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Hector
Trad climber
Johannesburg, South Africa
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Topic Author's Original Post - May 4, 2018 - 06:58am PT
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What says the ST about portaledges? I'm looking for a double ledge and fly for El Cap. I've used a BD Cliff Cabanna before - it was awesome to sleep on but its heavy and very cumbersome when packed.
The new D4's look rad, but pricey.
Does Fish still make ledges? From their website they seem cheap and light and no-nonsense. Do they cut it?
And the Metolius Bomb Shelter? Looks big and comfy, although on the heavy side.
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Tom
Big Wall climber
San Luis Obispo CA
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The FISH ledge is the only one out there with a cro-moly steel frame. It is highly resilient and springy, and able to take tremendous abuse when flagged above a haul bag. Even with a hammer, it is difficult to dent or damage that cro-moly tubing. The weight penalty is negligible or zero, compared to aluminum.
Aluminum tubing can be easily damaged, as when the ledge is getting whipped around in a storm. Aluminum doesn't spring back if it gets dented. If the tubing ends get damaged, it can be impossible to put the ledge together. The only time I ever had trouble with a portaledge was a Metolius with an aluminum frame. During a storm the tubing became dented, and then bent. I had to splint the bad tube with cut-open beer cans and duct tape, which was dicey for the rest of the wall.
The D4 ledge I saw two years ago was impressive. It was big, with a very good fly. The frame was aluminum, though. And it was a bit of a hassle to take it apart. I think the design has since been modified with a different arrangement for the corner joints.
My homemade ledge has a carbon fiber frame that is light, stiff and strong, but it's not resilient and springy. If I had to make my ledge all over again, I would use cro-moly tubing, like the FISH.
I believe the FISH design is the oldest available today, which indicates how good and robust it is. BD and other companies fiddle with their ledges, trying to get them right. Russ the FISH got his right, way back in the 1980s.
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ClimbingOn
Trad climber
NY
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As Tom said, FISH ledges are awesome. I own one.
To add to the list of ledge manufacturers you should look at, Runout Customs also makes good ledges.
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Cireously
climber
SoCal
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Plus 1 for Runout Customs. Luke is doing awesome stuff. Small company, so you have to order ahead. I think they are out to June right now.
https://www.runoutcustoms.com
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madbolter1
Big Wall climber
Denver, CO
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Plaid used a Runout Customs on Line in the Sand, and every night he was telling me how great it was. Plaid has used about everything. I stick with my homemades.
The Runout Customs is highly recommended. I've met Luke repeatedly and can attest to what a class act he is. He even loaned Plaid the ledge he used, which is above and beyond the call, imo.
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ECF
Big Wall climber
Ridgway CO
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Get the runout customs.
Did I just agree with Richard?
Run for your lives, the apocalypse is at hand...
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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^^ Andrew Gran?? You're still around?
1) Have slept on a Fish double ledge around 700 nights. As per Tom's comments. Only drawback is it's a bit small for two men, ok if you are on the small side
2) ANY ledge with a spreader bar sucks monkey balls
3) D4 with my recommended modifactions now available - superb! Brilliant design, one of the four great aid climbing inventions of the last twenty years. Round corners make flagging a dream, the fly kept me dry under the waterfall of Waterfall Route. How dry? Didn't even bother putting my camera in a ziplock. Meanwhile next to me my partners were fighting for their lives, bailing water out of their ledge. I slept, but made a few noises to appear I was in discomfort.
4) Luke is sending me a Runout Customs soon, which I look forward to trying for sure!
5) Very interested in Deucey's Trapezoid ledge, Kevin DeWeese has prototype #1.
6) There is no sixth thing.
7) Looking forward to my new D4 at the end of May, thanks to Deucey and Verb.
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BLUEBLOCR
Social climber
joshua tree
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ATG, that pvc ledge is badazz! You could cap those pipes and haul some of your water inside them!? Condensing your volume! And you could paint the pipes black which would warm the water then you could use it for soup, or a warm shower😀
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