ambys

Are the T-Rocks sold for sure? If not, let me know. ambys

What exactly do you need to host? I might be able to help you out if it's low-budget/small project.

I need a decent lens and zoom, so that just won´t cut it.

You're not making this any easier! But thanks. Come to think of it I can probably get good P/S shots from my buddies and take care of the dSLR shots myself.

According to my calculations, assuming 100% efficiency of converting gravitational potential to electrical energy, for a 70kg climber rapping at a speed of 0.5m/s would be 300Watts. In reality you would be doing well to get 10% efficiency, so 30Watts for the 120seconds you are rappeling. With this I am assuming you will be charging some sort of battery. What did you say you wanted to power with this? This doesn't include the extra energy you expend humping some dynamo up a climb. Also, I should point out you could generate more power by burning your turds. 30 W is a fair amount. Even at 10% efficiency then, 30 W at 2 minutes would pull in as much power as a 1W solar panel in full light left out for an hour. I don't have any particular device in mind that I want to power, but presumably a battery charger would be nice. Thanks!, ambys I would expect only on a "seige style" expedition could you justify bringing a dynamo or solar panels (or other battery charger) over a few extra batteries. I'm not sure that I agree. I don't know exactly what you mean by "seige style," but a panel like the SolarRoll offers a few advantages over extra batteries. First of all, if you have a group of say, 10, people, a panel is a lot lighter weight than everybody bringing extra batts. Second, on longer trips, extra batts can accumulate and go bad. Not only are you stuck carrying them after using them, but 4 weeks in even new batteries may not be "full." Rechargeables, on the other hand, can be refreshened on a bright day, and you only have to bring minimal extras. Lastly, if you have items that need Li-Ion batts, like a sat phone, then extras will far outweigh a panel. ambys

That's a *very* nifty idea, but I have to wonder how much weight the additional framework adds to the pack: Is anybody aware of whether or not bags like these are on the market yet?

The other option I'm weighing is a high-torque crank-generator that could be spun by attaching a walking stick or ski pole. I'm still looking into how "lightweight" it could be though.

The problem is that I'm located in New York.

I have the SolarRoll 9 and it does the job well, but by the time you add the weight of the panel, the vehicle adapter, and the individual cords necessary to connect to things, it weighs a good pound and a quarter to pound and a half. Something lighter and perhaps more efficient would be great. As far as gear, I'd use it to power my camera, my headlamp and a GPS data logger.

According to my calculations, assuming 100% efficiency of converting gravitational potential to electrical energy, for a 70kg climber rapping at a speed of 0.5m/s would be 300Watts. In reality you would be doing well to get 10% efficiency, so 30Watts for the 120seconds you are rappeling. With this I am assuming you will be charging some sort of battery. What did you say you wanted to power with this? This doesn't include the extra energy you expend humping some dynamo up a climb. Also, I should point out you could generate more power by burning your turds. 30 W is a fair amount. Even at 10% efficiency then, 30 W at 2 minutes would pull in as much power as a 1W solar panel in full light left out for an hour. I don't have any particular device in mind that I want to power, but presumably a battery charger would be nice. Thanks!, ambys

Sweet deal, thanks! If I buy those, can I just take them to a shop and have them mold them for my boot? Does anybody know what I can expect to pay for said service?

Bill, Thanks for the reply (I'll look into the specifics of what you mention; I'm aware of thermoelectric generators but I have not seen that such implementation). As far as getting "something for nothing," you're absolutely right that that isn't quite the case. Cyclists absolutely have to put out a bit of extra power when the generator is added. However, the key (hope) is that you can minimize the extra energy that needs to be exerted in order to take advantage of energyy that is already being spent, and I do suspect that that's possible. Perhaps for that reason the dynamo is not the best analogy. However, I do believe that my original contention is possible. With every step you take, for example, you're hitting the ground with a given force. Wouldn't it theoretically be possible to capture some of that force mechanically, lessening the force exerted directly into the ground, thus not violating the law of conservation of energy?

