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Make Your Own Gear: Sealing Silnylon Seams

A better way to apply seam sealer, producing a nearly factory perfect look.

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Indigenous Designs Terra Sport SPOTLITE REVIEW

A performance sweater made from all natural fabrics

Overview

In the summer of 2005 I visited the Andean Highlands and was struck by the common use of alpaca wool. Fabrics made from alpaca are soft and lush and are used by native peoples throughout the high country of South America. But pure alpaca wool is fragile; most garments I saw in Peru were decorative and did not look like they would be up to our standards for backcountry use. At the Outdoor Retailer show in January 2007 I met with the team at Indigenous Designs to look at their all natural blended fabrics that utilize alpaca wool extensively. They have devised a fabric with 3 components – merino wool, alpaca wool and tencel. The Terra Sport line of sweaters is specifically designed for high performance outdoor use. Over the past 7 months I have put these sweaters through all sorts of abuse – on trail, off trail, in rain, cold, heat and wind. In the photo at right I am wearing the Terra Sport Edge Crew at the misty Col de Barrancq in the French Pyrenees.

The blended fabric is listed as 45 percent Tencel, 40 percent alpaca wool and 15 percent merino wool. Tencel was developed in Europe and is derived from wood pulp. It is the branded name of the fiber lyocell. By itself, Tencel has some interesting characteristics – it is soft to the skin, rapidly wicks water, is strong when wet or dry, and is resistant to bacteria growth (it is frequently used in medical dressings).

The fabric in the Indigenous Designs Terra Sport line is very soft on the skin; more comfortable than any merino wool midweight fabric I have tested. It feels as comfortable as alpaca wool, but has a tighter weave than any pure alpaca fabrics of similar weight I have seen. I was very intrigued and anxious to get it out into the field. My primary concern with the fabric – how would it stand up under rigorous use? How would it compare with merino wool in bad weather?

We tested several Terra Sport midweight layers over the past few months, but I found the Edge Crew to be my favorite. For a midweight sweater, the Edge is very comfortable, and can easily be worn against your skin all day long. I had my Edge out on the field for over 30 days, and nearly always wore a pack all day. The fabric held up very well, and looks almost as good as new. It washes easily and I have not detected any odor buildup. There are a couple of fabric pulls that have developed on the rear shoulders, and one small one on the lower arm. The Terra Sport is the perfect match for a lightweight windshirt. By itself, it is a warm, very breathable outer layer. You’ll stay dry during moderate exertion, but warm when you rest. When the cold or wind picks up, throw on a wind shirt and the pair offer excellent wind and cool weather warmth. I wore my Edge Crew this summer in the Pyrenees whenever we got into high country. The Pyrenees were shrouded in constant wet clouds this summer – and the resulting cool, wet conditions were easily handled by the Edge Crew. The overall construction quality is very good, and the fit is slightly tapered – perfect for a mid-layer. In light rain, water beaded up on the surface for at least a few minutes, but eventually penetrated down through the porous fabric. The big drawback of the Edge Crew is it’s weight, which is true of all sweaters. At 12.5 ounces it is heavier than I would like given the insulation and protection it provides. But combined with a wind shirt, you can have a flexible and warm package at about 16 total ounces. It is good to see manufacturers such as Indigenous Designs exploring new fabric blends. We will continue to look for new products that push the envelope of innovation and performance.

The Terra Sport line is available in both men’s and women’s products. All are midweight fabrics and are available in full zip, crew, mock-t, hoodies and other styles.

Specifications and Features

Manufacturer: Indigenous Designs (http://www.indigennousdesigns.com/)
Year/Model: 2007 Terra Sport Edge Crew
Materials:: Blended fabric of 45 percent Tencel, 40 percent alpaca wool, 15 percent merino wool
Weight: measured weight 12.5 oz (354 g) men’s size L
MSRP: $116

Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo Tent REVIEW

Score another winner for SMD – the Lunar Duo is a well-designed, roomy, lightweight, well-ventilated single-wall tent for two people.

Introduction

The Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo is not a larger version of the popular Lunar Solo; rather it’s an entirely new tent design. Its 44.3 ounce trail weight (including stakes) may seem a bit high for a single-wall silnylon two-person tent, so it’s important to point out at the beginning of this review that this is a BIG tent, with 58 square feet of protected area. If you’re looking for a really roomy two-person single wall tent, the Lunar Duo may fill the bill.

What’s Good

Very roomy shelter for two people
Very lightweight for the amount of protected area (58 ft²)
Two doors and two vestibules
Trekking pole support saves weight
Large vestibules
Easy entry
Top vents and abundant mesh provide good ventilation

What’s Not So Good

Small storage pockets
Does not set up well with taller fixed-length trekking poles
Stakes are not included
High vents are small

Specifications

Year/Manufacturer/Model	2007 Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo
Style	Three-season, two-person single-wall tent with floor, two doors, and two vestibules
Fabrics	30d, 1.3 oz/yd² (44 g/m²2) silnylon canopy; no-see-um mesh doors and lower side vents; 70d, 2.3 oz/yd² (78 g/m²) silnylon floor
Poles and Stakes	Two curved aluminum poles at ends of ridge, requires two trekking poles or optional carbon fiber poles for support, stakes (six required) not included
Floor Dimensions	Length 90 in (229 cm), width 54 in (137 cm), height 45 in (114 cm)
Packed Size	14 in x 6 in (36 x 15 cm)
Total Weight (As supplied by manufacturer with all included items)	Measured weight 2 lb 11.1 oz (1.22 kg), manufacturer specification 2 lb 12 oz (1.25 kg)
Trail Weight (Includes minimum number of items needed to securely erect the tent)	Measured weight 2 lb 12.3 oz (1.26 kg); includes tent body, two aluminum spacer poles, and six Easton aluminum stakes
Protected Area	58 ft² (5.4 m²); floor area is 34 ft² (3.16 m²), entry vestibules are 24 ft² (2.23 m²)
Floor Area/Trail Weight Ratio	12.27 ft²/lb
Protected Area/Trail Weight Ratio	20.94 ft²/lb
MSRP	$275
Options	1.3 oz/yd² (44 g/m²) ultralight silnylon floor (no charge), carbon fiber poles (1.8 oz/51 g, $25 each)

Performance

For those familiar with the Hilleberg Rajd tent, the new Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo has some striking similarities. Both have a broad ridgeline supported at the ends with trekking poles, which provides a lot of interior volume. But that’s where the similarity ends. The Lunar Duo has mesh side and interior end walls and two huge vestibules, which gives it much better ventilation and gear storage than the Rajd. The following photo gallery provides a tour of the tent’s design elements.

Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo Tent REVIEW - 1
Views of the Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo. Both sides of the tent (top left) have a large vestibule entry. The top of the tent is 54 inches wide (top right), which provides a LOT of interior volume and headroom. The top view (bottom left) helps to put the tent’s proportions into perspective. With both vestibules tied open (bottom right), the tent’s mesh entry and large doors are visible.

Because of its larger footprint, the Lunar Duo requires more space than many two-person tents. Setup is fast and easy: spread the tent out on the ground, insert two curved aluminum poles into their sleeves at the ends of the ridgeline, stake out the four corners of the tent, raise the tent and insert the tip of a 45-inch trekking pole into a grommet at one side and stake out the vestibule, and repeat for the other side. Six stakes (not included) are required for a basic pitch. Because the tent has a broad profile, which gives it more wind resistance, I strongly recommend adding four guylines (loops provided) for a more secure pitch.

The Lunar Duo is fussy about trekking pole length; 45-47 inches seems to be the optimum length, and adjustable poles are easiest to adjust to the proper length . Taller fixed-length poles can be used if the poles are inserted first and the corners staked last, but the extra height throws the tent’s geometry offand the vestibules become limp. It’s also notable that the use of grommets to attach trekking poles requires poles with good tips; a pole with a worn-down tip could slip out and puncture the tent.

Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo Tent REVIEW - 2
The Lunar Duo uses two curved aluminum struts (left) to create its rounded ridgeline and distribute tension on the canopy. They slip into a sleeve (right) at each end of the ridgeline. Although it’s convenient to leave the struts in their sleeves, they make the rolled tent about 24 inches long, which is not easy to pack.

Entry is through a zippered vestibule on each side, which shelters a vertical mesh wall with a large zippered door. One or both sides of the large (12 square feet each) vestibules can be tied open for better breezes and views in fair weather, or closed to provide extra sheltered space. The total protected area is a whopping 58 square feet, 34 square feet of floor space plus 24 square feet of vestibule space. This is a big tent! When the vestibules are closed, it’s very convenient to leave the interior mesh doors open and reach gear in the vestibules on each side. Because of the tent’s wide body, steep sidewalls, and generous headroom (45 inches), all of the interior space is usable, and its easy to reach into the vestibules from inside the tent.

Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo Tent REVIEW - 3
The Lunar Duo is supported with trekking poles or optional carbon fiber poles (1.8 oz, $25 each). Both vestibules will tie completely open to provide good views and breezes in fair weather.

Although the body of the Lunar Duo resembles the Hilleberg Rajd, the Lunar Duo is a vast improvement in terms of ventilation. The side entry walls are solid mesh, there are mesh panels at both ends, and there are two high vents at the tops of the vestibules. Also, the vestibules have about a 6 inch gap at the bottom, which allows air to more freely circulate through the tent.

Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo Tent REVIEW - 4
The Lunar Duo’s 54-inch wide x 90 inch long floor (top left) provides plenty of room for two people plus gear. The entry walls are mesh with a large zippered door. The end walls are also mesh at the bottom. The interior mesh storage pockets (top right) are in a convenient location, but they don’t hold very much and things fall out easily. The vestibules (bottom left) are zippered and easy to reach into from inside the tent. A high vent on each end of the ridgeline (bottom right) assists with ventilation.

Field Testing

I tested the Lunar Duo on several trips in late winter through early summer. On clear/calm/cold nights (down to freezing or below) the Lunar duo with the doors and vestibules closed consistently developed moderate condensation (or frost) inside, which is typical for a single wall tent. With the mesh doors open (bugs willing) and vestibules closed there was light or no condensation inside, depending on breezes. The steeper tent walls help to avoid brushing against them when they are wet, but there is usually some contact when there are two people inside (as shown in the photo). Larger top vents would help to reduce condensation when the tent is zipped up.

Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo Tent REVIEW - 5
The Lunar Duo is prone to condensation inside on clear/calm/cool nights with the doors closed, like any other single wall tent. It helps a lot to leave the mesh doors open at night, if possible.

Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo Tent REVIEW - 6
Environment inside the Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo. Left Graph: On a cloudy March night with a shower, I kept the mesh doors closed until 3 AM, then opened them. Moderate condensation formed on the inside tent walls with the doors closed (note that the air temperature hit the dew point temperature), then disappeared by morning when I opened the mesh doors. Right Graph: On a clear/calm/cool May night, I kept one door and vestibule completely open and the second door unzipped and its vestibule closed. In the morning I had moderate condensation inside the tent.

The Lunar Duo has a broader profile than many tents, so it is more affected by wind. Even in the moderate 10 to 15 mile per hour winds I experienced, the tent distorted significantly. For adequate wind stability (and to protect your investment), I strongly recommend using 6-inch Y-stakes or Easton tubular stakes, and attaching four guylines to the tent sides (ten stakes in all). However, the guylines are only attached to tent seams rather than poles. With its large surface area and lack of internal structure, the Lunar Duo is not going to be a particularly stable tent in high winds, in my opinion.

On the ergonomic side, my wife and I found the Lunar Duo to be fast and easy to set up, easy to enter and exit, and very roomy inside. The separate vestibule/entry on each side is very convenient for two people, and very versatile. In fair weather we could tie one side of the vestibule and the mesh entry door open to catch more breezes and views. And at night or in rainy weather we could zip the vestibules closed and leave the mesh doors open, which had the effect of incorporating the vestibules into the usable space inside the tent. While sitting inside the tent, we could easily reach things in the vestibules.

Assessment

The Lunar Duo is overkill for one person, and just plain luxury for two. It’s a very roomy tent, with 58 square feet of protected area inside, which makes it ideal for two people who want more room. It would also be a good choice for a lightweight base camping tent because of its roominess. While it’s possible to find a two-person single wall tent that weighs about 12 ounces less, it would not have nearly as much protected area as the Lunar Duo.

Note that this review is based on the Lunar Duo with a standard (70 denier silnylon) floor, which weighs 4 ounces more than the lightweight (30 denier silnylon) floor. The standard floor is certainly recommended for more abrasive ground surfaces, and will undoubtedly last longer. However, a 30 denier silnylon floor is commonly used on many single wall tents, and holds up very well with reasonable care.

In addition to its large area/weight ratio, the Lunar Duo is also well ventilated, which is a necessity for a single wall tent. Except for enlarging the top vents to increase ventilation when the tent is completely zipped up, I don’t see any way that the Lunar Duo’s ventilation could be improved.

In our forums several readers have asked for a comparison of the Lunar Duo and the Tarptent Double Rainbow. By the numbers, the two tents appear to be similar in size, but based on my personal experience with both tents, I can say that the Lunar Duo is clearly a roomier tent. One factor that makes a big difference is the width of the tent body at the top – the Tarptent Double Rainbow measures 18 inches, while the Lunar Duo is 54 inches. That makes a huge difference in interior room. Also, while the floor width of the Double Rainbow is given at 54 inches (with the bathtub floor laid flat), I measured the actual width to be 48 inches. The Double Rainbow is in fact quite narrow for a two-person tent. In spite of the size difference, the weights of the two tents are identical (40.9 ounces with stakes and ultralight floor; weight of trekking poles is not included in the weight of the Lunar Duo) because of the weight of the Double Rainbow’s 12 foot long ridgepole. Bottom line, the Lunar Duo is a much roomier tent for the weight. However, the Double Rainbow costs $25 less, it does include stakes, and is more wind stable because of its curved profile. Both tents have good ventilation, but will develop heavy condensation inside on a clear/calm night with a large temperature drop.

Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo Tent REVIEW - 7
Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo (left) and Tarptent Double Rainbow (right). The Lunar Duo’s ridgeline is 54 inches wide versus the Double Rainbow’s 18 inch ridgeline, making it a much roomier tent inside. The two tents weigh the same.

Because of the Lunar Duo’s jumbo size and large fabric panels, it is more susceptible to winds than many two-person tents, and requires extra staking for adequate wind stability. Four tieout loops are provided to attach guylines to the sides the tent, and I strongly recommend using them. Even with extra staking, the Lunar Duo would not do well in high winds, in my opinion.

What’s Unique

The Lunar Duo has a remarkable protected area to weight ratio, and is very well ventilated. It’s a good choice for a lightweight roomy two-person tent or a base camping tent.

Recommendations For Improvement

Provide stakes with the tent
Enlarge the high vents to increase ventilation when the tent is closed up
Make the interior storage pockets larger and more usable

Doing Denali Light: Post-Trip Report and Gearlist

It IS possible to climb Denali using lightweight techniques! Agnes and Matt discuss their gear and provide detailed gearlists.

Introduction

For most people climbing Denali (aka Mt. McKinley) is no easy task. A vertical rise of 18,000 feet makes it bigger than Everest. It is no wonder that Denali means “the high one” in the Athabascan language. With backbreaking loads of 100 pounds (45 kilograms) or more the haul to the summit is grueling for even the fittest climber, but as Matt and I proved on this trip, it’s not so miserable with a lighter load. In a mere 3 hours Matt and I trucked into the first camp at the base of the ski hill at 7800 feet (2377 meters) with half the load of a typical climber and plenty of energy to spare. We could not go any further until our bodies acclimated. We set up camp and tried to “chill” in the heat of the day when afternoon temperatures can swelter to 100 °F (38 °C on the lower glacier. Perhaps our two most unorthodox items – at least for this type of climbing – were our 20 ounce (567 gram) packs and 2.5 pound (1.1 kilogram) tent. For most climbers on Denali, these two items alone can weigh from 15 to 20 pounds (6.8 to 9.0 kilograms), while these two items weighed only 4 pounds (1.8 kilograms) for us. By taking techniques from ultralight backpacking and alpine climbing, we manage to put together a 30 pound (13.6 kilogram) kit (base weight plus non-worn technical gear) not including food and gas.

The Gear

To jump directly to the gear lists and weight summaries click here.

Our Golite Gust packs, at 20 ounces (567 grams) with no bells or whistles fulfilled our volume (5000 cubic inches, 81 liters) needs – they carried a lot of goose feathers. I rigged a sternum strap to help adjust the pack under load. We pushed the pack’s 30 pound carrying capacity limit, which helped us keep our loads honest. Early in the trip when the pack was maximized and we were pulling sleds the thin unpadded waist belt made our hips tender. We were thankful to be caching the sleds at the 11,000 foot (3352 meter) basin camp, especially after the hard second day around Kahiltna Pass with high winds.

The high winds persisted at the 11,000 foot (3352 meter) camp, putting our small tent to the test. The Stephenson Warmlite tent (2.5 lbs, 1.1 kilogram) was designed over 40 years ago and today is still one of the lightest high quality mountaineering tents on the market. The tent depends on its aerodynamics to withstand high winds with no guylines attached. As is expected in such cold conditions, condensation formed on the inner walls. The condensation accumulated primarily on the single-wall end sections rather than on the double wall section over the sleeping bag area. This minimized the dampness of our bags.

Another fairly unconventional item that we included in our shelter system was an 8 x 10 foot (2.4 x 3.0 meters), 14 ounce (397 grams) Integral Design Siltarp. Part of Integral Design’s “fast and light,” line this ultralight waterproof nylon tarp was great as a vestibule or awning. During high winds, we setup the Siltarp as a huge vestibule with snow walls digging down to make a cubbyhole great for cooking or just hanging out. Most of the time we did not so much encounter wind but intense sun instead. Using our poles and snow walls, we created a front porch (awning style) that allows us to stay out of the hot tent but remain protected from the blaring sun. The tarp was probably the most admired commodity on the mountain.

When it came to choosing technical gear, we had to ask ourselves, “what can we get away without?” and “what can’t we do without?” One thing we noticed was that many climbers carried excessive amount of technical gear: miles of cordalets, numerous screws and slings, and carabiners galore. The National Park Service provides fixed ropes and permanent pickets at all the technical locations leaving you to provide basic gear in case of a self-rescue situation. We reduced our technical equipment to two pickets, one ice screw, two Mammut Specter slings, two Petzel Tiblocs, and six CAMP Nano carabiners per person (Note:

The West Buttress does not have a high avalanche danger, so we decided we could “do without” an avalanche beacon. A probe, however, is useful for finding crevasses.

Choosing snowshoes instead of skis was a no-brainer for us. It is hard to pull a sled when you’re roped together on skis going downhill. Snowshoes are also lighter. Backpacking Light supplied us with Northern Lite snowshoes that worked great for travel on the lower glacier. We cached the snowshoes along with the sleds at the 11,000 foot (3352 meter) camp. Dependable footing is critical when one slip could be fatal so steel crampons were necessary. On the other hand, self-arresting on blue ice is challenging even with the best of ice axes so we felt safe with lightweight aluminum alloy CAMP USA XLA ice axes, which also assisted with the headwall climb above 14,000 feet (4267 meters).

Multi-purpose items and simplicity were the keys to our cooking system. All our meals were of the “just add hot water” variety, which allowed us to bring one four-liter cooking pot to melt snow for the two of us. Our MSR XGK stove provided the BTUs required to melt large quantities of dry snow in a short amount of time at high elevations. Some of our favorite parts of our kit were our homemade insulated yellow buckets. We purchased 32-ounce Nalgene containers that we insulated with blue foam and duct tape. The buckets were used for both hearty meals and hot drinks. We even used them to cook our Mountain House Pro-Pak meals with an extra half cup of rice. They were easy to clean too – just add water, cover, and shake.

