Testing Mallory's Gear

Nice article in the 2007 Backpackers Gear Guide page 21. (I don't know how to do a link to it.)

They actually took samples from Mallorys clothing and recreated the clothes he was wearing back then and then TESTED them on MT Everest.
They even tested them on the actual route he was on..using an old style wooden moutaineering axe to help recreate the work that he would have to be doing in those days... cutting steps etc.

Bottom line...all that fancy dancy clothing that most of us have is not so High Tech after all.
Plus his outfit "kit" was 20% lighter than the stuff that is used these days on the mountain.
The exception being the Down products that we have available these days and his foot wear (it wasn't mentioned).

Sooo...don't go throwing those woolpants and wool shirts away just yet and yes not even any cotton "windproofs".
Those guys were up there with silk ,cotton & wool... and it wasn't the cotton that killed him.

It would be fun to get together a few folk for some "Retro Hiking" we might just survive without our lastest & greatest outfits after all.

Got any "woolens"...?

BBC story

Here's a link to a BBC story on the experiment.

Thanks for the heads up!

It's fun to find old technology that's almost just as good as current day stuff. It goes to show that the skills to know how to use your equipment are more important than the equipment itself.

It would be fun to hike as they did, as looks in wool suits and knee high socks. Was hunting for that article after seeing at a Mallory site, thanks Willoughby!

This page, and thread converted me to the clothing worn by Mallory and co., when they climbed many years ago. Let's try the Rockpile in the spring in wool!

spider solo said:

Got any "woolens"...?

Click to expand...

Wool was still the insulation of choice when I started winter hiking in the mid-1970s and you had your choice of part-cotton or all-nylon shells. Boots were leather (in Mallory's day they would have been nailed, rubber soles came in the late 30s and 40s, IIRC.)

Not long thereafter, (true) polypropoline long underwear (now generally polyester), Goretex, pile (similar to fleece), plastic boots, etc arrived. All were "New and Improved".

One place where wool was never threatened--socks.

I still use wool pants (the original softshell) and have enough wool and a semi-cotton shell to go retro...

BTW, wool gloves are still good for cooking--you don't have to worry about them melting if you touch somthing hot... Wool is also good around sparky fires for the same reason. (It also doesn't burn well.)

Doug

i'm a panzy no doubt

has anyone seen the wooden frame backpack on the wall at Joe Dodge Lodge, Pinkham? it took me a while to recgonize it as a backpack.

it looks sort of like this: http://mtn.tpl.lib.wa.us/climbs/climbing/equipment/image_04.asp

I feel spoiled with some of the conveniences and gear I have today, and wonder if i could "cut it" with our predecessors.

I suppose back then mountaineers ate pinecones for breakfast and tree bark for lunch.

the most important "gear" we can have is on the inside: patience, perseverance, wisdom, caution, open-mindedness, humility, awareness.... etc.

Wooden pack frame

I used a wooden pack frame a few times until I could scrape up enough money to buy a metal frame when I was a youngster. It belonged to a friend's father, and we would share it on day hikes. All-in-all it wasn't that bad, except for the lack of a hip belt. I wouldn't want to have had more than about 25 - 30 lbs in it, though.

silk and such

Ridgewalker said:

It would be fun to hike as they did, as looks in wool suits and knee high socks. Was hunting for that article after seeing at a Mallory site, thanks Willoughby!

This page, and thread converted me to the clothing worn by Mallory and co., when they climbed many years ago. Let's try the Rockpile in the spring in wool!

Click to expand...

I would certainly be interested in doing something like that...and it would give me more time to make sure the clothes still fit..that would be an extra plus for motivation right there.

We don't seem to have the same availability of quality woolens that were available in days gone by but we found an unexpected source at the local army /navy surplus store a couple of years ago.
They were carying some nice "stylin" wool pants made for their Marching Bands ..now who would of thought...? nice stuff. We grabbed a pair for my wife.

Winter Silks carry some nice silk wear and silk/wool mixes. Now who could resist doing their climbs in silk...?

oh, those speaking of the wooden backpacks...the hut crews still use them.
I was trying to pat myself on the back for keeping up with a young fellow in his twenties when... from out of the Lake of the Clouds hut... this woman carring a big ol load of stuff on the wooden pack frame passed us like we were standing still.

Think I'll forgo trying to use one of them though..

