I live in the Pacific northwest so I try to mountaineer once a week. I am always looking to lighten my load.


This time of the year is a bit different than say May so I am hoping to get by with less. If the weather goes bad I can retreat faster.


I'm thinking a 1lb down 30 deg bag (tnf beeline), 3lb single wall 4 season tent (TNF assault 22), A down or primaloft parka, soft shell pants, merino wool t shirt, marmot driclime windshirt, and triumph anorak rain pullover. My prolight thermarest in conjunction with my foam pad from my pack. Snow melting will just be a jetboil. Gloves and a hat too.

Not sure on boots: either my nepal extremes or my trango plus evos. I have a light axe and crampons too (my axe is 12oz and has a steel pick [simond Ocelot] and my crampons are BD steel 10 pts 1lb 13 oz as I prefer steel on rainier)


Pack choices are: I have a spectra wildthings andinista that is around 45-50 liters when stripped and it's right at 3lbs with large folded bivy pad or I have a modified north face prophet 35 liter pack that is dyneema ripstop and now has a folded bivy pad frame that comes in at 2lbs.


The 35 liter is appealing but it's easy to fit large light stuff such as my down parka in the bigger pack


I'm also throwing the idea of trying to use my verto 26 pack and going real light.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=28190&skip_to_post=234965#234965

How many days do you plan on taking to summit? Which route? It sounds like you spend a lot of time in the mountains so I’m guessing you have your kit pretty well dialed in. My summer Rainier kit is slightly different than yours. I think of summer on Rainier from late June to sometime in the beginning of September.

For the slight increase in weight and volume I take a 15* bag. It can still get pretty brutal on Rainier in the summer and you don’t have a lot of layers to add. As a local you can always make the bag choice in the parking lot, but as I'm traveling to get there I take the warmest bag I think I will need. I take a long sleeve white base layer. I like the sun protection and reflectivity. I’ve cooked enough times on a snow field or glacier to always have a white layer available. I think it's more practicle than a t-shirt. I’d add an r1 hoody or something similar. When you head off at 1:00 AM to summit there’s a good chance that it will be sufficiently cold that a base layer and wind shirt will not be enough insulation and I’d rather have the versatility of the r1 for a layering system than dealing with my heavy insulation. I like the driclime wind shirt, but wish it had a hood. I have a wild things hooded wind shirt and I don’t leave home without it, ever. If you had a hooded wind shirt and the weather was clear for heavy rain I’d ditch the anorak. I’d ditch the parka and take a micro puff hooded jacket or the equivalent 100g primaloft jacket or hooded down sweater as my heavy insulation. With the r1 layer in all but the worst summer conditions you should be ok without the parka. You can always have a parka in the trunk of your car and make the decision in the parking lot based on the weather predication. I also like to take an extra pair of gloves, a neoprene half mask and trekking poles. Are you planning on having both a sun and cold weather hat? Light base layer for your legs? Pair of running shorts?

I would wear the nepals because I hate cold feet. With a single boot I’d also have at least one extra sock system.

As much as it would be nice to take the verto, it will be too small unless your climbing partner is taking the rope, your harness, your crampons, some of your water and food. I’ve seen them with a picket and ice axe attached and they look good. It would be a great summit pack. You could probably get it all in/on the prophet, but I’d go for the andinista. Fill them both up with all your gear and figure out which one you’d rather carry.

This is of course what works for me. My partner and I can move reasonably fast up and down the mountain, and I am comfortable with my kit having worked it out over a number of trips.

Enjoy your trip.

Edited by RICKO on 07/25/2011 08:21:20 MDT.

Not sure if you are willing to go this light but last August I hiked up to Camp Muir and ran into two guys who were on their way back down from an ultralight speed packing ascent. They had started at paradise, made the summit, and were going back down and driving home all by mid afternoon.

Well, if you do the DC route, then you can "plan" on help from parties along the way. No, I would not recommend this, but many "plan" their trip that way even though everyone will tell you that such planning is stupid. You can also plan to do the Mark Twight way, keep moving, never stop with base camp that you come back to in case of bad weather. If you do, throw on a Giant thick insulated parka and sit on a foam pad. This is the lightest way. IE ditch the BBag, take a Volant FF jacket and a pair of puffy pants that unzip and can be put on with harness underneath. This is far lighter and far safer. I find the Helios jacket is too thin when sitting also FF sizes run a bit small so if you plan on layers underneath get a size larger. As far as I am concerned the Volant Jacket w/hood, while expensive, is worth it. Though the Helios vest could be a smart layering choice along with an under long sleeved fleece and wind jacket over all of this. Of course you better not fall into a crevase.

In short going this light better be VERY surreal/realistic about your own abilities on any route NOT the DC or possibly Emmons Glacier route. IE able to climb vertical ice in case you fall in a crevasse where you may have to climb sideways or even down to get "out".