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coyles
Feb 15, 2005, 3:03 AM
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Suppose you are going on a long backpacking/climbing trip where every ounce counts, what gear could you not live without and why? Any lighter substitutions you could make?
(I'm going on a five month climbing trip through south america, so I could use some tips on what to bring. Thanks!)
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thegreytradster
Feb 15, 2005, 3:22 AM
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A rope!
You might try looking for the "What is an alpine rack?" thread that was around recently. That may give you some insight.
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slhappy
Feb 15, 2005, 3:26 AM
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You should bring ME. And I coulg get lighter too...
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gunksgoer
Feb 15, 2005, 3:28 AM
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it wud be easiest if you could list what you would normally carry for the type of climbing you will be doing, and we could make suggestions based on that.
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esallen
Feb 15, 2005, 3:45 AM
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Small TCUs
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urbanfood
Feb 15, 2005, 6:30 AM
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carabiners
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climbinginchico
Feb 15, 2005, 6:39 AM
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Well, without giving us more to work with, you kinda hung yourself out to dry on that one. So, I will be nice and refrain from doing the snide comment. :wink:
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napoleon_in_rags
Feb 16, 2005, 10:28 PM
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In reply to: Suppose you are going on a long backpacking/climbing trip where every ounce counts, what gear could you not live without and why? Any lighter substitutions you could make? (I'm going on a five month climbing trip through south america, so I could use some tips on what to bring. Thanks!)
Water purification tablets and kaopectate. Many a good climbing trip has been ruined by stomach disorders.
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vegastradguy
Feb 16, 2005, 10:43 PM
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set of stoppers, set of hexes. if you have to have cams- get DMM cams for weight alone.
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whatsupdoc
Feb 16, 2005, 11:02 PM
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What are you climbing? Cragging, alpine, glacier crossings, peak bagging? How far are you carrying it?
If you're doing technical rock you'll need a basic rack. Set of nuts, set of 6-8 cams or hexes (depending on difficulty), 12 slings, 25-30 biners. Maybe a couple of pitons if alpine.
For simple snow routes you may just want your axe, crampons, 1 or 2 pickets. 1 or two ice screws maybe if you'll be on ice. A light tech tool if you're doing steeper ice.
Don't forget glacier travel gear if appropriate. At least 2 prussiks and 5-6 biners plus appropriate anchors. You'll probably also want a pulley in this situation. Depends on your group size and experience I guess.
As you can see, IT DEPENDS. If you wanted to do all these things you've got quite a bit of gear on your hands, especially if you're hiking any distance. Plan your objectives, think carefully about the gear you'll need, go as light as you're comfortable, and make your gear pull double-duty if you can.
Have fun!
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greenmachineman7
Feb 16, 2005, 11:13 PM
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mammut slings and superflys.
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g-funk
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Feb 16, 2005, 11:41 PM
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I would definitely take my harness. :lol:
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chossmonkey
Feb 16, 2005, 11:44 PM
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If you have a healthy set of nuts you can skip using a lot of gear. :P
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ambler
Feb 17, 2005, 12:08 AM
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Sounds odd but I agree. I sometimes bring the 3 smallest TCUs and a handful of wires, plus some slings, maybe a few slung hexes, as a bare-minimum gear rack.
The rope can be less than 9mm X 60m, as well.
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wormly81
Feb 17, 2005, 12:38 AM
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a small bag of grass..
Jeff
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mistertyler
Feb 17, 2005, 2:00 AM
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Bring some pepper-spray to protect yourself from the people who will be trying to steal your gear and everything you own off your back. (Only partly kidding....)
I'm in South America now and desperately wanted to bring my gear, but finally decided against it because of the weight and hassle that comes with it. Just this evening, a friend I met down here flew to Buenos Aires because he couldn't find a way to economically send his alpine gear there (or send it home, as he's now done with it), and didn't want to bus it down there with that extra 40+ lbs.
My hat goes off to you if you can find a good way to do it, though, and I'd love to know how you manage to do it if you do. (Your packing list, etc.) Will you constrain yourself to a small geographical area, or are you planning to hit many countries? Will you be bussing it around, or flying from location to location?
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one900johnnyk
Feb 17, 2005, 2:37 AM
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if you can't bring a lot of it, you'd might as well not bring any i think... no way would i go trad climbing w/o most of my cams and two sets of stoppers at the minimum.....
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jeremy11
Feb 17, 2005, 7:24 PM
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consider minimizing backpacking gear weight as well. thru-hiking loads have been well under 10 pounds, not counting food, water, and fuel since they change. Ray Jardine's book Beyond Backpacking is excellent required reading for ultralight backpacking, his site www.rayjardine.com is good, and also check out www.thru-hiker.com
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tradrenn
Feb 20, 2005, 7:06 AM
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Beleyer
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pipsqueekspire
Feb 21, 2005, 12:18 AM
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My rack for an average backpack trip with several routes in mind -vary as needed- (i assume backpack means alpine here)
Twin/double ropes b/c it makes the raps a lot easier/faster (speed=safe too) If you have all walk offs you can skip this option
a wire gate on all of the cams -
green - purple aliens
#1-#3 BD cams (maybe a #4 if I know it gets wide)
First four tri-cams (I hate hexes and I think these are much more versitile)
(this allows me to make anchors with nuts and tricams and climb with all of my cams on me)
1 full set of nuts (from #4 up in BD sizes)
10 alpine draws (shoulder length slings tripled) (no quickdraws- not as versitile and weigh about the same)
4 lockers (one at each anchor to clip to and one at each anchor to belay from)
2 tied nylon double length slings (good for bailing, anchors and slinging horns)
2 nylon 6mm cordolettes
4-5 extra free biners
I always use my reverso or use a munter on alpine trips b/c it allows me to be on a long leash while I belay off the anchor (helpful when stamping feet looking for food and peeing while still handling a belay)
2 rap rings maybe
harness
helmet a must!!
