I am contemplating an attempt of the Sierra High Route this summer. This would be my gear list for that trip, as well as any solo trip to the Sierras. Would start mid- August, and take around 20 days to complete it. Resupply points would be at Bishop, VVR, and Tuolumne Meadows, with snacks/lunch purchased at Reds Meadow.

Some comments on the list:

-I am 6'8" tall and fairly big, so keep that in mind when looking at clothing weights and 7 foot (!) sleeping bag.
-Will probably switch to a quilt in the future, but for now the WM Badger will have to do.
-In this big snow year, would like opinions on taking ice axe/traction devices? Obviously it varies based on personal comfort and skills on snow, but I hope to only use my trekking poles for aid. Foolish?
-Base weight is a shade over 15 pounds.

I would really appreciate some constructive criticism of this list. I hope to see some items NIXED that i missed!


http://www.geargrams.com/list?id=2936

You could get a lighter pack, GG gorilla maybe?

Lighter headlamp such as petzl e-lite is 1oz

Nix tp

Sleeping bag could probably be better but unless you go quilt looks like your kind of stuck here.

Could get a tarp and bivy and save 10oz or so.

You can probably find much lighter trekking poles than still fit you. 20oz is a lot of weight for what they are.

The Sahara Shorts are probably heavier than 8oz, you'd be surprised how heavy legwear can be, and based on your size you aren't getting any benefit of doubt =/

The columbia shirt could be replaced with a Arc'Teryx Phase SL or other synthetic which will shave a couple oz. There are lighter socks.

Really you're kind of stuck with heavy poles, heavy sleep, heavy pack and heavy shelter. You're biggest gains/$$ will be to cut those weights.

A synth quilt using Climashield and silk shouldn't be too hard to sew, and easy to customize for your size. You could easily shave 20-30oz right there depending on how much climashield you use. Check the MYOG forums, there've been some nice and light synth/silk quilts made recently. Probably cost less than $100 in materials, and then the time or a favor to get it sewn. Match this with an 8x10 blue tarp (14oz and $6.50 from REI) and a 6oz bivy (MYOG or plenty of commercial options like MLD ~$150) you shave 5 oz easily and gain some versatility.

Maybe a poncho/tarp is the most beneficial/economic gain for you. Gatewood is $135 and only weighs 11oz. That saves you the 8oz rain jacket. So Gatewood + bivy is ~17oz saving you nearly a pound.


So to reiterate, you have to bite the bullet and cut the weight from shelter/sleep/pack/poles since they dominate your weight.

You're talking about the Sierra High Route ... as in the mostly crosscountry route ?
Not too many people have actually done this from start to finish in one push.
It could get a bit remote and "interesting" at times, especially in this high snow year.
I would err on the side of being overly prepared rather than under prepared.
Especially if you are asking us about your gear list for such an adventure.

I may be on a portion of it this summer, but a little before you.
Best of luck.

There isn’t a lot I can say about this list as it looks pretty decent to me (though I have no Sierra experience) but here are my comments:


Thermarest Stuffsack Pillow – You could save a couple of ounces by just using a regular stuffsack instead. It still serves as a pillow.

Black Diamond Trail Shock Trekking Poles – You could save some weight here, and to me anti-shock poles are gimmicky.

Since you have the Snow Peak pot and Caldera Cone, ditch the caddy and use a cut off Gatorade bottle and your pot to protect the cone. The caddy is needlessly heavy.

Thanks everyone for their feedback. I will certainly think about your suggestions and scrutinize my list further.

I think the list looks pretty good, I would echo the comment that this is a pretty tough route (especially solo), so better to err on a little on the safe side

your toiletries seem to be on the high side (mine are typically tenths of an oz for soap, sunscreen, tooth powder, etc for a week outing)- if these can't be resupplied then kindly disregard this comment :) if they can, consider repackaging into smaller containers

scrutinize your fak, 1/4 lb seems a little high to me, should be able to put together a pretty comprehensive kit in the 2 oz range

is 1 liter platy enough, I know water is plentiful- don't know if that's plentiful??? if you only have the one bottle insure you can patch it if need be

as others have said your bag offers one of the most opportune (and expensive! :) ) items to shed weight, have you considered a quilt- katabatic has a wide range (including extra width & length) a long/wide 30 degree quilt is 21 oz, going down to 20 degrees 26 oz


I have particular interest in this thread as this is a trip I want to give a go next year :)

Mike

Brian - when are you planning on going?

^ is what he posted, I guess another question is due to the unusually high snow levels if micro spikes/ice axe or the like would be needed?- I know that folks doing the route earlier often make good use of the above, mid August this year might be more like early July others?????

Mike,

Thanks for the insight. I do believe I have a gatorade bottle listed. So I have 2L capacity which should be fine. The toiletries weight were when I went with my girlfriend, I still need to weigh what I will actually take, so hopefully less. When I have the funds (which won't be this year), the Katabatic Palisade will be my first choice. I have drooled over that quilt for a long time!

As to when I will go... I am not sure at the moment. I am moving into a new apartment in about a two weeks, and not sure my girlfriend will be too keen on me leaving for the 3 weeks or so it will take, especially solo. I might just do a little loop hike utilizing some of the SHR. If I do go, it will probably be around August 10 or so. Another month for the snow to melt! Other people have PMed me about taking microspikes/ ice axes as well. They seem to be on the fence about whether to take them or not also.

Edited by braap on 07/05/2011 17:11:19 MDT.

didn't see the gatorade bottle, you should be good

I use those tiny dropper bottles to re-package and can get the sundries down pretty light (for a week anyways)

if you don't end up doing the whole route this year and still want to do it next year (and not go solo :))- I probably will be game

when I go my hope is not to need an ice axe, don't mind throwing in micro spikes if it looks like they will be useful- but much prefer backpacking to mountaineering :)

I was originally planning to hike the shr from July 15th to Aug 7th. With the snow being what it is I'm considering alternatives...