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What is the best lightweight winter day or summit pack

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Copyright© 2003-2013 by Robert Speik.
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The inside scoop for a winter snowshoe hike:
Total weight to find your way is 8 oz: USGS Quad map, M3 base plate compass, Acme whistle and Garmin eTrex-Venture HC or eTrex 20. GPS-
SPOT-2 Satellite Messenger, 7 oz.-
Total weight of the personal, always carried, first aid items in a Ziploc is 3.5 oz. Carry it in your Essentials sack-
Total weight of the Essentials is 14.5 oz plus the essential cell phone at 3 oz-
Gorp sack with some Cliff Bars is 6 oz. (Add a bagel and string cheese for lunch)-
Essential year-round hats and gloves are 7 oz-
Additional winter hats, gloves and a scarf always carried in winter, total 8 oz-
Summer, fall or winter down "belay" jacket insulation, about 1 pound at the bottom of the pack-
Gore-Tex Pack-lite® pants and jacket, always carried in winter as my wind and rain protection, total 2 pounds-
Total of the above including the essential wind shirt at 4 oz, is just 6 pounds 1 ounces!

My friends and I each carry a 9oz. Emergency Bivy Sack
sold by Adventure Medical Kits for about $30. This is a "bivy bag" made from a "tough, four-ply, waterproof, windproof fabric Thermo-Lite® sandwich", which will keep the cold outside layer from conducting to the inside layer. Hopefully, it will prevent Convection, Conduction, Radiation, and Evaporation. We will breath through our wool scarves and calm our breathing to limit heat loss from Respiration. You can not shelter in snow without pad, bivy sack, shovel and the skill to dig a cave with the entrance below the bench.

Add two quarts of water in Platypus bags in the top pocket, 4 pounds-
Add a winter pad, say a Cascades Designs three-quarter RidgeRest, 9 ounces-
Add the weight of the Solomon Raid Race 300 pack. It holds about 1,892 cu in and weighs about 1 pound, 9 ounces.
Total of the basic winter day pack with lunch and water is 11 pounds, 15 ounces.

 

Add more for a winter climb:
I use a Black Diamond Sphynx 35L day-pack in the winter to carry extra fleece, full length R-3 insulating pad or better, shovel, pickets, crampons, ice axe, snowshoes and poles, helmet and harness, runners and gear. I need the more strongly constructed day-pack to hold my climbing gear (crampons, etc.) strapped to the sides and back. The Black Diamond Sphynx 35L day-pack weighs about 2 pounds 7 ounces and holds about 2,140 cubic inches.

Add outside the pack, snow climbing gear carried as illustrated above:
Lifelink snow shovel, 1 pound, 4.5 ounces-
GAB "snap on" 12 point crampons, 2 pounds, 8 ounces-
Black Diamond Raven Pro mountaineering ice axe 80cm, 1 pound for 75cm length-
Leki Air Ergo3 approach poles, three part, 1 pound, 2 ounces-
TSL technical snowshoes are 4 pounds, 2 ounces, not widely available today-
    or MSR Denali snowshoes, 4 pounds-
MSR Coyote 24 inch snow picket, 13 ounces as shown-

Carry more insulation:
Add the DAS Parka

Carry technical climbing gear:
Black Diamond helmet, alpine bod harness, screw and wire gate biners, B52 belay device, sewn runners, rescue pulleys, etc. for an interesting summit attempt!

Total of the basic winter technical climbing day pack with lunch and water and gear is 15 pounds, 2 ounces.

Don't forget the skinny double dry rope!

 

 

 

Read more:
What essentials do I carry in my own lightweight winter day pack?       Photos?   
What clothing do you wear for Light and Fast winter mountaineering?
What is the best traditional alpine mountaineering summit pack?
What does Steve House wear for light and fast climbing?
Gear and clothing used by Steve House and Vince Anderson on Nanga Parbat


SPOT-2 Satellite Messenger "PLB" reviewed and recommended
How do you use your map, compass and GPS together, in a nut shell?
Why is the simple digital cell phone best for backcountry travel and mountaineering?
How do digital mobile phones assist mountaineering and backcountry rescues?
FREE Clinic on Real Survival Strategies and Staying Found with Map, Compass and GPS together
Topographic maps of the backcountry work with your compass and GPS
Why is the simple digital cell phone best for backcountry travel and mountaineering?
How do GSM mobile phones assist mountaineering and backcountry rescues?
What is the best GPS for mountaineering and backcountry travel?    
What is the best Compass for mountaineering and backcountry travel?    
What is the UTM Grid?  six pdf pages   
Why are "Emergency Kits" dangerous?
Why are "Snow Caves" dangerous? 
Why are "Space Blankets" dangerous?
Why are "Emergency Kits" dangerous?
How can you avoid Hypothermia?
Missing climbers on Mount Hood, one dies of exposure, two believed killed in fall
Missing California family found, dad dies from exposure and hypothermia
Missing man survives two weeks trapped in snow-covered car
Missing snowmobile riders found, Roger Rouse dies from hypothermia
Olympic Champion Rulon Gardner lost on snowmobile
Lost Olympic hockey player looses feet to cold injury
Expert skier lost five days near resort in North Cascades without map, compass, gps or cell phone
Mount Hood - The Episcopal School Tragedy
Mount Hood - experienced climbers rescued from snow cave
How can you learn the skills of snow camping?   Prospectus