Our sleeping setup was nothing fancy, but it was one place we did not want to skimp. After a bit of research, we chose REI 20-below Sub Kilo sleeping bags. The Sub-Kilo’s specs were comparable to bags costing twice as much. A basic blue foam pad cut to length served as both bottom insulation and as our “blue foam couch” under the front porch. Lastly, a ¾-length ultralight Therm-a-Rest provided a little more insulation under the torso.

When worst comes to worst you want to be warm. A good sleeping bag is one thing, but great layers are equally if not more important. It is crucial that when conditions become desperate you can throw on all your layers and keep moving until you can make camp. Matt and I tested our layering system on a 30-below ski tour in late February so we were confident that our clothing would see us through the Denali attempt. Key pieces included MontBell UL Down Inner Pants (7 ounces, 198 grams), Patagonia Specter Pullovers (6.5 ounces, 184 grams), Intuition Denali Liners (8.5 ounces, 241 grams), Patagonia Micro Puff Pullovers (12 ounces, 340 grams), and MontBell Ventisca down parkas (26.5 ounces, 751 grams). The Intuition Denali Liners are half the weight of standard double boot liners and thus dry quickly. This is important because you want your sweat-soaked liners to dry and not freeze overnight. The Patagonia Specter pullover was light and worked well for protection against any precipitation or wind. Finally, a down parka with a hood that you can throw on over all your layers when things turn for the worst is crucial, and the MontBell proved to be a good choice.

The Regrets

In the end, the only item we wished we had carried was a full-size snow shovel. The Snowclaw shovels are light and useful but when we could not poach a prefabricated tent site, building snow walls and digging out a site through hard ice layers was strenuous and back-breaking.

Conclusion

Slow and light is the only way I go anymore for mountaineering expeditions; not that I know any other way. It just seems like an unnecessary burden to carry a monster load when you can do it just as well carrying half the weight. Hopefully, all of you will find some ways to lighten up on your next mountaineering expedition.

Gear Lists

Agnes’ Gear List
Function	Item	Weight
Clothing worn		ounces	grams
	Patagonia Tights	6.6	187.11
	Patagonia Capilene 2 Zip Neck	5.0	141.75
	Patagonia MW Capilene Tee	3.4	96.39
	MH Windstopper Fleece	20.0	567
	Patagonia Spector pullover	6.2	175.77
	Patagonia Dimension pants	20.2	572.67
	Koflach Degres boots	60.6	1718.01
	Intuition Denali Liners	7.6	215.46
	OR Expedition Gaiters	9.6	272.16
	Smartwool liner socks	2.6	73.71
	Smartwool socks	3.2	90.72
	Smartwool hat	2.4	68.04
	Patagonia Liner Gloves	1.2	34.02
	BD Shell Gloves	3.4	96.39
	Smith Empire sunglasses w/ case	2.6	73.71
Clothing Worn Total Weight		154.6	4382.91
Other Clothing		ounces	grams
	Patagonia MW Capilene Tights (2)	9.0	255.15
	Under Armour Long Sleeve	6.0	170.1
	Patagonia Capilene MW Long Sleeve	6.0	170.1
	Patagonia Micro Puff pullover	10.8	306.18
	Montbelll UL Inner Down Pants	5.8	164.43
	Montbell Ventisca Down Parka	26.8	759.78
	Seirus Balaclava	2.6	73.71
	Comfort Skins Neck Gaiter	1.2	34.02
	Camp Booties	14.8	419.58
	Integral Vapor Barrier Socks	2.4	68.04
	Bolle Goggles	5	2
	MH Subzero Down Mittens	11.0	311.85
	Patagonia Liner Gloves	1.2	34.02
	Smartwool liner socks	2.6	73.71
	Smartwool socks	3.2	90.72
Other Clothing Total Weight		103.4	2931.39
Sleeping System		ounces	grams
	REI -20 Sub Kilo Short	57.0	1615.95
	Thermarest 3/4 UL	15.4	436.59
	Blue Foam Pad	7.8	221.13
Sleeping System Total Weight		80.2	2273.67
Shelter		ounces	grams
	Stephenson Warmlite 2RL (shared)	–	–
	Integral Design Siltarp	16.0	453.6
	Snow Stacks (7)	9.0	255.15
	Snowclaw	6.2	175.77
	Mammut Probe (shared)	–	–
Shelter Total Weight		31.2	884.52
Cooking System		ounces	grams
	MSR SGK w/ Kit	20.0	567
	OR Bottle Parka (2)	18.4	521.64
	Nalgene (2)	13.6	385.56
	33 oz MSR Fuel Bottle	15.6	442.26
	Open Country 4L	11.4	323.19
	Utensils	2.5	70.88
Cooking System Total Weight		81.5	2310.53
Packing System		ounces	grams
	Golite Gust w/ straps (S)	20.0	567
	Paris Expedition sled (modified)	24.0	680
Packing System Total Weight		44.0	1247
Technical Gear		ounces	grams
	BD Whippet	20.6	584.01
	Camp USA XLA 210 (60cm)	8.8	249.48
	BD Sabretooth Crampons	36.2	1026.27
	BD Bod	17.8	504.63
	Camp Nano Carabiners (6)	7.2	204.12
	Petzel Tibloc (2)	2.8	79.38
	Mammut Spector Slings (2)	1.3	36.86
	BD Express Screw 4	5.6	158.76
	Rope	48.0	1360.8
	Snow Picket 2′	14.0	396.9
	Northern Lites Snowshoes	43.0	1219.05
Technical Gear Total Weight		205.3	5820.26
Other Essentials		ounces	grams
	First Aid Kit	4.0	113.4
	Toiletries	6.0	170.1
	Repair Kit (shared)	–	–
	Freshetta	1.0	28.35
	Reading Book	2.0	56.7
Other Essentials Total Weight		13.0	368.55
Consumables		ounces	grams
	Food	411.9	11677.37
	Fuel	128.0	3628.8
	Water (1 liter)	32.0	907.2
Consumables Total Weight		571.9	16213.37

Matt’s Gear List
Function	Item	Weight
Clothing worn		ounces	grams
	Patagonia Activist Tights	8.6	243.81
	Patagonia Capilene 1 Tee	4.5	127.58
	Lowe Alpine Midweight Top	8.4	238.14
	MH Windstopper Fleece	23.0	652.05
	Patagonia Spector Pullover	6.8	192.78
	Marmot Precip	10.4	294.84
	Lowa Denali Plastic Boots	65.2	1848.42
	Intuition Denali Liners	10.8	306.18
	OR Expedition Gaiters	12.2	345.87
	Smartwool Liner Socks	3.5	99.23
	Smartwool Socks	4.0	113.4
	Wigwam Stocking Hat	2.0	56.7
	Patagonia Liner Gloves	1.2	34.02
	BD Shell Gloves	3.4	96.39
	REI Glacier Glasses w/ case	4.6	130.41
Clothing Worn Total Weight		168.6	4779.81
Other Clothing		ounces	grams
	Patagonia Tights	8.6	243.81
	Under Armour Long Sleeve	7.8	221.13
	Patagonia Capilene MW Long Sleeve	7.2	204.12
	Patagonia Micro Puff Pullover	12.0	340.2
	Montbelll UL Inner Down Pants	7.2	204.12
	Sierra Design Down Parka	27.0	765.45
	MH Balaclava	1.4	39.69
	Columbia Neck Gaiter	1.5	42.53
	OR Camp Mukluks	15.2	430.92
	Integral Vapor Barrier Socks	2.4	68.04
	Uvex Goggles	6.0	170.1
	OR Mittens	10.2	289.17
	BD Liner Gloves	2.2	62.37
	Smartwool Liner Socks	3.5	99.23
	Smartwool Socks	4.0	113.4
Other Clothing Total Weight		116.2	3294.27
Sleeping System		ounces	grams
	REI -20 Sub Kilo Regular	60.0	1701
	Thermarest 3/4 UL	15.4	436.59
	Blue Foam Pad	8.4	238.14
Sleeping System Total Weight		83.8	2375.73
Shelter		ounces	grams
	Stephenson Warmlite 2RL	44.2	1253.07
	Integral Design Siltarp (shared)	–	–
	Snow Stacks (shared)	–	–
	Snowclaw	12.0	340.2
	Mammut Probe	7.0	198.45
Shelter Total Weight		63.2	1791.72
Cooking System		ounces	grams
	MSR SGK w/ Kit (shared)	–	–
	OR Bottle Parka (2)	18.4	521.64
	Nalgene (2)	13.6	385.56
	33 oz MSR Fuel Bottle	15.6	442.26
	Open Country 4L (shared)	–	–
	Utensils	2.5	70.88
Cooking System Total Weight		50.1	1420.34
Packing System		ounces	grams
	Golite Gust Pack (M)	20.0	567
	Paris Expedition sled (modified)	24.0	680
Packing System Total Weight		44.0	1247
Technical Gear		ounces	grams
	BD Whippet	20.6	584.01
	Camp USA XLA 210 (70cm)	10.0	283.5
	BD Sabretooth Crampons	33.8	958.23
	BD Alpine Bod Harness	14.0	396.9
	Camp Nano Carabiners (6)	7.2	204.12
	Petzel Tibloc (2)	2.8	79.38
	Mammut Spector Slings (2)	1.3	36.86
	BD Express Screw (2)	5.6	158.76
	Rope	48.0	1360.8
	Snow Picket 2′	14.0	396.9
	Northern Lites Snowshoes	43.0	1219.05
Technical Gear Total Weight		200.3	5678.51
Other Essentials		ounces	grams
	First Aid Kit	–	0
	Toiletries	–	0
	Repair Kit	6.0	170.1
	Pee Bottle	2.2	62.37
	Reading Book	2.0	56.7
Other Essentials Total Weight		10.2	289.17
Consumables		ounces	grams
	Food	411.9	11677.37
	Fuel	128.0	3628.8
	Water (1 liter)	32.0	907.2
Consumables Total Weight		571.9	16213.37

Weight Summary of Matt’s Gear
Total Weight	ounces	kilograms	pounds
Total Weight (Worn/Carried)	359.9	10.2	22.5
Total Base Pack Weight	329.3	9.34	20.6
Total Weight Consumables (Sled)	571.9	16.21	35.7
Total Initial Weight (Pack + Sled)	901.2	25.55	56.3
Full Skin Out Weight	1261.1	35.75	78.8

Weight Summary of Agnes’ Gear
Total Weight	ounces	kilograms	Pounds
Total Weight (Worn/Carried)	368.9	10.46	23.1
Total Base Pack Weight	343.5	9.74	21.5
Total Weight Consumables (Sled)	571.9	16.21	35.7
Total Initial Weight (Pack + Sled)	915.4	25.95	57.2
Full Skin Out Weight	1284.3	36.41	80.3

Black Diamond Guiding Light Tent REVIEW

Extremely versatile and lightweight four-season, four-person, single-wall, free-standing, breathable fabric tent.

