"It provides a complete heat block rather than actually trapping heat."
Somebody took the marketing material a bit too seriously here, I think. It might be a better insulator than they've used previously but it's still just an insulator.
I guess this is just a matter of personal preference but, to me, it's odd to have no option at around 30 litres in the Osprey Mutant range. I have the old 28l which seems like a perfect size for lots of types of day. 22l to 38l seems like a big jump.
Berghaus working super hard to create a £200 fleece there.
The highlight for me was the advenate hybrid emergency bivi shelter. It picked a very well deserved gold ISPO award, and is an avalanche shovel with a probe hidden the handle that comes with a small bivi tent. The handle on the shovel has three holes which allows you to use two ski poles and your probe to erect the tent, the whole package is really small and it's a solution to a genuine problem which is so bleeding obvious when you see it that you kick yourself for not thinking of it yourself...
I like the look of the Mountain Equipment packs, pity they've priced them too high for most core users! A real pity ME.......
Stuart
I was super impressed with the lid buckle on that. Works super well. On the side though they've used a similar buckle but with a different treatment and I'd imagine with cold hands and stood in the wind they'd be a pain. Shame the didn't do it the same way. Really nice packs though!
Like the look of the ME packs tho they look very remeniscent of my Ascentionist pack...tho even cleaner design...pretty steep price tho, but if thats how much they cost.
Id like to try some aerogel gloves and possibly footwear if and when socks or boots are available...
no idea if the nomics are sorted but they do look good!
One thing missed by the report is that the nomic Kimmel is full strength....
They do look very very similar to the Patagonia Ascentionist packs.
And yes, with the Osprey packs they seem to be missing a 30l, it is a big jump in size between the range.
So Petzl copying BD
BD copying Petzl
ME copying Arc'teryx
Surely these guys are capable of coming up with something new?
They may look quite similar, but in feel + construction they're a whole world apart. We'll be releasing the full series of trade show reports over the next week or so, so keep an eye out for our interview with them for a more in depth analysis. We'll also be publishing a Sneak Peak article in the next month, as one has just arrived for testing.
In terms of the Mutant I'm inclined to agree, but also disagree. For those super-light alpine days out 22L will ordinarily suffice, especially if you're doing distinctly un-British things such as carrying your rope/crampons on the outside of the pack and already wearing your harness + other bits. For those kind of days 30L is overkill, in fact 30L is a kind of strange size in many ways - particularly from a climbers perspective - as it's too small for a lot of trad + Scottish Winter days out and too big to be fast/light.
I may regret sticking my neck out when I look back through some photos and see countless pictures of myself using a 30L pack, but I always have had a bit of a short memory!
I must admit that the switch around of BD moving away from hydroforming and Petzl moving onto it did cause us to smile, as did the BD Ultralight which looked...how can I put it...familiar...???
I was meaning to ask, was there any mention of a collaboration between the two brands? Surely people must have questioned the similarities.
Not to my knowledge and it certainly wasn't mentioned (I think this is the last thing they'd mention too!).
Another surprise, whilst we're at it, was that Petzl didn't add a second rivet to the head of the Nomic. I'll be will very interested to see how the plastic insert performs in the long run, as they've got a bit of a reputation to make up after the creaky head syndrome they seem to contract after too much mixed climbing.
Thanks, yeah they look good, my observation wasn't a criticism really, lots of manufacturers 'borrow' design features from others.
Hmmm, maybe you're right with the 30l thinking about it, I realize I seem to manage everything now with a 18l pack and a 35l! Hoist by my own petard.
I have an Ascentionist 25 and the Tupliak 30 knocks it into a cocked hat, makes the Patagonia look like a cheap market copy......
Sounds interesting but hard to get info on it! The ISPO website gives virtually nothing and the Advenate website seems a lesson in form over function.
Some more gear porn here: https://gripped.com/events/outdoor-retailer-winter-2018-sneak-peek/
At a guess, I'd say nonhydroform has to do with cost... It's just an extra process which reduces margin to the manufacturer. But that is speculation. I put the nomic and ergonomic over one another, the difference is the handle which more aggressive on the ergonomic. The fuel and reactor are quite different in that respect and clearly different.
I found it shocking, to put it mildly, that Petzl hasn't resolved the second rivet issue. They seems to have put a lot of effort in small cosmetic upgrade, yet failed to actually improve the biggest downfall of that tool. No wonder they've lost so much market in the last 3 years, everyone else has catch up, used their geometry (the best) and improved on it. As far as I see it they have missed a massive opportunity as this new model won't be looked at for another 5 years.
I used a prototype of the Tupilak pack on a big rock route in India this past autumn. The fastenings on the side have a bit of a knack to them at first but you soon get used to them, cold hands or no. The only problem with them is that they can undo if you empty a few things out of your pack, as they rely on tension, but I found that as soon as I clocked this it stopped happening. I've found this can happen with all straps that don't use buckles, but I seem to break buckles as a matter of fact so I'm happy with the trade off. On the whole the packs are excellent: nice simple design, super light (possible to strip them down and make them even lighter), the roll top is great, and after hauling the leader bag up nearly 1200m of rock it was basically unscathed (unlike a Patagonia Ascentionist that Pete and I used in Alaska, which got totally destroyed after hauling it up 3 pitches).
It wasn't mine. I still have to look at my Ascentionist* with non existent rope carry, holes etc and dream of what could have been..........
*It's not that bad actually, I like it despite the rope carry issue and the fact the lid doesn't stay open like it does in the Steve House video if there's anything in the zip pocket and it was very cheap.
Just throwing this in here for the sake of it, a few pics of the BD screws in use suggests that they are no better than the laser speed lights as they suffer exactly the same flaw... They rack like crap, clearly my dreams are yet to be answered, why couldn't they stick with the original express hanger design?!
If you are a FB user:
https://scontent-ams3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/27459026_1985570941471335_294...
They might be ok. The climber has clipped their axes to their ice clippers as well, which is probably the main cause for everything looking messy.
I'm all for the mockery of alpha direct as pertex pile, but someone works out how to f*cking sew down into flat sheets never needing baffles again, something that changes down jacket design probably forever and it's a fleece?
Remember when they invented hydrophobic down and forgot to patent it? Or everyone stole their reversible insulated jacket idea?
Who knows how it works; but clearly their marketing department has its head up its arse.
You're really overthinking it. They've woven down into a synthetic fill 50/50, so it will have all the weaknesses of synthetic and less of the benefits of down.
A bit of googling shows it's not a Berhaus idea. This link is full of suspect claims, if it's warmer than than down for it's weight as they suggest (probably comparing quilted to their product rather than a like for like comparison) then I'd be shocked. For that sort of money you can buy a box wall down jacket anyway, which would undoubtably be warmer and last longer (if kept dry).
http://www.eddiebauer.com/campaign/evertherm?cm_mmc=CJ-_-Skimlinks-_-775214...
And ultimately my 'fleece' reference wasn't really to the technology but the thickness of the jacket. I just bought a super thick, lightweight and warm fleece from Decathlon, covered in pockets and even side vents for £16. If you want to pay £200 for what is essentially a fragile and thin synthetic jacket with down woven in, go for it.
I've enjoyed using my Tupilak pack, but I think someone is enjoying it even more as I type this...https://twitter.com/NatBerry18/with_replies
That said, she lies on anything remotely 'comfy'...