Winter Hiking Equipment & Lessons

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dextersp1

Joined
Jun 1, 2007
Messages
765
http://www.14ers.com/routeph1.php?route=yale1&peak=Mt.+Yale

I didn’t start winter hiking in the Colorado 14ers until late April of last year. I had to buy a lot of equipment over the summer and have gone on two hikes at Mt. Yale – going a bit farther each time.
I hike alone and am 55 so my primary objective is safety, then enjoyment and finally getting to the top of the mountain.
Below are some of the equipment and things I’ve learned. Unless noted all the equipment works well.

Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

Food and water
What works – Almonds, M&Ms, WalMart Mountain Blend Gorp mixed together
CamelBak bladder – tube doesn’t freeze if you blow back the fluid into the bladder
LESSON LEARNED – Put Gorp in a plastic bag and then in a small stuff sack and hang from the backpack shoulder strap – easy to access
LESSON LEARNED - Cliff Bars freeze - can't eat them that way.

Feet:
Sportivia Glacier Boots
Bridgedale Summit Socks
Smartwool Liner
Outdoor Research Gaiters – low/short
LESSON LEARNED – for warmer feet; tying the laces looser at the bottom. The Glacier boots allow you to tie the laces looser at the bottom and tighter around the ankle

Legs
REI Liteweight base layer
Golite Paradox

Torso
Under Armor Cold Weather pullover
Under Armor lite polypro pullover
Golite Jacket – (older model – I forgot the name)
Under Armor synthetic underwear
LESSON LEARNED – zippers great for regulating body temperature

Head
Arc’tery RHO Beanie
Sun Glasses or Julbo Nomand

Hands
Liners
Outdoor Research – PL400
Under Armor Mittens
LESSON LEARNED – Mittens are the way to go, keep my fingers warmer than skiing gloves with fingers

Backpack - Camelbak Alpine Explorer – sturdy – you can hand a lot of things from it

Trekking poles – REI Summit – I never hike anywhere without poles

REI Sit Pad – helps in keeping you warm for when taking a rest

Traction
MSR Denali – attached to backpack with straps
Black Diamond Strap Crampons
Microspikes – attached to backpack with carbineer
Trekkng poles – REI Summit – I never hike anywhere without poles
Black Diamond Raven Ice Axe


Items in Backpack
Heavy fleece pullover
Heavy fleece hat
Rain Pants
Medical kit
Emergency equip – compass, whistle, emergency blanket, light, fire starting etc, cell phone, extra food, etc
 
It looks like you've got a pretty good set up. However, if you have a little bit of extra room in your pack, I would recommend adding one of those little LPG stoves and a cook pot. You can get a really light weight and compact stove that will nest right inside your pot for carry along with its fuel canister. Very convenient.

starterkit.jpg
GST-100.jpg


It's great being able to boil water (or melt snow!) in just a few minutes, and have something hot to eat or drink. I usually bring some hot chocolate and a couple little soup packages. My cook set comes with a little cup that also nests together with the pot, and it's perfect for things like soup and coffee.
 
looks good.... I agree with the above post. A stove can make things alot easier and even save your life. I would get a white gas/naptha stove though.... butane and LP are easily effected by cold.

Rick
 
NothingCoherent said:
It looks like you've got a pretty good set up. However, if you have a little bit of extra room in your pack, I would recommend adding one of those little LPG stoves and a cook pot. You can get a really light weight and compact stove that will nest right inside your pot for carry along with its fuel canister. Very convenient.

It's great being able to boil water (or melt snow!) in just a few minutes, and have something hot to eat or drink. I usually bring some hot chocolate and a couple little soup packages. My cook set comes with a little cup that also nests together with the pot, and it's perfect for things like soup and coffee.
Click to expand...

Thanks - I should have added a LESSON LEARNED on that one.
I have a Brunton Raptor canister stove. At high altitude - above 8K ft? - the pezo ignitor doesn't work. Also, around 20 degrees it doesn't work very well, if at all.

I'm thinking about getting a Brunton Vesta because you can turn the canister upside down so you are burning the liquid. They can be found on line for about $46.
http://www.brunton.com/product.php?id=620
 
I've never used a stove that comes with an igniter, so I can't speak on their performance, but I will say I've had good success with regular old matches and a Firesteel for sparking my stove in cold weather. I always have those two items on me while I'm hiking, anyway, so it works out well. :)

But it is true that the fuel canisters can struggle in low temperatures. I was camping last winter where it was about -17 Celsius, and my stove definately had a hard time. But after sitting the fuel canister between clothing layers for a few minutes to warm up, I got it going long enough to boil up some water for lunch. There's nothing like hot soup while you're hiding out under a tarp during a mountain blizzard! :D
 
dextersp1 said:
Thanks - I should have added a LESSON LEARNED on that one.
I have a Brunton Raptor canister stove. At high altitude - above 8K ft? - the pezo ignitor doesn't work. Also, around 20 degrees it doesn't work very well, if at all.

I'm thinking about getting a Brunton Vesta because you can turn the canister upside down so you are burning the liquid. They can be found on line for about $46.
http://www.brunton.com/product.php?id=620
Click to expand...

The problem with the Vesta is it uses the same fuel as your Raptor....butane. Like Rick said, a white gas stove works a lot better at low temps and high altitude.
 
For longer treks you might want to look into a sled to pull behind you. A significant load can be transported with a relatively minor energy expenditure.
 
I enjoyed reading about the equipment you use and especially the lessons learned. As for a stove in high altitude, has anyone looked at the Soto OD-1R Micro? It is supposed to be better at using the entire canister at altitude and cold weather than other isopro stoves.
 
FwdHO said:
I enjoyed reading about the equipment you use and especially the lessons learned. As for a stove in high altitude, has anyone looked at the Soto OD-1R Micro? It is supposed to be better at using the entire canister at altitude and cold weather than other isopro stoves.
Click to expand...

I've read about it also - $70 at REI - there are some reviews out there. It might be too soon to know if it works as advertised. Also, I can wait for the price to come down.
 
One thing that I would recommend to you since your doing all of your trekking alone is a Personal Locating Beacon (PLB). If you were to get injured, lost or any other emergencies arise those things will save your life. Being alone and not having a sidekick for help can put you in trouble real quick. A couple units I would look at are the ACR PLB's and the SPOT PLB's. They both have their ups and downs but a great place to review them is www.equipped.org where they have tested and abused them to know how well they really work.
 
333rm said:
One thing that I would recommend to you since your doing all of your trekking alone is a Personal Locating Beacon (PLB). If you were to get injured, lost or any other emergencies arise those things will save your life. Being alone and not having a sidekick for help can put you in trouble real quick. A couple units I would look at are the ACR PLB's and the SPOT PLB's. They both have their ups and downs but a great place to review them is www.equipped.org where they have tested and abused them to know how well they really work.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that one. When I do a 14er; I leave my route and approximate return time. They will send a search group out if I'm not back.
I'm thinking of doing some of the Tetons back country - long day hikes - in May - still a lot of snow and cold - when the SPOT would be a good idea.
 
Living in the north, I like white gas stoves, as they burn no matter what the outside temperature is. My current stove is a MSR Whisperlite: light, compact, virtually bullet-proof. It is a bit more cumbersome to set up than the cannister stoves that use butane/propane, and it is tricky to get it to simmer (I use a Scorchbuster), but it's never failed me. I put a 'wick' on mine as on the International model, and carry a basic MSR repair kit (about 1 oz.).
 
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