Will Rietveld’s Fantastic Outdoor Retailer Coverage on Ultralight Insights

Thanks!

That was great. Lots of interesting stuff including more info on Big Anges DCF tents, updated Sierra Designs High Route.

Looks like a couple of good windshirt choices coming out.  The Patagonia Airshead material seemed like the ticket, but the lack of a hood, cut, and dark colors kept it out of contention for me.  More choices means more of a chance someone will get it right.

I expected to see more on permanent DWR rain gear this year.

The SD High Route looks very enticing with a pound shaved off in weight at a fair price tag.

I believe that new High Route weight is a typo. The new version is lighter but still 31oz per other sites reporting on this. It should be 1 lbs 15oz, not 1 lbs 5oz.  I’m pretty sure Will’s weight is the wrong one because he claims 1 lbs 5oz but then later says 1 lbs 1oz for just the fly, and there’s no way that large inner is just 4oz. A 17oz fly and 14oz inner is believable.

But yes nice to see an update to lighter fabrics saving about 6oz. They may have ditched one of the vents too. Will R’s blog makes it sound like that, but I haven’t been able to confirm.

The Nemo Rocket and BA Tiger Wall Platinum are 7 denier silnylons.. The SD High Route is 15d. Like I said in another thread, 7d – 15d silnylons are the future of ultralight shelters.

The Dyneema BA tents will sell, but in much more limited quantities than the silnylon shelters.

7D silnylon certainly is popping up in a lot of places. I have yet to read anything very convincing either way on it’s durability. I do have a 6oz, 7D sil/PU nylon tarp that is a bit scary light but might be strong enough. The weight sure is awesome. It’s hard to go back to nylon after poly though for a trekking pole shelter because of the sag. It’s such so amazing to wake up after all night rain and have a shelter that hasn’t sagged in.

I noticed that Ron at SMD has gone to a 20d silpoly for the new Lunar Solo fly. Yea, I see what you mean Dan, the silnylon sag is worse on a trekking pole tent, one without a frame.

I’m certainly not a materials scientist, but I believe the lightest silnylons are getting better and stronger every year. Just look at the newest air pads made with 15d and 20d. Of course time will tell if the uberlite silnyons are a bridge too far for pads.

Sawyer Micro coming out this September 2018 along with 1L bladders that look very similar to Platypus bladders.

Lots of wind jackets coming out claiming higher breathability: 1) Patagonia Houdini Air (claimed 20 cfm and 4.3 oz with full front zip, chest pocket and hood; 2) Mountain Hardwear Kor PreShell (claimed 4.9 oz with full front zip, zip pockets and hood made of Pertex Quantum Air fabric); 3) MH Kor PreShell claimed 1.69 oz with  ¾ front zipper; and 4) Black Diamond Deploy wind jacket claimed 1.69 oz with full front zipper (not sure if it has a hood).

I’ve been waiting for a more breathable wind shell with some water resistance ever since my pre-2012 Houdini got shredded in an unfortunate dryer incident…that Houdini was 35 cfm.

It would be a great use of BPL content budget to purchase the new claimed higher breathability wind shells and send them to Richard Nisley for testing.

I’m not aware of any evidence that silnylons are getting stronger for the denier, but they could be if the thread count is higher (but that would add weight). I think the availability of lighter silnylons is mostly the result of improving demand and manufacturing tech. About 5 years ago the first 7D nylons (not silnylon) hit the market in products like the Montbell Tachyon windshirt. Now there is good enough demand or tech to produce those fabrics with sil and PU coatings. Seems like most 7D is sil/PU rather than pure sil, for some reason.

Some nylons sag more than others, so there might be a way to do a 7D sil/PU nylon that doesn’t sag too much in a trekking pole shelter, and that could be countered with shockcord at the stake points as TarpTent does.

Houdini air looks promising

Sleeping pads do not use silnylon. Maybe nylon, but not silnylon. Nemo has been using 15D or 20D fabrics in sleeping pads (Nemo Zor) for over 6 years.

Looks like a couple of good windshirt choices coming out. The Patagonia Airshead material seemed like the ticket, but the lack of a hood, cut, and dark colors kept it out of contention for me. More choices means more of a chance someone will get it right.

I agree. I’ve been meaning to write Patagonia to suggest that they offer the Airshed in white (along with a hood option). If they did that, I think it would be the ideal ultralight bug layer. There might be lighter options that don’t breathe as well, or heavier options that breathe better; but nothing that light would come close to being as comfortable to wear on a hot, buggy day if they sold the thing in white. I would also like to see wind pants offered in white for the same reason. There are quite a few people who avoid using chemicals (whether derived from natural sources or not) and have to choose between being way to hot or carrying something heavy. We would love to have something like a white Airshed.

I assume that the Houdini Air is the same fabric as the Airshead.

“Sleeping pads do not use silnylon. Maybe nylon, but not silnylon. Nemo has been using 15D or 20D fabrics in sleeping pads (Nemo Zor) for over 6 years.”

It’s just nylon with a TPU layer for heat sealing.

Ryan

Ethan,

Thanksfor the links. Very interesting to this gearhead.

I was on board with the TOPO shoes until I saw the yellow “Terraventure” clown shoes.

As a matter of pride I refuse to buy clown shoes for hiking and backpacking. Aside from the colors being too out of tune with “blending” with my surroundings they are just jarring at any place except a rave or flash mob dance.

I have had good luck with my Topo trail runners– hopefully the ghastly yellow isn’t the only option….