Sun 25 Oct, 2015 8:10 pm
corvus wrote:Supertramp wrote:To give you all an idea as to weather I have UL gear, my overnight pack or multi day pack weighs 4-8kg, 4kg is the minimum if I want to move fast, 8 kg is if I want to take a fishing kit, solar kit, chair & many other luxuries. If I want to I can pack this into a smaller bag & remove what is not needed.
If I culled my kit I could go SUL easily, so please don't start comparing who has the better (or lighter) kit.
As an old fart you have me totally confused ? regardless of your UL gear what do you eat ,drink for a Day walk? I would have at the least 875g water and bottle and 250gm food so there goes 1Kg of your 4Kg then add ipood ,10 sheet pack tissues ,PLB = + 285g that would leave me with around only 2.9Kg for the rest of your UL gear ? what do you recommend I purchase that I can lighten the load on my old knees with a daypack and raincoat to achieve your 4Kg please.
Mon 26 Oct, 2015 3:52 pm
Sat 31 Oct, 2015 4:19 pm
Sat 31 Oct, 2015 5:01 pm
Sat 31 Oct, 2015 5:12 pm
Sat 31 Oct, 2015 7:09 pm
under10kg wrote:OK I am back in Australia.
This is an ultralight section of the forum and I wanted feedback from other ultralighters on my gear not just the negative feedback from people that do not use similar gear.
The gear list was designed for September and October in the everest region. NOT November or December where a down jacket would be better.
As mentioned I have used similar gear for 8 weeks in nepal. I was in that storm that killed so many at Anapurna.
Based on how my gear performed compared to people with the traditional heavy gear I feel my gear is MUCH saver if you are sensible and careful.
This is based on 4 assumptions from my trip.
1. I was better acclimatised that just about all others doing the passes. 3 days in namchi and a 2 day acclimatised rest stop and 3 days at the tea house before the first pass.
2. I checked the weather forecast before each pass. I find that the forecast is pretty accurate each day. The big dumps are forecast many days in advance.
3. I check the condition of the pass from people that have come over the day before.
4. I have a gps track for all passes.
Why is my gear safer with careful use.
1. Inov 212 runners that weigh 212 gms have a soft rubber sole designed to grip much better than the usual vibran boots. Comparing my shoes to boots many times I did not slip on steep snow but the usual boots were slipping. I estimated that I had 20% better grip on dirt, rocks, snow and a bit better on ice. 20% better grip gives at least 20 % or more safer trip in a twisted ankle or broken leg or a fatal slip The light gear and pacer poles has a huge factor in this too. The sole has a much better feel for the rocks compared to boots. These shoes have won more adventure racing trips than most others I believe. No one can argue that a shoe that grips MUCH better is not much safer in this regard compared to boots.
2.Pacer poles have a huge advantage compared to normal poles. You just have to try them to see this. You can place your whole body weight on the poles with no wrist strain at all. I can jump down 40 cm drops with no knee strain. This means I can descend up to 40% faster than a normal guy with heavy boots and gear. I did this on the second pass on the steep snow for a bit of fun. The other trekkers could not believe how fast I went. They were being super slow and careful and still slipping. If the weather changes I can get down below the snow line FAST.
3. Light pack weight. I started the passes at 6AM and finished them at 11 or 12AM. In October the bad weather usually comes in later in the day. I am back in a tea house while the heavy gear people are still hours away. Some took 9 hours while I took 5. You have to agree that less hours over 5000 m is much safer.
I met a guy and his son at the start of the walk. They had the tent, stove, heavy boots etc. Gear weighting 13 to 17 kgs. The dad had done the 3 passes 5 times and had a uncomfortable night out 3 out of the 5 times for various reasons. I do the passes and finish at 12 noon.
Who is safer??????
4.Less effort. The son I mentioned above one day tried to catch myself and my girlfriend walking at a comfortable pace looking at the wildflowers. He could not catch us at 100% effort. He walked in to lukla and was 22 and fit. I am 61 and I was not overtly fit at the start. I estimate having a 5Kg pack and heavy boots is 150% less effort compared to a 15Kg pack at 4000m. Less tired at the end of the day means less chance of a slip or making a bad decissions. Only one western person passed us on the whole walk at altitude over 3500m and I repeat I am 61.
5. GPS. Most people on the trip did not have gps or a gps track of the passes. This included ALL guided parties I saw. It is possible in heavy mist I would be the one helping others not the other way around. I did carry bivi bag.
To sum up. 20% safer shoes, 20% safer because you are in the tea house by noon and the weather usually changes in the afternoon, 10% safer because you do not get tired, and can walk muck longer distances if needed and have better poles and have GPS.
50% SAFER!!!
Gear performance.
Sleeping bag. I was not cold any night. 2 nights I put on insulating jacket. ALL my gear can be worn comfortably in my sleeping bag including my overpants and parka. These are very soft and can actually be worn as a base layer. Try doing that with gortex or event!!
Walking. One day walking to island peak it was snowing and 20 to 30 k winds. I had on 4 layers top and 2 layers bottom and I was warm.
Insulating jacked. Performed well and kept me warn. At times I used the wind jacket over the top for extra warmth. The windjacket is one of my most favored bit of gear for weight to warmth ration. Recommend you try one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pack. Reasonably comfortable at 5 kgs. Maybe zpacks would be a worthwhile upgrade.
Pacer carbon poles. LOVE them and you will too if you try them. Only bit of not being ultralight gear I use.
Performance of runners in snow.
Runners worked very well on steep snow without crampons. The snow was not icy or hard were crampons would have been needed.
