More New Gear

I love getting new gear and enjoy the playing with and testing, Firstly the small bit, I added a North Face decal to my Black Diamond helmet, Purely aesthetic but i think it looks great, Shame we didn't have any in the store so i bought it from Amazon, For a helmet that has many angles you need to get one with each letter individually cut, The top i am wearing in the photo is a Borod hoodie which is a new take on a light fleece, Very comfortable and you can wear as a layer or just a top

Finally the Summit series Cobra 52ltr backpack came back into stock all but briefly and i grabbed one before it went back out of stock which was about 2 days, I had played with the old model in a 60ltr size and although it has nice features it was a little heavier than i would have liked and the one i tried had stiff belt straps, The new model is much nicer, Really nice and strong material, Its lost some weight and feels very light when on, The straps tighten very smoothly and the hip straps are big and comfortable, The hole for my Osprey hydration pack tube was tight but thats ok, You can remove the top and hip belt and take out the back strengthener for light summits or as a day pack, Somebody has looked at the old model and given it some considerable thought, At $219 its a bargain, My main worry was the lack of netting on the back like my Osprey and that my back would sweat, After 11 miles on the Mountains to Sea trail in 65 degree weather my concerns were unwarranted , It has a crampon sleeve on the front and has a helmet holder, The one minor thing i would say are the bottle holders on the side being short and i have no idea why they did not put a taller netting there but my bottles stayed in place by using the straps, Looks like a winner

Spare gloves, I have a really good pair of severe weather glove from Outdoor research, They have a built in liner glove and i took them to Everest base camp and my hands and fingers were always toasty, They are kinda big and lack feel but work great, I need a spare pair for Mera, Just like sun glasses if you loose a pair and dont have a back up things can go downhill quickly and i dont want to loose fingers due to frost bite, i looked at The North Face Himalayan mitt but decided to get the Summit series G5 Goretex pro belay gloves, The gloves are very soft to the feel and with 100g of Primaloft Gold and 700 fill Goose down, very warm but they are also very dexterous and have great feeling, When you put the mitts on your index finger goes into its own slot away from the rest, these will now be my main glove with the OR gloves as a back up
Here you can see the glove hanging from the 'idiot' straps to stop you dropping them if you take your hand out

I now have just about everything i need although working at The North Face there is plenty i would like, We have managed to track the 1 pair North Face of mountaineering boots in my size down and i should know more about these next week

Dave

New Gear

Its that time of year where i tend to buy most of my gear and this year is no different, Remember that i now work for The North Face, That doesn't mean that i have to buy their products, No i will buy what i think suits me best and have clothing from most brands, Working for NF though does make it now cost effective to use their gear and they currently have a very good range with just a few holes Lets start with my feet

1. The North Face S4K Boots

I have thought of getting a new pair of high quality hiking boots, The Zamberlans that i took to Everest base camp are great in comfort and quality but are rather heavy so i had a long look around and the 2 that caught my eye were the La Sportiva Tranga and The North Face S4K, We do have a pair in store although not my size and i had a trip down to REI to check out the La Sportiva, Now REI did not have the exact model i was looking for but i had a play with the model in store, First thing i noticed were on that model the sole whilst stiff was not as stiff as the S4K which is close to solid, I also thought the build quality was better on the S4K but the model i had in hand was the cheaper version of Tranga so maybe that had something to do with it, I decided to stay brand loyal and get the North Face S4K, I am normally a 11.5 without my custom insert and a 12 with the insert, The North Face does not seem consistent with sizing so i went up to a 12.5 and glad i did as they fit perfectly, In hand you can feel the quality, A sold boot with super ridged sole, Run your finger and thumb between the ankle section to find a very padded section soft to the touch, The ankle grips well and the toe box is big, The stiff sole allows for semi crampon compatibility, I will say that for 90% of hikers these boots are too much and are designed for trekking/climbing the Alp/Himalayas and not your usual trails, Even the soles are extremely stiff i was surprised when i took my first steps to feel a spring forward and not the moon boots walk, Although i feel some breaking in will help they are instantly comfortable, Spring has sprung here in NC and the weather is normally 60-70 so too warm for these boots but i did take them on a 11 mile hike and swapped them out at the 8 mile marker as my feet were getting hot, The style of the boot is very eye catching and i personally love the look, There is a neoprene sock at the top of boot  which help keep out any debris from entering your boot, At $350 they are certainly not cheap and have plenty of competition from the likes of La Sportiva and Scarpa amoungst others but i feel The North Face has pulled out all the stops here and if they can make a 'lite' version they will take by storm the $250 market-lets hope

