|
(Lighter Than Light)
Presenting The Sveltest, Smoothest Gear
To Keep You At The Front Of The Pack.
Total Weight 4lbs, 1oz
1. You wouldn’t toss a beer into your pack for a fast and light push, would you? Then don’t settle for extra ounces on your harness. The C.A.M.P. STH 245 Hyperlight Harness is built to move fast. This fully adjustable sit harness packs ample padding onto the leg loops and waist belt and still comes in at just 8 ounces—less than half the weight of comparable harnesses. As I stood into my aiders for the 1,000th time on the last pitch of a big wall last winter, I wished I had traded my porky harness for a Hyperlight and an ice-cold beer. $51; 877-421-2267; www.camp-usa.com .
2. Even a prussik sling weighs more than Petzl’s TiBloc—and this 1.4-ounce ascender is guaranteed to eliminate much of the cursing and sweating associated with prussiking. When paired with a locking ’biner, this smart device slips freely up your rope but locks viciously when it slides down. Yes, it will hold your weight. No, it won’t damage your rope. $24; 801-926-1500; www.petzl.com .
3. The conservatively rated 35-degree down Nunatak Sub-Alpinist is feathery soft, toaster-oven warm and absolutely unique with a why-didn’t-anyone-else-think-of-this center zip. The ripstop nylon shell yields an outrageous 14-ounce pack weight, but props to Nunatak for offering “heavier” Pertex (16 ounces) and EPIC by Nextec (18 ounces) shell options. The real treat, however, is onlookers’ whinnies of excitement when you produce the Sub-Alpinist from a pack. Stuffed tight in a compression sack, this thing could be mistaken for a NERF baseball. $299-$342; 866-686-2825; www.nunatakusa.com.
4. I’ve long complained that hard shells are overkill. Not so with the MontBell Peak Shell, an elegant three-layer jacket that weighs a paltry 11 ounces. The full pit-zips, Velcro cuffs and stowable hood are nice touches, and the proprietary Breeze Dry-Tec fabric breathes better than Lance in the Alps. I wore the Peak Shell on a wall in warm, drizzly conditions and I never felt clammy or wet. Bravo to MontBell for building a shell with just the right features—and nothing else. $198;
877-666-8235; www.montbell.com.
5. The C.A.M.P. Nano Wire carabiner may look like a gumball machine favor, but it’s minute proportions make it the lightest full-strength ’biner on the market. I don’t normally fuss over infinitesimal weight differences, but cumulatively these things add up. A dozen C.A.M.P. Nano Wire Express Dyneema Quickdraws rack up to just
1 pound 10 ounces—almost a full pound less than an equivalent set of standard C.A.M.P. ’draws. That’s big savings for alpine routes or big walls. Be forewarned, however, that the Nano Wire’s wee dimensions make it a touch challenging to clip. $16; 877-421-2267; www.camp-usa.com.
Last Updated: Feb 24th, 2006 - 14:18:11
© Copyright 1999-2006 by Hooked on the Outdoors
|