Introduction

Beyond the ultralight one- or two-person shelter that most of us use much of the time, we also have situations where we need a larger tent – for car camping, youth camping, base camping, and winter camping. For those situations we want a tent that is lightweight, roomy, durable, and very storm worthy. Is there one tent that will satisfy all these criteria and needs? The Black Diamond Guiding Light is one option that offers significant advantages.

What’s Good

Lightweight shelter for four people, or roomy base camp shelter for two or three people
Excellent snow camping tent (but lacks a standard vestibule)
Two doors
Free-standing
Easy entry
Tight as a drum
Very wind stable
Sheds snow very well
Good ventilation through the tent

What’s Not So Good

Expensive
Poles and stakes are about 40% of the tent’s weight
Very tight for four people, with no room for gear, unless vestibules are added

Specifications

Year/Manufacturer/Model	2007 Black Diamond Guiding Light
Style	4-person single-wall breathable fabric freestanding tent with floor, 2 doors, optional vestibules
Fabrics	Epic shell fabric is 1.9 oz/yd² (65 g/m²), floor is 2.3 oz/yd² (78 g/m²) double silicone coated ripstop nylon
Poles and Stakes	Five DAC Featherlite poles, fourteen 6 inch aluminum Y-stakes
Dimensions	Length 90 in (229 cm), width 80 in (203 cm), height 42 in (107 cm)
Packed Size	15 in x 7 in (30 x 18 cm)
Total Weight (As supplied by manufacturer with all included items)	Measured weight 6 lb 1.9 oz (2.76 kg), manufacturer specification 6 lb 4 oz (2.84 kg)
Trail Weight (Includes minimum number of items needed to securely erect the tent)	Measured weight 6 lb (2.72 kg); includes tent body, five aluminum poles, and 14 stakes
Protected Area	Bathtub floor area 50 ft² (4.6 m²)
Floor Area/Trail Weight Ratio	8.3 ft²/lb based on 50 ft² floor area and weight of 6 lb
MSRP	$599.95
Options	Footprint $54.95 (17 oz/486 g), vestibule $109.95 (15.8 oz/486 g, 12 ft²/1.12 m²)

Performance

The Black Diamond Guiding Light is a four-season, four-person, single-wall, free-standing, breathable fabric tent. Although it will accommodate four adults in a sardine arrangement, most people probably won’t use it that way. Rather, this lightweight and larger shelter is more appropriate as:

A roomy tent for two to three people plus gear on a backpacking trip
A tent for several youths to sleep in, like a trip with Scouts or a church group
A family camping tent
A base camping tent
A winter camping tent for two or three people plus gear

For one tent to satisfy all of these needs (especially the last one) is a tall order. At only 6.12 pounds for a four-person 50 square foot tent, the Black Diamond provides more room with less weight than many two-person double wall tents on the market. And it’s also well-suited for winter camping (more on this later).

Black Diamond Guiding Light Tent REVIEW - 1
Views of the Black Diamond Guiding Light. Side (top left), top (top right), end with door closed (bottom left), and end with doors partially open (bottom right).

The shell of the Guiding Light is breathable Epic fabric in Black Diamond’s traditional maize (yellow) color. The tent uses five DAC Featherlite aluminum poles – two in an X-shape that slip into corner pockets, two arched poles that support the end doors, and a ridge pole that extends the beaks over the doors. Setup takes about 15 minutes for one person: insert the long poles into corner pockets, raise the tent and secure the poles to Velcro fasteners, insert the two end poles and secure their fasteners, insert the ridge pole, and stake out the tent. The tent has eight staking points around the perimeter plus six guylines, and comes with fourteen Y-stakes and enough cord to make up the guylines.

Black Diamond Guiding Light Tent REVIEW - 2
The Guiding Light is freestanding and its Epic fabric shell is as tight as a drum (left). Five DAC Featherlite poles create its exceptional tautness (right): two in a diagonal X-shape, two arched over the doors, and one ridge pole that extends the beaks.

Black Diamond Guiding Light Tent REVIEW - 3
The ends of the diagonal poles slip into grommets in reinforced corner pockets (left). Ends of the arched poles over the doors are anchored in reinforced sleeves on the sides of the tent (right).

The tent’s shell attaches to the poles with a total of twenty-six Velcro fasteners, which must be individually opened up and wrapped around the pole. It’s a bit tedious and time-consuming, but they really work well in concert with the tent’s five poles to make the shell a secure unit and tight as a drum. Fortunately, the Velcro pole fasteners do not stick to the tent’s Epic shell fabric, but they do stick to the mesh inner doors.

Black Diamond recommends sealing the seams of their Epic tents with silicone, and provides a tube of McNett SilNett and syringe to do the job. I complied so I could test the tent in accordance with their recommendations. Seam sealing defaces the appearance of the tent, but it’s important to insure that the seams will not leak.

Black Diamond Guiding Light Tent REVIEW - 4
The tent body is attached to the poles on the inside with a total of twenty-six Velcro fasteners. They are tedious to individually fasten and unfasten (the webbing tab helps a lot), but they are very effective to tie the tent into a secure unit. The Velcro does not stick to or damage the Epic fabric.

The inside of the tent has plenty of headroom (42 inches), and all of the interior space is usable because of the tent’s steep walls.

Black Diamond Guiding Light Tent REVIEW - 5
The Guiding Light will sleep four (two in each direction), but it’s tight, as shown (left). Four youths would probably be happy in this configuration, but not four adults. Three adults length-wise is more reasonable, and the tent is luxury for two adults either length-wise or width-wise (right).

Black Diamond Guiding Light Tent REVIEW - 6
Each door has tie-downs (left) to avoid damage to the Epic fabric or mesh inner door when they are open. Standard storage options are limited to four shallow mesh pockets (right, two on each side). A mesh loft is available, but it decreases headroom somewhat.

Field Testing

For a technical description of Epic fabric, read Alan Dixon’s article on Waterproof Breathable Fabric Technologies: A Comprehensive Primer and State of the Market Technology Review. Epic is technically water-resistant and not waterproof. From our long-term experience with Epic fabric in tents, we have found that it sheds water well in shorter duration showers, but wets through after about 5 hours of continuous rain. It breathes well in warmer temperatures, but not very well at all in cooler temperatures and when wet. For good performance, adequate ventilation is necessary in addition to the breathable fabric, especially in cool/cold temperatures and wet weather.

We tested the Guiding Light in a variety of uses and weather – car camping, base camping, youth camping, winter camping, snow, rain, and high winds – so our evaluation was pretty thorough.

For car camping and base camping for two or three people, the Guiding Light is pure luxury. The packed tent is very compact so it is easy to stow in a small car.

Black Diamond Guiding Light Tent REVIEW - 7
The tent packs into two stuff sacks (tent body on left, poles and stakes in center), so it is easy to divide up the weight on a group trip, and the two sacks weigh about the same. An optional vestibule (right) comes in a separate stuff sack.

I had the opportunity to test the Guiding Light in some strong winds, 47 mph gusts to be exact (measured with a Kestrel Pocket Water Tracker), and I was impressed with the tent’s wind stability. The tent has a low profile and with 14 stakes (8 around the perimeter plus 6 guylines) it barely budges in a strong wind gust. I strongly recommend using the guylines to protect your investment.

Black Diamond Guiding Light Tent REVIEW - 8
The Guiding Light’s Epic shell readily sheds rain showers but wet snow sticks to it (left). There are beaks on the two ends to shelter the doors, and I found that I can leave the top one-third of each door open for ventilation (middle) while its raining, less if the rain is accompanied by wind. The add-on vestibule (right) also has a large vent.

Not all tents in Black Diamond’s Superlight series are rated for four seasons, but the Guiding Light is one that is. Although Black Diamond does not actively promote the Guiding Light as a four-season tent, I found it to be more than acceptable for winter use. I have already mentioned its drum-tight shell and wind resistance. It sheds snow equally well, and will support a sizeable snow load with its five-pole design. On one April snow camping trip, I had rain followed by snow in the afternoon and an overcast night. The tent easily handled the weather and the weight of the snow.

Black Diamond Guiding Light Tent REVIEW - 9
The Guiding Light does not have any standard vestibules, but an add-on vestibule (15.8 oz, 12 ft², $110) is available (left). For winter snow camping (right), a vestibule is a must to store wet gear.

The Guiding Light’s larger volume and good ventilation helps to reduce condensation inside, especially on cold nights. The following graphs show the tent environment on a clear, cold night and on a rainy night. In both cases the condensation was only moderate.

Environment inside the Black Diamond Guiding Light tent on a clear, cold night (left) and on a rainy night (right). In the left graph, the sky was overcast then cleared. I entered the tent at 10:15 PM, kept the doors closed until 3 AM (exiting the tent briefly), then opened the top of the doors. With the doors closed, the inside air temperature hit the dew point and moderate condensation occurred on the inside tent walls. With the doors partially open, the inside relative humidity dropped and condensation stopped forming. In the right graph, it was overcast all night with intermittent rain. I entered the tent at 10:05 PM, and left the doors one-third open all night, exiting the tent briefly at 3:20 AM. Because of the extra ventilation, there was only light condensation on the inside walls in the morning. All data were taken with a Kestrel Pocket Water Tracker.

