Backpacking?

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hudyhue

hudyhue

Joined
Mar 25, 2005
Threads
196
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2,277
Location
Central valley (Cali)
Ok guys sold almost all my old out dated heavy ( by today's standards ) backpacking gear when I started wheeling .

A friend and I are starting back into it 2-5 day trips , mnt Whitney , Rae's loop , John Muir ... To name a few ...

Anybody else do any packing ? Looking for recamendations on sleeping bags , cold weather boots? That sort of thing? I ve got the basics 2 65 liter pack and a larger pack , poles stuff like that...

Thanks
 
I would go with a marmot treated down bag rated 0 degrees. This it the same type of bag that I am looking at next. It may be a bit more weight but the extra warmth will be welcomed. As for cold weather boots, I find that my danner pronghorn boots with the insulation is perfect for almost any application, especially in cold or wet environments. Let me know if you have any more questions, I would be happy to help.
 
I started backpacking/mountaineering before I got into wheeling/overlanding. Worked out well because lot of my backpacking gear is miniature in size so it helps reduce the amount of stuff I have to carry in the Cruiser.

Not sure how heavy your backpack is, but I went from a 6.9 lb Gregory Palisade 70L to a 1.7 lb Gossamer Gear Mariposa 69.5L. I used my Gregory Pack for over 12 years and I always assumed it was around 4.5 lbs as stated on the spec sheets. Boy was I wrong. The lightweight Gossamer Gear Mariposa pack made me feel like I was going on a hike instead; I was walking so much faster. My most recent 3-day winter backpacking trip (snow, but no need for ice axe or crampons) load out with the Mariposa was 25 lbs (includes food + water). End trip pack weight was 19 lbs.

I'm thinking of getting a Western Mountaineering or Feathered Friends sleeping bag to lighten up another pound or so.

Best thing to do is buy a hanging scale and a balance scale. Weigh everything! Don't believe spec sheets. Then you can make more informed gear decisions with the numbers in hand.

Focus on reducing the weight in the big three.
1. Pack
2. Shelter
3. Sleeping Bag
 
Mt Whitney Winter Summit Attempt in April 2012. We woke up to this.
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We made it up to 13,000' and decided to turn around due to high winds. Got reports of 60 mph gusts. Heard that team of 4 people made it to the summit that same day, but they were blown off the mountain. Fortunately they were roped in and survived, but did have bloodied faces and other minor injuries. They limped out in pain, but they made it out.
 
I'm a BIG fan of the Big Agnes series of sleeping bags.

https://www.bigagnes.com/Products/Detail/Bag/stormking0

I really like that they have an integrated pad system. No more rolling off of the pad and freezing my ass. This particular bag is rated down to Zero, but they have a full line with a wide temp range. Most of their bags are more rectangular in shape, so they give me more room for my feet and shoulders. Excellent quality build too.
 
I have the Big Agnes Encampment and Dual Core pad. The down side to that system is if the pad springs a leak you are screwed, there is no insulation in the bottom. That said I've abused mine a lot and it still holds air. Slept like a baby in teen temps, never even knew it was cold until I got out of my bag. My other bitch is the width of the pad. 25" is a tad narrow for me but you save weight so it evens out.

In general after a couple of seasons with the system I'm happy. I'd probably do it the same again.
 
I'll throw in a second vote for the Down Marmot bag. I've slept comfortably in my 15 degree Sawtooth in weather down to 7 degrees (-25 in the wall tent, but thats cheating). As far as shelters go check tarptent.com out. They have several 1 man shelters that weigh in at less than 2 pounds... not sure about their 2 and 3 man tents.
 
Thanks for the replys ... I am focusing on the big 3... Pack , tent , bag... I have descent packs , so now focusing on tent...

Man nice pics of the snow on Whitney!

Thanks for sharing I'm going to be checking afew of the web sites you guys posted up

Thanks
 
If you want to go with a DIY approach, get yourself some Tyvek (spun polyester homewrap) material for a ultra lightweight tarp/ground cloth. It's tear resistant and wind/waterproof. If you wrap the corners around a small rock or acorn you can create a "button" to lash a guy line to. That way you don't have to worry about doubling up the edge and inserting brass/alum grommets.
 
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