2008 is set to be the year of ultralight tents and synthetic sleeping bags at Mountain Hardwear …
Tents
Three out of the four top superlight tents from Mountain Hardwear next season will be brand new, which shows a pretty big commitment in the lightweight sleeping department. The brand have cut the grams to an impressive 1.5kg for a 2 man tent and 1.14kg if you feel like going solo, and that's for a stable, three pole structure. We put our heads through the doors of the prototypes and they weren't even that cramped either. So how have they done it?
Firstly, there's the Hollowcore 25D Nylon Fly which “weighs 25% less than the industry standard of 30D”, according to Mountain Hardwear. Secondly, the new Superlight grommet tabs take 85g off the weight of the brand's existing tab system. And the final shots in the cocktail are the Atlas UL poles which vary in diameter along their length, to reduce the overall amount of pole you have to carry.
Put all that together and you get the 1.5kg Helon 2 tent …
Or put it together in a slightly different configuration and the Stiletto 1 is yours…
Sleeping Bags
If you've got a shiny new tent then you might as well have a cosy new sleeping bag too - we're assuming Santa brings us all limitless cash for Christmas here - so there's a new range of bags about to hit the market.
If you were hoping for another fluffy down option then look away now - this is an all-synthetic range but that can be no bad thing in the UK, not that it ever rains here or owt. It's also the first time that Mountain Hardwear have designed lightweight synthetic bags.
The Ultra Lamina is the big daddy of the range - or perhaps we should say the baby bear of the range, as it's the lightest option going. To line it, Mountain Hardwear have used their own insulation, which they say gives the same performance as Primaloft but with greater durability. As Primaloft has one of the best warmth to weight ratios going, but without the papier mache effect of wet down to ruin its performance, that's quite some claim.
The insulation is welded to the outer shell fabric, instead of being sewn in place, so you don't get any cold spots around the stitches. The other prominent features are the zips, which run down both sides of the bag so you can put your arms through it and wear it like a jacket when you're reading in bed at night or giving the day's activities their post-mortem. As for sipping a last glass of something warming, we wouldn't dream of it:-)
All sounds interesting…
As well as the Ultra Lamina - which should keep you warm and comfortable down to a chilly fifteen degrees Fahrenheit and alive down to zero - there's also the Lamina, which has a similar construction but it's roomier, heavier, and carries a full length zip. It comes in a men's or women's version.
Packs
It's not all about kipping though, or we'd all stay at home in our nice warm beds instead of venturing out into the elements.
So, in between nights under canvas, Mountain Hardwear have put together a new range of packs for us to carry our shiny new lightweight camping gear in.
They're basically Alpine climbing packs and they come in three sizes - there's the Dihedral at 40l, the Direttissima at 50l and the big daddy of the range (genuinely this time), the South Col at 76 litres.
The smallest option weighs in at 1.78kg but the larger two are a bit schizophrenic about their weight. The idea is that you can haul a full load of gear in them - particularly the South Col - but then strip away everything but the essentials for a summit bid. So, the framesheet and lid are removable and the hip belt can also be detached and replaced with a 13mm webbing hipbelt, to reduce the weight from 1.85kg right down to 1.02kg in the case of the South Col.
Other features include a high durability HardWear tarp on the front of the smaller two models so that you can attach your crampons and ice axe without shredding the fabric, and a compression moulded backpanel to keep things comfortable and shed the snow into the bargain.
Here's the South Col in load-hauling mode …
Finally, if a session down at the local crag appeals to you more than an Alpine summit bid, the Splitter could be your cup of tea.
It splits fully open until it's lying flat, so you can see all the gear inside, and there's a pull-out tarp to keep gear clean while it's being sorted. Other features include internal racking loops, internal zip pockets for shoes and chalk bag, side compression straps, a hanging hydration pocket with external access, and a total capacity of 39l. Phew …
None of the gear will be on the shelves until spring/summer 2008 but that's not all that far away anymore.
Until then, view the full Mountain Hardwear range on their website.
Colin Harding
