Gregory has revamped their G Pack for 2005. It is slightly smaller, fabric durability has been improved, the front mesh pocket is now segmented, and a new Wraptor stabilizer has been added.
Key Features:
One of the standard fabrics in an ultralighter’s arsenal just got better. My R2 vest has been on three out of my last four trips.
Patagonia introduces a lighter and more compact R2 and R3 fleece. R2 and R3 fleece use “variegated” fibers, a fancy way of saying they use both short and long fibers. The long fibers provide more loft with less bulk while the shorter dense fibers improve insulation and wind resistance. The fabric already had a cool look and now has an even sexier finish.
Weight of the R2 jacket in men’s medium is 12.5 oz (354g).
The new Patagonia R2 Jacket.
Note: The R1 and R0.5 fabrics remain relatively the same.
The 470 g (16.5 oz) Cosmi’tec is new to the Winter OR show. It’s a classic mountaineering and glacier travel axe. But with its slightly curved shaft and tapered and recurved pick it will do a credible job on steep ice. The shaft bend is shallow enough to allow for deep plunges and a solid anchor in soft snow. A great multipurpose axe.
New to the Summer OR show was the 450 g (16.0 oz) Snowscopic, a combination axe and trekking pole. It can be used on steep approaches. And sometimes a trekking pole works better on a glacier and steep snow than an axe.
Icebreaker figures they’ve pretty much got their Superfine190 (190 g/m2) long sleeve crew design dialed in. I agree (see my 2004 Staff Pick)! This spring they bring out a limited edition of this thin, superfine merino wool crew with patterns of nature (leaf, vine) designed by a New Zealand artist and dyed onto the front of the shirt. A super comfortable and attractive shirt just gets nicer.
Icebreaker staff members Fran and Justin model the short sleeve patterned crews and display the long sleeve crews.
Ibex Nelson with 17.5 micron WoolElite fabric for the ultimate in next to skin comfort.
I posted about the Smartwool very light long sleeved crew in a Day 1 dispatch. Ibex also has a similar product; their Woolies rib crew (18.5 micron, 6.5 oz). And an even finer 17.5 micron fabric WoolElite version n their Nelson long sleeve crew for the ultimate in next to skin comfort.
Those of you who enjoy the thermal properties of a thin layer of wool next-to-skin, now have a choice!
Website: www.ibexwear.com
Montbell is obviously enthused with the success of their Thermowrap line. They’ve added pants, a hooded parka, and revised their existing garments.
The biggest story is the new 10 oz Ultralight Thermowrap Parka. This adds a hood and uses warmer 80 gm/m2 Excleloft insulation. (The other items in the Ultralight Thermowrap line use 50 gm/m2). This may be the warmest 10 oz top on the market!
PARKA SPECS
Montbell adds Ultralight Thermowrap Pants to complement the jacket and parka.
PANT SPECS
Ultralight Thermowrap Jacket Active
Here’s a new, active version of the Ultralight Thermowrap Jacket that adds stretch fleece on the side panels and cuffs on the jacket. The fleece side panels improve breathability. This is because the calendared Ballistic Airlight, while a very windproof shell, is not all that breathable. “Calendaring” is a textile manufacturing process to heat press a fabric and semi-melt its fibers, decreasing breathability but increasing the wind and water resistance.
The stretchy side panels also allow for a trimmer fit. The fleece cuffs improve durability in a high-wear area and come up over the wrist where thumb loops double as hand warmers.
JACKET ACTIVE SPECS
Ultralight Thermowrap Jacket (revised!)
The shell is the same fabric but calendared for better windproofing. The front zipper is now concealed. The biggest change is the addition of handwarmer pockets. The jacket remains within a few grams of its original 8 oz weight.
JACKET SPECS
Integral Designs enters the extremely light high loft insulation garment game. The PLQ jacket and pants feature Pertex Quantum shells. The 3-oz/yd2 Primaloft Sport insulation is warmer than the 1.8 to 2.0 oz/yd2 insulation used in most competitors’ extreme light high loft insulation garments.
The jacket features a 1/3 zip and elastic cuffs and hem – a light and minimalist garment.
Adjustable waist and no zippers.
The new MSR Capillary Stove Technology System Vapore-Jet stove has been delayed to 2007 at the earliest. Apparently Vapore-Jet, the manufacturer of the critical capillary burner element, was unable to meet production at their facilities. MSR decided to move production to their Seattle facility. It will take MSR time to tool up and manufacture the capillary stove jet in production quantities. We are hoping to get a test sample by August 2006.