Assessment

The Black Diamond Guiding Light is the largest tent in the Superlight series of single wall breathable Epic fabric tents. Granted, most of us don’t routinely use a larger tent, but there are many situations where a lightweight larger tent is really useful, as explained earlier. For those special situations, the Guiding Light is one of the most versatile larger tents to be found. It’s very lightweight for its size and the number of people it will accommodate, and the weight can easily be divided between two hikers.

For base camping and winter camping, using a larger tent with extra space is really a nice luxury to have, and the Guiding Light provides that extra space without much of a weight penalty.

Although the Guiding Light’s five poles account for 40% of the tent’s weight, there are distinct benefits from its drum-tight shell. This tent is remarkably wind stable, sheds snow well, and will support a substantial snow load. For winter camping and mountaineering, it would be a good idea to purchase at least one add-on vestibule for the tent, which could be carried by a third person. The vestibules have one pole to prevent them from flattening under snow loads. The Guidling Light will accept an add-on vestibule at both ends, but two vestibules add 2 pounds to the weight and $220 to the cost.

Black Diamond Guiding Light Tent REVIEW - 11
The only problem I had with the tent is one of the end pole anchors tore loose. A Black Diamond representative said that the component is attached with a super-adhesive that is used on white water rafts, but from now on it will be sewn in addition to the adhesive.

What’s Unique

Although the Guiding Light is not marketed as a four-season tent, it is in fact capable of withstanding strong winds and a substantial snow load. Overall, it’s one of the most versatile larger tents to be found.

Recommendations For Improvement

The tent’s five poles account for a lot of its weight. Revise the design to use four poles for 3-season use and five poles for 4-season use
Design a lighter, less expensive add-on vestibule
Make the interior storage pockets larger

Sleeping Bag Roundup (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007)

Noteworthy new bags from Golite, Big Agnes, The North Face, and Rab.

Golite

The big news in bags from Golite is their use of waterproof/breathable Pertex Endurance panels at the head and foot of all of their sleeping bags this year. Waterproof/breathable shells have been available for years on sleeping bags, but except for short trips in very damp conditions, they have a major problem: while they provide substantial protection from external moisture such as dew, wet tent walls, and rain spray, the wp/b shells are simply not breathable enough to disperse the moisture generated inside the bag over prolonged periods from the user’s respiration, perspiration and/or damp clothing. Unless the bag can be turned inside-out and air-dried periodically (preferably in warm, breezy sunshine), its loft will degrade over several days or weeks as moisture accumulates in the insulation. On the other hand, highly breathable shells that minimize this accumulated moisture offer limited protection from wet tent walls and rain spray through the ends of a tarp. Golite’s selective use of Pertex Endurance on the parts of the bag most likely to encounter external moisture potentially offers the best of both worlds – highly breathable fabric over most of the shell surface and water resistance where it is needed most. (It should be noted that while Golite markets the end panels as waterproof/breathable, the exposed stitching and lack of seam taping make the finished bag ends only water-resistant.) It’s a very clever idea, and one whose merit was not lost on Backpackinglight staff members who nearly tripped over each other lining up to test some of the new bags.

In addition to the Ultra 20 quilt, the “Adrenaline” series of down bags with torso-length center zips appear compelling for tarp campers whose bags are subject to spray entering the ends of the tarp. They’re available Spring 2008 in four sizes (2 men’s, 2 women’s) with 0° F, 20° F and 40° F ratings.

Sleeping Bag Roundup (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007) - 1
The 20 ounce Golite Adrenaline 40. An 800 fill-power down bag with 20d ripstop main body and Pertex Endurance panels at the hood and foot. Judging by its loft, it appears very conservatively rated at 40° F. $250 MSRP.

The North Face

The North Face has developed two new proprietary insulations in partnership with Climashield. Their lightest bags now feature Climasheld Neo while mainstream bags feature Climashield Prism. Neo is touted as the first-ever “commercially available” dual-density fill. (However, dual-denier Exceloft has been used by Montbell for several years.) Small-diameter insulation fibers offer better radiation resistance (AKA heat reflection) than larger fibers, while large-diameter fibers better maintain loft and compaction resiliency. Prior single-diameter insulations were always a tradeoff between these characteristics. The dual-density, hydrophobically-coated Neo insulation is claimed to have better compaction resistance and wet performance than any previous insulation used by The North Face, with 27% more compressibility than Polarguard Delta.

Sleeping Bag Roundup (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007) - 2
The updated TNF Orion bag. 2 lb 8 oz, rated at 20° F, $189 MSRP, available Jan., 2008.

Big Agnes

Big Agnes announced a new bag that caught our attention. But unfortunately, they did not have one at ORSM to photograph. So, here’s just a teaser of what is to come. The 800 fill down, hoodless, 40° F rated Pitchpine SL is a top-bag with uninsulated bottom pad-sleeve in the typical Big Agnes tradition. The kicker? A claimed 15 ounce weight. $279.95 MSRP. Available Spring, 2008.

Rab

Rab has updated their venerable top-bag, now on its third generation. The revised Quantum Top Bag AR (available March 2008) features 850 fill down, a hood with drawcord, and Primaloft insulation on the bottom of the footbox to better deal with compression in that area. The beautifully constructed bag continues to feature a sleeping pad sleeve, box-wall baffle construction, and Pertex Quantum inner and outer shells. Specifications are impressive with a 30° F temperature rating, 18 ounce weight, and $200 MSRP. We have an in-depth review in the works.

Sleeping Bag Roundup (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007) - 3
Top view of the Rab Quantum Top Bag AR. Note the new hood.

Sleeping Bag Roundup (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007) - 4
Bottom view of the Rab Quantum Top Bag AR showing the pad sleeve that will accommodate both ¾ and full-length pads.

Big Sky Products Introduces Two New Tent Models (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007)

The Convertible creates a new “Light Four-Season Tent” category, and the Mirage will challenge the lightest three-season single wall tents currently available.

Overview

Big Sky Products – who developed the award winning Evolution 2P, the lightest two person double wall freestanding tent currently available – is expanding their tent line with two completely new models which will likely also be the lightest tents in their class. Bob Molen had a booth at the Summer 2007 Outdoor Retailer Show, and we had an opportunity to get some photos and specifications for the new tents.

Convertible This tent may create a new category, which might be called “light four-season tent”. The Convertible, as the name implies, can be converted from a three-season to a four-season tent by adding a third pole. Basically, the user chooses the components he wants using Big Sky’s a la carte approach. There are two silnylon flys available (summer and winter), two tent bodies (mesh or thin ripstop nylon), and three pole sets available (aluminum, lightweight carbon fiber poles, or heavy-duty carbon fiber poles. A lighter weight spinnaker fly may also be available.

The Convertible differs from the popular Evolution 2P in that the poles fit in sleeves on the tent fly, and the tent body is attached with clips to that unit. The poles are in Big Sky’s familiar X-configuration, and the the third pole is attached to one end of the tent to provide extra stability for four-season use. The production version will add a pole sleeve for the curved section of the outside pole.

This may sound a little complex, but the following photos should clarify it somewhat.

Big Sky Products Introduces Two New Tent Models (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007) - 1
The Convertible 2P configured for four-season use (left) uses a winter fly with snow skirt, three heavy-duty carbon fiber or aluminum poles (two in pole sleeves on the fly and one on the outside), and a winter body. The snow skirt will tie up for extra ventilation in three-season use. The inside body (right) is 30d uncoated ripstop nylon for extra warmth. The tent has two side vestibules with entry doors and two top vents. The weight for this configuration with heavy duty carbon fiber poles is about 3 pounds 14 ounces and MSRP will be $499.95.

Big Sky Products Introduces Two New Tent Models (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007) - 2
The Convertible 2P configured for three-season use (left) uses a summer fly, two aluminum or lightweight carbon fiber poles, and a mesh body. The resulting tent (right) is very similar to the current Evolution 2P, except the poles are in sleeves on the fly and the body is clipped to the fly structure. The weight with lightweight CF poles is about 3 pounds, and the MSRP is $329.95.

Big Sky Products Introduces Two New Tent Models (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007) - 3
The Convertible in its “fly only” configuration (left) consists of the winter (or summer) fly, two aluminum or lightweight carbon fiber poles, and an X-cord connecting the corners to tension the tent. The weight with lightweight carbon fiber poles is about 2 pounds.

Many buyers will want to choose only one fly, body, and pole set to start, and perhaps add components later. A good starter configuration is the winter fly, summer body, and heavy-duty carbon fiber (or aluminum) poles. The heavy-duty carbon fiber poles (Easton Xtreme) are twice as strong as aluminum poles.

While the Convertible may not be a bomber expedition-grade tent, it certainly looks like it will have a great deal of wind and snow stability, and will perform well in non-alpine winter camping conditions.

Mirage Move over Tarptent Rainbow and Double Rainbow, the new Big Sky Mirage will be a single-wall silnylon freestanding tent with two vestibules that will weigh as little as 1.5 pounds (with lightweight carbon fiber poles, 1.75 pounds with aluminum poles). Again, the tent will use Big Sky’s familiar X-configuration for the poles, and the tent body will be attached to the poles with clips. The one-person model (Mirage 1P) will have a side entry with vestibule and mesh entry wall. The backside will also have a vestibule, but it will only be accessible from the outside (a second door option will be available). The two-person model (Mirage 2P) will have two doors and two vestibules. No weight specification is available yet for the Mirage 2P.

The MSRP for the Mirage 1P will be around $199.95 with aluminum poles. Lightweight carbon fiber poles will add about $95 and save about 4 ounces.

Big Sky Products Introduces Two New Tent Models (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007) - 4
The Big Sky Mirage 1P (left) has one door and two vestibules (one accessible only from the outside). A second door will be an option. The interior (right) is mesh with a bathtub silnylon floor.

The Mirage will not necessarily be the lightest single wall tent with floor on the market. The Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo at 23 ounces and Tarptent Contrail at 24 ounces are in the same range, so it will be a shootout when the production version of the Mirage comes out to determine which one is lightest. One thing for certain is that the Mirage will offer a lot of usable space for its weight.