2. The North Face Verto S6K Extreme

This is one i have deliberated over for many months, My summit boots, I did actually get a pair of La Sportiva G2 SM a few months ago and returned them for the next size up which seem like hens teeth and almost impossible to get, I did manage to get a good look at them and wore them around the house for a while, The look fab, really nice and felt very well made, Nothing not to like and have had great reviews, Working for NF again gave me a chance to look at their new gear and they have recently released a new 6000m and 8000m boot, Reviews have been slow coming out but they have started and all seem very positive with one preferring the 6000m S6K Extreme over the G2 SM, I read a review by fellow Brit Tom Richardson here and reached out to Tom who quickly responded to my e mail and questions. It seems the boots were designed by NF UK and are hand made in Italy and he helped with testing the prototypes on no less that Mera peak, What are the chances of that? Anyways i decided to once again fly the flag and at the same time as ordering the S4k above i ordered the S6K Extreme in a size 12.5 as above, Well they arrived and i tried them on with my summit socks but no custom insert and could not believe how tight they were, I mentioned the inconsistency in sizing above, I took the thick summit sock off and put an ordinary pair on and they fitted although snug but enough to get the feel, First impressions are extremely good, This are a 2 boot system like the La Sportiva G2 SM, Now the G2 SM has a neoprene inner boot where as the NF S6K Extreme has a very nicely made boot with 200grm of Primaloft, These feel very nice and have a different color lace for each foot so no getting it wrong when getting dressed in the middle of the night for the summit attempt, I shipped these back to NF and so far has taken over 2 weeks which is not good but they should arrive on Wednesday and now the size 13-yes 13 is out of stock so more waiting, Styling wise i love the look and color of the La Sportiva but everything else goes the NF way, Lets hope they get back in stock soon and i can finish my first impression review and get to break them in somewhere

3. Grivel G12 Crampons

Reading the review by Tom Richardson on the S6K Extreme boots he mentioned that he uses Grivel G12 crampons, Ian Taylor also recommended them so i am now the proud owner of these spikey terrors, Just need the boots to arrive to try them, Playing with them they seem well made and easy to adjust

4. Therma Rest Luxury Map Sleeping Pad

Sleeping on ice means 1 thing and that is to have a good sleeping pad with a high R value to keep you insulated against the cold, I asked Ian Taylor who is running the trip what he suggested and he came back with the Therma Rest Luxury Map sleeping pad, I ordered the Large size from Campsaver and within a couple of days it arrived, Its bigger and heavier than i expected especially compared to my Big Agnes sleeping pad but as it self inflating it will life easier at altitude, At 3 inches thick and with a very high R value it should work great and just by laying on it you can tell a good nights sleep is on the cards, One of the things i hate about the lighter pads is the noise, I move around a lot at night and the light pads are very noisy like rolling around on a bag of potato chips- Not this bag
I will be testing it out over the next few weeks as the camp sites come open-Cant wait

5. Black Diamond Vapor Helmet

My choice in helmet was between Black Diamond and Petzl, Both are great and really come down to fit and style and Black Diamond worked for me, I chose their lightest helmet which is the Vapor but in truth their Vector would have done just as good but preferred the colors in the Vapor, Its extremely light and has a good ratchet tightening system and is very comfortable, Once again Campsaver got my business
Yes i know i look a tit but if it saves my noodle i dont care

6. The North Face Duffel

I have a North Face duffel bag in a size XL which is now 7 years old, Its been everywhere from Japan in the winter to Mount Everest base camp and everywhere in between, Its kinda big for most uses so i grabbed a 95 ltr Medium, As always with me its in Yellow, I like the lighter colors as you can see it when it comes through customs and i can write my name etc on it in big letters with a sharpy so nobody will steal it, They are bombproof and will last for ever

