Articles (2020)

The Wild Things Lightweight Bivy Shelter is an alpine-style shelter that a group of up to four could pull over their heads to hunker down against a storm or strong winds, or that an injured skier or climber could use as an emergency shelter to conserve warmth.

Unique to Wild Things’ implementation is the use of super-light Cuben fiber-reinforced spinnaker fabric, bringing the weight of the shelter to a scant 3.8 ounces (108 grams), and allowing it to pack into a fist-sized ball.

Construction is simple – the shelter is essentially a large bag to pull over occupants, with a single vent opening and four small cord loops sewn into the bottom perimeter of the shelter for anchoring. I noted that the vent was not completely sealable, and that the loops appeared big enough for a pole, stake or cord, but not skis or ice tools; however, the design is still being refined.

Though the price will give some pause, the Lightweight Bivy Shelter’s minimal packed size and weight make it a very appealing addition to the winter emergency shelter arena.

Specifications and Features

• Manufacturer: Wild Things
• Fabrics: Cuben
• Weight: 3.8 ounces (108 grams)
• MSRP: $225
• Available: Summer, 2007

Note: Wild Things also makes a $150 blaze orange Silnylon Bivy Shelter that’s slightly larger, has a tunnel vent with mesh and drawcord, and weighs in at 13 ounces (369 grams).

Simond, a Chamonix-based climbing hardware company, is introducing its updated line to the U.S. market. Included is a lighweight ice axe with a forged titanium head, weighing in at 300 grams (10.6 ounces) for the 54 cm length.

The ice axe is of a minimalist design: the head has a serrated pick and simple spade-shaped adze, and the spike is simply a sliced-off hollow aluminum shaft with a bushing. The axe has a CE B rating.

Also of note: a T rated, bent-shaft model with a more traditional spike and rubberized coating on the lower half of the shaft, weighing in at a scant 420 grams (14.8 ounces). Both models are shown in the first picture at right.

As an interesting aside, Simond is leveraging the abilities of its parent company Wichard, which creates high-quality medical forgings.

I found both axes well-balanced and solid feeling – they exude quality. The lighter model should be an interesting option for climbers and hikers looking for a non-technical ice axe that’s stronger than the other minimalist versions currently available. The other is the first T rated titanium ice axe on the market, and provides an intriguing new choice for climbers who need the bent shaft style.

Specifications and Features

• Manufacturer: Simond
• Sizes available: 54, 60, 68, 75 centimeter straight shafts
• Materials: Forged titanium, aluminum alloy
• Weight: 10.6 ounces (300 grams) for 54 centimeter model
• MSRP: $259
• Available: Late Spring, 2007

One of our staff described the Big Sur Bars as a, “dense brick of tasty calories.” These 5 ounce bars boast over 600 calories each. The ingredient lists for the three flavors look like a cookie recipe, and indeed, the Big Sur Bars are huge baked cookies with fun, crunchy ingredients piled on top. They are fresh baked and last about two weeks. If you can wait longer to consume these delicious bars, store them in a freezer. Our staff loved the three flavors – Blind Date, Original and White Zest – and said one bar kept them powered for hours.

Nothing passes Ryan’s test unless it remains chewable when frozen. So, Ryan put a Blind Date in a 15 deg F hotel freezer (don’t take that one out of context) for 24 hours and it emerged chewable and tasty.

Big Sur Bars are available online at http://bigsurbar.com for $2.65 – $2.75 per bar.

A plastic Snow Claw, while very light and versatile, is not the appropriate tool for all winter applications. Backcountry skiers on avalanche prone terrain above 33 degrees slope angle need a shovel that can penetrate consolidated snow and avalanche debris for safety reasons. A properly designed snow shovel with a handle can provide the leverage to penetrate and dislodge hardened snow.

The 22 ounce (claimed) G3 Spadetech shovel combines a telescoping handle with a relatively small, aluminum, low angled blade with a rounded leading edge designed to penetrate consolidated snow and ice. The main advantage of a spade shovel like this is in how you dig. You don’t have to scoop like you would shoveling a sidewalk, but rather you can jab it aggressively down into hardened snow and pull back using leverage from the handle. That’s also the big advantage of the handle-free Snow Claw design which can move large amounts of snow very quickly…if the snow is not too hardened. The Spadetech looks to be designed to jab, lever, and pull, repeatedly moving small chunks of hard snow over and over to rapidly move material. Note that the small blade of the design is key to making this work, as a larger blade would require too much strength with each stroke.

