Gear

Hi, does anyone have any experience of the Sprayway Snowstorm Jacket, or the Lowe Alpamayo pack??
Regards, Ian

Hi Ian, Alpamayo is big, heavy climbing sac with muchos gizmos. Very stable and comfortable with big expedition loads, a bit OTT for lightweight backpacking unless you're on a trek long enough that you're hauling say a week's food.

Haven't used the Snowstorm, but it uses a two-ply XCR fabric, which is generally less durable than 3-ply and also has a drop liner to protect the membrane, hence more weight and bulk.

What are you thinking of using them for?

Treking mainly. I have spotted the snowstorm on sale in a local shop and it has good spec and more importantly good fit for the money. Same goes for the alpamayo. I am two minds, either to go for the Lowe Frontier or pay £20 and get the Alpamayo. The thing is I am starting off treking now, but I am looking towards bigger and bolder things in the future, and as I am a student I have to be carefull when purchasing gear, as I can't afford to own say 3 packs for different uses.

I should also add, that however much i may like the idea of "Lightweight Treking" I dont have the money to buy all lightweight treking gear. Any advice?

Well, you don't necessarily have to spend loads to go lighter, things like Lowe's Adrenaline jacket are relatively cheap and light too, though there are better performers out there.

On the pack front, the Alpamayo's great with big, heavy loads, but then it weighs over 3 kilos, which is a fair bit to drag around with lighter loads. If you reckon you may end up on some epic climbing foray dragging a load of ropes and hardware across the Himalaya, then it's a good bet and, of course, it'll do the backpack thing too. If you look at the Reviews section on the main home page and do a search, there's a set of impressions by one of our members who used an Alpamayo in Bolivia for a month or so. Quality is good, comfort and stability are good, weight is not quite so good... I guess the bottom line is that it'll do most things except light weight and last a long time into the bargain. Also means you can use it as a mountaineering sac if you decide to get into that in the future.

Ian, fit is really important with rucksacks, especially the larger ones. it makes far more of a difference to comfort than any amount of padding or features. So I would try on several sacks before choosing. Whilst it's worth tolerating a less than perfect fit in clothing for a bargain, the same can't be said for big sacks.

I would also concur with Jon that the Alpamayo might be slight overkill for what you're contemplating. You don't need more than 65L capacity for trekking and general travel, and as little as 50L is enough for shorter trips. The larger sacks are aimed more at climbers who have to carry gear and ropes. Whatever you go for, if it's to be multipurpose, make sure it fits well and carries comfortably when only partially-loaded as well as fully. A lot of larger sacks tend to bounce the lid or contents around if they're not filled to the top, even when compression straps are used.

Yeah, I have tried a few, including the Lowe Frontier, which I find comfortable. At the moment I will be using the sack for treking, both short 3-4 day trips and longer trips. My main concern is being able to carry my kit, plus my photography gear, consisting of my SLR, Digital camera and tripod plus accessories, and also later on my climbing gear (summer climbing in the crags, not winter climbing).

As for a jacket, I have my eye on a Sprayway Snowstorm, which is a 2 layer XCR jacket. Do you think this is suitable for treking? I know it is more of a alpine jacket but I shall also be using it for walking on the Ben and skiing?

Thanks for all your advice!!

The sponsors will not appreciate this comment Ian but I reckon you should go Paramo. Avoid the plastic bags especially if you are serious about going out into the hills.

Paramo? Forgive me for being dense?

Ah forgive my brief denseness......yes Paramo. Indeed, but i cannot really justify buying a jacket with that kind of price tag. I'll leave those to the Pro's. Thanks anyway :)

hmmmmmm Paramo is such nice gucci-gear but it's sort of a tie in thing isn't it...You buy the jacket and then the pants and then the fleece, and then the shirt...it goes on and on...Shame it cost so much!

Paramo great in winter, very breathable, too heavy and warm for me in other conditions though.

Jon - Paramo kit excelled in Corsica, Spain, France, Andorra, UK, ... in a combination of climates from Med beach (ah the memories) to mountain tops. I would not take anything else (well, apart from some Bergie Coyotes or Rohan Backpackers and a stove, tent, sleeping bag, ...)