Availability

There’s no question that Big Sky designs great tents and maintains good quality control. But the on-going issue is product availability and customer service. According to Bob Molen, the Convertible will be available in September 2007 and the Mirage will be available in January 2008, and both will be coming from his “new” dependable factory in China that produces his silnylon tents. The first production runs will be a limited number of tents, and Bob is in the process of hiring a customer service representative, so lets hope that everything goes smoothly this time around. Its frustrating for everyone when a maufacturer offers an outstanding product but is unable to meet the demand.

New Products from Etowah Outfitters (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007)

Ultralight pack cover, rain skirt, and rain mitts.

Overview

Etowah Gear is well known in the eastern US, but many westerners may be unaware of their numerous ultralight backpacking products. We visited their booth at the Summer 2007 Outdoor Retailer Show to get acquainted and see their new products. We were not disappointed; owner Paul Fitzner had lots to show us. The items featured here were jointly developed with Brian Frankle at Ultralight Adventure Equipment.

Intrepid Pack Cover Paul is incorporating a fabric he calls “Intrepid” into his product line, which is a 1.1 ounce/square yard calendared ripstop nylon that has exceptional strength and water resistance. The fabric is waterproof to 20 psi, compared to silnylon at 30 psi. The Intrepid Pack Cover is one such application. In size medium it weighs 3.1 ounces and costs $30. It has an elastic binding all around and glove hooks to secure it around the hipbelt.

New Products from Etowah Outfitters (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007) - 1
The Intrepid Pack Cover is made of calendared 1.1 ounce ripstop nylon and weighs 3.1 ounces in size medium. The left photo shows the fit on a Granite Gear Nimbus Access FZ pack (3800 cubic inches). The right photo shows the cover’s use of glove hooks to anchor it to the pack’s hipbelt.

Rain Wrap Superlite Another name might be “rain skirt”. It’s also made of the Intrepid fabric and weighs just 2.5 ounces. If you can get past the word “skirt”, the rain wrap concept has a lot of merit. It’s extremely light and offers a lot of freedom, especially when wearing hiking shorts in warm weather. It has an elastic waistband and Velcro patches to close the slit. The cost is $42. The Rain Wrap is also available in slightly heavier silnylon in regular and long lengths for $30.

New Products from Etowah Outfitters (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007) - 2
Rain Wrap in 1.1 ounce Intrepid fabric extended (left), and worn (right).

Rain Mitt Etowah also makes a waterproof/breathable Rain Mitt made of Frogg Toggs fabric that weighs just 1.3 ounces/pair and costs $18. The fabric is a breathable membrane sandwiched between two layers of non-woven polypropylene, and has limited durability.

New Products from Etowah Outfitters (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007) - 3
The Rain Mitts are made of Frogg Toggs fabric and weigh 1.3 ounces/pair.

Photon ReX Rechargeable Micro Flashlight (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007)

New four LED 0.6 ounce Photon will really light up the night, and it’s rechargeable from a single flashlight battery.

Overview

David Allen, founder and inventor of Photon Micro-Lights, is a remarkable person. We got to meet and talk with him at the Summer 2007 Outdoor Retailer Show, and heard some of the background behind the development of the original Photon Micro-Light, as well as his philosophy for developing his latest and greatest Photon ReX four LED rechargeable Micro-Light.

The Photon ReX rechargeable micro-light (top and bottom views) weighs just 0.6 ounce.

Would you believe a keychain pinch light with four LEDs that will put out a light beam equivalent to many conventional headlamps? The unit incorporates a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery and basically the same circuitry as the Photon Freedom – one click turns it on at its brightest setting, or holding the button down ramps the brightness down to the desired level.

Photon ReX Rechargeable Micro Flashlight (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007) - 2
Attached to its accessory headband, the ReX is typically worn on the side of the head, as modelled by Photon outdoor idol Matthew Beck (left). The band will also attach it to an arm (right).

The ReX is rechargeable from most standard batteries; simply attach two magnetic connectors to the ends of the battery. The average cost is $.06/charge using a D-cell battery, and using a rechargeable NiMH battery reduces the cost to $.003/charge (that’s one-third of a penny!). A AA battery will give about 2-3 charges. The ReX will recharge up to 500 times, signals when it is charging, and cannot be overcharged because of special circuitry. Charging takes about 2 hours.

Photon ReX Rechargeable Micro Flashlight (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007) - 3
The Photon ReX attaches to any battery for charging (left); a AA cell will charge the light 2-3 times. A solar collector (right, face down) will also be available to charge the light.

With four LEDs, the ReX will only last about an 2 hours at its brightest setting, but will go for as long as 48 hours on its lowest setting.

Photon ReX Rechargeable Micro Flashlight (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007) - 4
Accessories being developed for the ReX include a solar charger, USB charger, and AC charger. The accessory kit will also include a headband.

The Photon ReX perfectly matches David Allen’s philosophy for invention and for the environment by minimizing the use of materials in the manufacture of the product and keeping scores of batteries out of landfills.

Specifications and Features

Manufacturer: LRI
Dimensions: about 2 in long x 1.25 in wide x 0.5 inch thick
Features: Glow in the dark soft touch button, multi-function Freedom digital circuitry, rechargeable Lithium-ion battery, polycarbonate case, four LED array
Weight: 0.6 ounce (light only)
Available: October 2007
MSRP: Light and charging attachment are $29.95; accessory kit is $19.95

Outdoor Retailer: An Impressive Shade of Green

The Outdoor Indsutry Embraces The Green Movement

While it might be difficult to pick one color to describe the theme of the Outdoor Retailer 2007 Summer Market, it would probably be some shade of green. Or perhaps bamboo, corn yellow, or coconut brown. While the exact color might be debatable, one thing is for sure: it would definitely be an earth tone.

In the nearly 20 Outdoor Retailer shows I have attended over the years, never have I seen the “green theme” so universally applied as I did this time around. From the moment I entered the Salt Palace Convention Center and was greeted by the large sign explaining the “Green Steps” program, to prominent displays on the outside of many of the exhibitor’s booths, to the advertisements in the trade journals, I was never far from learning how exhibitors and show organizers are stepping up their commitment the environment in a big way.

The Green Steps program made it easy to quickly identify which exhibitors were making an extra effort to offer environmentally friendly products and practices. Large green steps (footprints) were prominently displayed in front of booths of exhibitors who are “going above and beyond basic business as usual” in their commitment to “greening” the industry. And there were a lot of green steps on the floor of the Salt Palace this week.

This commitment to the environment is not surprising – given the growing interest in the “green movement” generally – and particularly given that most of the exhibitors and retailers make their living on, and have a passion for, the continued availability of wild places. Even so, it was still impressive to see just how widespread the adoption of green practices has become in the outdoor industry.

Timberland, similar to a several other exhibitors, dedicated a fair amount of real estate on the outside of its booth to describing how the booth had been made using environmentally friendly materials.	Smartwool touted the environmental benefits of its sole supplier of raw materials: the merino sheep.
Johnson Outdoors provided a breakdown of its canoes and kayaks that are made with recycled materials.	Golite and Yakima explained what they are doing to offset the environmental impact of their office, manufacturing, and distribution activities.
	Sierra Designs summarized how its booth, office space, and products are all consistent with a larger corporate mission of being responsible environmental stewards.

While the green theme was woven throughout the show, it was interesting that terms like recycled, eco-friendly, natural, sustainable, renewable, and organic were almost always accompanied by terms describing style and/or performance. It is clear that manufacturers are trying to communicate that in addition to doing good by the planet, they are not compromising their commitment to making quality products that both look good and perform well.

So how does all of this relate to the lightweight backpacking? Well, in addition to the obvious of what is good for the environment is good for all of us who like to spend time outdoors — it begs the question of whether a lightweight backpacker would be willing to pay a weight (and/or cost) penalty in exchange for a product that is produced using a more environmentally friendly method or material.

A case in point is the recent discussion in the BPL forums about the new Patagonia Micro Puff pullover. According to the Patagonia website, the fall 2007 Micro Puff pullover made with a “lightweight…recycled polyester” and “3-oz Climashield® Green continuous filament polyester insulation (40% recycled), weighs 14.7 ounces. My 2004 Micro Puff made with a standard (non recycled) polyester ripstop shell and Polarguard Delta insulation, weighs 12.5 oz — a difference of roughly 2-ounces.

Peanuts, you say! A paltry 2 ounces for the peace of mind of knowing that you are wearing something that not only keeps you warm but is also keeping rubbish out of the landfill? Apparently not so for some ounce counters who say they would prefer the “less green” version to the current one in favor of saving the 2 ounces. Granted, there are other issues at play here (i.e., technical discussion of Polarguard Delta vs. Climashield Green), so the debate is not simply a matter of ounces, but you get the idea of the discussions that might ensue if the casualty in the green gear movement is increased weight.

Personally, I would gladly take the 2 oz penalty in favor of the recycled jacket (assuming fit, price, and technical performance were roughly equal), but there is probably a tipping point. Would I still opt for the jacket with recycled materials if there was a 10 oz difference? Maybe not.

After spending a few days observing the attention and resources currently focused on the “greenification” of the outdoor industry, I am confident that if there are any significant performance tradeoffs (including weight) associated with making outdoor gear more green, they will be resolved, making any such current tradeoffs a moot point over time.

Fenix L0D Flashlight soon Available with Brighter Luxeon Rebel LED (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007)

Sub 1-oz, single AAA battery flashlight with optional 60-lumen output for 1 hour.

The debate is still going on about who makes the best single AAA battery flashlight for lightweight backpackers – Arc or Fenix? Fenix has a new version of their L0D available August 20, the Fenix L0D RB80 which uses the Luxeon Rebel LED. Circuitry is unchanged and run time is about the same as the previous version but it has more output – 60 lumens in the bright mode as opposed to 50 lumens for the Cree 7090 XR-E LED.

Although the Fenix L0D and Arc-AAA lights have similarities: same size, AAA batteries, and housed in aircraft grade aluminum cases, they are quite different in function. The Arc-AAA light is meant to always be there when you need it. It has only one – low – mode of 5.5 lumens with a run time of 5 hours to 50% brightness and still outputting diminished light after 12 hours. The light is switched on by twisting the head, which can be done without unclipping the light from your ball cap.

