In an effort to disguise my obsessive compulsive backpacking planning nature, I thought I’d put together a detailed list of items that I’m bringing with me to Mt. Whitney this September. And for those of you who haven’t hiked the mountain before, haven’t backpacked before, or are just plain wondering… here is what I’m packing:
Backpack – REI Valhalla – Weighing in at 5lbs, this brute is no lightweight. Despite the heavier weight, this pack holds a lot of gear. There’s 4950 cubic inches of space in this pack, enough to swallow all of my critical gear AND my non-critical gear (i.e. my awesome camp hammock). It sports a removable top which doubles as a day pack which is great for the day hike to the top of Whitney and back. And I’ve found it to be very comfortable on long hikes. It’s sturdy and has lots of little conveniences (like a side zipper which allows you access to all your gear, even all the way at the bottom of the back).
Sleeping Bag – North Face Cat’s Meow – At 3lbs 1oz. it’s a pretty darn light bag. It’s made out of synthetics, which helps it pack a lot of warmth into a lighter loft. At +20 degrees, it’s not going to keep me warm in Alaska in the winter, but it does just fine in Northern California. In fact, sometimes its downright hot inside that bag and often I find myself unzipping the full length of it to get some ventilation.
Sleeping Pad – REI Trekker 1.75 Self Inflating Sleeping Pad – Only 2lbs 8oz. and it’s one of the best pads I’ve ever used. It beats foam any day of the week. REI seems to have blatantly copied the ThermaRest design, because frankly it’s identical in almost every way to their offerings, but at a fraction of the price.
Pillow – ThermaRest Camp Pillow – Yup, I need a pillow when I camp. This one is pretty minimalist, with a drawstring at the top to compress it. It’s just enough pillow to keep my head warm and off the flat hard ground. How did I ever backpack without this thing before?
Trekking Poles – REI Shocklight Trekking Poles By Komperdell - An REI product again. However, these poles are made by Komperdell, who apparently have branded this line specifically for REI. I once scoffed at the idea of using trekking poles. I thought they were only for the old folks with bad knees and northern European tourists. I was convinced to buy these poles specifically for my first Whitney trip several years ago and now I’ll never go back. I use them on almost all my hikes. They’re great for both up and down hill, taking a percentage of load off your feet and joints. Translation, they enable you to endure those particularly long hikes just a bit better.
Tent – REI Half Dome II – What can I say about this tent except that it might be one of my best backpacking purchases ever. At 5lbs 8oz. it’s not the lightest tent that you can buy, but it’s durability and down-right dead simple design make this one of the best values out there. It’s one of the first tents to boast tent pole clips instead of the built-in nylon sleeves and I can set up the gorgeous thing in under 5 minutes. There’s 10 square feet of vestibule space to keep your gear dry. There’s a pockets for your gear, a gear hammock/mesh at the apex, and the list goes on. Best, tent, evar.
Stove – MSR Pocket Rocket (w/Isobutane Gas Tank) – This is the lightest stove you can buy. Really. It’s only 3.2oz. and it folds up to fit in your pocket, literally. This stove is sexy. And I don’t ever say that about stoves. I’m a little worried about this stove up at 12,000 feet on Mt. Whitney. It’s not just the altitude, but the wind that I’m worried about. We may have to improvise a wind block out of rocks, or I could break down and buy one of those light-weight aluminum wind-blocks. That just means more stuff to carry.
Kitchen Gear – MSR Anodized Pots, Orikaso Plates/Bowls/Cups, Sporks, Strainer / Spatula(if necessary), Nalgene Bottle, Platypus Bladder, Garbage Bags – Worth a mention is the Orikaso dinner set. Suzy discovered these things a couple of years ago and bought me some bowls for my birthday. They’re made out of a durable lightweight polypropylene plastic material which holds up to high temperatures and is flexible enough to be folded. It packs in flat, which makes them easy to slide in your pack alongside everything else. The whole two place set is only 10oz. and usually I only bring the bowls and cups for our backpacking needs, so it cuts down on weight. Cleaning up is a snap as well, as I simply unfold the dishes into flat sheets and rinse. I sound like a marketing guy for these things, but they really are a great concept.
I also like to bring with me an empty Nalgene bottle to use when cooking, gathering water, etc. It doesn’t add much weight and it’s a huge convenience when camping in the backcountry. What do I drink while on the hike? I bring water in a Platypus Bladder which I place at the top of my pack. It forms a sort of gravity feed where I can take sips of fresh clean water from a convenient tube clipped to my shoulder straps without even having to stop hiking.
Lastly, don’t forget the garbage bags! Bring along a couple extra to store those particularly nasty bits of food waste and garbage. Plastic bags are light and can be packed in easily. They’re always handy, but people tend to forget to bring them every time – so pack some extra for your friends. Leave no trace.
Headlamp – Petzl Tikka - LED’s are wonderful. They’re bright, powerful and much more energy efficient than the old school incandescent bulbs. This tiny might can blast out light for 150 hours before going dark on just three AAA batteries.