The integrated canister stove system (code name “fire pot”) is holding closer to schedule and should be available January 2006. Still, that’s a long time to wait. By then, JetBoil may be on to their next generation stove. Possibly a titanium one!
The revised XGK EX we reported on at the Summer OR show has been delayed for more testing. Expected availability is May 2005.
Finally, the two-burner Viking style gourmet camp stove has also been delayed to an unspecified date in 2007.
Most manufacturers target two weight points for an insulated ultralight jacket: around 8 to 12 oz for a lightweight jacket, and around 25+ oz for a belay-style parka. There are only a few jackets between those weights, such as the Patagonia Micro Puff Jacket at 16.5 oz with 2.7 oz/yd2 Polarguard Delta, and Wild Things hooded EP Jacket with Primaloft insulation.
OR jumps into the fray with the Zero, a 20-oz jacket (size large – a medium could be around 18 oz to 19 oz). The Zero uses 4.0 oz/yd2 Primaloft One insulation in the torso, 3.0 oz/yd2 in the sleeves, and 1.8 oz/yd2 in the hood – intelligently placing the most warmth at the torso. The light hood insulation assumes that one is already wearing a hat, balaclava, or helmet. OR knows about climbing. The hood is large enough to cover a climbing helmet.
The Zero weighs less than a 25+ oz belay parka but may come close to the same warmth. Best of all, the jacket retails for a reasonable $169.
NEOS Villager overshoes (the colorful ones) and Trekker overshoes (the tall ones)
NEOS makes overshoes that fit over trail runners, boots, and even street shoes. The overshoes are waterproof to protect shoes from the weather and have a lugged sole to provide traction. This year NEOS debuts Villager overshoes, their lightest yet. The Villager overshoes are 11 inches high and weigh 1.6 pounds per pair (that’s 13 ounces each). They come in green, black, and a multitude of wild prints. The Trekker, which we tested at last winter’s Backcountry Basecamp (NEOS Trekker), is 20 inches high, weighs 2 pounds per pair, and uses the same Superlight sole as the Villager. The overshoes’ seams are taped and the insole is radio frequency welded to the upper. The Superlight soles are surprisingly durable – the demo pair of Villagers that had been worn for 140 miles of running showed only a hint of wear.
Bottom of the Superlite sole
Cross section of a Villager overshoe showing the Superlite sole and internal seam tape
Backpacking friendly individual serving packs of instant green tea – what a concept. The buzz on green tea is that it’s “good for you.” It has antioxidants that are more potent than vitamin C. TeaTech suggests XtraGreen instant tea as an alternative to your daily serving of orange juice. I don’t know about that, but I loved the stuff. It is sweetened with sucralose (Splenda brand), and I just kept chugging it down throughout the OR show. Definitely better than any green tea I’ve ever had. TeaTech has a patent pending process they claim “is the most efficient way to extract the naturally-occurring health nutrients found in fresh green tea leaves.” The tea comes in single serving “sticks” that are added to 16 ounces of water.
Wild Things has a new 1.8 oz/yd2 PL1 insulated jacket, the Primalight. It weighs 14.6 ounces with a full front zip and zip pockets. The large size fit our tall, athletically built model perfectly. Articulation could be better though; the cuffs stayed in place with arms straight out to the sides, but exposed wrists when the arms were overhead and the bottom hem lifted also several inches.
Justin models a size L Primalight
Wild Things has updated the cuffs on the EP Hooded and Belay jackets, both now have Velcro cuffs instead of lycra in response to customer requests. Both now have a three-way hood adjustment as well. The pockets on the EP jacket have been raised to make them more hipbelt friendly and the EP is now available in a hoodless version. They have not updated their venerable AT pack.
Snow Peak released a prototype neoprene cozy for their titanium mugs. The cozy is as yet unnamed – they’re having a naming contest with a $500 prize. Since there was only one cozy, they wouldn’t let me take it back to my hotel room to weigh it, but I’d guess it weighs about 0.6 ounces. The cozy is constructed of 5 mm neoprene. It has a webbing handle so you can hold your cup of cozied steaming brew, and a notch on the opposite side for the mug handles to be folded out, if they aren’t to hot to handle. The webbing strap unfastens at the bottom, flips over the top, and Velcro’s to the opposite side so you can fasten down a lid on top of the mug during food rehydration. The cozy is due out spring ’06. By the way, I put a bug in their ear about manufacturing a handle-less 600 ml ti cup – just think of the gram savings!
GoLite claims that the Xirtram (Matrix backwards) is a fully waterproof softshell. WE always thought that a softshell was a fabric with reasonable air permeability (better than 2 cfm or so) and therefore could never be waterproof but everyone is entitled to their own definition. Anyway it is an exciting concept.