While perhaps not as suitable for professional guide and rescue use as the Spadetech, the Ortovox Polar snow shovel offers backcountry skiers a remarkably compact package in an unfortunately heavy 22 ounce (claimed) Lexan bladed shovel with a telescoping aluminum handle. The shovel can be quickly deployed just by pulling the handle – there are no separate pieces to assemble. While there are certainly lighter snow shovels available, the Polar’s compact stow size may allow a skier to bring a smaller pack and achieve an overall weight reduction over a bulkier shovel/larger pack system.

The Big Agnes Three Wire Bivy Sack is squarely aimed at the Integral Designs Unishelter. Both are made of three-layer eVent fabric, and both have claimed weights of 31 ounces. The Three Wire Bivy Sack uses a two-pole design very simlar to the 26 ounce (claimed) Black Diamond Lightsabre, but is made of fully-waterproof and highly breathable eVent fabric rather than the lighter, but water resistant EPIC fabric used by Black Diamond. The two-pole design provides more head room and potentially offers increased stability and wind resistance when compared to the single-hooped Unishelter, but the Unishelter offers more ventilation options with its tunnel vent.

The debate as to which is better – eVent or EPIC continues to rage. Three-layer eVent is fully-waterproof, but heavier than the lightest EPIC fabrics. In the fabrics used in currently available bivy sacks, EPIC is more air permeable, but has a lower moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR) than eVent. EPIC’s breathability can suffer at temperatures just below freezing. Which is better depends on the intended use – for shower protection at above freezing temperatures, or deep winter use, an EPIC bivy will save you weight; an eVent one (properly designed and seam-sealed) will provide greater protection against sustained rain and condensation in sub-freezing conditions.

Three Wire Bivy Sack Features

• Trail Weight of 31 oz
• eVent top fabric – fully seam taped
• Nylon ripstop bottom fabric (presumably with a waterproof coating)
• Mesh bug netting closure
• Peaked visor and zipper flap over head opening
• Available June, 2007
• MSRP $299
  

Overview:

Boulder-based winter gear manufacturer Crescent Moon has modified its snowshoe construction and production techniques to use ecologically friendly, recycled, and recyclable materials.

President Jake Thamm said switching to recyclable polyurethane decking materials not only eliminated PVC materials from the company’s snowshoes, but cut out more than half the weight contributed by the older material. Modifying cutting patterns to reduce waste allowed the new material to be used without increasing the cost of the snowshoes.

Crescent Moon is also using recycled stainless steel for crampons and recycled aluminum for frames and rivets; approximately 95% of the components of the snowshoes are now recycled or recyclable. The company also is recycling scraps and rivet pieces left over during production.

In addition, Thamm showed us a prototype using a magnesium frame along with the new recycled materials. With this lighter frame, the model he showed (which appeared to be an update to the Gold Model 9) will weigh less than a pound and a half per shoe. It’s in testing right now and is hoped to be available for the 2007-2008 Winter season.

While several outdoor companies including Patagonia have been promoting a more eco-friendly, sustainable approach, Crescent Moon is the first I’ve heard that has also created a lighter-weight but equally durable product in the process — good news for all of us.

Image: Crescent Moon President Jake Thamm showing some of the new magnesium frames. Photo courtesy of Janet Reichl.

Overview

Granted, a flat reservoir such as a Platypus flask is lightweight and fits into a hydration sleeve just fine, but the beauty of the SmarTube is that it enables you to use an ordinary (and free) PET water bottle (or other plastic bottle) as a hydration reservoir. A Nalgene bottle for example weighs about 6 ounces, while the same size plastic soda bottle weighs about 1.6 ounces, a big difference. The SmarTube Drinking System works especially well from the side pocket of a pack.

The SmarTube Drinking System comes with a couple of different bottle cap sizes, a 1-liter plastic tube, tube clamp, and bite valve. The weight is 2.5 ounces. A variety of optional cap sizes are available. It works by inserting a draw tube into the bottle down to the bottom and inserting the bottle upright into a pack pocket.

I personally like to put a hydration system such as this in a side pocket because it’s a lot more convenient to refill compared to using an internal hydration sleeve. It is also easily transferable from one bottle to another of the same type.

Specifications and Features

• Manufacturer: Axis Outdoor (distributor)
• Sizes: Various cap sizes available to fit different plastic bottles
• Includes:2 bottle cap sizes, 1-liter plastic tube, tube clamp, Velcro strap attachment, bite valve
• Weight: 2.5 ounces
• MSRP: $15.99