18. Gear Lists

“There is no such thing as bad weather….only the wrong clothes.” -Scottish Proverb

Please note: This list is merely a suggestion and required gear should reflect the conditions and terrain of the trip. Winter camping can be inherently dangerous and should only be attempted by the most experienced of campers. WinterCampers.com takes no responsibility for the chill that you might develop during the night.

• Navigation: map and compass
• Extra food
• First aid kit
• Fire starter, matches, lighters and tinder
• Headlamp or flashlight
• Extra clothes such as an insulation layer and/or hard shell jacket
• Sunglasses and sun screen
• Pocket knife or multi-tool
• Emergency signaling device(s): whistle, mirror, satellite phone
• 4-season tent, tarp or bivy sack
• Tent stakes, tent poles & repair sleeve and guy lines
• Snow shovel or snow saw
• Tent stove if hot tenting
• Sleeping bag (liner optional)
• Sleeping pad(s)
• Backpack, sled, toboggan or pulk
• Snowshoes, crampons and/or skis (with skins) depending on conditions
• Ice axe and/or trekking poles (w/ snow baskets)
• Stove, fuel and windscreen
• Lighter or matches
• Cook set with large pot for melting snow &/or boiling water
• Insulated mug / drinking measuring cup, bowl/plate and eating utensils such as a spork
• Food (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks such as energy bars, gels, and/or trail mix)
• Energy beverages, coffee/tea or drink mixes
• Water bottle(s) and jackets
• Paper towels
• Backup water treatment
• Base layer: wicking underwear
• Mid layer: insulating jacket/vest/pants
• Hard shell or soft shell jacket
• Extra Pants (or soft shell pants)
• Extra set of dry clothing for camp
• Insulating hat, cap or headband
• Balaclava and/or face mask
• Bandanna or buff
• Goggles
• Gloves and/or mittens
• Hiking boots, ski boots and/or mukluks,
• Wool socks, liner socks, spare wool socks
• Gaiters
• Camp booties or overshoes
• Toilet paper
• Wag Bag and/or colored Ziploc bags for waste removal
• Hand sanitizer
• Quick-dry towel
• Toothbrush and/or toiletry kit
• Ax, hatchet or saw
• Notebook and pencil
• Extra nylon cord
• Permits, if needed
• Guidebook or field guide(s)
• Book/reading material
• Cards or small games
• Camera
• Binoculars
• Two-way radios, cell phone or satellite phone
• Music player with headphones
• Extra batteries and/or charger
• Small amount of cash or credit card
• Trip itinerary left with family and/or friends and with car

REI posted a list for snow camping with recommendations for the 10 Essentials, Clothing, Outerwear, Footwear, Camping Gear, Personal Items, and Other.

To help understand the variances among campers we ran a little series called “What’s In My Pack” where winter campers described some of their favorite gear items.  Jason Katonica’s provided a comprehensive accounting of his gear for each season.

Jason’s gear lists generally lean toward the minimum he can get away with while still being able to deal with conditions that are worse than forecast. The weight of each item is in ounces and follows each individual item in parenthesis. Most of these weights are measured but some of them are manufacturer’s weights. The gear list does not include water, food, worn clothing, or trekking poles. For footwear Jason wears Cabalas 200 gram thinsulate boots. For all seasons I usually hike in a pair of EMS synthetic pants and usually wear either my Mountain Hardware Extended zip T or an Archteryx short sleeve synthetic shirt.

For winter camping Jason carries:

