After a 2 week mountaineering course in Alaska and armed with some basic mountaineering skills, some mates and I decided to try our luck on Mt Aspiring NZ over the easter. We managed a successful summit bid after the crappy easter weather cleared. It was a great chance to test a lot of new gear and gear which we’ve had but havnt yet used. Heres some reviews and my thoughts on the gear.
Bivy = (Bibler hooped bivy / Bibler Tripod bivy / OR Aurora Bivy / Hunka bivy)
My ultralight Bozeman mountainworks 175g bivy would not be suitable in alpine conditions so it stayed home. My mate’s tripod bivy was abit over kill weighing in at over 1.2kg and had the largest pack size. My bibler bivy was 100g heavier than the aurora and packed slightly bigger, but both suffered severe condensation on the bottom side. As an emergency shelter, they all did their job well and kept rain off. I guess the winner here is the aurora bivy for being the lightest emergency shelter that did its job and comes seam taped. My bibler required seam sealing. I have just acquired a Hunka bivy which remains untested but all reviews appear positive for it to be used as a standalone alpine bivy at 420g and costing only 30 pounds.
http://www.alpkit.com/shop/cart.php?target=product&product_id=16312&category_id=253
Boots = (Millet Alpinist / Lasportiva Nepal Evo / Asolo blue plastic boots)
The Asolo plastic boots were double boots so I could sleep with the inners overnight. They were very easy to wear in because any friction caused was mostly between the inner/outer boots. My millets were single boots but were very warm (and heavy). For some reason my luggage was lost in transit when I was due to head to Aspiring, so I had to rent the Evos. Everyone in NZ seemed to wear the Nepal evos. Boots are a very foot-specific item, and my favourites certainly wont be someone else’s fav but I found the rented Nepal Evos more comfy than my Millets. My millets have started to rust at the lace hooks which isn’t reassuring. The plastic boots are probally more better suited to extreme cold below 10 degrees otherwise the winner here would be the Nepal Evos.
PACKS = (BD quantum / Mountain Hardwear South Col / Macpac Ascent)
The ascent is the classic gold standard, but is unstrippable, heavier and I didn’t feel was as innovate as the other 2 packs for a mountaineering specific pack. The south Col weighs similar to the quantum but feels much more robust. The Quantum developed small holes at the back when it was rested against some sharp rocks. The south col pack is 1.7kg but can strip right down to about 800g for the summit bid when required. Its got a lot of attachments for gear, but the attachments can be hidden away inside if you need a clean sleek pack. Its not as comfy as the new macpacs, but it still carries well.
Winner: Mountain hardwear South Col.
Sleeping bags = (WM antelope GWS / WM antelope microfiber / WM versalite)
It was the first time I used my antelope and was keen to see how it would go. Most of the time was spent in huts so these bags were just plain overkill. The microfiber antelope did appear to suffer a lot more down leakage than my GWS.
Sleeping mat = (Neoair Ridgerest Solar Vs Downmat 7 DLX)
The ridgerest solar was just plain too bulky, being significantly bigger than the standard ridgerest. I Did sleep on snow with it one night and slept well as a standalone mat down to -8C with my antelope. Tried my neoair with a emergency blanklet doubled up underneath, and another one doubled up on top of the neoair and it worked well most of the night but started getting very chilly towards 5am on a -6C night on snow. Didn’t get a chance to test the downmat but I’m sure that would have been the winner at a fraction the size of the solar. It does weigh more than double the solar, but I would rather it be compact & heavy, than super bulky and lighter.
Helmet = (Petzl elios Vs BD Half dome)
The petzl is slightly lighter and more stylish but I found the half dome much more comfy. The attachments on the petzl are superior and if you wear it with a beanie, the discomfort issue is negligible after a while when you don’t notice it on your head anymore.
Winner: Petzl elios.
Harness = (Petzl adjama / Petzl calidris / BD couloir / BD momentum / BD momentum DS / BD momentum SA)
The 2 petzl above are heavy and its gear loops are inferior. After taking toilet dump, the hook at the back is difficult to reattach. If you rub your thighs together, they make an annoying sound.
I hate petzl harnesses. Full stop.
The basic momentum is cheap and works ok if you don’t go climbing often but the leg loops aren’t adjustable. The waist strap on the DS and SA are much better than the basic momentum. The SA (speed adjust) comes with a strong haul loop which the DS (dual speed) doesn’t. The DS is good to keep your belay loop centered with its 2 waist adjustments and is more accommodating if you don’t get the correct size because the next size up overlaps with the previous size by a lot.
Winner: BD momentum SA (provided you get the correct size that fits you)
General Crampons = (Grivel G10 / Grivel G12 / Petzl vasak / BD sabretooth Pro)
I love the grivel G12s but they appeared to rust a lot after each trip unless they are well oiled before packing away. The G10 not only have 2 points less than the G12, but the points are all shorter especially the front points. This makes them unsuitable for very steep snow but they do weigh 200g less. Petzl vasak appear thinner and lighter, but on the scales they are just as heavy as the BD and grivels. Their attachment is slightly more fickly and they rust just as bad as the Grivels.
BD sabrebooth are made of stainless steel instead of chromolly and I did find them to show a tiny bit of surface rust but they it wipe off very easily. I absolutely love them, Though they blunt more easily than the Grivels. BD also make the Neve which are half the weight and made of aluminium. Only really suited to snow-only terrain because it will blunt very quickly when any rock is involved.
Winner: Sabretooth Pro for steeper snow or Grivel G10 for less steep mixed rock/ice.
Ice axe = (Grivel Nepal SA vs BD Raven Pro Vs Raven Ultra)
I didn’t really like the Grivels. Made of carbon steel they are abit harder than stainless steel but you have to sharpen them yourself when you first buy them. It takes a while to sharpen this steel. The Black diamonds on the other hand come already sharp, but unlike the Grivels, Black diamond make you buy all the accessories separately like tip protectors, spike protectors and leashes which can add up costs very quickly. I don’t know enough about mountaineering to know all the ins and outs of each model, but I like the Raven ultra for its lightest weight and its orange colour matches my pack. The Raven Pro has a more comfortable head than the ultra when used as a walking stick and its spike is a separate piece of metal so it blunts less easily than the ultra. For my purposes, all did their job perfectly and I cant really complain about any of them but to pick a winner would probally be the Ultra.