Coldfinger

Way to go RuMR! A good friend of mine was killed not too long ago and it really pissed me off to hear all the spraying and "know it all" bs. Folks need to keep in mind that since this is CC, there's a good chance the victim or a close friend might read whatever dumb bs you write. You want some eight year old who lost his dad to read your uninformed bs?

Nope just to the E (N of US 12) of the MR lot are a few bands of tall and very steep basalt entablature, but like most basalt in the Tieton, if it hasn't been cleaned by a few hundred years of running water, it's probably chossy. I never bothered with it b/c if it goes it's 5.12 and up.

Geez! Meant no offense, I just took him at his word about bolting basalt. In that regard there isn't a whole lot of bolted basalt as much of it is entableture that is not at all either climbable or safely boltable, which is why it hasn't been developed. But there are some impressive cliffs, like those across from the Moon Rocks parking. The Tieton is such a nice place because it has been a small group of developers and everybody has worked together. That and much has been done that no one reported. Andy is a great help because he knows so much and cares even more!

Ditto on andyf.... IMHO there's not a whole lot of basalt in the Tieton that's worth bolting and what's there might get somebody killed. You probably should arrange to TAKE andyf or some other experienced local to WHERE you want to bolt because it may well be you are looking to add bolts where the ethics of the crag might not be in tune with your plans.

Yeah mine!

Hey I just noticed you're supposedly Canadian. I say supposedly b/c you don't seem to want to buy Integral Designs. You a Quebecois?

Here's a nice and cheap option: http://www.backcountry.com/store/ODR0235/Exped-Sirius-Extreme-Tent-2-Person-4-Season.html

What are you doing? Reason I ask is you sound large (at least tall) and two people in an Eldo or Alpinist sounds rough for long trips, backpacking etc. The vestibule won't make you more comfortable. Especially if there are usually going to be two of you I'd worry more about comfort than saving a pound or two. If for solo get the Firstlight (light and cheap and surprisingly strong). Otherwise I'd look at the Eldo, tempest or Fitzroy (Bibler is the BEST quality tent).

I just got a MH South Col on order and am thinking about the MH Dihedral pack. Any comments or user experience? I often go solo in Winter and altitude so the South Col really seems to fit, but I wonder about the non-spectra parts durability, The nice part is unlike the White Clouds that it should be waterproof. The dihedral looks to be a good climbing/ski pack but w/o a very small sleeping bag (Atom?) I wonder if it can do a multiday.

I know, I learned to do that in the Cascades and the NE, the two dampest ranges I've ever seen.

You don't dry out clothes in a sleeping bag; if they're getting that wet you aren't layering properly. Usually I strip off the outer shell (Goretex, softshell, etc.) and sleep on that, put on a belay jacket (that I don't wear in the bag) and fart around melting snow cooking etc. with the base layer I was wearing all day on in order to dry that out a bit, THEN I change into a dry base layer and go to bed. It's really not that important to completely dry your daytime layers as you're probably going to soak them with sweat the next day anyway. I've found it's better to under-dress a little as long as you keep moving all day and keep the belay jacket handy for prolonged stops. Down is so much warmer than syn, especially if you learn how to travel in winter. Just keep in mind that how you go about doing things you might not worry about the other three seasons is very important. In other words behavior is the key. Drying is something you do during any sunshine you get while in camp, especially important for the sleeping bag, just be sure whatever you dry is tied to something solid. On shorter trips don't even worry about drying. Just be sure to bring extra socks.

Me pack very waterproof is. Good because me live in jungle like Tarzan and need pack bring bananas Jane!

I had the purple one and sold it to someone in the Seattle area, maybe that's mine? That size is good more for winter mountaineering and expeditions especially if it has teh two side and one shovel pockets.

I don't know how much crap you carry to climb (scrambling vs. roped etc.), but you might look at a wildthings ice sac or andinista (I think WT is having a sale). Personally I've been using a MH Trance (I took out the top little pocket) and it's a really great summer trip pack. Then I have a Bora for the pig loads. The trance has a lot of the features of the cloud in terms of being able to strip out the suspension. I dunno but I've found it's better to have a big pack and a middle pack; asking one pack to do everything is asking too much. I'll tell you that I never stripped out my Cloud as it's kinda a pain at altitude and you need the frame for any weight. Some sponsored dipshit might be using XXX pack to climb whatever, but I'd worry more about will it keep your shit dry, will it break the bank and will you be cursing the ultralight shoulder straps for the hundreds of miles you are lugging the thing around. I wouldn't spend anymore than $200-250 if you can.

They ain't at all waterproof, but they are nearly indestructible. I found the shoulder straps aren't too comfy under a very heavy load. What size pack bag are you looking at b/c they came in many sizes (you can tell by the color of the webbing)? They also get dirty and stay that way. IMHO the industry has caught up in terms of weight and much more so price. Then there's the issue of finding a white pack in the snow.

Hey, if you don't need the warmth of a double boot or Duratherm, check out the AKU Extreme GTX or EMS Arete (same boot). Being all leather you can use a rubbing bar on them to widen them to fit your feet exactly and those are excellent boots and will save you $$ (and you can wear them around town or hiking). Otherwise try the INVERNO!

I remember the good old days when climbers were getting ticketed for doing the same thing. There was even the guys who tried to escape the Sheriff in a VW bus!

Like its owner! You been tested for Mercury yet?

What exactly do you plan on using it for? If you need bug/full on rain protection, then the spendy bags are great. If not consider a simpler bivy and save the $$. My 2 cents is that a tarp and a bivy will be better for three seasons.

Hey! This belongs in the gear critic! BTW I have found the temp ratings on Ultralaminas to be a bit off.

I'm not a big fan of less than full zip bags and many of the ultralights hit cold ratings only because they are very tight.

VBL's suck in my experience. And I don't use a bivy with the Spectre.

I have the spectre--great bag--as well as a Marmot Couloir--most excellent. If you could use a bivy for the other three seasons try to find the cheapest 800 fill bag w/o a spendy shell fabric. You'd be surprised what deals are out there. BTW make sure it has plenty of room, i.e. many winter bags only hit the zero rating because they are very tight (or have a gore or similar shell), perhaps good for those who want to save 5 or 6 ounces but not so good if you want to keep stuff in there or even--GASP--use a pee bottle. Make sure you compare dimensions AND fill weights. Go to Mountain Gear--they provide fill weights for all the bags they sell unlike most other online stores.

I'd also recommend NOT getting a dryloft, etc. shell as you can get the bag and a bivy for about the same price and regular fabrics these days are pretty darn good for water resistance and will dry much faster. Seems like all the clunk of carrying a down bag and a synthetic overbag defeats the purpose of a down bag: warmth, light weight and superior compressibility.

Good move on the down, I've found they are way warmer per rating. I wouldn't get too hung up on the tech stuff until you master the art of how to sleep warm. IMHO it's best to avoid bringing moisture into the bag in the first place. So I usually get a good amount of body heat going (stamping out a tent platform and setting camp), jump in the tent, fire up the stove, strip off my shell and the layer closest to the shell (these have most of the moisture I build up during the day), put on a dry layer over the base, and spend a few hours melting snow, brewing, eating etc. BEFORE I ever get in the bag. I would get a good eVent bivy, it'll protect you from condensation, but it also provides a backup if you get caught away from camp, etc. etc. Don't count on it breathing much, if the ambient temp is below freezing, which is why it's best to change out of whatever you wore during the day and give your base time to dry. What you do is far more important than what you buy!