Multi-Tool - I haven’t purchased this yet. But I want to get something smaller and lighter than my current Leatherman tool. I want to get small (not too small) and light but I don’t want to compromise durability. I want to have the rugged strength of my current multi-tool, but in a small/light package. It also has to be capable of whittling an awesome flotilla of warships. I’m taking suggestions.
Whistle – To ward off any serial killers riding on the backs of bears. Or if I get lost, I can just whistle for help instead of destroying my vocal cords.
Carabiners – Well, not real Carabiners. We got some cheap “not for climbing” novelty mini-carabiners which are actually great for attaching all sorts of things to the outside of your pack.
Camera – Canon Powershot SD600 - My new camera is light and small, with a battery that should go the distance. And with a 2GB memory card, I should be able to snap all the vibrant digital pictures that I want during our three day trek.
Navigation – Garmin ForeTrex 201 - Who needs a compass when you’ve got a kick-ass GPS on your wrist. This little guy will be tracking our progress during the hike and providing me with useful data about distance, speed, altitude, and time. Afterwards, I can plot our course on Google maps, and put together nifty charts of our altitude over time/distance.
First Aid Kit – Don’t hike without one. You never know when something bad will happen requiring some application of field first aid. On this trip in particular, where mountain sickness is prevelant, I’m going to add aspirin and BC powder to my list of medical supplies. BC powder is actually a brand named product that consists of Aspirin, Caffeine, and Salicylamide. In it’s powder form it’s absorbed quickly and tends to be pretty effective at treating altitude sickness related headaches.
Lighter/Matches – Don’t forget to bring a good lighter and some analog matches are a good idea too, if something goes wrong with the lighter. That stove doesn’t do you much good without fire. Dehydrated veggies just don’t taste that good without water and heat.
Sunglasses – At high altitude, the sun doesn’t have to pierce as much of the atmosphere to get to you. Hence the harmful light is more intense at base camp and at the summit. Not to mention, when you’re nursing your mountain sickness related headache, you’ll want to have some eye protection.
Sunscreen / Bug Repellent - As with above, the radiation from the sun is intense at 10,000 feet and above. Make sure to bring lots of sunscreen and apply it frequently. Nobody wants a full body severe sunburn. From my memory, I don’t believe we had much of a problem with mosquitoes at Mt. Whitney base camp but it’s not a bad idea to pack in a small amount of bug repellent.
Trowel / TP – We may not need the trowel this time, since we’re supposed to pack out all of our waste. Meh. But definitely bring some toilet paper.
Water Filter – Katadyn Hiker Filter - It’s 11oz. total and a small price to pay for protecting against those water borne bacteria. The last thing I want to do is to hike out 6+ miles with severe diarrhea and an upset stomach. This thing is great because it’s light, small and can pump approximately 1 liter a minute. I know, there are some really good new technologies out there, but nothing beats the filter in my opinion.
Wilderness Permit – Duh. Everyone gets a permit to affix to their pack. Melissa is in charge of this and I’ve got my fingers crossed that it all works out.
Bear Canister - I’ve talked about this in previous posts, but this is one of those dreaded but necessary items. I’ll be renting this at the Inyo National Forest ranger station before we head into the portal. I have special straps that I purchased for my pack that will hold it in place, but it’s still a bulky heavy nuisance.
Clothes/Shoes – Polypro, polypro, polypro. Have you heard? Cotton kills. Head to toe, I’m going to be sporting REI branded clothing. Lightweight convertible pants for those cold nights and hot days. Polypro t-shirt for hiking during the day (I picked up some cheap-o “sport” shirts at Wal-Mart for $7). I’m going to be wearing a nylon blend long sleeve button-up shirt for hiking up the trail. I like to wear a baseball cap to protect my head from the sun during the day and at night I switch to a fleece beany to keep me warm. Storms and inclement can pop up at any time, so I usually bring a plastic poncho which is perfect for draping over myself and my pack while hiking. A staple of my camping gear is my REI lightweight fleece jacket. It’s great for warmth and it also blocks a good portion of the wind. I may switch up to my REI ONE jacket for this trip,
I have some lightweight hiking boots, made with Gore-Tex so they’re also water resistant and breathable. For socks, I like to wear wool or a wool-hybrid hiking sock. I’m a parmeter, so sweat is a big factor – having dry feet is really important. The best material I’ve found is wool. Smart-Wool makes a great pair of hiking socks if you’re ready to drop a lot of cash on socks.
Food – My menu has not even been contemplated yet. That’s something I’ll get to later. Stay tuned.
So there you have it, my packing plans fully disclosed (almost). My information, totally transparent for the greater good. Now you know what I’m packing.
Suzy and I eschewed work, responsibility, friends and family for a three-day weekend to ourselves. It was one of those times where you just didn’t want to come back. We stretched our time in the “wilderness” for as long as we could. It was fantastic – aside from the throngs of people that had the same idea that we did. Alas, we made the best of it by attempting some of the close-by hikes, cooking outstanding meals, enjoying wine by the fire, biking through the valley, playing card games and sleeping in the hammock. I captured a video of our biking excursion below which I’m really proud of. All stunt work was performed by Suzy herself.
