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Current Newsletter

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40 Below.com Newsletter

Issued January 2008

Welcome to the Forty Below Newsletter. 
 Each edition features a Forty Below® Brand product,
a tip from a guide, and information on a current event.

This Edition:

TIP FROM A GUIDE:
Guide Todd Rutledge of Mt. Trip, Colorado USA
Title: How To Take A Wiz In The “Fricken” Cold.
 A humorous title for a technique not often talked about, that we all have to deal with when traveling in the cold country!

NEW PRODUCTS
New laces on Camp Booties
40 Below Insulated Bag size Large
Nalgene 96 oz. Wide Opening flexible canteen

CURRENT EVENTS:

Climb for Spina Bifida

Guide Todd Rutledge of
 MOUNTAIN TRIP
Colorado USA

Title: How To Take A Wiz In The “Fricken” Cold!

A humorous title for a technique not often talked about, that we all have to deal with when traveling in the cold country!

Howdy all, the following might get me blackballed from the guiding profession for revealing this trade secret, but here you go:  Pee Bottle 101.

(Admittedly, that the following mostly pertains to the male readership, as I don’t have any experience using other techniques, but I will throw out some suggestions for the ladies.)

The key to a warm and successful pee when it is sub-zero outside is to first go out and purchase a Wide Mouth, 96 ounce Collapsible Nalgene Canteen.  Yeah, yeah, 96 ounces might seem like overkill when you read this at your computer, but you’ll thank me when you’re tent-bound for a couple of days or (more likely) when you forget to dump the previous night’s production and only realize it when you’re zipped up in your bag the following night!  I made this recommendation at a gear check last May to three clients and to a new apprentice guide.  They all blew the suggestion off while in Anchorage, but were all converts to the idea after a couple of storm days at 14,200’ on Denali.  The Collapsible Nalgenes are lighter than a hard bottle and are plenty tough to withstand the abuses of repeated pack stuffings.  Lastly, do you know how big your bladder is?  I’ve seen climbers find out they have a 34 ounce bladder while using a 1 Liter bottle; it ain’t pretty…

So now that you have the right tool for the job; let’s talk technique.  What is the aim of the exercise (pun half intended)?  You want to relieve the pressure while minimizing your exposure to the cold and its associated frosty tent walls.  The two most efficient techniques that work are the “hip roll” and the “Divine Supine.”  The hip roll works well when you didn’t follow the aforementioned 96 ounce bit of advice and when it is not so cold that you’ve had to zip your bag shut.  Roll over onto one hip, align your bottle, double check that you’re lined up (this is often a tactile rather than visual affirmation), and let it flow.  After the stream has finished, screw the lid back on and DOUBLE CHECK that it is tight. 

The “Divine Supine” is an advanced technique that works amazingly well when it is so cold out that you don’t even want to unzip your bag.  You can start by aligning your soft, flexible Cantene along your preferred side of elimination before you zip your bag closed.  That’s right- begin the night with your bottle inside your bag.  Advantages of this, beyond the obvious, are that the crispy yellow frozen ring inside the neck of the bottle will melt and drain to the bottom where your parts won’t touch it.  It also lessens the disturbance to your sleep by otherwise bringing a cold bit of plastic into your bag.

The 96 ouncer is long enough to allow you to bring the opening across your pelvis to whatever point your anatomy requires for alignment without running the risk of having the bottle too horizontal for containment.  Just lie on your back, bring the bottle across, unscrew the lid, line everything up (see above) and go for it.  Remember to DOUBLE CHECK THAT THE LID IS TIGHTLY SEALED!  I stress this because I know of someone who never fully awoke from his slumber while performing the task and neglected to tighten the lid- pretty gross…  You should get at least several sessions out of the Divine Supine before you need to start paying close attention to the fluid level in the bottle.  Again- do you know how big your bladder is?  Find out before you try any of these techniques in your sleeping bag.

With practice comes the feeling of security with your technique, so grab a big ol’ Cantene and bring it into bed with you for a few nights prior to your next winter outing.   Additional benefits of the pee bottle are that you can use them if it is really windy outside and avoid embarrassing wind-spray.  Lastly, if you are using a toilet system in which you need to separate solids from liquids, take your pee bottle with you and use it to avoid peeing into your toilet.

