SeanO

Apparently First Ascent is now making camping gear, including the Katabatic tent. It's a four-season two person tent that weighs 10.5 lbs. I haven't been on any expeditions to Everest, but to me that seems really heavy for a two man 4-season tent... Hilleberg's 2 man mountain tents weigh 4-8 lbs, Biblers weigh 4-6, North Face's around 8, etc. Thoughts? They're also selling 3-season tents and sleeping bags, but nothing looks particularly compelling to me.

Thanks for posting this Sig. Looks like a cool tent. Be sure to update us when you take it on an outing -- especially curious about condensation issues and ventilation.

Hi Gregory, I first bought the Charmoz because the Scarpas fit a wider foot like mine. The Lowas, La Sportivas, etc. wouldn't fit. Went on a few glacier climbs and realized that they didn't provide enough insulation -- I got cold toes. So, I upgraded to the Mont Blanc and have been quite happy since then. I also bought them with the 20% discount and my dividend last year. After the discount and everything, it's easier to justify. You won't know if the Charmoz are good enough for you until you get on the hill. For me, they weren't, but your mileage may vary. I personally would never wear a non-insulated boot like the Charmoz on a volcano, just because you never know when bad weather could move in. Some people's opinions here may differ, however.

I thought the special was really cool, thanks for mentioning it here. I thought it was slightly comical how long people have been climbing hood, and with such "antiquated" equipment like alpenstocks. When I climb hood this summer I'm going to feel a bit sheepish getting dressed in a few thousand dollars worth of high-tech gear, knowing that women in homemade dresses made it up and back without issue. Also cool to know that a few people posting in this thread were either interviewed (Wayne) or shown climbing it.

Looks cool, how can someone in Seattle watch it? Will the stream be available later?

Cool, glad you made your choice, and nice call with the REI discount and divvy. Make sure to post a review and some pictures! Don't know if it needs to be seam sealed, but I think they would state that somewhere on the website or at worst in the docs that come with the tent. One thing that seems interesting about the tent that I didn't notice before: the door fabric is rated at a 1200mm water column, which is the same waterproofness as good silicone impregnated nylon (silnylon). The floor is 2000mm, which is pretty standard for an ultralight tent (the Firstlight is 2000mm as well). Doesn't state a water column for the canopy, but my guess is that it's somewhere in between the door and the floor. In real world terms, this means you might get some misting inside the tent if it's raining, in addition to the condensation, but it's more waterproof than the Firstlight (though no specs are published on its water column). Also, if the ground is really wet, putting a knee on the ground might cause some seep-through. The misting issue is common with silnylon tents like tartpents (Henry Shires) and the Firstlight. On the upside, this also means it's likely more breathable than something like the EV2. Curious to see what you think of it in the field!

Great article, DPS, thanks for writing it up. I think I'll refer people to this article when they ask general questions about Rainier.

Agree with ADK and Alpinisto -- this thread has been helpful for me as I'm hoping to do a couple Rainier ascents this summer after an attempt last summer. Thanks for the info to everyone who has contributed.

Wow, makes me scared just looking at the pictures. Awesome, especially the pic of your ski tips in the air.

Thanks for the responses everyone. A six pack of the BD Positron QDs are on sale right now at backcountrygear.com. Seems like a good deal... http://www.backcountrygear.com/sale/black-diamond-positron-quickpack-mocha.html Rafal, the application at this point is just sport. I have average sized hands and I'm not that concerned about weight for sport bolt-clipping.

I'm in the market to buy some quickdraws and I have a few questions. Do you use quickdraws when sport climbing, or just alpine draws? What is your favorite quickdraw and why? What length (or lengths) are good to buy, and how many of each? Thanks!

Jason, would you bring steel on the DC in mid-late summer?

If you have the 60L, then definitely just bring that. I think maxed out it only weighs a few more ounces than the 45L. Just make sure you take off all the extra straps, framesheet, and brain on summit day.

Looks like a pretty good list! As far as changes: Bring the 32 degree bag and wear your clothes to bed. What about glacier glasses? I would bring the mitts, or switch your gear setup to a heavy fingered ski glove and a separate pair of fleece gloves. Would also bring the second nano puff. Rainier can get really cold. I also think you could probably fit all of that into a Cilo 45L pack. My whole Rainier kit including tent and stove fits in my 45. The 45 makes a good summit pack too, whereas you're really going to have to strap down the 60L. FYI, two-man crevasse rescue is going to be pretty difficult if not impossible; would recommend a 3 person team. My two cents.

