avalable.

I did indeed do a custom order on that jacket. (and the pants too). They didn't have the combo of the color and material I wanted in stock.

Mitts and Overboots are sold!

Sorry about the omission. Mitts are medium.

Volant pants are sold. Ice Screws are sold.

Some of this gear I’ve been keeping for a return trip to someplace cold but I need money for a different type of adventure instead, so it’s up for sale. Most of it hardly touched. Pics in a picassa album (link below). PM with questions or for more photos. Pics here: http://picasaweb.google.com/rlovellford/Gear?authkey=Gv1sRgCKCh8O-ej8OqnQE&feat=content_notification# Feathered Friends Icefall Parka. Color Blue, Size Medium, Epic Fabric. Worn only a few days on Denali. Absolutely perfect condition. Stored properly at all times. New $475 asking $325. (SOLD) Feathered Friends Volant Pants. Color Grey, Size Large, Epic Fabric. Worn once for a couple hours. Absolutely perfect condition. Stored properly at all times. New $245, asking $160. (SOLD) OR Brooks Ranger Overboots. Worn for a few hours each of a couple days. Excellent Condition. Color Red, Size Large. New $160, asking $80 (SOLD) OR Alti Mitts, worn a few days on Denali, Excellent condition, palms show no wear. New $189, asking $100. (SOLD) North Face Ice Climbing Gloves. Size Med. Not sure of the model but they are ice gloves with hard plastic on the knuckles and fuzzy insides. Good condition, palms show virtually no wear but the hard plastic stuff is a scuffed up. New around $100 (I think), asking $25 Montbell U.L. 90 Pad. 10 ounce inflatable. Brand new, never used, includes pouch and repair kit. I used this pad for a season but got a leak I couldn’t seem to fix. Send it in for repair and they sent this new one for replacement. New $60, asking $35 Arcteryx Alpha Light Jacket. Color Blue, Size Med. Gore-Tex XCR. Worn once or twice maybe. Bought to replace an ageing jacket that won’t die so I really don’t need this thing. Pristine condition. New $450 (I think) asking $275 Therm-a-rest Prolite 3 Short. Good condition but has 3 patches. One done by me and the most recent two by Cascade Designs. New $75 asking $30 Pair of Grivel Alpwings. Used roughly 10 days for a few alpine routes and some playing on the seracs. Scratched but picks show very little wear. New roughly $400, Asking $225 (SOLD) BD Turbo Express Ice Screws - 2, 16cm, sharp and in perfect condition, placed a few times each at most. $30 each. SealLine Pro Portage Pack – 115 liter roll top dry bag backpack. $179 new. Still in packaging, never opened. $125. I have two of these. http://www.cascadedesigns.com/sealline/packs-and-duffles/pro-pack/product

If you opt for the Phantom over the Verio I'd consider the WM highlite instead. It weights one ounce less, has an ounce more fill (8 ounces vs 7) and is made in US which the MH is not and is rated 10 degrees warmer (35 vs 45). An ounce of down may not sound like much but is actually quite significant. Unless there is something about the design or fit of the Phantom you really prefer, the highlite seems to be a better and warmer bag for slightly less weight. They are both made of ultralight material and it's not likely one is going to take more abuse than the other.

In my quest for an ultralight summer bag I started with the WM Highlite 40 degree 16 ounces (exact). Used it for a season or two and it got me through down to mid/upper 20s in reasonable comfort with my WM flight down coat draped over me. At the end of season 2 I decided that I wanted something just slightly higher in the warm/comfort factor and I bought a WM summerlight 32 degree 20 ounces (exact). I found it was the perfect 3 season bag for me. 20 ounces is still plenty light and the extra 4 ounces made enough difference in sleep quality and warmth that it was worth the jump in weight. It was the difference between ‘reasonably warm ’ and ‘warm’. So depending on how hard core you want to go I think either of these bags is worth a serious look. The weights are accurate and temp rating reasonable to what they claim. Quality is outstanding. I should add that I’ve tried quilts and thought them not worth the weight savings. I think you’d be warmer in a 16 oz highlite than any similar weight quilt. The draft factor is just plain problematic, particularly due to the lack of a hood which I think is very helpful. If you are a side sleeper or roll at all I personaly would not even consider a quilt. To be effective they really work best with a back sleeper who doesn’t move much in the night.

I've tried Mountain Hardware's warmest mitt on Aconcagua and various Ecuadorian peaks and though they worked I didn't find them as warm as I had hoped. Upgraded to a pair of OR Alti Mitts for Denali and found them much warmer and user friendly, though much pricier. I'm about to list a bunch of cold weather gear for sale and will be selling the Alti Mitts. Basically they look like new and were only used for cold days up high, so very little use. Shoot me a PM if you have any interest.

