Almost Back! Spring 2014

We are actually thinking about getting back to work... something like mid_March looks a lot like a "go" date to be back in full action.

If you have an order in with us right now, and tons of you guys do, your March drop dead dates will be fine.  If we have not confirmed your order, then email us again.

If you are thinking you want a Portaledge and are holding off on ordering, don't.  There have been a ton of ledges ordered while we were on vacation and the next window for getting yours delivered, if you ordered right now, is mid April.  March production is basically full and there is no more time to make you a ledge for anything earlier than about April 15th.  A May delivery might even be in the cards.  Sorry, but a bunch of early birds have done snatched the worm on this one.

Hey! It's almost November!

Now that the Fall season for wall gear is winding down, the next big event is Christmas.  I know, I hate it too, but now is the time to start thinking about it.  Things like portaledges take a while to make, especially since I am probably out climbing a bit myself this November, so early orders are appreciated.  Our last shipping day for Christmas delivery will probably be December 18th.

Also, watch the monthly specials on our site for some cool stuff at great prices.  Novembers special will be something that everyone can use and will make a great Christmas gift... hint, hint.

Happy Ledge customer!

Hi Russ,  after almost 11 weeks i am finally leaving Yosemite.  I clocked up 20 nights in my ledge over 3 solos (the prow, zodiac and tangarine trip) and Mescalito with a partner.  Also the atom smasher worked out great as a day bag on a 9 hour run up leaning tower.  So thought i'd just say thanks again for all the great gear you have made.  hopefully i'll find the time to come back again soon as there are a lot of routes to be done on the captain!

cheers

Oli

Happy Ledge Customer!

Fly received. Thanks again man!

By the way, the ledge kicks ass! I have not used very many brands of ledges or many ledges at all for that matter ... yet... so my opinion doesn't have a lot of weight behind it but... I did however, practice with several other brands of ledges and also practiced and climbed with yours. I found myself struggling to get other ledges set up and did not care for the suspension systems for most. They were awkward, uncomfortable, heavy and not practical. Yours on the other hand, I can set up from a hanging belay in the matter of a couple of minutes. The suspension is solid and stable in just about any position and hanging out on the ledge was cozy and comfy. One of the mornings I woke, I swore I slept better than home. 

Better materials. Lighter. More comfortable. More stable. Easier and faster to set up..... I'm pretty proud to sport the FISH ledge and understand why the demand for these things are so high.

Thanks again,

Wade

Order NOW for Xmas 2012 Delivery

Start thinking about getting your Christmas orders into us as soon as you can.  If you want a Portaledge under the tree this year, the order should be in here around the 1st of December to ensure delivery by the 25th.  And remember, after Christmas we usually scale back all things FISH until Spring.  Orders can still come in, and we will be shipping stuff out, but response time can get slow.  Plan accordingly.

Happy ledge customer!

Before vacation we sent out a ton of ledges for mostly visiting British climbers.  The best way to get these goods to international climbers is to ship the product directly to the Yosemite Post Office.  Cheap, easy, and it will be there waiting for you when you arrive.

Reports of success are starting to filter in from this latest batch of wall climbers:

by David Coley on 09:47 Tue
Russ, bye the way the Fish ledge arrived on time at the post office just like you said it would. Thanks.
We got hit by a rain storm on Lurking Fear in mid September and spent a night with three of us on a double whammy, so who says Fish ledges are too small. And unlike a BD one, you can put it up in the dark by yourself.

Portaledge waterproofing

From an email exchange a while back.  Good info:

On May 4, 2010, at 11:07 AM, Hoffman, Dan F wrote:
Fish,
My 5-season fly is pretty old (10+years) and I tested it in the backyard with a hose and it is no longer waterproof

Portaledge Flagging cont.....

To further rant on this subject.... I just finished repairing a ledge that was flagged for a couple of walls.  Slow ascent style walls.  Out all day for weeks kinda walls.  The UV exposure to this ledge had shrunk the bed to the point where a hammer was needed to get the ledge together, and something like a come-a-long to get it apart.  I had to cut off over an inch off of each tube to get the ledge working again as it should.  Food for thought.....

Portaledge Review

Below is a link to a good overview of available portaledges from a year or so ago.  Big Wall Kate put this together for a project she was working on, I think for one of the magazines.  Anyway, it has tons of good info in there, some wall tips, and photos.  As a "by the way", Kate has changed over and is now using a FISH ledge for all her ascents.

Portaledge Review

If you ordered a portaledge right now...

Production and delivery for April is full.  The next delivery window for ledges ordered RIGHT NOW is late May at the earliest!  So, if you are planning a trip and need a ledge, I'd get on that train pronto.

Worldwide Tubing crunch!

It seems that all the 4130 in the world is either in Germany or Chicago, and they are holding on to it.  I just scored a few hundred feet from a steel mill here in Los Angeles, so if you are interested in getting a ledge in the near future, now would be a good time to order up.  This batch of tubing has been on order FOR MONTHS, and just arrived yesterday and is already being chopped for ledges.

Ledge parts are in!

The big news is our new supplier has cracked off a batch of Portaledge parts.  No easy feat.  It was looking like we would not have any parts to make ledges for many months unless we found a new machinist pronto.  All is well in Ledgeville.... Whew!

Portaledge Flagging

I was just thinking about this very thing and a thread showed up on Mountain Project regarding flagging a portaledge.  The link to the whole thread is at the bottom of this post.

By Conor Dysinger
From Missoula ,MT
So I am prepping for the summer and getting my big wall gear together, and have a new addition of a portaledge to my gear pile. I have hauled on a wall before, mostly a small pig on an overhead system using body weight to hoist it, but never a ledge. Does anyone have any tips on carrying up an open(deployed) ledge? or any don't do's?

Portaledge Takedown

This vid was made a while back for my buddy Shack to show him how to take his single FISH portaledge down.  The soundtrack seems to be a bit of a mindbender for some, but it will grow on you.

New Prototype Portaledge

Just finished it up.  You would think I would be out an the bars, being fanned by nubians, and tipping with Benjamins..... but no.  Late night sewing for a Valley launch later this week by a big name test pilot.  Some of the stuff is pretty cool and will be showing up on the current batch of ledges.  Structurally it is the same. These were "soft" improvements to the suspension and bed.  Too secret to tell right now, but you'll see them around.  Thanks to the test pilot too!  Good ideas!

The Living Hell that is material sourcing

Finding the materials to produce the suaveness has a Golden Fleece feel to it these days.  All the great fabrics of yesteryear are now extinct.  Minimum roll size is through the roof, so before you can even decide if you want a certain fabric, you must buy 100 or 1000 yards of the stuff.  What happened?

Even hardgoods are becoming a nightmare.  The FISH Hook, industry standard for bad ass burly is all but extinct due to the cost of 4130 steel and machining.  Portaledge corners are becoming short in supply and a new source must be found soon, or there will be no more ledges.  It is smelling like a doomsday scenario.  Anyone know a good and cheap machinist?