For the ladies:  there is a wonderful little tool called the “Freshette”.  I think that’s French for “funnel”.  It works great and with practice, can eliminate the need to shed layers while on the trail.  Yup, you too can pee like the guys!  The downside is that you will still need to get onto your knees to make this work in your tent with a pee bottle.   All the attributes of the 96 ouncer still pertain, so don’t head into the hills without one!

End of Tip

   THANK YOU TODD!  NOW WE CAN ALL HAVE A MUCH MORE RESTFUL NIGHT'S SLEEP!

FEATURED PRODUCTS:

1.  NALGENE 96 OZ FLEXIBLE CANTEEN

This is the one recommended by Todd in the above article!  Wide Opening, reinforced hole for lanyard anchor, flexible design.
 $11.00

2.  FORTY BELOW INSULATED BAG: Size LARGE
Fits a wide range of larger items, including the 96 oz. Canteen, computers, cooking pans, large freexe dried food pouches, etc.
$22.00

FORTY BELOW SYNTHETIC CAMP BOOTIES 
NOW WITH LACES!

New thin webbing lacing for added support and comfort!
$69.95

CURRENT EVENTS:

Climb For Spina Bifida
Spring/Summer 2008

Check out the website to see all about John Page and his dedicated family leading a group of climbers with a mission to climb mountains to help spread the word about Spina Bifida.

www.climbing4spinabifida.org 

END OF JANUARY 2008 NEWSLETTER

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40Below.com Newsletter

Issued March 2007

This Edition:

FEATURED PRODUCT:
  Forty Below Synthetic Fill Camp Booties

TIP FROM A GUIDE:
Mountain Guide Eric Simonson has some tips on socks.

CURRENT EVENTS:
Ice Festivals North America Wide

FEATURED PRODUCT:

The featured product this issue is the Forty Below® Synthetic Fill Camp Booties™.   This is a new product from Forty Below!   They have been designed with a mountaineering approach, capable of being used by themselves around camp with their rubber grippy dot sole-or even at a cabin or home, and, by taking out the removable closed cell foam footbed, you can put them inside your plastic boot shell while your liners are drying out!

Product Description:

Forty Below® Synthetic Fill Camp Booties™

Key Features:

Superlight!  Only 10 oz. for size medium! Very compact too!

Synthetic insulation works even when wet, and dries fast.

Fits into plastic mountaineering boot shell when your liner is removed.

Rubber dot sole.

Removable Closed Cell foam footbed for enhanced insulation under feet, and the ability to wear them different ways.

The synthetic insulated camp bootie for mountaineering, winter camping, and even around the house!  Now your feet and toes can be nice and toasty after a hard day on your adventure!  These will be a favorite for all of your trips, year-round!  The Forty Below® Camp Booties™ are insulated with a continuous filament polyester fiber, so they dry fast if they get wet.  They also provide insulation even if wet, as compared to down/feather insulation which provides no insulation when wet, plus may not ever get dry again during a trip.  Put them inside your Forty Below Overboots for even more versatility and range.

This synthetic insulation goes completely around and under your foot. The insulation is a continuous filament polyester fiber, that has been laminated to one side of the shell fabric for stability, and also silicone treated to resist bunching of the fibers and allow for better moisture evaporation. This unique synthetic fill has shown to not tyically bunch/clump-up or compress over time as with most other insulation types.

They are very compact, and superlight at only 10 ounces per pair size medium!  The sole is made of a special rubber dot material, with a Cordura nylon rand around the lower bottom, taffeta nylon upper, and taffeta nylon lining to make them easy to take on and off with wool socks on.  Drawstring with cordlock top closure.

A very key and helpful feature is the removable closed cell foam footbed, so you can wear the Forty Below® Camp Booties™ inside the plastic mountaineering or ski boot shell when you are drying out the liner.  Additionally, by taking out the foam footbed when you want to wear them on your feet while in a sleeping bag, you can have a less bulky, softer and more flexible feel for your feet inside the toe box area of the bag.  This is helpful as many foot sections of sleeping bags don't have a lot of room.

Shown in the pictures of this product in the new products section of this site is Olof Sundstrom, who along with Martin Letzter of Sweden, is in Antarctica during their successful ascent and ski descent of Vinson Massif.  This was the 7th of the famous "7 Summits" , highest in each of the seven continents, that they were trying to ascend and ski descend from! They did it too! Cogratulations! Both Martin and Olof used, and enjoyed, happy warm feet longer with the Forty Below Synthetic Fill Camp Booties.  They also used the Forty Below Purple Haze overboot over their ski-mountaineering and telemark ski boots. Check out their website se7ensummits from our links page.

