[pct-l] ULA Potty Trowel

[AsABat]

The question that I've never heard answered is: Is the potty trowel not
certified because it could not pass the tests, or because the manufacturer
did not want to spend a considerable amount of money to submit it for
testing? I suspect the second answer is true, leaving the first answer
unknown.

I do NOT recommend anyone use this tool for mountaineering for, as Eric and
Ned said, it is NOT certified. I would think, however, it would work better
than a ski pole or even a whippet in some cases.

AsABat
On Wed, Mar 17, 2010 at 9:53 PM, Eric Lee <saintgimp at hotmail.com> wrote:

> AsABat wrote:
> >
> A  little history - when this product first came out, it WAS called an ice
> axe. There was so much flack thrown about on the web by both backpackers
> and
> climbers. I'm sure that had a lot to do with changing the name. It's no
> longer an "ice axe", it's a "potty trowel." Some of us have no qualms using
> this "potty trowel" for other purposes.
> >
>
> I agree that if you want to use it, you should use it.  Carry whatever you
> want, or don't carry any self-arrest tool at all.  Safe is a relative term
> and we each make our own choices.
>
> However, Adam's question was, "is it strong enough to self-arrest"?  The
> only correct answer is, "It has not passed the standard CE B test so it is
> not rated for self-arrest."  The ice axe standards are the way they are for
> a reason - mostly because the mountaineering community has a lot of
> collective experience with ice axes that fail and the consequences that
> follow.  The ULA Potty Trowel doesn't meet those standards.
>
> Now, you might reasonably think that the typical usage on a PCT thru-hike
> won't stress the tool to the same degree as typically mountaineering, so
> the
> Potty Trowel is ok.  That's a reasonable position to take.  Though I think
> Ned has a good point too - if you're confident that you're not going to be
> in a situation where you'll put a lot of stress on your self-arrest tool,
> then are you really sure you need to carry a self-arrest tool?
>
> HYOH and all that.  But Adam needs to understand his choices.
>
> Eric
>
>