Portaledges

[Alex]

Single is useful if cost is an issue, you prefer privacy, your buddy already has a ledge, or what have you.

Double is lighter, but is actually smaller in sq ft per person. They are a little harder to set up, too as the whole thing is a lot wider than a single.

A real nice addition is to get a tent pole and use it as a hoop lengthwise inside the fly, to keep the fly from sagging in on you.

I like the A5 double with expedition fly.

Alex

[Wallstein]

I would say go with the A5 double with exp fly. Alex is right that for sq ft per person the double is smaller but the benefits out weigh this detail. That is unless you are a really big guy. Being able to share food, water, beer and all the other important bivi items is a real plus when you are ledge bound. Also not having to setup two ledges at the bivi is always nice. Setting up one can be enough of a hassle. An even nicer adition than 1 tent pole is 2 tent poles. With 2 poles the space inside feels much larger. If you have the option I would also recommend getting the cabana exp fly for the double ledge. The first time I tried this it was by mistake but it worked alot better than the normal exp fly. Since the cabana fly is larger there is more volume inside the fly which makes for more space inside. The trick is to clip the ledge into the fly with a doubled shoulder length. This gives much more head room. And as for the cabana ledge I have never used one (thank god) but I have heard people say they are epic to setup and this was coming from people that have alot of experience. If you don't have a long reach (people under 6") it is impossible to setup by yourself. Having to wait at the belay while your partner cleans the last pitch is a real drag. But honestly it really doesn't matter what type of ledge you have, I have used tri-fold lawn chairs from wall-mart, a single fish that was 15 years old for two people on a 4 day wall, and no ledge at all. The more comfortable you are the later you get out of bed and the later you start climbing. And for brand names just look in mags at what people are using for big climbs, A5. Black diamonds go up the easiest but if they are put away wrong it can take hours to setup them up and they don't have a exp fly just a tent that sits inside the ledge that has much less volume than the A5 exp. I have also heard the BD ledges aren't as stable as the A5. The Pika ones look jingus like most of their products. I might take a BD or a Pika or Fish ledge on El Cap but never would I take one on and expedtion where it really counts. And if you think an A5 with an exp fly is to much money I would give you a screamin deal on mine! It only has somewhere around 60 nights in it and a couple of holes in the fly.

You can also check www.google.com for past threads on rec.climbing about portaledges. I am sure there is lots.

-mike

[Guest]

Hello.

What can you say about one double vs two single ledges? Two single Pika's have almost twice the weight of a double A5...

Also how actually hard is it to set up the A5 Cliff Cabana?

Any caveats when choosing between the brands?

Tips & tricks on usage?

Thank you!

(portaledge haters can open a separate thread, please )

[verticalturtle]

excellent info on the last reply. only one tastey morsel left out...metloius. they are new to the ledge market but have some good things going. Construction is similar to the A5, but it also has an integral hooped spreader bar to keep tension in the middle. They make a double as well as single and the flys have the tent pole built in as well as having a window. You may have noticed the window thing from Mtn. Hardware, well thats who is making them. The down side is that they are a bit heavier, but super durrable. Also just wanted to mention a couple of corrections. The BD sky lounge comes in single and double, it has a rainfly made by bibler as well as being able to support a version of the I-tent. I also know a couple of friends with these (the single version) and none of them have had problems with them.

I'd contact metolius or a retailer to get the details on theirs. that is if you have time to wait and the money is not burning a hole in your pocket

 

[Guest]

I started my research knowing someone's opinion that A5's are hell to set up. After reviewing and talking to manufacturers my search narrowed me down to... A5. Hence the post.

Thank you all!

Keep it coming, I still have 2 months to make a decision.

P.S. I am 6' (and have never seen anybody under 6" ).