Alpinisto

Lemme guess...is it a Suunto?

^^^This iz korrekt. Like ADK, I attempted Rainier in '10, coming from the Right Coast and was glad to be able to look at threads here and on MP and SP to get beta on gear, training, etc. We ended up bailing on the Kautz due to high avy risk (30' of snow in the Chute will do that...) but we didn't define success=summiting, so it was a great trip regardless. (ADK, shoot me a PM if you have other questions not answered here.)

Same here. Yes, they're spendy, but worth it IMO for a full-size, keylock nose wiregate. I use 'em exclusively for all my alpine draws. (Racking biners are Metolius or BD color-coded to the cams.)

Seconded...

Not sure they could make a buckle system that's as lightweight as a set of laces. While the buckles would likely make for a more secure and stable fit, the added weight and bulk of the buckles is probably a deal-killer with the light-is-right crowd.

^^^This iz korrekt. ^^^Also korrekt. The flat section at the top of the Petzl clipper makes it easy to rest a screw or two there while you're digging for the proper length one underneath. Brilliant design.

Why don't you just buy another Nano and simply take it to a tailor and have them slim down the torso?

"I want to go to there!"

Um...wouldn't that be called the 45L? +5 (or whatever we're up to) for Graham and CiloGear. I loves my 30L, 60L and 75L.

"Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing...after they have exhausted all other possibilities." -- Winston Churchill The Marlboro Man..."Live Free or Die"...the (rapidly disappearing) belief in upward socio-economic mobilty...these staples of 'Murkin culture, along with many, many others, highlight the fact that we as a nation don't have the social responsibility/oblgation genes that they do in ,say, Europe. A lot of this is likely rooted in our frontier mentality, an understandable position to have given that we were blessed with the massive amount of acreage our country enjoys. ("Huge...tracts of land." ) As noted above, they don't have this in Europe, and haven't for centuries, which is why they are decades ahead of us in some areas of environmental stewardship/protection. This doesn't mean they're better or we're worse...we're just at different places in our "wilderness history" and our respective views and legislation reflect this. The argument of limiting access vs. building infrastructure to manage increased visitation is a classic one, and there is no right or wrong answer, IMO. In some areas, due to geographic and/or demographic reasons, one solution may be preferrable over the other. (See the comments about the Whites vs. MRNP in the posts above.) Coming from the position that one solution is the right answer everywhere and for all time is misguided. As Dane notes, this is good discussion to be having, and the measured, civilized tone in which it is occurring here on CC is refreshing. Keep at it, boys!

We found them at Costco earlier in the summer for a discounted price. Starbucks Via at Costco, FTW.

They have a wireless Verifone machine at Jenny Lake...?

Well, my WT BJ is a large, as will the EB XV (when it arrives), so they're a little smaller, but I think one of the big diffs is that I use a compression sack and crank the crap out of the straps, where your photo shows a regular ol' stuff sack. To Ryan's post, I did notice no internal Nalgene chest pocket, though that won't likely be an issue for me as I usu. carry my bottles in a cozy on the pack or waistbelt. A little disappointed about no two-way zipper, though. (Dumb of me not to check...)

The Paris Expedition seems to be the standard. Good info on pulk building here.

Using an OR compression sack I can get my WT BJ down to about a Nalgege-and-a-half...will have to see if the EB XV can squish the same. Thanks, man. I just ordered it at my local EB for $175 shipped. (They didn't have my size/color combo in stock.) Sha-zam!!

Dane/Allen: how well does the XV parka compress? I loves me my Wild Things Belay Parka (Primaloft) but it doesn't pack down too well. Might have to pick up the XV at the sale price...

Got any pics of that setup? Sounds schweet!!