Planning an Overnight Stay on a Big Wall
When climbing big walls at high elevations, you are often faced with how to spend the night as comfortably as possible, without having to haul a lot of heavy gear.
Our Founder Kyle Willis has developed several pieces to help make your planned overnight on a big wall or unintended bivvy a bit more cush, like the Taco Portaledge System.
Recently he's also designed several portaledges, the D4 Delta 2-Person Portaledge, the D4 24" x 36" Belay Portaledge, and the A5 Alpine Double Portaledge. All have a lightweight, rigid frame to support 1-2 people and pack down easily to fit in a haul bag.
The Russian Ice Hammock
However, one piece of gear that Kyle designed that is quite unique is Ice Hammock. Often called a 'Russian Ice Hammock, alpinists Jeff & Pritti Wright approached Kyle a few years ago to design one for their trip to the K7 massif in the Karakoram.
One of Pritti's dream goals was to use an ice hammock because it meant that she was climbing a long enough and steep enough ice route that it required sleeping on a sheer icy face.
With our help, she was able to accomplish this- check out their Instagram Reel with the Russian Ice Hammock in use!
Collaborating on Big Wall Gear Development
Most of the gear we create is born out of a need for something better. Designed because there's nothing else on the market, or there is, but it's just not quite working for us. The Russian Ice Hammock is not a brand new idea, and several others have successfully designed ice hammocks that work. But often we get specific requests and can tailor the end product to people's needs- maybe more lightweight, more easily packable, or the ability to reuse a product again and again.
Here's more from Pritti on our work together, "There are many tradeoffs on the design, such as weight vs. reusability; length and width ratios. We also made many calculations with Kyle to optimize strength and tie-down options...Setting it up is a real test of patience, planning, and fortitude. The key is to create a wall instead of a bathtub shape that the tarp wants to sink to."
The High Mountain Gear Ice Hammock
The Ice Hammock that Kyle has created can mean the difference between a standing, shiver-bivy, or a cush bivy ledge. It weighs in at just 3.4 oz and packs down quite well. In addition, his ultra-specific stitching pattern yields the strongest connections possible. He even glued the logo to the hammock instead of sewing it on to maintain strength!
The Ice Hammock is made from UHMWPE webbing and 0.8oz Dyneema, with raw dimensions of 50" x 96” (127cm x 244cm), and reinforced corners. It is intended for use on steep ice/snow as a means to place a tent on top of it.
Kyle goes a step further than just creating the design for you. He wants who will be using the ice hammock, how, and where, to ensure his customers have a solid understanding of its limitations. It is not a trivial product, and its usage requires the utmost attention to safety and detail as well as meticulous inspections.
How to Work With Us to Design Custom Rock and Ice Climbing Gear
If you have a custom outdoor gear design idea that you’d like help with, let's get cracking! Fill out our 'I Have an Idea' Form aka Contact Form with the following info:
- Your custom outdoor gear idea
- The problem you are trying to solve
- Your budget
- Any other details you can provide for Kyle
Stay tuned for more custom projects we’re working on!