galpinist

I'd agree with the other two opinions on breathability. It's hard to be scientific about it since there are so many variables involved. Breathability isn't great (just like any other single wall tent) but I've never found it to be a problem. Just open the vents a little if the weather allows it and you'll be fine.

The old (yellow) fabric is BD's "Epic" fabric. The new (wasabi green) is BD's "Nanoshield" fabric. The newer nanoshield fabric is actually just slightly heavier (around +1 ounce for the whole tent) but is supposed to be a significantly more waterproof. Still not as waterproof as your average heavier tent but enough to keep you dry in most rainstorms. You can find more information about the two by googling a bit.

I haven't used a tag line so I'm not an expert but I thought the idea was to set it up so that you're basically doing a single strand rappel on the rope and the knot on the rope holds the weight. If the tag line is supporting the climber's weight then I think you've already messed up? Here's an image I found on the web...

Water, the reason I posted here is to report the current conditions of the route for other people interested in trying to do an off season climb. Please Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged. Thanks everyone else for a good feedback. It might be tough to swallow but try to realize most of the criticism here comes from people that don't want to see accidents in the mountains. I'm a relatively a newb myself but I do know it's critical not to become complacent in the mountains. Mt. Hood is easy to underestimate. Also, not sure what's going on here exactly but quickdraws aren't generally used for tying in for rope team travel.

Hi all, Early this spring I bought a closeout pair of Garmont Mega-Rides as my first pair of AT boots. They've worked out great with the exception that the right boot just kills my right big toe and forefoot. Are there any bootfitters either in Portland or nearby that can help me? I searched previous posts and found a few from Seattle but am looking for someone closer. Thanks.

Dane, let me preface this by saying I totally respect all of the good info you post on this board and I've been closely following your blog since you started it. However, the trip report you posted pretty clearly shows pickets in use in several of the photos. Are you saying this was bad technique? And I kind of find it hard to believe that you've never used pickets? I am kind of a newb so I'd like to know. I've been using pickets on steeper snow myself and would like to know if I should have been doing something different.

Thanks for the advice Dane. I ended up going with the Nepal Evo. It seems like the Nepal should be great for about 90% of what I want to do. For the rest I figure I can just borrow or rent plastics until I can get Spantiks or the Baruntse. I went with the Nepal over the Batura mainly because I couldn't find a pair of Baturas in Portland to try on. Also, after reading Will Sims review it seemed like the Nepal might have a broader range of uses whereas the Batura is a bit more specialized. Thanks again.

Wow. Nice post. Surprised no else has commented on this. So would this be a good boot for winter cascades climbing? Such as Hood or possibly Rainier? I have the red Trango S Evo's right now for summer climbing and I'm looking to add something that's warmer for non-summer conditions and that would work well for multi-day trips. The Nepal's seem like they would be great for a lot of what I do but it seems like maybe the Baruntse + Trango combination might cover a wider range of conditions? Thanks for any advice.