Working Name, Kicka$$ 1P

New tent for 2014. And no, we haven't set our color scheme to "circus" setting (yet). Fun color schemes are often an unexpected result from prototyping.

Albedo and More: Designing for Intense UV

We just heard from the expedition team at Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions (ALE), who have been using NEMO's Isopod 300 at their Mt. Vinson Low Camp this year.

We're psyched to hear that the tent is being used as a cooking/dining/lounging area for clients and expeditions.

The tent has been up for 3 rotations on Vinson—about 3-4 weeks in total, seeing a fair amount of use. Want to know a little nugget of information? UV can be the single biggest factor in tent deterioration for Arctic expeditions. Even though the UV level is not as intense as in equatorial regions, factors like heightened ozone depletion, continuous 24 hrs of daylight, and a crazy high albedo from snow/ice reflectance all contribute to the extremely high UV index.

Expeditions like ALE's put up the tent for the duration of the trip (max of 90 days) —meaning that a typical season can see from 1000-2000 hours of exposure. If you don't take this bit of data in account for design, the fabrics will wear out and fall apart FAST. We designed the outer shell fabric for Isopod 300X with UV durability at the forefront.

The base fabric is a 150D polyester, since polyester has much more UV stability than nylon fibers. A Dyneema ripstop is then woven in to reinforce the fabric and give advanced UV protection. Dyneema is a super fiber of sorts, and exhibits almost no degradation with respects to UV exposure, water absorption, etc. UV inhibitors are also added to both the color dye, and the microporous breathable coating, giving a rock solid construction for environments like Antarctica. Proof is in the pudding though, so we look forward to hearing from the ALE team for many years to come.

Map out your tent map on the ground!

This is the technique we like to use to set up our aluminum poles too.

Camping Gear List of Yesteryear

I don't know about you, but the "sleeping pocket" looks like a pretty cozy place.

[via the yard]

No Stake? No problem.

The more backpacking and camping I do, the more I realize how few places exist that are actually ideal for staking out your tent. From scree to granite slabs to impenetrable ground, nature is essentially hatching a plan against you to destroy even the most "unbreakable" stakes.

Don't try harder, try smarter. Learn how to stake and guyout your tent using rocks, and it'll totally change your camping experience.

Meta 1P Pitch Hints

NEMO customer Randy M. wanted to share a tip for pitching Meta 1P. When car camping, he ties off the back vent to his car door handle (similar to tying off to a trekking pole). We all agree; that is one of the best pitches of that tent we've seen. He says:

That upward angle was perfect for achieving a very tight pitch all along that back flap and vastly improving breathability. So in summary, the keys to a very tight pitch are:

1] Main center trekking pole needs to be raised as high as the tent will allow.
2] Tie out the ends
3] Tie out the back flap at an upperward angle to your second trekking pole (or car in my case :)

Shuksan-Bound

Jeramy P. sent us some photos and a great trip report of his recent summit of Mt. Shuksan via the Fisher Cimneys route.

At camp just before sunset with Mt. Baker in the background.

A crevasse on the Upper Curtis Glacier.

Top of Hell's Highway with Summit Pyramid in the background.

Room With a View

From Mark Smiley, on the way to summitting Rainer.

Brazil 9000: A Journey Across Brazil

In early September 2012 Gareth Jones & Aaron Chervenak will begin a world-first, ‘human powered’ voyage from north to south across Brazil, covering a distance of over 9000km (5500miles) by foot, paddle and pedal over an estimated 15 months.

The expedition will begin in the remote Amazon jungles in Mount Caburai, where Brazil borders Guyana, and end down to the coast town of Chui, on the border with Uruguay.

Gareth and Aaron aim to become the first people in history to complete this voyage, as well as to create an unprecedented portrait of Brazil through photography, film and story.

We've set them up with some Obi Elite 1P tents and Zor sleeping pads for their trips. Join us in following them on their adventures through facebook and twitter.

Raining Cats and Dogs

We took some video of testing in the rain chamber so you guys imagine how hard it rains in there. Turning on the sound is necessary!

Committed

Mark and Janelle Smiley just sent us some beautiful shots from a 26 day glacier expedition in Alaska. These guys are amazing (and great inspiration for designing tents like Moki and Transform Tarp).

Doing Double Duty (DDD)

Not everyone has a tent quiver. We've been there—sometimes you have to make do with the gear that you have. We heard from a customer who has an Espri 2P, and got in some good winter camping with it this season. 

This is his campsite on the Comanche snowfield before his climb on Comanche and Fall mountain the next morning in the Mummy Range (Northern Front Range of Colorado). 

Obi Setup VIdeo

To start off your Monday, here's a little instructional video on how to set up your Obi tent. Enjoy.



-Connie

Its Getting Hot in Here

Cons and I got a chance to play with the new Infrared Camera during Isopod and winter sleeping bag testing up here on the Mt. Washington summit.

Here are two pics taken seconds apart. The first is with the metalized reflective liner door open, exposing only the shell door which separates us from the howling 30mph winds and sub 20F temperatures (below 0 with windchill).


The second shows the door closed and how important an air gap can be to thermal efficiency. Just cutting down the convection currents with a second layer can do an amazing amount for the comfort of a tent. We slept toasty warm inside our protective cave as the weather raged on outside.

-Suzanne

Second Half of Half Dome

Expectations are ever present when returning to a previously attempted climb. In 2010 Mark and I tried to finish our climbing season in Yosemite, CA on the picturesque Half Dome. We were unsuccessful. I was tired from a demanding summer full of adventures and planning and was not too thrilled to jump on another climb, but I knew it meant a lot to Mark, so off we went.

