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BLUEBLOCR
Social climber
joshua tree
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Mar 11, 2017 - 09:57pm PT
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Nice job Duece!
Maybe you otta give one to Anita and have her make a video setting it up. Bet it would go viral💃🏻
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Tom Patterson
Trad climber
Seattle
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Mar 12, 2017 - 06:37am PT
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This is fantastic, John! Best of luck in this endeavor!
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BLUEBLOCR
Social climber
joshua tree
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Mar 15, 2017 - 06:45am PT
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Are there gonna be any singles for purchase this season?
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deuce4
climber
Hobart, Australia
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 18, 2017 - 01:27am PT
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Just finished a couple nights on the portaledge on Ozymandias, Australia's iconic big wall. The D4 portaledge worked great--incredibly stable and rigid, I was very happy that it performed in all respects better than any other ledge I have designed.
See the Kickstarter update #3 for more pics, and also the Facebook bigwallgear page.
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the Fet
climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
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Mar 18, 2017 - 11:20am PT
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This thread was in this month's SuperTopo Climbing News email. I was just a little early on my prognostication. 8^)
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deuce4
climber
Hobart, Australia
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 18, 2017 - 01:15pm PT
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Yeehaw!
By the way, if readers could consider contributing even the $10 option on the Kickstarter, that would help contribute to the current production of demo prototypes that are going out to our first product testers (besides me), for teams like Marek, Twid Turner, Mike Libecki, and others for whom we are supplying ledges for some extreme expeditions. Thanks!!!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1188459201/the-d4-portaledge
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deuce4
climber
Hobart, Australia
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 20, 2017 - 02:50pm PT
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Tarkine protest last weekend...
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deuce4
climber
Hobart, Australia
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 20, 2017 - 11:50pm PT
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[quote]Pitons' Pete
All good questions!
I am very pleased with the 4/8 point suspension system. It is more stable when hanging out in the ledge, I think because alternatively with a six-point system the center support point acts a bit like a see-saw fulcrum point. I recall back in my wall days much more ledge shifts when moving about the ledge--there was none of that on the two days we hung out in the ledge on Ozymandias--it never really ever suddenly shifted when we were moving about the ledge. The fact that each fin equalizes the load to two points is also key to not only the strength, but also the stability. On the other hand, I was wary that there would be a more dramatic tipping if the center of gravity ever passed to the outside of the suspension points, though this never happened, even when I was settled in on one side of the ledge and Simon stood up and stood more on my side of the ledge.
Other advantages are easier setup as it's much more obvious if the frame is getting wrapped around one of the four suspension fins when first deploying (this did happen once after a sloppy packup job), but it was easy to fix by just undoing and redoing the quick link.
And of course the four points instead of six saves weight! And simpler.
I also discovered the tacoing really doesn't matter when setting up--though all the tubes more naturally slip into place when the ledge is fully "flat" and un-tacoed, it didn't really matter because as soon as the ledge was weighted, it seemed to naturally become flat and level after adjusting the suspension. But I do recommend getting rid of any taco before fully tensioning the bed tensioners before getting into the ledge.
It just got easier and easier to set it up as I used it more--probably not 90 seconds while hanging, but certainly within 3 minutes, and probably most of that time is in tensioning the bed, which is a simple task. I have incorporated plastic helpers on each of the end tubes which keep the tubes somewhat in place during assembly, and there is a moment when one end tube is held by the plastic keeper, but not all the way in yet, where one needs to gingerly turn the ledge (or move) to the other side to assemble the other end otherwise the first end could fall out of the plastic keeper--as I got better at doing this, it all went together without any snafus, and this was the only time I ever felt like I had to be careful.
I plan to annotate a sequence of setup to explain this more fully. Basically long tubes first, then end tubes, then tension the bed, and you're done. Especially considering that there is no spreader bar, I'd say it is twice as easy to setup than my previous block corner design.
Packup was literally less than a minute, especially after a night with the fabric a bit pre-stretched. So easy with the new D4 haulsack design.
There are some minor tweaks I am making to the strap lengths, for example, I want the shark fin divider faster to be within easy reach even when barely sitting up so it is way easy to change from sleep position to hangout out time with backs to wall. Also I have some really cool fly modifications which I will be working on this week (removing my speedy stitch mods with some real sewing!).
Overall, more pleased than even expected with how it works--really an improvement in existing ledge design in all aspects.
Will be posting an update with similar information on the Kickstarter soon, along with more photos and details.
Still 17 left at the Kickstarter discount! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1188459201/the-d4-portaledge
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deuce4
climber
Hobart, Australia
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 21, 2017 - 11:40am PT
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Nice rig! And nice partner! I think that was soon after we had climbed the Zodiac? Great photo!
(Those things weighed about 20kg, didn't they?). Back to our roots!
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John Mac
Trad climber
Breckenridge, CO
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Mar 21, 2017 - 01:30pm PT
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A young Lydia... first woman to climb the big E without O2.
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Mar 21, 2017 - 11:16pm PT
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Interesting point about the six-point suspension having the see-saw fulcrum point in the middle cuz of the two middle straps. Never thought of that but it makes intuitive sense.
Don't you make those buckles too low! I would far rather stand up to adjust the straps, than to sacrifice any "adjustability" for asymmetric hangs, especially when there are four lovely daisy clips in each strap for me to hang my stuff off of!
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deuce4
climber
Hobart, Australia
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 22, 2017 - 07:47pm PT
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Down to 16 left at the Kickstarter discount!
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duncan
climber
London, UK
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Mar 24, 2017 - 03:10am PT
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THAT Lydia, a very nice partner who wasn't a punter at all, but neither of us had done many walls and we imagined ourselves first team to do the route who were not the usual Yosemite suspects.
That ledge was a heavy old thing, the D4 looks sweet!
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deuce4
climber
Hobart, Australia
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 24, 2017 - 11:15pm PT
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Updated setup video here:
[Click to View YouTube Video]
NOTE: Steve Pearce of the The Tree Projects has found it easier to set up the end tubes first (making two big U's), then the long tubes. Initial testing on the ground confirms this, is likely another benefit of the unique D4 design (this wouldn't be possible with the block corners, as the corners would offer too much flex when setting up and would probably fall out of the joint, but the U's in this case are completely rigid and ready to accept the middle poles on the long side.) It is more important to ensure that the long tubes are all fully inserted with this method, but of course, getting to know any ledge by practicing, and ensuring that all joints are fully inserted is essential no matter what method of set-up--this is clear and easy with the D4 because the joints offer an audible "click" when fully inserted, and can easily be checked by pulling tubes slightly apart then letting them snap back for the "click", thanks to the shockcord.
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Mar 25, 2017 - 11:08am PT
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All right then, buddy - let's see a video of Setup Method 2.
This is somewhat counter-intuitive to me, which makes it very interesting.
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deuce4
climber
Hobart, Australia
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 25, 2017 - 03:26pm PT
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Here is the complete Kickstarter information as of March 26 (with 4 updates), as PDF (which has clickable links) and images, to openly document the ongoing design process of the current reinvention of the portaledge:
PDF: D4 Portaledge Kickstarter
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Woody the Beaver
Trad climber
Soldier, Idaho
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Mar 26, 2017 - 08:19am PT
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This thread is huge fun! How can I have lived this long without a portaledge?
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SuperTopo on the Web
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How stable is the four-strap suspension system vs. the traditional 6? 
Let us know!