 TECHNICAL MOUNTAINEERING
What is the best traditional alpine mountaineering summit pack?
What is the best belay | rappel | autoblock device for traditional alpine mountaineering?
What gear do you normally rack on your traditional alpine mountaineering harness?     Photos?    
What is the best traditional alpine mountaineering seat harness?    Photos?   
Can I use a Sharpie Pen for Marking the Middle of the Climbing Rope?
What are the highest peaks in Oregon?   Alphabetically?

 CARBORATION AND HYDRATION
Is running the Western States 100 part of "traditional mountaineering"?
What's wrong with GORP?    Answers to the quiz!
Why do I need to count carbohydrate calories?
What should I know about having a big freeze-dried dinner?
What about carbo-ration and fluid replacement during traditional alpine climbing?   4 pages in pdf  
What should I eat before a day of alpine climbing?

 ALPINE CLIMBING ON SNOW AND ICE
Winter mountaineering hazards - streams and lakes
Is long distance backpacking part of "traditional mountaineering"?
How long is the traditional alpine mountaineering ice axe?
What about climbing Mt. Hood?
What is a good personal description of the south side route on Mount Hood?
What should I know about travel over hard snow and ice?
How can I learn to self belay and ice axe arrest?   6 pdf pages  
What should I know about snow caves?
What should I know about climbing Aconcagua?

 AVALANCHE AVOIDANCE
Young Bend man dies in back county avalanche
What is an avalanche cord?
Avalanche training courses - understanding avalanche risk
How is avalanche risk described and rated by the professionals?    pdf table 
How can I avoid dying in an avalanche?
Known avalanche slopes near Bend, OR?
What is a PLB?
Can I avoid avalanche risk with good gear and seminars?   pdf file

 SNOWSHOES AND CRAMPONS
Why do you like GAB crampons for traditional mountaineering?
What should I know about the new snowshoe trails
What are technical snowshoes?
Which crampons are the best?
What about Boots and Shoes?    

 YOUR ESSENTIAL SUMMIT PACK
What are the new Ten Essential Systems?
What does experience tell us about Light and Fast climbing?
What is the best traditional alpine mountaineering summit pack?
What is Light and Fast alpine climbing?
What do you carry in your day pack?      Photos?    
What do you carry in your winter day pack?       Photos?    
What should I know about "space blankets"?
Where can I get a personal and a group first aid kit?      Photos?

 YOUR LITE AND FAST BACKPACK
Which light backpack do you use for winter and summer?    Analysis   pdf  
What would you carry in your backpack to climb Shasta or Adams?   
What is the best traditional alpine mountaineering summit pack?
Photos of lite gear packed for a multi day approach to spring and summer summits
Backpack lite gear list for spring and summer alpine mountaineering    4 pdf pages

 ESSENTIAL PERSONAL GEAR
What does Steve House wear for light and fast climbing?
What clothing do you wear for Light and Fast winter mountaineering?
What do you carry in your winter day pack?       Photos?   
Which digital camera do you use in the mountains?
What about Boots and Shoes?    

 TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE
How did you become interested in traditional mountaineering techniques?
Who is Conrad Messner?
What is traditional slacklining or highlining?
What are some of the comments you have received?
Who was Peter Starr?
Who are the Mazamas?
What is an avalanche cord?
Who were the notorious Vulgarians?
How was top rope climbing practiced in the 1970s?
What is a Whillans sit harness?
What is a dulfersitz rappel?
How do I self-belay a rappel?

 BACKCOUNTRY NAVIGATION
How accurate is the inexpensive hand-held GPS today?
Can you get me a $30 rebate on your favorite GPS: Garmin's Legend?    pdf form
What are some good Central Oregon Geocaches?
What is the Public Land Survey Grid?   pdf
What is the UTM Grid?   six pdf pages
Which GPS do you like?    
Which Compass do you like?   
How do you use your map, compass and GPS together, in a nut shell?
How can I learn to use my map, compass and GPS?
Do you have map, compass and GPS seminar notes?   six pdf pages