SeanO

I want to get into AT but I'm curious to know who makes wider boots. As a point of reference, I tried on every "wide" downhill boot at Evo but none were wide enough for my feet without significant discomfort (props to the guys at Evo for their patience with that epic endeavor). Only boot that ended up fitting was a comfort model by Rossignol at 104mm. The volume is a little too much but the width is perfect. I'm aware that you can get a high quality boot that's less-wide and have it punched significantly, but I was told it'd be better to start with a wider boot because of the shape of my foot. Anyone have wide feet and can make a recommendation? Thanks.

I'm looking to buy a pair of the expansion tongues that come with La Sportiva Nepal Evos, and I'm willing to pay $20. They charge $25/each/shipped which is too much IMO. http://www.sportiva.com/products/footwear/accessories/nepal-evo-tongue Ideally they wouldn't be used, or have very light use.

I don't have that much gear, but I have tried multiple systems for gear storage. I think two important considerations are how frequently you will use your gear and your living situation (storage space, frequency of moving). For many people, they can't just dedicate some wall in their garage to gear storage. Such as myself, who rents a room and can't use the garage. When I didn't have a whole lot of gear, I just used a large bin without much organization inside. Just threw stuff in and called it good. But then I started acquiring more stuff, so I got the wire racks you can customize from ClosetMaid, which they sell at Home Depot. This worked, but it was expensive, kinda became a gear shrine, and it took up more space than it really needed to for me. Plus, I might be moving soon, and I don't have much storage space. Things came full circle again when I recently decided to do a plastic bin approach again, using two bigger bins (40 liters each) with smaller bins inside organizing things as necessary, in order of use frequency (more frequently used things on top or in smaller bins inside). For example, I have a smaller plastic bin on the top of one of the bins with all of my regular use small items like a first aid kit, Gu, headlamp, etc. Sleeping bags still hang, but the bins take up less space and can be moved easily. I think this works for me, though it's a tradeoff of space for accessibility. Who knows, maybe I'll circle back to racks or something else. But with ~10 outings a year, it's a tradeoff. One other thing that's really nice: adding hooks in the ceiling to hang wet stuff after returning from a trip. Then when it's dry you can just throw it in the bins and it's ready to go for the next trip.

Thanks for the heads up. I bought mine in July but thankfully they all have a different code (LAM-T2).

This summer I had some Patagonia gear fall apart on me, and they graciously replaced it with a gift card and a new Nano Puff Hoody. A summer of climbing has shown me I don't need it. It's red and size men's medium, has never been worn, has the original tags, in the original packaging it came with. Selling for $175. I also got a Patagonia gift card for the price difference of my replacement item, which I believe is a few cents shy of $70. Will include it with the jacket for $225 total. PM me or reply with your email if you're interested. Local pickup and cash only.

Incredible pictures, thanks for sharing!!

Man, that's horrible. Condolences to his family...

Nice trip and photos! Entertaining as well.

Wow, nice solo and good TR!

Great pics, especially for beta on the face. Looks like weather held up too!

Great pics once again! Cool trip, that slab looks sketch. Looks like you had good weather too, shoulda headed up there instead of trying for Hood.

Awesome climb! Your other TR is cool too (gulley). I was one of the guys brewing up at our camp just below the Palmer. Cool to chat with you, and glad you made it back safely.

I second that. They are an amazing shop and I recommend them to everyone that has needs a Subie mechanic. I also bought a used car from them (my second Subaru) which was stayed in perfect mechanical condition until it was totaled. After that incident, they connected me with a customer who was selling her old 96 Legacy, and vouched for its mechanical condition since they had done all the work on it. Bought that thing almost two years ago with 140k miles, and I haven't had to put a cent into it aside from regular maintenance. Whenever I've gone in there for work for the 3 Subies I've owned, they're always honest about it ("no, don't worry about that, you can wait on it for a while" or "you really need to get this fixed; let's go look at your car and I'll show you why it's so important"). Lots of other things I can say, especially on how well they've treated my friends, but I'm a happy customer. /end of sales pitch

That's just insane. Wow.

ALso, here are some pics of the current conditions. Approach Start of the climb Base of the couloir Climbing the couloir Top of the couloir Summit, with a few feet of snow here and there

It was a fun climb, and the weather ended up being perfect. Kozak, here's the only pic I took that might give you an idea.

My guess (as a soon to be ex-Firstlight owner) is that the fabric would fail if you took it into an environment where you needed double poles. It's a somewhat fragile tent. If you're only going to own one 4 season two-man dome, and want to get something that'll work in high wind conditions, it makes more sense to sacrifice the 1.5lbs. for a much more sturdy tent like the Eldo or I-Tent. But if light and fast is your top priority, perhaps a modular pole system is for you. Give it a shot and report back.

I looked into double poling the Firstlight, but determined that unless you already own one, a better purchase would be an I-Tent or an Eldorado if you're concerned about being in high enough winds to necessitate two poles. The Eldo and I-Tent come with thicker poles and much more durable fabric, at about 1.5lbs more weight. An extra set of poles would weigh around 1 lb. for the Firstlight and cost around $100.

Bump for lower price.

I'd like any beta as well, planning on heading up there this weekend. Will report on conditions if I go.

Price lowered to $425... I bought an EV 3 a little while back and never even took it out of the stuff sack. It still has plastic wrapped around it. Getting rid of it because I don't see myself using it like I thought I would. Here's a link to the tent's description/features: Mountain Hardwear EV3 Asking $425 for a brand new tent. I live in Seattle, interested only in local buyers right now. PM me if you're interested. Thanks, Sean

This is what I did with my Vireo -- I rented it for a few days, slept very comfortably, then built my dream bag: Pertex Shield waterproof/breathable fabric, tuck stitch, 900 fill upgrade, plus 2 ounces of overfill. It lofts from 5.5 inches in the foot to 4 near the head, and is super warm. Only 22.5 oz with customizations. Love it! One thing I found out about tuck stitch vs. top stitch at FF: not all of their bags are tuck stitched. Most of the lightweight bags are top-stitched, so you have to request the tuck stitch on a lighter bag. Just ask them when you check em out.

Thank you for posting; may have to alter my plans.

Someone who wears XL or Med is going to get a steal.

Lots of people over at BackpackingLight have them and love them. Didn't recommend it because it's a bit narrow in the shoulders, which would be problematic if you want to sleep in a jacket to extend the warmth rating. But if you're a smaller guy, no problem.