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Don Paul
Big Wall climber
Colombia, South America
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Jul 27, 2012 - 12:39pm PT
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One suggestion/request. My first portaledge experience were with a lightweight and flimsy one, about 20 years ago. Sorry but I dont remember the manufacturer, its not metolius, bd, fish - I just dont remember. Anyway this ledge kept hourglassing and spitting me out. I couldn't ever get it to stay in shape more than 5 minutes, then it would send me into the void. After a few of these experiences I gave up ever figuring out how to keep it in shape. I did zodiac and moonlight buttress with this thing, and spent the nights suspended in my harness, with legs in haul bag. So whatever you do please make sure it doesnt hourglass.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Jul 27, 2012 - 12:41pm PT
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Four thumbs up for Luke!
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NA_Kid
Big Wall climber
The Bear State
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Jul 27, 2012 - 01:20pm PT
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This is SICK! I will defiantly be looking at Runout Customs gear in the future! Horay for quality gear!
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OlympicMtnBoy
climber
Seattle
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Jul 27, 2012 - 01:51pm PT
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Yep, my old Gramicci single ledge only weighs 6.4 lbs and the fly is 1.6 lbs. Of course this might be the one referred to as hourglassing earlier although I've never had problems with it. Got to be a bit gentle, but one would think with material and technology improvements we ought to at least be able to at least beat that. Plus it packs down short and fits totally inside my haul bag if I want it to.
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couchmaster
climber
pdx
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Jul 27, 2012 - 02:08pm PT
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I have Lukes (Runout Custom) Prototype one off Titanium double that he made based on Middendorfs A5 design. Schweet and Light! The A5 fly fits it too. I like the direction this is heading. Portaledges are too darned heavy. Lukes a good guy too, like to see him do well. My buddy Adam was driving to Cali. from Colo and swung by to get something from Luke in Moab and Luke let him sleep in his yard.
Thanks for the heads up Chris.
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Mr. Rogers
climber
The Land of Make-Believe
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Jul 27, 2012 - 02:15pm PT
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Back in 2010 when my partner and I were getting off the Shield, we found these guys in the Manure Pile parking lot prepping for an attempt on the Nose.
Not too sure how they did. But their ledges were probably lighter than ours.
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10b4me
Ice climber
dingy room at the Happy boulders hotel
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Jul 27, 2012 - 02:47pm PT
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Mr. Rogers, those are the Camp Roll-a-Cot. They weigh about ten lbs each.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Jul 27, 2012 - 02:48pm PT
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So if you gave someone a ledge for Christmas, would it be considered a portaledge in a pear tree?
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Roxy
Trad climber
CA Central Coast
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Jul 27, 2012 - 04:28pm PT
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go hammock, the original lightweight portaledge
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couchmaster
climber
pdx
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Jul 27, 2012 - 05:26pm PT
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I'll have to put it on the scale and check later Chris. Originally I just needed the fly as I was waiting from one from Russ at Fish. Luke put this up as a unit. Fly and ledge. The fly and stuff sack are the same weight as about everything else out there. The carry sack is a Runout Custom, not an A5, and is a heavy duty Fish Products style heavy elephant hide material so you can drag it up a wall outside your bag. In fact, it started out more minimal but was real tight to stuff the ledge back in. Luke had touched base with me after he'd sent it to see how things were and I mentioned the sack size. I wasn't thinking too much of it but Luke said: "hey, send that one back and I'll make you a bigger one". Wow! I hadn't even though of it till then. I did and so he did and sent the bigger one back. Stand up guy X2.
ps, I just loaned my hammock out to a buddy @2 days back to a guy going out walling as a team of 3 taking a double ledge already. Pika made this affair (I've never used it) that is suppose to clip off UNDERNEATH and onto any double ledge. Weighs @ a lb. This is suppose to be different than the wall hammocks of old like the Bat Hammock that sucked so bad. This Pika spreads open, and you don't spend all evening getting squeezed tight (they say). Hopefully they don't find ledges, it gets used and I get some feedback on it.
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Andy KP
climber
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Jul 31, 2012 - 12:20pm PT
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Bought a new BD ledge a while back and was blown away by how heavy it was. My old A5 Double (guess it was the 'alpine' one) must have weighed about half as much, and packed down to about half the size. Fly was OK, but again maybe overkill unless your in patagonia (old BD yellow fly was good, but had junk straps that broke off, and was too short and so snow/storm crap would blow into the ledge from below.
Been using a home made ledge made from an old A5 ledge (that got destroyed in the alps) that's only 3/4 length and with a dyneema grib bed (single tension buckle). Seems about a 3rd of the weight and super compact (fits inside a medium haul bag). For soloing missions you need something very light, and even at 3/4 it works fine when used with a full coverage ledge like the BD exped.
Also been using a cut down fish one night stand that sleeps two sitting (only better than hanging in a harness!), and want to use the Fish parts with some carbon fibre tubing soon.
And there's always the string hammok....
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Rob Morgan
Trad climber
Flagstaff, AZ
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Jul 31, 2012 - 01:07pm PT
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A shot of a Prototype single w/ mesh floor that i worked on in Architecture School.
The concept was called Sheer Mobility- A portable shelter for vertical environments.
Thought maybe relevant to the light-weight ledge discussion?
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John Mac
Trad climber
Littleton, CO
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Jul 31, 2012 - 07:18pm PT
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Rob, That's a nice looking ledge. What are it's specs
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mh001
Mountain climber
Beijing, China
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Jul 31, 2012 - 11:44pm PT
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Hi Chris,
The LuxuryLite UltraLite Cot is even lighter at 2lb 12oz/2lb. Have you compared it with the Mesh Cot used as a portaledge?
If dropping parts is a serious concern one could bring extra parts. Heck at this weigh you can afford to bring a backup Cot and still stay lighter than a usual portaledge.
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Don Paul
Big Wall climber
Colombia, South America
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Nothing hourglassed like an original Grammicci. I sold mine to a museum.
I would ideally use 5.5 mil spectra which would add another 1/2 pound or so.
The problem with the ledge I see in the picture is that adjustable straps are essential cause it makes the difference concerning the angle of the rock the ledge is hanging beside.
Seems like it's tougher to make a light double ledge than something dinky for one person to crash in (but can you sit up and have dinner on it?)
Peace
karl
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SuperTopo on the Web
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fragile, not storm worthy
Let us know!