dberdinka Posted January 8, 2010 Posted January 8, 2010 A full carbon fiber shaft and hard anodized aluminum pick and adze ensure a positive dig in a variety of soil types.... 5.0oz axe Quote
denalidave Posted January 8, 2010 Posted January 8, 2010 Does it have a TP holder? That would be sweet! Quote
OlympicMtnBoy Posted January 8, 2010 Posted January 8, 2010 A guy on the backpackinglight.com forums did a version with a titanium head too at a similar weight. Cool beans. Quote
EastCoastBastard Posted January 8, 2010 Posted January 8, 2010 whoa - that looks pretty sweet. And not super expensive either Quote
tradhead Posted January 9, 2010 Posted January 9, 2010 Is the shaft made from mandrel wound carbon fiber or some knock-off? Some things sold as carbon fiber in the outdoor industry are really black plastic or fiberglass. (North Face pack stays come to mind...) For the asking price it seems unlikely to me that it would be the real thing. Quote
Water Posted January 9, 2010 Posted January 9, 2010 brian at ULA is pretty solid dude. I love my catalyst pack, best pack I ever owned. Anyways I don't think he'd try to pull a fast one. Main thing is, this is made for long-distance hikers on the PCT mostly who have to go over the sierras and might want an ice ax for self arrest if they are going early in the morning over passes, but don't want to carry the weight of your average one. Being real carbon fiber at that price is probably possible because he has not done any of the required testing to call it an ice ax or sell it as such. no insurance/liability/certification/etc. = cheaper Quote
Sheep Posted January 9, 2010 Posted January 9, 2010 I saw one of these when i thru hiked the PCT this summer, it was a bit ridiculous and i was weary that it wouldnt hold up to a self arrest, i carried a CAMP corsa which is a couple of ounces lighter, but UIAA approved, if i were to do it again i wouldnt carry an axe, just trekking poles Quote
AR_Guy Posted January 14, 2010 Posted January 14, 2010 What Water said. It's for long distance hikers, hence the "potty trowel" name. It's intended use is as a self arrest device for those that otherwise wouldn't carry anything on the high Sierra passes, even though he calls it a cat hole digger. And yes, it's uncertified. Gossamar Gear uses carbon fiber arrow shafts for their pack stays. These are mass produced and inexpensive, probably fabricated with a "pulltrusion" process. I suspect Brian at ULA obtains a similar stock for this "potty trowel". I saw several of these on my 2006 thru hike. I chose a Camp ax. Glad I had it when I fell and self arrested on Glen Pass. Quote
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