can you go w/o chalk?
can you backpack in approach shoes? Can you climb in them too?
(never use boots if I can avoid it- they are big and hard to stuff in a day pack during the climb)
and I always bring an ultralight day pack on backpacking trips so I always
have a jacket food and water with me.
a book for the rain!
a fun partner - cute if possible
No tent- just bivy
that was a fun distraction.....
hope this helps
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iridesantacruz
Feb 21, 2005, 12:44 AM
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haha good one jeff
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esallen
Feb 21, 2005, 1:23 AM
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If the purpose of your trip is mostly just backpacking and/or sight-seeing, and you just want to be prepared for any short routes you run into along the way, I’d bring a VERY minimal amount of gear. Even a moderate rack can turn a ten mile hike into absolute hell if you’re not careful; I know from my own bad experiences.
After taking too much gear on several trips (and paying for it dearly), two summers ago when my buddies and I went backpacking in the Uintas, we knew we wanted to climb somewhere along the way, so we just brought a very minimal rack, and it worked out great for the numerous short 1-2 pitch routes we discovered. We only took the following: 1 rope, 2 harnesses, 1 helmet, a thin selection of SLCDS- mostly small to medium TCUs (very light and versatile), 1/2 set of nuts, a handful of alpine draws, several extra slings and wire-gated biners, and that’s about it.
If, however, the primary purpose of your trip is climbing, and if you have longer routes in mind, you just might want to drag along a bigger chunk of your rack, just be aware that your feet and back will pay for it.
Eric
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golsen
Mar 2, 2005, 7:39 AM
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a good head! :wink:
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brutusofwyde
Mar 2, 2005, 11:18 PM
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In reply to: a good head! :wink:
Definitely helps getting good head if your partner's cute.
Seriously, lotsa good advice in this thread.
Me, I'm planning a trip to the Wind Rivers this summer and am going over the same thoughts.
Getting one piece of lightweight gear does no good if everything else is medium weight.
Get the lightest weight carabiners you can. Neutrinos are 36 grams, (I have over 120 of those) and carry the fewest you can get away with.
Longer slings on your cams often allow you to eliminate a sling, and eliminate a carabiner in the process, when making placements. I like DMM cams for this reason. Bottom line is you need to carry fewer 'biners.
How long a rope do you need? for backcountry trips where raps are necessary, I use twin 50m ropes.
Do you need a stove? many trips don't require a stove, or cooking pots, as liquid water is available. Eat cold meals.
How close to your "edge" will you be climbing? If a 5.10 climber is going on a trip where 5.6 or 5.7 are the hardest routes contemplated, it may be possible to trim the rack and run it out.
Find gear with multiple uses: Leatherman Juice serves as a repair kit, pot gripper, and first aid surgical tool. Two sanitary napkins are main part of the first aid kit, and keep that cute partner happy when disaster strikes as well. Toilet paper, ziplock bag have many many uses ranging from the obvious to firestarter, wound dressing, and barrier or pressure wash in first aid.
Decide what is absolutely essential. Then find the lightest weight alternatives for those essentials. It used to be said, "watch the ounces, and the pounds will take care of themselves" -- The Complete Walker, Colin Fletcher. *I* say, watch the grams, and the ounces will take care of themselves.
The back pad on my daypack consists of two ultrathin (5mm) ensolite pads that can be unfolded and used by 2 peaple for a bivy. Add a leatherman Juice, 2 2-ounce space bags, and we have repair kit, surtgical tools, and rain gear as well as survival bivy sacks. Add a 46-gram headlamp, duct tape, matches, an epi-pen , 8 iodine tabs, 8 benedryl, anda small bit of toilet paper and we have light, a first aid kit, a means of making fire, a way of purifying drinking water and/or making sterile water for cleansing a wound.
The bottom line is be creative. That, and don't test your light-is-right creativity in an environment where if things don't work as you expect, you'll die.
You will be surprised with how little you need.
And you will get smacked in the face with how quickly things can go wrong, and how wrong they can go, if you need something you don't have.
As other posts have noted, every trip is different. Only you can decide what is essential. Leaving a stove and pots behind makes perfect sense in the Sierras in mid-summer. And is suicide, or at least a busted trip, in the Ruth Gorge, or on Denali.
Have fun.
Brutus
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one900johnnyk
Mar 3, 2005, 2:34 AM
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good thoughts in that one. 120 carabiners???!!! i have to add mine up but i'm sure i'm not gonna even bump up near 100
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