• Backpacks – Granite Gear Vapor Trail ( 32 )
• Clothes – Cool max liner socks ( 1.2 )
• Clothes – Duofold Hydroduct Boxer #1 ( 3 )
• Clothes – Smartwool Hiking Socks ( 6 )
• Clothes – Mountain Hardware extended zip T ( 10 )
• Clothes – North Face Nuptse Down Jacket ( 28 )
• Clothes – Mountain Hardware Dome Perignon Hat ( 2 )
• Clothes – North Face Down Gloves ( 9 )
• Clothes – Beyond Fleece X-Pant ( 21 )
• Clothes – Beyond Fleece X- Jacket ( 23 )
• Clothes – EMS Long Underwear ( 8 )
• Cooking – Snow Peak 600 ml Titanium Cup ( 2.8 )
• Cooking – Vargo Titanium Spork ( 0.5 )
• Cooking – Peak1 feather 442 stove Full ( 32.2 )
• Food – Platypus 2.4L Water Bag ( 1 )
• Food – Nalgene Lexan 32oz bottle ( 5.5 )
• Miscellaneous – EMS Solo First Aid Kit and Aloksack Bag ( 4 )
• Miscellaneous – EQ Kit and Sac ( 6 )
• Miscellaneous – Fire Kit And Sac ( 3.5 )
• Miscellaneous – Knee Wrap ( 1.2 )
• Miscellaneous – Rope ( 2 )
• Miscellaneous – Toiletries kit and sack ( 4.2 )
• Rain Gear – Medium Blue Sea to Summit Pack Cover ( 4 )
• Sleeping – Thermarest Mattress Guidelite ( 32.1 )
• Sleeping – Cabelas 800 Fill Down Bag and SilNylon Compression Sac -40 degree ( 79 )
• Tent – Large Polycro Ground Sheet/Ziploc ( 4.8 )
• Tent – MSR Twin Peaks Tarp / Stakes ( 38 )

Total Winter Carry Weight: 364 ozs = 24.75 lbs.

Sleeping bag – For really cold weather I pack a Western Mountaineering Puma Super MF sleeping bag. It is rated to -25 and I had it overstuffed with additional down.

Silk sleeping bag liner – A silk mummy bag liner only weighs 4oz and adds 9 degrees of warm. I use it year round to protect my sleeping bag. During warm weather it serves as a light covering while having the sleeping bag open for venting.

Sleeping pad(s) – A self inflating sleeping pad coupled with a closed cell pad like a Ridge Rest provides more insulating power than just a self-inflating sleeping pad.

Hand cleaner – Alcohol hand cleaner for after using the toilet and before preparing or eating food.

1st aid kit – Includes scissors and tweezers, wound care, emergency medicines, SAM Splint (http://www.sammedical.com).

Water bottle – 32 oz. Nalagene bottle in a water bottle parka.

Whisperlite white gas stove

Sawvivor folding saw – A 15″ folding saw that weighs only 9.6 oz and can cut 5″ logs.

Trekking poles – I first used trekking poles, loaned by Jason Katonica, on our Mount Blue bushwhack and frankly, probably wouldn’t have summited without them. Since then I have had my 2nd hip replacement and use a pair of Leki Super Makalu trekking poles whenever there is rough terrain or local relief.

Clothes include:

• Fleece hat – sometimes I pack two; a regular hat and a tube hat that can be worn as a neck scarf. Lately I have worn a Columbia Kazoo Hat and been quite happy.
• Gloves and mittens – I usually pack a selection: light weight Smartwool or polypropylene “hand warmer” gloves, fleece or insulated gloves and mittens. On one of my 1st winter camping trips I experienced cold hands and borrowed Matt’s Outdoor Research mittens. They have fleece mittens inside of a water proof chopper. For cold weather camping mittens are a must.
• LL Bean Guides Pants – Made from a stretchy Schoeller Textil’s Dryskin, a high-tech fabric that earned a Backpacker’s Editors’ Choice Award, they provide warmth and wind proofing, plus decent water-resistance and the ability to shrug off all but the wettest snow. The pants feature three zippered pockets, zippered cuffs that make them easy to get out of, a gusseted crotch, articulated knees, and a flat waist belt that doesn’t pinch under a pack. These pants came in tall but are now discontinued.
• Jackets –I bring an LL Bean Primaloft jacket. The Primaloft jacket performs better in wet weather and is longer with a hood. For most active situations I wear a Patagonia R1 Fleece Hoody over long underwear top and a down vest.  The down vest keeps my core warm but ventilates during hikes.  If it gets real windy I can pull my hood up.
• Smartwool socks – At least two pair so always  have a dry pair to change.
• Long Underwear – Polartec Power Dry tops (2 or 3) and bottoms. I have lightweight and mid-weight versions. Usually the top gets sweaty hiking in and a replacing it is one of the 1st activities when I reach camp. On my last hike out I wore two Power Dry tops; a crew neck with a zip-T over it. It was warm, breathed well and was more comfortable than wearing a windbreaker over the long sleeved top.
• Booties and overshoes – Polarguard booties for lounging around camp and Neos Voyager Overboots. If you are going to be in camp for a long night these ensure your feet stay warm.