crackers

It's a beautiful spread. And the article is really well written. It's definitely too short. I still think that you should do a book John... Interestingly, they picked the McMillan Spires shot that I used for my holiday card.

FF's fabrics win my vote, but for tailoring, valandre's shoulder detail is the tops.

What I want is the V2 partner upgrade for my spoonbill...

Thanks Mike. I've got 10 of the older V1 30L packs left... The changes to the next generation of packs are actually going to be pretty minor. 1) We're changing the material used in the framesheet sleeve and the framesheet pocket cover. 2) The velcro on the framesheet pocket cover will be oriented vertically. 3) We're going to use a slightly different 3M formulation for the reflective stripes. 4) We're switching zippers on the lids. 5) We're playing with the materials in the shoulder straps a bit. There are a few other possible changes: the crampon pocket might end up being about 3/4 of an inch longer, the internal compression strap might not be black, but it's all stuff like that. Remember that CiloGear always makes the removable parts available to owners of the packs--you can always get an update package.

Use the coupon code August07 for 20% off a CiloGear 60 liter WorkSack or 60L Dynamite WorkSack. Also, if you're in the market for a cheap 30L pack, I found a bunch of old 30L's that I don't want to move to our new office. 50 bucks plus shipping as is, or 80 bucks with the new lid. As is means that you'll need to find two 1" sliplocks to fasten the lid onto the pack, and you'll need to thread the drawstrings.

Integral Designs has a new one coming out with a pole and stuff...looked really nice (like all their stuff) at OR.

I use protech stuff myself. I burn really easily, and I sweat like a pig. The protech stuff is a moisturizer and a sunscreen and it stays on or in my skin while i'm sweating. Also, I don't get greased out using it. One neat gimmick they have is that you can refill the little tube from the big tube, so that you can just carry what you need with you on a trip rather than have TSA take it away from you or whatever. It's kinda expensive, but it's totally worth it.

Yes, it needs to be longer than your rope. Most climbing ropes have much more than 3% stretch too, like my new sterling 9.2 that has a 13% static elongation and a 32%ish dynamic elongation. Figure out how much your rope stretches, and then add that much extra plus three feet for knots onto the length. And yeah, get Maxim tech cord or another KEVLAR product, not a spectra line. The spectra will get damaged if you put it through a belay device.

Ortik.net. These portugues guys have made a stove cozy out of nomex so that you can cook in high winds. They also say it saves tons of fuel... And you can hang just about any stove with it. I grabbed one from them at the show, and I'll write up some thoughts after playing with it.

tewinot is a great hike to get oriented. irene's arete is awesome. the weather is extremely unsettled in september. be ready for it all. if you're sporty, check out aaron huey's ten sleep guidebook and visit the area. it's awesome.

Fine with me...Bridgedale was were we waz thinking...they've generally got guiness...

mmm. cotton bottom. mmm. anybody interested in sweet potato fries at the bayou?

Mmm. I know them as RPGs...rape prevention glasses...

If anybody is interested in how packs are constructed, I'm writing and photographing the construction of some new packs over on my blog. You can see what I've taken pictures and written about under the heading Dyneema at blog.cilogear.biz... If you've got questions, or would like to see a detail shot, just ask...

mmm boooze

I am personally of the opinion that the zipper itself will be fine. The pull tab might die, but in my experience the sliders are durable. Of course, CiloGear will stand behind it if it goes bad. The 45L pack was created after extensive feedback from Kelly Cordes in his search for a lighter weight pack. We made several modifications from the 60L worksack to make a lighter pack without making it from virtual toilet paper. I think the balance of weight and durability is pretty good, but these ain't haul bags...

that's pretty good.

I make the cilogear packs. I think that Jared's point about the included framesheet is one of the major differences between CG and CCW. We use a number of different fabrics to provide weight savings when we can, but provide the most durability where it's needed. Also, you can get an extra strap kit and put as many straps as you would like on the pack. For day trips, I'd probably recommend our 40L pack. It's shorter than the 45L and the 60L, but it still has a burly hipbelt and all the trappings of the larger packs. The pack bag itself is about a pound and a half, stripped.

