Alpine Double Portaledge

Alpine Double Portaledge

A two-person wall ledge built on John Middendorf's A5 geometry: the design that defined modern portaledges and went up most of the hard walls of the eighties and nineties. Modular, interchangeable, and individually serviceable, so a damaged part is a replaced part rather than a dead ledge.

Block corner or curved corner?

Middendorf designed both. The A5 block corner came first, in 1987; the D4 with curved tube corners came later and has stronger joints. He prefers the D4, and on joint strength he's right.

But stronger joints and better field behavior aren't the same thing, and that's the trade you're actually making here.

Bend a tube on a block-corner frame and you can usually bend it back and keep climbing. Bend a tube on a curved-corner frame — unlikely, but expeditions are long — and the joiners stop fitting. Worst case the ledge won't come apart at all, and now you're hauling a fixed-geometry object up a wall. That failure mode is why some expedition climbers still specifically want the A5.

What you give up is weight. Ledge and haul bag run about 13 lbs with zinc buckles and the laminate bed, roughly 3 lbs over a D4. If you're counting grams, buy the D4. If you're forty days into something remote and want a frame you can fix with your hands, this is the one.

Middendorf's own write-up on the A5 design is worth reading before you decide.

Frame size

40" × 75", which is the geometry the 1.125" OD tube was engineered for. Larger production ledges using this same tube diameter need an added spreader bar to make up the stiffness. This one doesn't.

Options

Bed fabric — Challenge Sailcloth EPX 200 laminate, in Pink Flamingo or Blue.

Buckle adjusters — Original nylon heavy duty, or zinc cam buckles. The nylon buckles save you about a pound over the zinc, at the same price. Zinc is the heavier, more traditional hardware if you prefer the feel of a metal cam. There is no price difference; pick on weight and preference.

Storm fly — with or without. The fly is factory seam sealed, 300D ripstop, with a single full-length center zipper and a cinch bottom.

Build

• Frame: 6061-T6 aluminum tube, 1.125" OD, 40" × 75" two-person geometry
• Bed: Challenge Sailcloth EPX 200 laminate
• Fly: 300D waterproof ripstop nylon, zippered, factory seam sealed
• Haul bag: 1680D ballistic nylon skinny ledge bag
• Ledge + haul bag: ~13 lbs with zinc buckles and laminate bed
• Full system with fly: ~17 lbs, varies with configuration
• Cut, sewn, and assembled to order in Tacoma, WA

Pre-order

• Pre-orders close September 14
• Estimated ship date October 31
• Free U.S. shipping over $100. Free international over $150.

Design attribution: John Middendorf, A5 Adventures. A5 portaledge design history