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Trying to lighten the Load...


dberdinka

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I've suddenly had the urge to lighten the load I carry around for alpine climbing. My knees might have been a lot happier had I done this in June. So I've got two strategies to employ, carry less equipment (cheap) and/or carry lighter equipment ($$$).

The first thing I did, actually the second after burning some cash, was to figure out what was so damn heavy in that pack. The rope, the rack, the crampons, the ice axe the sleeping bag and the rain coat seemed to be the culprits in order of offense. So I guess my first option is to just do day hikes. The second option is to get rid of some of this stuff.

If I carry a minimal rack, It seems to me that the sleeping bag would generally go first, only to be replaced by a down coat and pile pants. Doesn't such much lighter to me? Instead I ordered a new half-zip, super 8000+ fill, micro ripstop, blah blah sleeping bag from rei-outlet. Relatively speaking it was cheap at $190 with shipping and tax, but I only saved about 16 oz over my old bag. That one hell of an expensive pound ($12 an ounce) I took off my back! Hmmm, well I guess that old bag needed replacing anyway...

Well how about if I replace my biners with Neutrinos (cost $14 per ounce of savings)

Maybe a 9.4 mm rope (cost $9.37 per ounce of savings over 10mm rope)

Or a new axe ($10.75 per ounce of savings)

Aaagh, this sucks! 5 lbs will cost me $920 bucks. Sounds like a waste of money. So is there any advice from light weight aficionados out there. How do you lighten the load? what have you found to be non-essential? Is this an interesting thread? or boring gear talk? Thanks!

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Depends on the climb for me. The climb and approach (water points) always dictate what I carry.

I have wire gate biners but not just because of weight. I carry down bag too though. I guess you could yard sale some stuff and buy lighter equipment..

Key for me is to carry as little as possible (only the things that are completely essential) on a two day route. Selecting footwear can be a way to drop weight too. for instance N Ridge of Stuart Tennies with Stubai alum crampons and slippers. Slippers = easy on easy off and lighter too.

Hexes are a good option too. I often carry a 9mm rope on low 5th class climbs now thanks to a recent trip. You can fold it in 2 and do 100ft pitches if necessary as well.

Stove fuel: Carry a refillable container of gas with *just* enough fuel. I carry one pair of sox that I let dry next to my body when I sleep in the summer. Winter I take 2 pairs. I carry only one small pot for 2 people. Homey can eat on the lid and drink out of a water bottle.

Packs without all the comfy\beefy suport can be lighter too.

Cams - this is debatable- I prefer lighter ones, but dont always have that option. Metolius or Dmm.

Things I rarely carry are:

compass, map, sunglasses, #5 camalot tongue.gif, hat, sunblock, tape for your hands, rain gear (I plan on climbing in the good weather or I don't go. Besides how many of you can climb these big rock mountain routes in the rain anyhow?)

 

What the heck is a stuff sack!?

I only carry water that I need to get me to the next water point. Then at the last piont I refill all of my water bladders. I dont use water filters but tabs or chlorine.

Consider losing the ice axe for a ski pole if you can get by. Heck even a wooden stick!

Option two is to cache gear. I do that too. Often when I hike in a long ways and get rained out. When caching gear "Danimal" discovered that bug juice is a good lubricator for cams that have been sitting in the wilderness. Caching water bladders is a good idea if you are a little distant from a source and don't want to make 5 trips a day to the nearest stream or lake.

[This message has been edited by Cpt.Caveman (edited 10-09-2001).]

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Aluminum crampons, Ushbai Titanium ice axe, buy a light, light pack, get that 9.4, and forego the stove if it isn't winter, you'll eventually get used to the taste of cold instant coffee, albeit calling it coffee at that point is really a stretch of reality.

Who cares how much it costs? Eat Ramen at home and go to the food bank to help further your gear budget!

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quote:

Originally posted by Marcus:

Replace your pack's pad (if it's got one) with a long strip of ensolite, doubled over, and sleep on that instead of a pad. Throw your feet on top of the pack/rope to get some extra insulation... Buy a fresh headlamp battery before the trip, and leave the spare at home, especially in the summer.

Sometimes I dont even carry a pad. Or you can buy a pack that has a removable pad. Wild Things Ice sac...... Headlamp- Nice idea. I got a tikka. Get one unless you think you might need to lead rock climb in the night. It would not be good for that.

 

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quote:

Originally posted by Cpt.Caveman:

Sometimes I dont even carry a pad. Or you can buy a pack that has a removable pad. Wild Things Ice sac......