I don’t have a specific recommendation for a machine but I will second the vote to send out your stuff for professional bar tacks on items that you trust your life to. Bartacks are made by bartack machines. They are notoriously finicky and would be a waste of your money since that’s all they do. You can get something close to a bartack with a zigzag stitch which is fine for most items (think packs, etc.) but for stuff like slings/harnesses I would send them out on occasion and not mess around. Getting a good industrial machine that works fine for home can be difficult. Most of them go straight and must faster than you need. If you do go that route I’d look for one with a servo motor. I’ve tried out the ones at Seattle Fabrics and they seemed to work pretty well. They are new though and will run you $1200 or so.

I've got a Therm-a-Rest Prolite 3 short inflatable pad for sale. 2-3 seasons old. Used infrequently though has a few holes that have been patched. 2 by me and the last by the manufacturer since I couldn't seem to fix that one. I haven't used it since they patched it but assume it's fine since they should know what they are doing. It's that obnoxious orange color. $30 ($75 new) Preferably you can pickup in Seattle or Bellevue. PM me.

Come on... no one, eh? Make an offer...I'm trying to move

You all aren’t likely thinking about skiing but I’m cleaning house so…Yakima Ski Rack Attachment. It’s the 6 pair size. 2 years old but only used one season. It was the lesser expensive of the two models they offered. Comes with core locks/keys as well. I think the price was around $100 plus another $20 for the locks. $55 and I’m in Seattle/Bellevue area. PM me

For those purposes I'd say 30-32. Perfect for 90% 3 season use around here and throw on some clothes for the few nights that dip below freezing. Strongly recommend the Western Mountaineering Summerlight. Killer bag for the cascades.

I picked up a Black Hole Bag for a climbing trip to Ecuador and Argentina a few years back. I love the bag as it is sleek, waterproof and very light and packable when not in use. In terms of durability I'd say it's OK but not stupendous. Definitely had a few holes in it by the end of a two month trip. I was careful to tape the ends of the pointy stuff but it still ended up with several holes from the abuses of airlines and mule rides. Great bag but definitely not ultra bombproof. That's the trade off for the light weight and packability.

Seems like a nice place for the money. I’ve been to Hawaii for 2 trips of a month each with all but 3 days spent on Kauai. It’s a chill island. That place is up on the north shore where I spent most of my time. In that area is Anini beach which is shallow and protected which would be good swimming with a kid though the better snorkeling is further down near the end of the road. Though everybody thinks Hawaii is expensive to visit you can go there and live for next to nothing as well. Camping at the beachparks is 5$/ night (when they collect, which is rare) which includes showers and toilets and the hitching is easy. Most of my time there I’ve lived on $10-15 day for basic camping/food/snorkel rental and spent my time relaxing, swimming, reading and hiking around. I also remember eating avocadoes off the tree everyday in a grove just down the road. Car rentals are cheap and if you don’t mind going ghetto there are even a couple folks on the island that rent out beaters for like $10-15/day. I’m going in March and last I looked tickets for Feb were like $350 to Honolulu. Gotta add fare to get to the other islands though. Flights go between pretty much all islands about every 30 mins as I recall.. I always flew to Honolulu and grabbed the next plane out to Kauai for about $40 each way. I think the tickets were a few bucks cheaper if you bought them on site at the airport from an ATM machine but traveling with a kid you probably want to book ahead of time to avoid a layover in case you get in and the next few flights are sold out. Have a great time and pack a pullover. It’s sunny and warm but the north shore can have AM rain showers almost daily sometimes and with avg temps around 72 (perfect) you might want a layer in the evening.

I've used Accuvue soft lenses without trouble on Denali, Aconcagua and various climbs in Ecuador with no problems. I just make sure to sleep with the lens drops and use them often to keep them moist in the cold dry air.

I think your case might be standard. I just dealt with a trail head theft with Statefarm and they have the same 100% replacement value clause. The first check they send coveres the depreciated value and then if you choose to replace the stuff you just send the receipts and they send you a check for the difference. It worked no prob for me. I have no love for insurance companies but they are just making sure they don’t send you retail value and then have you go out and buy all the shit on sale and pocket the rest. You are entitled to get all your crap back brand new and the policy will cover that. You are not necessarily entitled to a pocket of cash equal to the full new value of the stuff. Doesn’t seem so unreasonable.