trailmixisalie wrote:that is very helpful, and the experience at kozi sounds extreme and fun and wild and great haha. I like the idea of the modification and I too have thought of that i just dont know how to execute it but it would definitely aid the problem
Extreme and frightening (for me!). That trip was only my second overnight ski tour, and it was cut short by one night because of the forecast being picked up of rolling blizzards in the area we were traversing. We considered spending the second night at Seamans Hut, but decided to return back to Thredbo and see out the weather in the lodge. Our camp was right on the flank of Koscisuzko — but with no real view until after the evening storm had cleared when the mountains around us were bathed in hues of gold and red. In hindsight, the Microlight was not the right tent for those conditions, but it was the right tent for my limited budget at the time. If I was to return to that place and expect those conditions, I would take the Minaret, which has proven itself in pretty nasty rain and wind storms.
Regarding repairs and modifications, the place down in Melbourne... where specific repairs could be done:
https://www.remoterepairs.com.au/ They're shifting to Hoppers Crossing from Point Cook later. They did many mods and repairs to my equipment over the years. It was founded by Andrew King (in early days, making his own rucksacks branded AIKING). Seems there is a whole new crew there now and no sign of AK.