They are easy to care for, they can be hand washed or washing in machine with gentle cycle.  Use mild soap or detergent, rinse well, drip dry, or in a machine using cool to medium heat.

Sizing:
Small: fits a foot length up to 9.5 inches, (women’s 5-7).
Medium: fits a foot length up to 10.5 inches (womens 8-9/men’s7-10).  Large: fits a foot length up to 11.5 inches (women’s 10+ men’s 10.5-12).
X-Large fits a foot length up to 13.5 inches (men’s 12.5-18).

Made in USA!

Sizes: S, M, L, XL.  From women’s 5 to men’s 18.

Colors: Royal Blue, OD Green, Purple.

Weight: 10 oz. per pair size medium.

(Posted March 2008: This version is now made with laces, please see current product information for more details.)

Forty Below Synthetic Fill Camp Bootie with removable sole.

Check out the New Products  section for more details and pictures!  Get a pair for yourself for some happy toes on your next trip!  Don't forget these make a great gift too!

SPECIAL TIP FROM A GUIDE:

Guide Eric Simonson
Climber and Leader of numerous successful high altitude mountaineering expeditions around the world, including the historic expedition that found Mallory on Everest.  He founded, along with George Dunn and Phil Ershler,  International Mountain Guides, based in Ashford Washington, located at the base of Mt. Rainier.  He suggested this tip to
help have happy feet on a climb:

"Keep a set of socks in a sealed packed bag, specifically to keep unused until the final summit day.  This way you start out with a fresh, clean and warm set of socks.  This small tip really makes a big difference!"

Picture of vacuum packed socks.

—this is my Everest summit shot wearing my 40 below overboots over my Koflachs---I have used this combo on many mountains all over the world and have never had a problem with cold feet! Eric Simonson

When asked to give some thoughts about socks he said: "Ask ten climbers, and I am sure you will get ten different opinions!  I have tried a lot of different sock combinations over the years, trying to find what works the best for me. 

For the past fifteen years I have used exclusively the ThorLo Level 3 Mountaineering Sock:  This is the only sock I ever use.  I do not bother with any kind of “liner” sock.  When I am trekking I wear one pair and when I am wearing my climbing boots I wear two pairs.  My Koflach climbing boots are fitted to allow enough room for wearing two pairs of these heavy socks.  I want thickness for insulation, padding and shock absorption.  I have worn this combination for hundreds of ascents of Rainier, for Mt. Everest, Mt. Vinson, and everything in between.   I bring plenty of pairs of socks on a big expedition.  I also bring some detergent so I can hand wash socks at base camp.  Once you wear them a lot, they get all greasy and don’t insulate as well.

For summit day I like to save a couple pairs nice and clean, in a plastic bag.  That way I know I will a fresh socks for up high.  I like to change my socks as soon as I get into camp in the afternoon.  Then the dry socks suck some of the moisture out of my boots while I wear them around camp.

Then during the night, I continue to wear these socks to bed and they dry out overnight.  The ones I wore during the day, I hang up if possible to dry.  If this is not possible, I unzip the leg zippers of my fleece pants and lay the damp socks along my legs, one on each side, between my longjohns and my fleece pants during the night, where they will dry out.  Dry socks are gold and you need to keep your feet dry to keep them happy!!  In my opinion, this is the secret to warm feet."

   Eric

  Please visit www.mountainguides.com to see Eric and the entire International Mountain Guides team!

CURRENT EVENTS:

Winter is in full swing here in North America, and there are a number of ice climbing events across the country this year.  Check the American Alpine Club website by clicking here: www.americanalpineclub.org for details.

Report from the recent FESTIGLACE QUEBEC 10TH ANNUAL!
10 Years of exciting ice festivals!  This one had over 7,500 people attend!  Check out this website for details:
http://festiglace.com/a-intro.html

 Thanks for reading our newsletter! 
Please let us know if you have any ideas for future newsletters!

HAPPY ADVENTURES!
© Forty Below March 2007 edition. 

40Below.com Newsletter Archive Section
Click on a date to link to a .pdf file of that edition:

Winter 2007

Contact Forty Below Graham, WA USA Tel: 253.846.2081
Copyright 2007  Forty Below