I was just wondering if this went anywhere, and if so, are your results/findings publicly available? --ambys

I'm looking into devising a means to generate electrical power by utilizing excess energy that we naturally expend while mountaineering. For example, cyclists have learned to affix generators to their tires in order to generate electrical current to power their lights; the generators merely capture the pedaling energy that the cyclists are already expending. Really, I'm trying to find out what an analog might be in the world of mountaineering. Given the bulk of solar panels and the weight of crank chargers, it's not always practical to generate electrical energy in the backcountry. However, if there were a way to capture energy that was already being exerted, it might make charging cameras, GPSs and the likes a lot more practical and easy. Here's where you guys come in. What aspect of mountaineering do you feel makes you expend the most mechanical energy? Specifically, what mechanical actions do we mountaineers routinely take whose energy could perhaps be captured and stored electrically? To give you an idea of what I mean, here are my thoughts so far: 1) Placing a device at the bottom of a backpack so that the up-and-down momentum from walking pushes against a mechanical generator. 2) Placing a device between the front of the ankle and the inside of the boot, so that the flexing of the ankle as we walk charges a mechanical device. 3) Placing a mechanical generator inside a walking stick, so every time we push it against the ground, it generates some charge. Unfortunately, my ideas don't quite generate enough energy to make efficient use of; however I'm convinced that there is some activity that is just waiting to be taken advantage of, and I'm very interested in developing a prototype and trying it out this summer. Please share any thoughts you might have! And mods, if this is the wrong place for this thread, then please feel free to move it accordingly. I know it isn't the perfect fit for this forum, but I wasn't sure where else it would belong. --ambys

Alright, it looks like I'm going to have to do this via Mail Order and ship my boots to have the liners fit for them. Does anybody know of a good, reliable place who will do this for me? Thanks, ambys

I certainly don't advise breaking the rules (and it's quite clear that Kane had no malicious intent), but I think that so long as the eBay listings aren't invasive and coming from all directions, that they could be of great benefit to the members of this site who are interested. The benefits of such are not solely for the seller, but also for the buyer--I'm very wary of eBay purchases of climbing equipment, but if I know that the seller posts over here, then I'm a lot more likely to feel safe buying the equipment, especially but not exclusively if it's a name that I recognize. Also, in response to Alex' post, we can talk on and on about how it's nice for people around here to help each other out with decent deals, but that goes both ways. There's nothing wrong with a seller getting his equipment's worth when he gives it up. Is it possible that maybe we could have a single dedicated thread into which eBay posters could post their auctions? I don't think that that would trivialize the sponsors any more than the Yard Sale forum already may. Of course, I'm happy to just have found this place, and I'll obviously happily go along with whatever the powers that be decide. I just thought that I'd throw in my two cents.

You should check out the legality wherever you reside, but you can usually find Durabond and similar things on eBay. As noted above, it's fairly expensive--I think the going rate is $40 for 12 0.5mL vats. Here's a link, for example http://cgi.ebay.com/ONE-BOX-OF-12-DERMABOND-TOPICAL-SKIN-ADHESIVES-L-K_W0QQitemZ220101722109QQihZ012QQcategoryZ31477QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem. If you find yourself using it a lot, it might be worth the investment. Personally, I just use superglue, and has been noted at least twice, I work hard to keep it outside the wound... skin-to-skin only.

Well I spoke to FF and elected to go with eVent. It appears to be a little more water proof, and they're pre-stocked that way so I don't have to wait. Thanks to those who chimed in! -Ambys

I knew I could count on you guys! haha (j/k)... but seriously, can anybody objectively lay down the pros/cons? All of my research leads me to the manufacturers themselves, and on an investment this big I'd like to get some experiential advice. Thanks, Ambys

If all of my other layers are medium, will this accommodate them, or will it be too tight/small?

Hey folks, I'm about to order a the FF Ptarmigan for my Denali expedition, and I'm wondering if some folks with experience can weigh in on which of these two fabrics (event vs epic) would be most ideal for both this expedition and general use. I've heard nothing but great remarks about event, but I don't know much of anything about epic, nor do I know how the two fabrics compare. And, I'd rather get some experiential advice than have to take the companies at their word. Thanks in advance!