I still have some wants and over the next few weeks will get the balance of what i need or want, One thing is the new and latest Summit Series Cobra 52 backpack which has been out of stock for a while and has just come back into stock

Until next time

Dave

Down or Synthetic

It wasn't that long ago when if you needed a lightweight warm jacket to take to the mountains you would go for (goose) down, But things have changed in the last few years with the advances in Synthetic's, Companies like Primaloft has changed the game and we now have 2 choices and there are good reasons for both, Most down are from Goose, The down is not the actual feather but rather the fluffy bit under the feathers,You can get a mix, Mother nature is hard to beat when it comes to insulation but here are drawbacks to using down, On the plus side its very light and compactable which is important if you have far to carry anything, The negatives with using down is that it doesn't stand up well when wet, The down clogs up and you loose heat i.e you will get cold, Synthetics on the other hand hold body heat well even when wet and the fibres that make it up stay in place,Not everybody can use down as they have allergies and this is another plus point for synthetics, So if you are trekking in cold dry conditions then got for Goose Down but if say you are heading to Macchu Picchu or the Smoky Mountains where it can be cold but damp/humid then a synthetic jacket would be the better choice, Synthetic jackets also dry much faster than a Down jacket.
 The high altitude summit style of jacket currently will be 800+ fill Goose and i am interested to see if over the next few years if that will change
Working for The North Face i get to see and try all the new gear, Their top of the range Mountain gear is called the 'Summit' series and goes L1 to L6 with the L being the layer, There are 2 styles of  L3 jackets, 1 in Goose and the other a synthetic named the Ventrix, In the same market as the Ventrix you have the Patagonia Nano air and the Arcteryx Atom of which i have both, All 3 jackets are super comfortable and have a 4 ways stretch to the material making them great climbing jackets, I think the Patagonia Nano air was the first in the market, the Northface Ventrix has a couple of tricks up its sleeve so to speak, You cannot see it but the material inside the jacket when made goes through a roller that puts small slits in the material under the arms and in the Summit series down the center of the back, When you are stretching like when climbing the slits will open letting excess heat dissipate and when you are back in a normal position the slots close keeping your body heat in, All very clever and something you cannot do with Down, So there you have it, Always nice to have choices but now you have different styles of jacket for different conditions

Dave

Time for an update, Holidays, Gore-tex and Work

Its been far too long since my last blog but  here things have been busy so lots of catching up to do, Firstly a trip to Ireland and the UK Which was great, I did manage a couple of treks, One in the hills above Clonmel, Not difficult and then i climbed the Holiest mountain in Ireland called Croagh Patrick, Its not super high but its a tough climb, 2 hours busting your lungs on the way up and about 1.5 hrs down, Glad i did it but really not the nicest climb in the world but a good training ground and would like to have something similar close to home, Here you can see me at the top wearing my $750 Arcteryx shell, It was cool and cloudy when i left as well as some mist in the air and although the clouds broke to give good views the nip in the air stayed however i was drenched when i got back to the car, Not outside but inside, So much for breathable Gortex of which i will go into later

Back at home i started working for The North Face which for a hiker is a dream job as you get to see and learn about the latest gear and have some discount so that you can afford to buy some, I do have a list of wants but not really needs as i have pretty much everything i need except Mountaineering boots, I did buy The North Face Himalayan jacket which is something i have wanted for years, Its impressive in its weight/warmth ratio but has a god awful zipper which really lets it down, In the description on line it states it has a 2 way zipper but it doesn't, The zipper is small and fiddly and i would not want to try and do it up at altitude in the cold, Its a shame but i can live with it, I recently tested it here as we have had a very cold spell and i dressed up to take some wildlife shots in my backyard at night where the temperature dropped to -6, 4 hours and i was still nice and warm, Here i am ready to go outside dressed in The North Face Himalayan Jacket and pants with Cabelas ice fishing boots and Outdoor research Alti Gloves