As a matter of interest, I wore one of my plastics today (slight rain here in Yorkshire) The result - shirt soaked from the inside out. There are 2 pees endured outdoors. Precipitation is one, perspiration is t'other. Paramo leads the field in handling both from Med through to Northern climes.

But please dont' take my word for it - try it yourself! The best bit of plastic IMHO is the PONCHO. Now where's me Olive? I can't sleep...

'Baga', have you considered that your constant unsolicited endorsements of the gear you yourself favour might have a negative effect on their sales, in the manner of an annoyingly persistent insurance salesman? Or perhaps you work for their rivals and that's your sneaky marketing intention?

I have tried it - like I said, for me it's too heavy and the housecoat-style directional lining means it's warm. I'm not knocking Paramo, it's great kit, very breathable and made in Colombia too and for winter use I like it a lot - the Velez is what I use for cold conditions mountain biking for example. There aren't any completely right answers, just competing solutions that vary depending on your personal priorities and how your engine runs. Stuff like Patagonia and GoLite's Encapsil-type fabrics are also a serious option and generally much lighter than Paramo and almost as water resistant.

Plus Paramo makes you look like a sack of spuds. Did anyone else notice that in all newsreports from Afghanistan regarding special forces shooting people at Al Qua'eda fortresses, all the boys were wearing Paramo? (Please, someone else have noticed). So if it's good enough for them - and I for one won't criticise their appearance, well not to their faces anyway.
Baga Smartypants - hey, catchy name - not sure when you were in Corsica, but I was there in July last year - and in a T shirt and shorts in the big hills - and I fried my ass off. In paramo gear I would have died, although I do run pretty hot most of the time.

In fact, that's me in said shorts and T shirt looking inland from the col below the Pic D'Orto - picture to the right >
The S ridge gives the finest scramble I've done in years - padding up rough golden granite slabs in my trusty mescalitos - rising above the juniper scented maquis. Followed by cheese, olives and a gallon of water at the top. Happy days!

Cool! Tres bien Ben. I had some soup at one of the refuges on the GRrr20 - I am sure it was made from the macquis (it was brilliant!) Your submission reminded me of the smells of the maquis What a fantastic almost edible combination of aromas (ah...)

Re the Paramo bit. I don't buy a lot of kit and tend to get consulted by others on a "what do you suggest basis" and I explain what works for me, why I think it works. Then suggest that they establish what they are going to do, where they are going to do it and when. I also point out that Kit is usually a very, very personal choice and that there are no absolute universal choices. Kit advisors may have vested interests so all advice should be assessed carefully.

Then I relate that I avoided Paramo kit because of some details I read on an e-forum somewhere. Eventually I tried Paramo's kit and came to the conclusion that I may have been mislead or misunderstood the motives behind derogation of alternative systems. In a nutshell, I wasted a bit of dosh before finding the best kit combi for moi.

Sooo, if there are any kit users or about to be kit users out there I hope my contributions encourage them to take personal responsibility in choosing their own kit.
(Boy, I do blether on ... )

I am happy to confirm that I have no vested interest in Paramo or any other kit manufacturer, distributor or retailer either directly or indirectly. And I am very happy to participate in an e-forum discussion with a view to improving the kit options available to all.

(God, I wish I had not writ all that - soz people ....)

:->

Y'know what its like Ben. Between 2pm - 4pm you can fry an egg on a steel toecap. But come nightfall, a strong breeze and a bit of windchill and things can get nasty.

One trekker & his ttent were rolled over by the wind (admittedly the Refuge was well packed & he had to use an exposed plot).

One trekker died. In June 2002 there was a Corsican storm. Rain fell in the lowlands & smow in the mountains - snow in June in mountains is not unusual. The refuge where the trekker died had about 1 metre of snowfall. Kit is important - the rumour was that she died from exposure (not enough poor weather kit)

I hope that justifies me a wee bit...

As a ps - I really have no beef with adverts, info-verts (no, not green people) or promoting kit openly & freely. Ford (for example) can put an article about their products in almost any magazine or newspaper - it is usually called "an advert" The newspaper or magazine then charges Ford for using space. No problem.