Thanks for the sale gorp!

Rad. Google maps API + some ingenuity? Does the Gmap API provide elevation?

Thanks everyone for your feedback and experiences. I rented a Vireo from FF the other day and tried it out for a few nights. Brilliant bag. The rental at 72" was 17 ounces on the dot and lofted better than my other 20 degree bag with 1.5 times the fill and 2x the weight. Slept really well, and pulling the bag off my core works great for venting in the morning. Was plenty roomy too -- now I don't see why I'd want more wasted airspace to heat up in a bag. Pulled the trigger and ordered one in Shield EX with 2 oz of overfill and a 900 fill upgrade. Ended up going with the 72" instead of the 68", though that could have worked. FF staff was great, but Max in particular gave awesome customer service. If you have any questions about FF stuff, ask for him and he'll give you all the info you want. Should get it in about a month or so, will let ya'll know how it turned out.

I don't see how it's better than the Firstlight. The Direkt2 is shorter, narrower, has non-breathable laminate fabric, no mesh to vent the front door if you want, and it costs hundreds more. All for a couple ounces of weight savings, and likely better performance in high winds due to the non-stretch fabric. Big advantage of the Firstlight is that it breathes well. Having a single-wall laminate guarantees significant condensation build-up. You'd likely be far more wet in the Direkt2 in the morning than in the Firstlight. Still seems like the Firslight is better. What am I missing?

Awesome video! Very impressive kid.

Cool pictures, and grats! No pro on the last ice section?

Thanks for the replies guys. What size are you both? I'm 5'10" 190. Just a little concerned I might compress the down a bit in the hip area... going to check one out at FF in the next couple days.

Thanks for the response, Dane! Very helpful information. I'm actually quite surprised you've used it below 0 degrees, as that's likely the lowest I would ever consider using it even with my belay jacket on. What do you think of the drawstring? Too thin? Does the drawcord stay closed? I'm thinking that because it's so narrow, it might be better to get some over fill added to the underside so that if I roll over at night (I'm a side-sleeper), then I won't experience a sudden shock of cold...

I've read everything on this site about the FF Vireo, and it looks like many people are using it. It looks like the bag I've always wanted, but I have a few questions. First, if you own it, do you like it? When do you use it? Which fabric? Nanoshield, Pertex Endurance UL, or eVent? If you have any of these, which would you chose if you could buy again? How much overfill, if any? Did you request overfill in the feet or in the torso? Is there a defined top and bottom side in terms of insulation distribution? As in, is there less insulation on the bottom of the bag to account for compression on the pad, and more on the top to loft? Or is it evenly distributed? Thanks guys!

Used or new of any of the following would be great. Insulated leather boots: Scarpa Mont Blanc or La Sportiva Nepal Evo GTX. Puffy: Feathered Friends Volant w/ hood (down), Rab Neutrino Endurance (down), Norrona Lyngen (down synthetic mix), Patagonia DAS Parka (synthetic) Pants: You don't need down pants. Get some Schoeller soft shell pants, such as the Northwest Alpine Fast/Light pants or the REI Acme pants Pack: Cilogear 45L or 60L Sleeping Bag: Any Feathered Friends or Western Mountaineering 15 degree bag, or a lighter one if you wear your puffy to bed Sleeping Pad: Thermarest ProLite or ProLite plus, 3/4 if you are comfortable using your pack under your legs/feet Harness: Black Diamond Couloir Belay Device: Black Diamond ATC XP or Petzl Reverso 4 Rescue Pulley: SMC cheapo works fine Ice Axe: Black Diamond Raven Pro, 60cm if you're around 6' Crampons: Grivel G12 newmatic or full strap, or equivalent horizontal front point crampon Layering: multiple layers is better than a couple really warm ones. Merino wool base, schoeller soft shell for pants and jacket, maybe a fleece layer like the Patagonia R1 hoody. Have fun!

Thanks for the information everyone. Looks like it wouldn't hurt to bring a 22cm along. Just one, or perhaps also bringing a 16/17cm as well?