My first pack frame was plywood for US Army, still have it to carry odd-shaped loads

AMC hut crews use monster wood frames to attach boxes of stuff

There is an old Appalachia article where Guy Waterman made a 50th anniversary ascent of Pinnacle Gully at Huntington using the original rucksack from the 1st ascent and other contemporary gear. He even beat a couple of kids with modern clothing and ice axes after he suggested to his partner (another aging climber named Barber) that he put some speed on.

RoySwkr said:

There is an old Appalachia article where Guy Waterman made a 50th anniversary ascent of Pinnacle Gully at Huntington using the original rucksack from the 1st ascent and other contemporary gear. He even beat a couple of kids with modern clothing and ice axes after he suggested to his partner (another aging climber named Barber) that he put some speed on.

Click to expand...

Many (myself included) would consider having Barber on one's rope cheating, particularly if he was at the sharp end...

Doug

DougPaul said:

Wool was still the insulation of choice when I started winter hiking in the mid-1970s and you had your choice of part-cotton or all-nylon shells.

Click to expand...

Agreed.

Somewhere I have a great shot of me on Bigelow: wool balaclava (knitted by Mom), heavy black & red wool shirt, green wool pants, wool gloves and mittens (also by Mom). Also carried were nylon & cotton mitten shells (with the idiot string), 60/40 cotton & nylon jacket, and of course Sorels (wool liner and wool socks [yep, Mom again]) to wear with the wood & rawhide snowshoes.

Oh, did I mention we used to have a great time? In temps that easily reached -20 F?

spider solo said:

I would certainly be interested in doing something like that...and it would give me more time to make sure the clothes still fit..that would be an extra plus for motivation right there.

We don't seem to have the same availability of quality woolens that were available in days gone by but we found an unexpected source at the local army /navy surplus store a couple of years ago.
They were carying some nice "stylin" wool pants made for their Marching Bands ..now who would of thought...? nice stuff. We grabbed a pair for my wife.

Winter Silks carry some nice silk wear and silk/wool mixes. Now who could resist doing their climbs in silk...?

oh, those speaking of the wooden backpacks...the hut crews still use them.
I was trying to pat myself on the back for keeping up with a young fellow in his twenties when... from out of the Lake of the Clouds hut... this woman carring a big ol load of stuff on the wooden pack frame passed us like we were standing still.

Think I'll forgo trying to use one of them though..

Click to expand...

spider solo-

I'd go with the clothes instead of a pack. When I first joined scouts my pack, was void of a hip belt and sternum strap, not a joy to hike with. Took it hiking that weekend and was disappointed for it riding on my shoulders, than on the hip.


Clothing wise, you are right the army-navy stores carry woolens. I suppose that the clothes they wore were wool suits for outdoor use. If a outdoor name store made a Mallory line in 2024, with these materials everyone would buy them.

While many retailers have made great strides in making stuff light, their greatest accomplisments are improved raingear, packs, snowshoes, boots, and tents. Anyone is welcome to chime in on this.


Ridgewalker

Out of curiosity, what are you wearing below the waist now? Industrial grade long underware, and Gore-tex outer pants, or a layer of light poly-pro underware, fleece mids, and Gore-tex outer???

When I was backpacking in NZ back in the 80's, I often saw hikers with canvas rucksacks. Wool, of course, was standard outerwear and a lot of it is still made. I bought wool socks, wool hat, wool gloves and a wool pullover made by Swanndri, all of which I still have after all these years. The wool isn't as comfortable as something like the Patagonia Expedition socks or fleece-but they are great for fording streams with your boots on, which I always did-just wring them out and off you go. Average wool makes me itch sometimes, but I think there are some wools that don't.

I also saw a lot of big wool hooded Anoraks, which people would wear under a Japara (oilcloth) jacket if it was really pouring or on its own if it was just misting. Those are really cool and perfect for the kind of weather you find down there-cold and damp a lot of the time. Unfortunately, the costs of the Swanndri has gone sky high.

http://www.swanndri.co.nz/

rup said:

Out of curiosity, what are you wearing below the waist now? Industrial grade long underware, and Gore-tex outer pants, or a layer of light poly-pro underware, fleece mids, and Gore-tex outer???

Click to expand...

Winter-

EMS Bergelene long underwear
fleece pants (Hathaway Sport)
EMS convertible pants
Red Ledge rain pants

Summer-

Just convertible pants!




Ridgewalker