u/Proof_Ad_4819

Looking at Starship v3's capabilities, In its current state, Is it anywhere near its stated LEO capacity?if we say flight 13 reached orbit, (most of the way their in terms of energy), the payload it brought was only 40 tonnes. Looking at the flight path it took, its current TWR (nor energy) does not look nearly high enough for an extra 60 odd tonnes. (see increased AOA of starship after staging).

Starship just after staging

Starship 1 minute after first Photo

The other reason this could manifest is an intentionally less optimal flight path, Intentionally lofting the ship to reduce fuel efficiency and burn off more fuel. Also to perhaps get a more realistic reentry profile to adequately test the heat shield.

I'm guessing this is the reason the swap to v4 is going to be very soon, although its likely that they will have to wait for v4 raptor.

Does anyone know why they pitch the ship up so dramatically after stage seperation, is it to burn off extra fuel? I cant think of any other reason for the less optimal ascent path?

At seperation

halfway through ship burn

I feel obliged to post this review. Earlier this year, I posted to this subreddit being very critical and apprehensive about Alton's R6 mat before purchasing (post here: https://www.reddit.com/r/OutdoorAus/comments/1svz4rb/is_alton_goods_a_scam/), but I eventually decided to pull the trigger on it. (will probably delete previous post in a week or so, as I feel bad for the unfounded slating that I gave them)

I was pleasantly surprised, to say the least. I honestly thought that $200 AUD for a mat weighing 630g (650g packed) with an R-value of around 6 was a massive claim. Anyway, when it arrived I decided to weigh it, and it came in at bang on 600g fully packed, also packs pretty small.

The only thing I was still skeptical of was the R-value. I went to Kosciuszko three or so weeks ago in deep snow pack. Even though my sleeping bag only had a -3 limit, I managed to stay warm, and didnt feel any cold through the ground. so I can confidently say the R-value holds up to its listing. I've never really had an inflatable mat before, but it's very comfortable, even for side sleeping (just deflate it slightly).

Also feels very solid, doubt any rips or tears will form.

So to summarise: if you are in Australia (no duties) and are on a budget, this is a pretty solid mat that isa great balance between price, durability, performance, and comfort.

The inflation sack is a bit a of a balance as, its defintly not the lightest thing in the world (haven't been bothered to weigh it) but it doubles as a dry bag, so its not a storage bag pump sack, its dry bag pump sack. So if you already carry a drybag pretty useful to replace it.

I am aware of Altons slightly less than optimal repackaged products that they used to do, but looking now, all of their new products seem like a decent amount of thought has gone into them.

Cheers.

Ive been looking at helmets, and i'm stuck between the meteor and the boreo, It seems the meteor is more made towards climbing/mountaineering, wheras the boreo is more of a do anything. would there be any downsides to the meteor in canyons? what helmets do you guys use, I'm looking for a mixed purpose that can do canyons, Cheers.

Looking at their sleeping mats, if they reach their claimed rating (weight and warmth) seem pretty decent, although i have seen some posts about their stuff being aliexpress clones with a sticker on them. Their R6 sleeping pad says it is ASTM F3340

For 200 aud, Thats pretty decent for 640g, I cant seem to find their higher end products on aliexpress, some people rave about their gear, and supposedly their breathable 'nanopore' isnt actually horrible.

Anyways to get to the point, is their R6 mat a scam, because most reviews I've seen on it use on normal 10 degree days. Does anyone have any experience on their mats? or stories about the brand in general, as these performance figures would make it better value than the nemo eclipse. Cheers

edit: I found the r6 mat on aliexpress, however you cant buy it on there as they appeared to have stopped selling it, they mustve bought them out which to be fair, is what alot of other outdoor brands do, but most likely I wont be shopping from alton any time soon, the product differs in very slight ways so its likely alton not having a research team took this design improved the ergonomics of the fill bag and called it a day. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008239024755.html#nav-review

They also make a pad that looks identicle to the nemo eclipse, although the it has a sidewall, the reviews from customers show no sidewall, although the r8 value is obviously false