I have walked for 8 hours on soft snow with these runners with no issues. The key is a vapor barrier or two. I use plastic bags but you can get more professional gear. Backpacking light has a great article on using runners in multi day snow trips. You can get insulating overboots for runners and use them with crampons if you wanted to do the passes after fresh snow. I use thicker socks than my normal walking socks when walking on snow. I was prepared to wait a day or so if the passes needed crampons or had fresh deep snow. If I had the extra gear like overboots and crampons this would have not been an issue.
TRY IT. Get runners and thicker socks and thin plastic bag next to foot and thicker one over socks. Walk in snow for a few hours without stopping and see if you get cold feet. Report back to this forum on your experience.
Getting stuck overnight. Taking all of the above into account the chances of being stuck overnight is much much lower than the usual heavy gear boot combination. I had 2 bivi bags, My girlfriend is slim so 2 in one sleeping bag with the other over.The 2 packs have insulating backs so some insulation under us. I think I would be warm -10???? Most parties did not have tents or bivi bags, gps. I felt I was better equiped than most including guided parties. I even got a spare bivi to lend if needed
The guy that stated you needed a stove for water. The running water points on all passes were at the most 1.5 hours apart. NO one carried a stove for water in October.
The super light micro crampons worked well on steep snow. The attachment point on the sides needs to be welded to fit the runners and they need a proper strap. My girlfriend used them down a steep pass and the grip was much better on snow. They came off after 20 minutes so need some modification. We did not try them on ice.
Note most parties only do 2 out of the 3 passes due to fatigue. This included a guided party with porters. I saw parties coming in late in the day totally wiped out. They needed a day of rest the next day while I was fresh and day walking.
Yes I am into tantra and had sex with my sexy slim girlfriend just about all days!!!!!!! If I had put a 10kg pack on her it would have been sex no days!!! If you do not get sex every day in your relationship explore tantra!
Note that I posted a 6 kg gear list for the western arthurs some years ago. I got abusive comments about how I would need to be rescued. I was going to do it solo but because of all the comments about my gear I used this forum to get a walking partner. He had all the usual heavy gear and heavy boots that everyone was recommending. He was the one that we needed to get the helecopter in because he did his knee in!!
I have put a lot of effort and thought about how my gear performed on this trip and I have got little in return on this forum. I expect this will be my last post of this forum expecially after the nasty post about my brother.
Moderator. Please remove the comment about my brother. It is a clear threat and not nice at all. Why have you let this post stay??????
Sat 31 Oct, 2015 8:23 pm
Sat 31 Oct, 2015 9:07 pm
Sat 31 Oct, 2015 9:26 pm
Sun 01 Nov, 2015 8:37 am
Sun 01 Nov, 2015 9:37 am
wayno wrote:I think people commenting on here just had under 10kg's safety and welfare at heart, if they didnt care they wouldnt bother putting their comments in about their concerns.
when going to places where the weather can be severe , experience has taught me some harsh lessons. when all you have to protect you from the elements is what you're carrying then make sure you are certain the gear you take can do the job..
yes so people were recommending against ultralightweight gear on the ultralightweight thread, if someoe were trying to go into the polar regions with ultralight gear , they'd probably comment simiarly, safety first...
Sun 01 Nov, 2015 4:24 pm
Sun 01 Nov, 2015 4:33 pm
Mon 02 Nov, 2015 9:12 am
Mon 02 Nov, 2015 9:31 am
Mon 02 Nov, 2015 9:57 am
Mon 02 Nov, 2015 11:47 am
Mon 02 Nov, 2015 12:00 pm
Mon 02 Nov, 2015 7:14 pm
Mon 02 Nov, 2015 7:37 pm
under10kg wrote:Ok good point. My assumption is incorrect. I do know I feel the cold more than most. Maybe all that tantric sex keeps my circulation going???
Tue 03 Nov, 2015 4:02 pm
Tue 03 Nov, 2015 4:13 pm
under10kg wrote:Why do you guys keep talking about sex? I love talking about sex so much it is my profession and I get well paid to do so! However, I did not bring up sex in this thread first! If you really are interested in this topic send me a private message!
Tue 03 Nov, 2015 4:26 pm
Tue 03 Nov, 2015 8:18 pm
Wed 04 Nov, 2015 3:28 am
Wed 04 Nov, 2015 8:51 am
Wed 04 Nov, 2015 2:36 pm
Wed 04 Nov, 2015 4:53 pm
Moondog55 wrote:Under10kg it may have been adequate and safer for you, I think it would not have been for me.
I'm familiar with that BPL Cocoon pullover having sold it on and while it may have been adequate while walking at a moderate pace it would not have been warm enough for me when stopped; which apart from the short arms is why I sold it.
Getting the load as light as possible is SOP and with a bigger budget I'm sure I could shave kilos from my own baseline
I am interested tho [ very much so] in that 89gram bivvy bag as even my own UL SB protector masses 122 grams and I wouldn't consider it as anything other than a resistant cover and not a true bivvy bag; terms can sometimes be a little fuzzy
Thu 05 Nov, 2015 9:30 am
Thu 05 Nov, 2015 6:59 pm
under10kg wrote:OK I am back in Australia.
This is an ultralight section of the forum and I wanted feedback from other ultralighters on my gear not just the negative feedback from people that do not use similar gear.
I have put a lot of effort and thought about how my gear performed on this trip and I have got little in return on this forum. I expect this will be my last post of this forum especially after the nasty post about my brother.
Moderator. Please remove the comment about my brother. It is a clear threat and not nice at all. Why have you let this post stay??????
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