To get to the base of the route we scaled up steep rocks slabs. Followed by even steeper pitches, including hand over hand rope moves, all this while carrying a heavy haul bag. This was on Mark’s back because the shear weight of it was beyond my ability to carry. We thought it would be a good idea to spend the night half way up the route, which meant we had to haul all our equipment up the wall. Four pitches up and many hours later we had not moved very far up the wall. Our bag was getting caught on everything; we were not going to make it to the sleeping ledge at the pace we were going.

So we bailed.
Not a word was spoken the rest of the day.
It was not Mark’s idea to bail.

Like last year, Half Dome was the final climb on our schedule for the year, but we were both ready to finish the climb this time. We had to get up 23 pitches using only 11 hours of daylight. This race would be demanding.

We started climbing at 4am. To save time, we each attached ourselves to a fixed rope with a Petzl Tibloc (a simplified ascending device) to self-belay ourselves. Without a proper belay, we had to be in the mindset that we were basically free soloing the first five pitches. If one of us did fall the Tibloc would bit on the rope, and arrest the fall (hopefully). It was too scary to trust it, so we climbed like we were not going to fall.

Right off the bat I realized my shoes were too big…. What? I had worn them before several times, so why now were they too big? I started slipping and sliding around in them so I put on my socks to fill the void. It did work but I felt my precision was off.

After we ran out of fixed rope we started to pitch it out and do a little simal-climbing, where both climbers move at the same time. As the route wondered the quality of the climbing deteriorated. Once we arrived at the chimney pitches the climbing improved again, and it was really exciting and airy climbing. Luckily, I was leading so I didn’t have to carry the larger backpack up the tight squeezes.

There were some interesting pitches as we approached Big Sandy Ledge (which was not as big as expected). Followed by the more demanding Zig-Zag pitches. Mark took off from the ledge placing tiny pieces, and clipping the amazing amounts of fixed gear on route. I followed with amazement knowing this route has been freed. It was now my turn to lead out on the “Thank God Ledge!”

I started out thinking, “I can do this, this is not too bad.” Then the 10 inch ledge narrowed to 8, then 6 inches about the same time the wall pushed out to vertical, and then a little past vertical. I paused, turned around and told Mark I was tired of being scared, but I also knew it would not be any easier to follow. With some angry aggressive words I crawled across the tiny ledge to where it finally got wider, and therefore more secure.

Mark finished the last couple pitches to land us on the top right as the sun set. We did it, we made it up the Regular route on Half Dome in 14 hours! What a summit, and what a great way to finish 2011. We found our way down the in the dark back to the base where our sleeping bags were waiting for us. I had expected better quality of climbing, but I was overall extremely impressed with the rock, the climb, and the entire experience of climbing such an iconic piece of rock.

Adventure Anywhere, Really.

You can Occupy in anything (or nothing), but if you're out there, you might as well camp in style.

-Connie

NEMO Classroom Lesson #201: Setting Up Asashi On the Fly

Folks here in the office have been spending some time on the beach thanks to some spectacular weather in the Northeast. Bridget used Asashi "On the Fly" this past weekend, and wanted to share the easiest way to set this up with everyone.

For the "On the Fly" setup, you'll need the Asashi Footprint, Fly (no inner tent), and poles (all of them).

First, lay out the Footprint. The NEMO label should face up.

Make sure that the grommets on the corner webbing are adjusted to be as close to the Footprint corners as possible. Also make sure the webbing on the triglides is double backed so it doesn't slip out over time.

Insert the long main poles into the corner grommets of the Footprint, crossing at the center.

Pull the fly over the poles, making sure that the door is aligned with the long side of the Footprint. You'll know you have it right when you look inside the door and see the sewn NEMO label immediately to the right.

Secure the fly to the poles by trapping the grommet on the fly under the Footprint anchors.

On the underside of the fly, secure one of the poles at the center intersection (doesn't matter which) to the fly using the sewn in Velcro tabs.

It's easiest to insert the ridge poles from inside the shelter. Secure one end of the pole in the reinforced triangle area with Velcro, then repeat with the other side.

Where the ridge poles intersect with the main poles, use the sewn-in Velcro tabs to secure these poles together.

You should now have a perfect shade for hot summer days.

You can even add the Garage to this setup if you need more coverage.

Any questions?

-Connie

Summer Trips Abound

We're chock in the middle of summer and are stoked to keep hearing from customers who are getting out every chance possible. Michael N. sent us this picture from a trip out to Black Balsam Knob in Shining Rock Wilderness, NC (Pisgah range). The picture was taken on the peak just below BBK (which was already taken).

-Connie

More Fun Customer Pics

Another set of customer pics from Tara P, with comments included. The first one remind me of the Hipstamatic type images that are seemingly all over the Interweb these days—but better and touches that sweet spot of depth and texture. The last picture is one of my favorites in a while, for obvious reasons (mostly the commentary).

Photo taken by a Canon AE-1 SLR camera, I love the film texture.

My friend Terry's Meta 2P, day and night at Ma On Shan, Hong Kong. The front view is Sai Kung City.

Woke up and saw a bird around my Morpho 1P. Left a shit on it too... -_-

-Connie

Availability of Obi Elite 1P

A question of availability for Obi Elite 1P was posed a couple days ago. We had a shipment come in, but they went in and out like hotcakes. There are a few retailers that may still have them kicking around (Redding Sports, Basegear.com). I would try calling them first. The next shipment of those tents come in mid July.

Suzanne and I have spent a lot of the last 3 weeks on the road talking to customers and retail stores. The question of whether to go with Meta 1P or Obi Elite 1P has come up a lot, because they are the same weight (1 lb, 15 oz). Here is a great thread that debates the pros/cons of each.

-Connie