The Fusion fabric on the Xirtam does look and feel every bit like a stretchy softshell! The fabric is a combination of a waterproof breathable stretch PU membrane with a polyester tricot liner – essentially a softshell fabric with a waterproof breathable membrane laminated between the outer shell and the nappy inner liner. An inspection of the jacket revealed seam tape on “fuzzy” fabric, a technology that we’re hearing a lot about now. The breathability of the Fusion fabric is high, 4000 MVTR (no test given) – according to GoLite: better than PackLite, and approaching that of Power Shield.
No matter how much this looks and feels like a softshell, and no matter how breathable the WP/B membrane is, this will not be as breathable as a true softshell with air permeability. Nonetheless it may be an excellent compromise between a hardshell and softshell and extend the working range of fully waterproof shells. We imagine that the wicking layer may improve the performance of the WP/B membrane by creating a force to push water through. Stay tuned, we are on the very short list to test this jacket!
GoLite also makes Oen pants (Neo backwards) out of the same Fusion fabric.
The Sil Wing is a fully catenary cut tarp (both ridge line and edges). Edges are taped. 8 feet by 7 feet. Eight reinforced tie out loops. Weight 12 ounces.
Insulated Silcoat Stuff Sacs use silnylon shells and Primaloft insulation. They keep water from freezing in the winter and the longer version keeps a bottle of wine or two cans of beer cool in the summer. No weight given, but certainly lighter than most insulated holders.
Wrist Warmers. Pertex Microlight shells, loose elastic, and Primaloft insulate the wrists where blood circulates near the surface to keep your hands warmer without affecting dexterity. A tip from legendary climber Mark Twight!
ID gets a lot of requests for a functional bivy sac that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, especially from youth groups. Integral responds with a no frills bivy sac that still includes a PTFE shell, durable coated nylon floor, and a bug netting screen across the face – all for only $160. Weight 1pound 12 ounces.
The ParaLiner is 1.1 oz/yd2 parachute ripstop nylon sleeping bag liner that acts like a semi-vapor barrier to improve the warmth of your sleeping bag. Integral claims that it is not as clammy as a true vapor barrier and adds approx 5 degrees F to a bag’s temperature rating. It also works to keep your bag clean. 5 ounces.
Komperdell showed us an all carbon-fiber shovel, which includes a carbon-fiber blade and two-piece adjustable carbon-fiber shaft. The only non-carbon-fiber elements are a stainless reinforcement to the shovel blade edge and a plastic handle grip. This is a lightweight shovel that can really cut through and move some hard, crusty snow without bending or falling appart.
A companion to the shovel will be an all carbon-fiber avalanche probe. If it specs out as good as it looked at the show, it should compete with the Life-Link Carbon Fiber Speed Light probes, and maybe a bit lighter!
Again, both these items are so new that there is no literature, no weights, and no specs available. We will get information and test models as soon as we can.
See our previous post on the Sarvis tents
The usual production delays, but Big Agnes seems close to getting the Sarvis tents to market. Big Agnes expects silnylon models in two weeks and the eVENT-paneled version in six weeks. We’ll be testing the SL 2+ eVENT version in the near future!
They told us that they’ve made more than a few tweaks to improve the tents. The all silnylon version gets better ventilation with a cool, 3-point tieout to a single anchor point. The eVENT-paneled version has faster pitching and gets a price break: $299 from $359 for the 1+, and $399 from $469 for the 2+.
The all silnyon Sarvis: Better ventilation and a cool, 3-point tieout to a single anchor point. Each line has an adjustable tensioner to get things just right.
The Ultralight hammock is light and cheap – great to satisfy your curiosity about hammock camping. The combination of weight (10 ounces), price ($19.99), and length (9 feet) is hard to find. It is made of machine washable nylon, with a built-in pocket for self-stuffing. It comes with steel “S” hooks at each end. A separate hanging kit, consisting of two pieces of 10-foot pre-knotted 4.5 mm cord, is available for $5. Two-year warranty.
Co-owner Jon Neff taking a break outside the Salt Palace. He strung the hammock between a light pole and tree in the few seconds it took me to swap out my camera battery.