The Fenix L0D adjusts from medium to low to bright to strobe to SOS by twisting the head on and off repeatedly. It has much brighter options than the Arc-AAA. One complaint is that switching requires two hands and is hard or impossible to do with the light clipped to a hat.

Both lights operate effectively with Lithium batteries.

The L0D RB80 is bright. On bright and aimed at my eyes from a few feet away, it made me squint even in daylight.

This new Fenix light will probably not convert an Arc lover over to the Fenix side, but it’ll make users who want a very bright light in a small flashlight with easily available batteries happy.

Specifications and Features

Manufacturer/Distributer: Fenix, http://www.fenix-store.com/

Uses a Luxeon Rebel LED (80 lm/w) with a life of 50,000 hours

Five output types: 21 lumens(3.5hrs) -> 7.5 lumens(8.5hrs) -> 60 lumens(1hrs) ->Strobe -> SOS

4 days of survival use (2 continuous hours per day on the lowest setting)

Uses one 1.5V AAA battery (not included), inexpensive and widely available

7.35cm (L) x 1.4cm (D) (or 2.9 in (L) x 0.6 in (D))

Input voltage: 0.8V~3.3V

Made of aircraft grade aluminum

Durable Type III hard anodized finish

14.5-gram (or 0.5 oz) weight (excluding batteries)

Waterproof to IPX-8 Standards

Toughened ultra clear glass lens with AR coating

Textured reflector for a flawless beam

Reliable twist switch

Capable of standing up securely on a flat surface to serve as a candle

Patented

Battery not included

Includes a spare o-ring, a split ring, and a pocket clip

MSRP $46.50

Bottlepod Ultralight Photo Monopod (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007)

Got a waterbottle? Want a one-ounce support for your camera?

Overview

The Bottlepod from Civilian Labs converts your water bottle into a camera support. The rubber base fits snugly over the cap of most drink bottles. Its spherical ball joint assists camera positioning, while its standard screw fits all tripod mounts. While it may lack the sophistication and rock-solid rigidity of a conventional photo tripod, it looks ideal for taking hands-free snapshots. The best part: a BPL measured 1.0 ounce weight.

Features

Weight: 1.0 oz (measured)
MSRP: $14.95
Available: now

Tech⁴O Traileader (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007)

A pedometer based navigational watch that does away with the foot pod.

Tech⁴O Traileader

The market is flooded with pedometer based performance watches. Why? In the age of ever increasing wrist mounted GPS performance, pedometer based units have a significant cost advantage. They work in areas where even sophisticated GPS units can’t, like under heavy tree cover, in deep canyons. Finally, pedometer based units are lighter and have far longer battery life. Typically you can leave one on for the duration a backpacking trip and not worry about it conking out.

Tech4O Traileader (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007) - 1
The Tech⁴O Traileader includes a pedometer/distance function along with the traditional wrist computer navigational functions like a barometric altimeter and magnetic compass. But what really sets the Traileader apart is that it doesn’t have a foot pod. The accelerometer/pedometer is built right into wrist mounted watch.

Note: “Tech⁴O” appears to be the re-branded electronics portion of Silva. The Silva brand is still retained for traditional magnetic compasses.

These pedometer based units typically have a wrist mounted watch portion that receives information from a foot mounted accelerometer (the pedometer) via wireless transmission. Once you calibrate these units to your stride length they can be reasonably to very accurate depending on the quality of the accelerometer, their wireless transmission technology, and the sophistication of the electronics that process the accelerometer’s information.

But the foot pods are notorious for coming free from your shoe, never to be found again, and they tend to have much shorter battery life than the watch/receiver portion. The wireless transmission between the foot pod and the watch unit is not fool proof.

Finally, hiking speed and distance traveled are important navigational information. A good pedometer is far easier to use and more accurate than counting steps. But for some reason few if any of the wrist computer navigational watches are linked with a pedometer. Thus most pedometer units are relegated to performance measurement and not navigation.

Tech4O Traileader (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007) - 2
The Traileader 1 left has a polymer band Traileader 2 has a nylon cloth band.

In contrast, the Tech⁴O Traileader includes a pedometer/distance function along with the traditional wrist computer navigational functions like a barometric altimeter and magnetic compass. But what really sets the Traileader apart is that it doesn’t have a foot pod. The accelerometer/pedometer is built right into wrist mounted watch. A very sensitive accelerometer and a sophisticated program analyze the accelerometer’s output for accurate speed and distance traveled. Tech⁴O claims 95+% accuracy compared 70% accuracy for a typical pedometer. (My experience with high end foot mounted accelerometer is that they are also in the range of 95-99% accurate depending on terrain.) Even so, if the 95+% accuracy is true it puts the much simpler, wrist mounted Traileader at the same accuracy as high end foot mounted units.

The Tech⁴O Traileader has the following features:

Barometer/Altimeter
Compass
Speed
Distance
Pace
Calories
Steps
Thermometer
Time Date Alarm
Stopwatch
7-day Memory

In addition, the Traileader has stainless steel construction and recessed lens for durability. The unit has a lager face with big digits and an easily read display.

MSRP $140 for the Traileader 1 or Traileader 2

Ibex Balance Seamless Underwear (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007)

Seamless underwear for men and women from Ibex.

Ibex Balance Seamless Underwear (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007) - 1
The wait is almost over. The new Balance line of seamless base layer clothing for men and women is here. Though the focus of the line is for women men’s clothing is also present.
Left: Women’s sport bra; right: Women’s sport top.

It has been a long time in coming but the seamless underwear from Ibex is finally here. While the main focus of the product line is for the ladies men aren’t left out in the cold. The products all use 18.5 micron merino wool with a bit of nylon and spandex to provide stretch and a body hugging fit.

Seamless is a bit of a misnomer. The Balance line is constructed in a fashion somewhat akin to how socks are made, that is in a tubular style. Their are some small seams present, but only in places that should, according to Ibex, not rub. The combination of materials and sewing ought to create base layer clothing that is quite pleasant to wear.

Made from 86% 18.5 micron merino wool; 10% nylon, and 4% lycra.
Available for men and women though the women’s style predominate including, of course, the long-awaited sports bra and sports top.
Available October, 2007 with MSRPs of $22.50 to $49.00 depending on the particular style style of apparel.

Weights of the various items in the Balance line of apparel
Model	Weight^* grams
Men’s Brief	48
Men’s Boxer	86
Men’s Compression Running Shorts	130
Women’s Thong	16
Women’s Brief	32
Women’s Boy Shorts	40
Women’s Sports Bra	68
Women’s Sports Top	100
Women’s Runner Shorts	106
^*Weights are for Men’s Large and Women’s Medium.

Ibex Balance Seamless Underwear (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007) - 2
The Men’s Boxers.

Pacific Outdoor Equipment Expands the Use of Aerogel in Sleep Pads (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007)

Pacific Outdoor Equipment adds new innovative pads featuring Aerogel insulation from Aspen Aerogels to their lineup.

“Pacific Outdoor Equipment will hopefully introduce an entire family of pads using it. For example, a torso-length, non-inflatable, R-5 pad might weigh as little as 4oz…”

That’s what we said at ORSM 2006 when we covered the debut of the POE Hyper High Mountain Pad. Well, they heard us…sort of…except for that 4 ounce part. This year, they add three new pads to their lineup featuring Aerogel insulation co-developed with Aspen Aerogels.

As we stated with the introduction of the Hyper-High Mountain, Aerogels are solid, silicon-based, open cell, nanoporous materials that have a very high proportion of free void volume, giving them extremely low densities and thermal conductivities. Aspen Aerogels takes this raw material and builds a flexible insulating mat that’s very light and very warm for its thickness. The result is the potential for sleeping pad designs that are extremely warm for their weight and thickness.

The Uber-High Mountain pad is a non-inflatable, torso-sized pad with an inner Aerogel layer sandwiched between Diecut Polyethylene and EVA layers for protection. Case Carpenter, Pacific Outdoor Equipment’s Operations Director said, “we took the advice from your review (of the Hyper-High Mountain) and used a form factor like the Torsolite.” Unlike the previous pad which sparingly used Aerogel in the torso and foot regions, the Uber-High Mountain pad uses it throughout. While they missed our 4 ounce weight target by whopping 10 ounces, the result is likely an extremely warm, compact, foolproof torso pad well suited for lightweight Winter camping when combined with a lighter pad for your legs (or your backpack and spare clothing for ultralight extremists).

Brief Specifications (claimed)

Construction: 13mm thick PE + Aerogel + EVA + Diecut PE sandwich
Dimensions: 19 x 34.5 x 0.5 in (48 x87 x 1.3 cm)
Weight: 14 oz (397 g)
MSRP $85
Available Fall 2007

Pacific Outdoor Equipment Expands the use of Aerogel in Sleep Pads (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007) - 1
Uber-High Mountain prototype. (The production version will have a textured surface to prevent wrinkling when rolled and will feature rounded corners.)

For the 4-season backpacker looking for a bit more comfort, their gender-specific AO-Mountain pads featuring large-diameter inflatable berms along the side rails with a self-inflating center pad have been updated to the AO-Aero Mountain pads. The AO-Aero Mountain features additional cores in the torso foam (and foot area of the women’s version) that are filled with Aerogel insulation. The change is claimed to add warmth to the pad with no increase in weight. MSRP of $113 to $129, depending on size.

Pacific Outdoor Equipment Expands the use of Aerogel in Sleep Pads (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007) - 2
The men’s regular AO-Aero Mountain with Aerogel channels in the torso region.

Zoot Sports introduces ultralight running shoes (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007)

New line of sub 10 ounce shoes hit the market

Finally some competition may have arrived for Inov-8 in the ultralight running shoe arena. Zoot shoes, at 8.4 to 9.5 ounces in men’s sizes provide serious contest to Invo-8 for sub 10 ounce shoes designed for the serous athlete. While Invo-8 has roots in trail running and fell running, Zoot Sports comes to the ultralight running shoe market from slightly different roots, the world of triathlons.