As you may know, I make packs and other stuff. I have to say I have the highest respect for both companies products. That said, I recently got to play with a test swatch of FF's new Schoeller fabric, or at least a version of it. WOW. It's really amazing. The water resistance is amazing and it seems to breathe really well, the fabric is just beautiful.

Uh, you mean that you thought that was a secret? Huh. First joint stock corporation. Publicly held, well...

Rob, Jared, Anybody else: Shoot me an email for the RA number, and then take your pack down to Rainy Pass, and they'll fix it up. Thanks! Graham

I'm terribly sorry Jay, but again, you've wandered off from whatever your specialty might be. It's clear it's not health care economics. It's not mine either, but I am married to one of the heavy hitters in the field, and have spent many interesting evenings reading her work. * Cost controls and rationing are not "a fixture of single payer systems" in any way that reflects your use of language. I'd recommend examining Kaiser Permante California's management of doctors as an example of the standard of cost controls used in single payer systems. Doctors believe they don't need management, and they rarely keep up with advances in their field except from drug peddlers. KP ensures that their docs are informed in the best practices in their speciality, and manages them by tracking their outcomes and inputs. Interestingly, KP patients and doctors spend more time on preventive care than anywhere else in the USA as it is clearly a results effective method of controlling costs. * The vast majority of allocation of health care resources is currently done by the government through planning that is partially research driven and partially driven by lobbying by major insurance companies. If a particular procedure will not be covered or funded by CMS or NIH, there will be little to no research or practice of the procedure in the USA. No research means none at all. The "market" does not drive health care research in the USA; as the research arm of the single largest by expense health plan in the world, CMS drives virtually all health care research. If you're interested and in DC, I'd suggest that you go to some brown bag seminars and read some papers from the health policy groups at APT, Urban and Mathematica-MPR. Most of the studies are funded by CMS, and are therefore freely available. CMS also has a large body of freely available papers. Somebody wrote above that docs are humans too. That is so damn true. You've got a responsibility to doctor shop, just as you try to find a good mechanic, school for your children or anything else. Remember, you're HIRING them, and they work for you... Some basic questions you should at least consider asking before any invasive procedures: 1) how many times have you personally performed this procedure? 2) how many times was the procedure successful, and what is your definition of success? What was your follow up procedure? How long is your time interval of follow up? 3) how many times did the procedure fail? what were your follow up procedures and how did you correct the error that lead to the procedure failing? Doctors hate it; they trained in school to think that they're gods, not humans. It's your body. EDIT: Personally, I loathe Michael Moore. He has a track record of embellishment and truth bending that I find offensive and just as dangerous as the demagogery of Rush Limbaugh. While his "health care numbers" may or may not be accurate, I must question the integrity of his argument and the specific use or abuse of any statistic he might (mis)use.

the address is: CiloGear 155 Sullivan St. #1 Brooklyn, NY 11231 BTW: it's been between 99 and 104 in my office for the past few days. It's just too hot to work for me. My new A/C was supposed to be delivered yesterday, but they didn't show. Hopefully, everything will cool off tomorrow and I'll be able to get back to work.

That would be a great freaking link-up. Madam G is a single pitch is a blast, as far I am concerned it is the only way to do that route. Ejoy the free hanging rap in that too, it is as good as the one off of Monkey Face in Smith. But the rap is going only go about 1/3 of the way the first time, cause you'll be rapping directly over Le Teton. Then you can see exactly how crazy the route is...

Trapps: I'd say Strictly-Shockley's link up, then Madame G's in one pitch, then Le Teton. CCK Direct. Over to Modern Times or Directissima. Optionals that would just be wild: Traverse of the Clods. MF. 5.8 Pitch of Erect Direction to Keep on Struttin' Retribution, then top rope No Solution. Nears: Disneyland Baskerville Terrace Yellow Ridge Birdland Main Line