Yeah, I've got the Nozone, and it trims down pretty nicely. I've fiddled a bit with taking out the framesheet too, and the doubled pad stiffens it up enough so that I don't feel like I'm carry a plastic bag full of mashed potatoes.

The tikka sounds pretty good, and you don't even need to buy fresh batteries every time, unless you'll be climbing for 500 hours...

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I have actually written an online article on this (http://www.mountainwerks.com/alexk/climb/light.htm), here is a synopsis:

softgoods:

* ultra light sleeping bag in the summer, I use a down Ushba bag that weighs 1.4 pounds.

* ulta light goretex. Shoeller sucks like everything else in a real rainstorm. I use an Arcteryx Beta LT jacket these days.

* ultra light tent or bivy, if you take shelter. Bibler or...you have a Garuda last I knew..?

Hardware:

* no stove

* Aluminum crampons. DA Bomb! I thought they would break first trip out. I was wrong!

* Neutrinos and Helium biners. 36-37g per biner.

* ultra light axe, or no axe and only poles with self arrest grips

* poles are worth the weight!

* light rope. For easy climbing, a strand of 8.5 and a strand of 7 to rap with. For hard/technical climbs, a 9.4 lead line, and the 7 rap strand

* platypus/camelback collapsable water bags. Reduces bulk when not filled.

* iodine tablets

...and so much more!

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AAAAgggh, TG don't go there! Lots of good ideas and some good humor. Thanks a lot. I can only imagine what other obtuse topics we can discuss for the next 5 months.

Anyone have experience with 10pt aluminum crampons on alpine ice? Since I already own more crampons than I have feet, I wonder if they're worth the 7 oz I'd save. On a similar note promountainsports.com carries a 9 oz ice axe. It reminds me of a can opener for some reason.

Darin

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I just returned from climbing the Regular Route on Half Dome. I am a pretty mediocre climber - this was a big climb for me. I attribute much of our success to packing unusually light. We didn't take sleeping bags or ground pads - just sat through the two nights we spent on the wall. It wasn't fun, but it wasn't bad either - and it definately sped up our progress on the route. With a good (perfect?) weather forecast, this might be a reasonable strategy for the N. Ridge of Stuart or other long rock climbs.

-Steven

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Cool, Darin...Sorry I was just trying to make a joke.

On the light axe subject. I have a Grivel Racing Alpine axe 12oz 65cm. I love it. A forged steel head with a great feel in the self arest position and a good balance for a swing if it gets steep. I compared it to a friends 12oz Cassin which seemed like a fragile toy.

[This message has been edited by Terminal Gravity (edited 10-09-2001).]

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Ushbai Titanium axe feels NOTHING like a toy, I wouldn't want to do much boot axe belaying on a Grivel race but thats's just IMO. Plus, no spike! wierd...

weight savings, albeit minor... smallest diameter cord for prussiks, get an actual webolette for slinging belay stations, 9/16" webbing vs 1", use gear sling as sling, also prussiks as slings if not on glacier (not vertical rock but snow/ice)light boots, no gaiters(get pants with good leg openings)etc' etc'

Chounard said something like "...when packing, take out what you can, then take out more...till nothing can be left behind."

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The Tika bateries do seem to last forever. The seem to get a good deal less powerful after 10 - 20 hours, but are still usable for most things. With new batteries, the Tikka is fine for free climbing - I've climbed gear pitches near my limit in one. Of course, the pitches were in a dihedral, route finding with a tika would probably bite.

matt

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Ditch the bivi sack, not the sleeping bag. But make sure it is a light sleeping bag! On a bivi this summer on forbidden I had a bivi sac/down jacket combo (no pad either). Sleeping on the rope was okay, but even on the warm night I got decently cold. (sleep is important, remember?) Friends wearing sleeping bags only were toasty warm. my down jacket = 1.5 lbs, and bivi sack =- 1.5 pounds. In other words the weight of my 0 deg down bag! True, a jacket is more versatile, but when have you pulled out your down on a sunny day??

also, buy scholler (better yet, scholler extreme) and not gore-tex. you can get away with 90% of summer, and ~70% of spring/fall climbing with simply scholler pants & jacket. Far lighter than G-tex, and combined with a light weight impermeable shell, every bit as good. However, don't rely too much on that "beading off" effect with the scholler. It lasts a good couple months only.

like Cpt. said, take only the essentials. Figure this out by leaving it at home. When it sucks, you didn't sleep, and you hate climbing, put that last thing back in. wink.gif

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only climb solo then you can get rid of the cams and nuts and rope. plus you go faster so you dont need a tent or sleeping bag or extra clothes. basically just a pack with water and food, oh and maybe a camera for later spray email -

"here i am on top of the Shmeeb!!"

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