Competition for Ultralight Inov-8 Shoes Is Here (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007) - 1
Zoot’s lightest shoe at 8.4 ounces

“We sat down with a handful of triathletes and asked them what they wanted in the perfect triathlete shoe…” said the product developer we spoke with at Zoot. The athletes stressed the following four points:

1.Speed of entry into the shoe-Grabbers on the heel and tongue quickly open the bootie for a speedy entry while the quick lace system allows for one-handed adjustment and even lace tension.

2.Biomechanics specific to triathletes-Because triathletes are running with less of a traditional runner’s gait coming directly off their bikes, the shoe is made to work with a shorter stride, closer to that used by walkers. The shoe is designed to cushion the walking striding foot. The shoes have a very light carbon fiber shank for a comfortable midfoot strike and low weight.

3.Tri-Dry technology-Allows water to flow out the bottom of the shoe through drainage holes.

4.Barefoot technology for non-sock wearing-Although few backcountry hikers will venture into the world of barefoot hiking (although we have seen it), the barefoot technology introduced here has low friction interior to prevent blisters while coating the entire inside lining with moisture-wicking, anti-microbial material (the low friction liner should work equally well to reduce friction and blisters when worn with a sock).

Competition for Ultralight Inov-8 Shoes Is Here (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007) - 2
Zoot ultralight shoes include drainage holes for whisking away all extra moisture (holes denoted by arrows)

Three shoes are introduced by Zoot this year at less than 10 ounces.

Competition for Ultralight Inov-8 Shoes Is Here (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007) - 3
Zoot’s complete lineup of ultralight running shoes

The ULTRA Race is the lightest (8.1oz-W, 8.4oz-M. $130). It includes the sockless technology made to reduce hot spots and blisters on the feet yet provide the support needed for a running shoe. One seam in the entire line eliminates any added friction against your skin. The shoe includes high carbon rubber bottoms and a carbon fiber shank.

Competition for Ultralight Inov-8 Shoes Is Here (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007) - 4
The ULTRA Race sole

The ULTRA TT is the next lightest shoe (8.7oz-W, 9.2oz-M, $130). This shoe incorporates a blown rubber technology with a midsole cushioning compound for more shock absorption. The midsole cushioning is placed only in the midfoot and toe of the shoes for additional support. This shoe has toe and heel abrasion reinforcements.

Finally, the ULTRA Tempo+ trades increased cushioning for weight (9.1oz-W, 9.5oz-M, $130) by providing a dual-density midsole. All the other bells and whistles of the ULTRA TT are included as well.

Of the three shoes, the 9.5 ounce (266 gram) ULTRA Temp has the best potential for an Ultralight backpacking shoe or day hiker.

Scarcity of New Dinner Options at Summer 2007 OR Show (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007)

New dinner choices at Summer OR not very plentiful

Stopping by the “Big Three” (AlpineAire, Backpacker’s Pantry, and MountainHouse) booths this year resulted in a whooping four new dinner options for the discriminating backpacker. NOTE: In all fairness, there were two new desserts (at MountainHouse) and one new breakfast (at AlpineAire) but since I am only a seasoned user in the freeze-dried dinner market, that’s my focus here.

Three of the new dinners came from Backpacker’s Pantry, two qualify as “organic” (to go along with our green-themed show). The Organic Tofu Pesto was my favorite dish of the lot combining tofu and taglitelle pasta. I would give this dish a 4-star (out of five) tasty rating. The Organic Tofu will retail for $12.90. The other organic dish was the Organic Spinach Puttanesca with tomato sauce and spinach over the same taglitelle noodles, worthy of three stars and retailing for $9.50. My husband’s favorite was their non-organic option the Chana Masala, an Indian curry dish with chick peas and chilies over rice. I would have to agree it was a unique flavor and therefore, give it a 4-star tasty rating. It did, however, get the five-star rating on price at $4.50. Whether you are a vegetarian or not, it is encouraging to see freeze-dried vegetarian dishes adding variety to the dinner market. All dishes from Backpacker’s Pantry will be available November, 2007.

Scarcity of New Dinner Options at Summer 2007 OR Show (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007) - 1
Backpacker’s Pantry’s top two new offerings

The only other addition to the freeze-dried dinner market came from AlpineAire Foods who is introducing Shrimp Fried Rice to their line-up. AlpineAire’s cost for this product will approximate $5.30. I unfortunately did not get a chance to taste test their new addition so am unable to provide a tasty rating for this product. However, I will be taking it with me on my next backpacking trip to give it a try.

Let’s hope next year provides a bit more fodder for my taste buds.

Granite Gear Vapor Day Backpack (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007)

Not be the lightest 2000 cubic inch (32 liter) pack available, but it may well be the most comfortable.

Overview

Granite Gear will introduce a new 2000 cubic inch, 2 pound 2 ounce, panel loading Vapor Day Pack in early 2008. As the name implies, it will incorporate their Vapor frame and suspension, making it capable of carrying 30 pounds with comfort. The women’s version is called the Vapor Day Ki.

Granite Gear Vapor Day Backpack (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007) - 1
Front of the Vapor Day Ki (left) and backpanel of the Vapor Day (right)

In the crowded day pack field, this one really stands out because of its combination of suspension and features. The Vapor suspension consists of a high density polyethylene Vapor framesheet in combination with dual density foam backpanel, shoulder straps, and hipbelt. It simply oozes comfort. The shoulder straps are fixed, but the hipbelt is available in different sizes for an optimal fit.

The feature set provides virtually everything one would want or need: panel access with water-resistant zipper, stretch-woven side pockets, large zippered front pocket, small pocket on top with water-resistant zipper, front and side compression straps that allow attachment of extra gear, load lifters, sternum strap, and hydration sleeve with dual ports. The side compression straps can now be routed either over the side pockets for security, or under them to keep them from interfering with water bottles.

While the Vapor Day Pack may not be the lightest 2000 cubic inch (32 liter) pack available, it may well be the most comfortable. It’s big enough to serve as a large day pack, approach pack, or a weekender pack, and is especially suitable for hikers willing to carry a little extra weight in exchange for a lot of comfort. Needless to say, my first impressions of the Vapor Day Pack are very positive.

Bummer: no hipbelt pockets, but accessory pockets are available.

Specifications and Features

Manufacturer: Granite Gear (www.granitegear.com)
Product: Vapor Day Pack (men’s) and Vapor Day Ki Pack (women’s)
Dimensions: Vapor Day in regular and long, Vapor Day Ki in regular and short
Features: Panel access with water-resistant zipper, stretch-woven side pockets, large zippered front pocket, small pocket on top with water-resistant zipper, front and side compression straps that allow attachment of extra gear, load lifters, sternum strap, and hydration sleeve with dual ports.
Fabrics: 210d and 70d Nylon Cordura body, stretch-woven pockets
Weight: 2 pounds 2 ounces
Volume: 2000 cu in (32 L)
MSRP: $129

Outdoor Research Pack Hoody (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007)

Pack cover with an integrated hood – what a clever idea!

Overview

Now here’s a clever idea, a pack cover with an integrated hood to provide full rain protection for your pack, head and shoulders. The OR Pack Hoody is constructed of 40 denier silnylon fabric with taped seams. A bungee cord anchors the hood to a pack sternum strap. And the whole works packs into an integrated stuff sack.

Outdoor Research Pack Hoody (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007) - 1
Backpacking Light staffer Joel Walthall models the Outdoor Research Pack Hoody, a combination pack cover and hood.

Obviously, its not a full poncho, but it will suffice in a shower in many cases.

Bummer: It’s only available in a large size that fits up to a 80 liter pack, but maybe that’s not really bad because the larger cover will easily cover a small pack, and more. Also, it’s a bit heavy at 7.1 ounces and expensive at $55. A typical silnylon pack cover weighs around 3 ounces and costs around $30.

Specifications and Features

Manufacturer: Outdoor Research
Sizes: One size (Large)
Dimensions: 47 in x 15 in x 15 in
Features: Integrated hood and stuff sack, elastic drawcord around back and bottom, bungee attachment to sternum strap
Fabrics: 40d silnyl, taped seams
Weight: 7.1 oz
MSRP: $55

Glacier Glove All Lycra Sun Glove (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007)

Fingerless 1 ounce/pair gloves for sun and blister protection.

Overview

Thru hikers and others who spend a lot of time hiking under intense sun will be interested in these nifty fingerless hand protection gloves that weigh a scant 1 ounce per pair in size L/XL. Their main purpose is sun protection, but they would also be useful to provide warmth in cool weather and to grip trekking poles more efficiently.

Glacier Glove All Lycra Sun Glove (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007) - 1
The Sun Gloves are made of SPF 50+ Lycra and weigh just 1 ounce/pair.

They are made entirely of SPF 50+ lycra fabric, which makes them easy to put on and take off. As shown, the finger tips are exposed for greater dexterity. The gloves are available with a plain (lycra) palm, synthetic leather palm, or a thin polyurethane coated palm. We could not detect any difference in weight between the plain and PU coated versions, although the PU must have added a tenth of an ounce or so. The Sun Gloves are a good value at $14.95.

For comparison, the Coolibar Fingerless Glove is made pf stretch polyester microfiber, has a hole in the palm, blocks 98% of UV radiation, and costs $19.95/pair.

Glacier Glove All Lycra Sun Glove (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007) - 2
Models are available with plain, synthetic leather, and polyurethane coated (shown) palms.

Glacer Glove also has a a very light (1.1 ounce) Universal Sun Shade that attaches to any ball cap, and a cool Outback Hat that resembles a Tilley Hat but weighs just 3.4 ounces and costs $39.95.

Specifications and Features

Manufacturer: Glacier Glove
Sizes: All Lycra Sun Glove in S/M and L/XL; Lycra Sun Glove with PU Palm in S,M,L,XL; Universal Sun Shade in one size fits most; Outback Hat in m,L,XL
Fabrics: Sun Gloves are Lycra; Universal Sun Shade is microfiber
MSRP: Sun Gloves are $14.95/pair; Universal Sun Shade is $12.95; Outback Hat is $39.95

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