There are around 5-6 manufacturers of Portaledges. Which one is the easiest to put up in a tree? Where can you buy mosquito netting for Portaledges.

Does the treeboat count as a porty? That could be a fave!

Porty's are quite spendy. I made one following directions from a rock climbing magazine. Go to KMart, buy a camping cot made of an aluminum _frame_. Get some 5mil cord, tie it to the corners, sides...and have them meet at the top where you tie in one huge knot. Viola!

It will take some modifications/additions to make it perfect. But super cheap!

love
nick

Just a note on the reason I use a stretcher for my platform:

Stretchers are made to be supported on four legs and therefore require only 4 points of support from the webbing. Most camp cots have either six legs or 3 wide supports, which would require 6 points of suspension from the webbing, complicating the rigging and somewhat interfering with easy access.

I like the full-length straight-line support of a stretcher, but it is a bit narrow (the better to squeeze more of them in a military ambulance, I suppose).

You can get them at your local military surplus store for 20-30 dollars. Add 10-15 dollars of webbing and a little creativity and you're sleeping like a baby.

regards,
-Peter "Knothead" Hedin

I notice no one posted anything about "real" portaledges

ie- www.terragalleria.com/mountain/ mountain-image.bigw3425.html

Is it that tree climbers are too cheap to afford the real thing, or just too realistic to realize that they are unnecessary for our needs?

I use an A-5 single and a double Portaledge. They are indeed expensive. I use mine on redwood climbs or trees where single points of suspention are needed. I also prefer a stiff bottom to the more bowed Treeboat (of which I have around 8). Has anyone used a Black Diamond Portaledge? They are supposed to be easier to assemble aloft. My A-5 is not real easy to assemble aloft- but it can be done easily with practice they tell me.

Fish Products has a new "Econoledge" for $199:

http://www.fishproducts.com/catalog/portaledges.html

I just received one and I'm anxious to try it out.