I have the Merlin by Feathered Friends. I bought it because it was super lightweight and had a great reputation. If I had to do it all over again, I'd probably upgrade to the Hummingbird model. The Hummingbird is effectively a Merlin that is slightly overfilled so as to produce an extra inch of fill, while adding only 3 oz to the weight and $20 to the price. Also, it brings the official rating down from 30 degrees to 20 degrees. Now, I have to say that I've been very happy with my bag, and thus far I really haven't needed the extra fill; but I figure for the $20/30oz different, it could be nice to have in the future, depending on where I am. Like virtually everyone else on this board, I've had great luck with FF service--very helpful and they don't try to sell you stuff that you don't need. I'm about to order a bag for my Denali expedition with them; I suppose that speaks to their service as well. Now, if price is your end-all be-all, then FF is not for you. You *do* pay a premium for the service and made-in-America aspects. You might want to look at REI's store brand bags. They are generally not of the greatest fill, but they are cozy and the materials themselves should hold up quite reasonably. Also, if you ever have problems with the bag, they'll swap it or give you your money back, regardless of when it happens.

Thanks for all the replies. I'm still not sure exactly what I'll do, but I'm leaning towards taking the D-50 and a P&S, and perhaps leaving the D-50 at mid or high camp. Everybody else will have P&S cameras, so I'm not too worried about the "summit shot", but your point is well taken. Ambys

Hey folks, I'll be attempting Denali this summer, and it goes without saying that I have every intent of bringing home some great pictures. I currently own a Nikon D-50 DSLR camera that I bring everywhere I go. As far as Denali goes... Pros: * GREAT battery life - about 2000 pictures per charge (no flash). * Good quality, obviously; both of my lenses have Nikon ED glass. Cons: * Very heavy and bulky * Have to manage both detachable lenses * Lens fog? (I don't know if this will be notably different than a standard point and shoot) I'm hoping that somebody can weigh in on whether or not this is my best bet, or if there is a smaller point-and-shoot that would compromise not *too much* quality for a lot of convenience and saved weight. I'll be bringing with me a solar panel and rechargeable batteries, so it would be great if whatever you recommend could take AAs or AAAs. Obviously if the D-50 is my best bet, I'm happy to use it . That said, if there's good reason not to bring it, I do have the budget to buy something smaller. And please, feel free to weigh in even if you're not a photography expert! I'm most interested in hearing what folks use on the mountains, regardless of photographic knowledge Thanks in advance, Ambys

Whoa, finally a question that I'm qualified to answer! (I'm a CS Major/IT guy, and am always blown away by how much everyone else knows about climbing)... Your biggest considerations are: 1) Durability 2) Battery life/Means of charging Luckily, both of these factors push you in the same direction: flash memory. Flash memory is more durable than a hard drive because there are no moving parts. This makes it more shock resistant than hard drives. It also makes it more able to weather the cold elements. Manufacturers may deny it in order to limit their legal warranty obligations, but nearly all Flash players on the market can withstand colder temperatures than their hard drive counterparts. Flash memory also squeezes more juice out of your batteries because unlike with a hard drive, there is no need to spin a motor. Some manufacturers will offset this tradeoff by packing a bigger battery in their hard drive players than in their flash players (see: Apple); however that means that you're hauling around those extra couple of ounces. If you plan on bringing AA batteries and/or your Solar panel can charge AA batteries, then I strongly recommend the iRiver T10 . It comes in 512MB, 1GB and 2GB models and gets a solid 35 hours of battery life on a single AA battery (they advertise 45 hours). I cannot good-heartedly encourage you to buy an iPod, because I had an iPod shuffle that had a clear manufacturer's defect that Apple would not replace or fix even though it was within the warranty period. I've stayed clear of the company ever since. That said, Apple's flash-memory players include the Nano and the Shuffle. Both can charge via a USB port, which the Brunton SolarPort has.