If the Inka pen has not won a design award, it will. It is a marvel of precision-engineering and attention to detail, and it weighs 0.6 ounces! Its approximately 3-inch long body includes a split ring so that the pen can be attached anywhere. The cartridge is pressurized so that it can write at any altitude, angle, temperature, and underwater – and it writes smoothly. The case is hardened 304 stainless steel, and the pen grip is cast from high-strength lightweight composite. The pen grip snaps snuggly into place inside the steel case as its O-ring engages the internal groove. The pen is secure but can be quickly pulled from the case to make a note in any weather condition. The O-ring is a special rubber that allows the pen to be extracted from the case even in cold weather. For more leisurely writing, the Inka can be transformed into a full-length pen. The cartridge is shorter than a typical pen cartridge but lasts as long since ink is used more efficiently in a pressurized cartridge. Pressurized cartridge refills can be purchased inexpensively online, and regular cartridges can be purchased at any office store. The Inka pen carries a lifetime warranty. The pen debuted at this OR show and is the first offering from entrepreneur and designer Greg Adelman, an optical engineer based in Boulder, Colorado.
Inka pen closed, assembled full length, and the pen grip removed from the steel case
Writing under water
NEMO is debuting a line of tents supported by air filled beams. Their idea is to create “some of the easiest to use, fastest to setup, and most compact tents . . . . for three season backpacking.” They are targeting their tents for adventure racers “or any kind of adventure where weight, speed and simplicity are paramount.” NEMO claims a setup time of 15 seconds for their two-person tent. Needless to say NEMO has a lot of patents pending on their tent designs.
The solo Burrito and its two-person brother, the Hypo AR, are squarely targeted at lightweight backpacking. The free-standing Hypo AR weighs 3.25 pounds and was not at Backcountry Basecamp but will be on the main show floor tomorrow. Stay tuned for another release about this two-person tent before the end of the show.
The one-person NEMO Burrito. The black arches front and rear are actually two redundant air beams, one inside the tent and one outside (four total for this tent).
Take a NEMO Air Supported Technology tent out of the stuff sack and attach the 4-ounce air pump and just pump it up. No more threading and clipping of tent poles. When you’re ready to take it down, let the air out, and fold it up.
NEMO Burrito has breathable Epic fabric for the majority of the shell (70%) supplemented by 30-denier silnylon (30%). A new fabric, 2 oz/yd2 Dimension Polyant X-Pac, forms a skeleton for high stress areas such as the air beams. The floor is a durable 70-denier coated nylon. According to Chris Dickey, the Burrito is a fully featured shelter somewhere between a bivy sack and a tent. At 3 pounds it is not the lightest solo shelter, but we’re still interested in taking one for a test spin to see if it has enough performance advantages to justify its weight. Obviously, we are a bit more interested in their Hypo AR. (NEMO claims that four friendly adventure racers can fit into this tent.)
Detail of some features: Two urethane windows, lots of tie out points, two side doors with mosquito netting (one on either side of the tent), and four vents. The multiple vents and Epic fabric should help with condensation inside the shelter.
Dynafit, the company with the lightest set of randonee skis, boots and bindings, just got lighter. This year they introduce a race ski, boot, and binding. Randonee racing is very popular in Europe and catching on in the US. The idea is lots of climbing, 5,000 feet or more per race, and surviving the downhills on your skis to get to the next climb. With all that elevation gain, weight is of the utmost importance. Dynafit uses carbon fiber in the ski construction, carbon fiber and titanium in the binding, and reduces the boot to one buckle – all to shave precious grams. We can certainly see an application for the race ski and boots for a fast and light day outing. And the new half-pound race bindings would work on many sturdier skis than the race ski.
For more conventional, non-race touring, Dynafit replaces the venerable three-bukle TLT 700 boot with a stiffer four-buckle boot, the Aero. According to Dyanfit, the CarveLite skis are replaced with the carbon fiber FreeRide 8.0 skis. Available in 155, 165, and 175 cm the FreeRide is wider and more shaped than the CarveLite. I demoed both the boots and the skis at the show. The boots are substantially stiffer than the 700’s and feel a lot more like a downhill ski boot. Aggressive skiers should love them. There is also a wider ski, the FreeRide 10.0 more suitable for powder that is only available in 178 and 187 cm lengths. FreeRide 10.0 is 3 lb (1360 g) per ski.
There was no spec book at the booth and a lot of interested people vying for attention so most of these numbers are from hastily jotted notes:
The new 8.3 oz (235 g) Dyanfit TLT Race Ti binding uses carbon fiber and titanium. That’s a pound for a pair of bindings!
Dyanfit TLT Race Boot: A lighter one-buckle version of the TLT 4. Weight 2 lb 6 oz (1080 g) per boot.
Dyanfit 4 Buckle FR Aero TF Boot: Weight 3 lb 14 oz (1800 g)per boot.
Race ski: Narrow, carbon fiber, lightest Dynafit ski by a margin. 1 lb 10 oz (737 g)!! per ski.
Free ride 8.0 ski: Carbon fiber, 1320 g per ski for 165 cm.
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