Gortex is Gortex right? Wrong
Goretex to me is like in the 80's when everything said turbo, Good marketing, I do have many Goretex products and i do believe it is a good product but not the be all and end all, There are 3 kinds of Goretex
1. Normal Goretex used in jackets and shoes/boots
2. Gortex Active, used in very light weight jackets for running etc
3, Goretex Pro, 3 layers use in high end jackets etc
I have goretex hiking boots and used Salomon GTX hiking boots when i walked the Camino, Goretex boots and shoes are great when the temperatures are low, Once the temperatures rise its blister time, Goretex is supposed to allow you boots/clothing to breathe but stop water getting in which it can do but if you build up more sweat than it can get rid of then you cook, Like my feet did on the Camino and when i used my Arcteryx jacket on Croagh Patrick, Once you know this then you can dress accordingly, In summer or warm conditions i will not use Goretex boots/shoes and will layer to keep cool,Goretex lining acn also break down, I have 4 pairs of Salomon boots and after a lot of hiking i.e 300-400 miles when it rains my feet get wet, I have not had that in my North Face boots so it could just be a Salomon problem

Here is a good article on Goretex taken from the Outdoor Research site

Ever wonder what the difference is between all the different types of GORE-TEX®?  After all, isn’t GORE-TEX® just GORE-TEX® – our beloved waterproof and breathable fabric that comprises the most rugged outdoor jackets?

The answer is a simple no.

Not all GORE-TEX® is created equal. But knowing what the different types are, how they are different and when to use which one sometimes feels mysterious.

There are three types of GORE-TEX® – GORE-TEX®, GORE-TEX® Active and GORE-TEX® Pro – and each are geared towards different activities. Since not all of these fabrics are intended for the same use, to know which type of jacket you need to get you must first know what activities you will be doing and what attributes you want. Will you be cross country skiing? Taking short afternoon hikes? Do you want something lightweight? Super breathable? Mega durable?

Just as a refresher to jog your weather-protection memory, GORE-TEX® is a material made by laminating, or sandwiching together, an ePTFE (expanded Polytetrafluoroethylene) membrane to other face fabrics to create a waterproof yet also breathable fabric. The membrane is an incredibly thin and microscopically porous material (the pours are 20,000 times smaller than a water drop) and allows moisture to pass out of the material but not let water in.

In addition, there are multiple fabric constructions: three-layer constructions (the membrane is bonded to face fabrics on both sides), two-layer (the membrane is bonded to a face fabric on one side and can have a liner on the other allowing the option for insulation), insulated and non-insulated. In addition, GORE-TEX® can be paired with a variety of face fabrics, have DWR treatments and be seam sealed to increase its protection level.

The type of GORE-TEX® will often dictate the construction, as does the end use of the product.

So, you ask, what are the different types?

The Three Types of GORE-TEX®

GORE-TEX® is a versatile fabric that can be used for anything from mountaineering to everyday, around-town wear. Durably windproof, waterproof and able to breathe, GORE-TEX® can come in anything from two- to three-layer constructions depending on the end use.

In addition, there is an offshoot of this product technology, called GORE-TEX® PacLite®, a 2-layer GORE-TEX® that is constructed to be lightweight, breathable and incredibly minimalistic. GORE-TEX® PacLite® are some of the lightest, most packable fabrics, ideal for activities that require saving space and weight – like running, hiking or cycling.

GORE-TEX® Active – as the name merits – is meant for highly aerobic activities that you will likely do in a day (like cross-country skiing, alpine climbing or other stop-and-go activities). You want a jacket to breathe, and breathe well, when you are, for example, skinning up the backside of a mountain. But it also needs to be simultaneously protective in less-than-ideal conditions.

GORE-TEX® Active is lightweight, capitalizes on a minimalistic design and is incredibly breathable, which is ideal for these stop-and-go activities. Typically, GORE-TEX® Active (as well as GORE-TEX® Pro) are made with a three-layer construction.

Last, GORE-TEX® Pro is engineered to be rugged, durable and ideal for extended use in extreme conditions – like a multi-day mountaineering, guiding or freeriding. Extended use activities that subject you to miserably conditions require a beefy, three-layer construction with maximum protection.

While jackets get the most attention, pants, gloves, hats and even gaiters can utilize the waterproof, breathable technology of GORE-TEX®.  

Now that its 2018 the count down to Mera is on, Trekking and gym time is now increasing, Better to start slow and train over a long period of time

Dave