What is your winter weight for a ski trip with temps between 0F and 40F? I just went on a winter solo trip and my pack was 28 lbs with food and water. It seamed too heavy, but I used almost all my gear except for some extra clothes.

About ten pounds more than my summer weight.





Oh! You meant my pack, not me. ;)

Probably 40 lbs w/ my -20 F. synthetic (Polarguard Delta) size long winter bag - a real slug for weight and so large stuffed that I can't even fit it inside my Dana Designs Terraplane.

With my overfilled WM Megalite regular bag and Thermolite insulated jacket and pants combo probably 35 lbs. That combo is good to 10 F.

I "need" a TT Scarp 2 with ripstop interior for winter camping. I'm getting one VERY soon. Can't keep my money in my pocket any longer. Then begins the inevitable modifications.

P.S. If backcountry ski camping in avalanche terrain I add shovel, probe pole, beacon, snow study kit and Avalung. Then there are Atomic TM 22 skis, poles and Scarpa T3 boots. Or, W/no skis, MSR Lightning Ascent 'shoes, winter boots and poles. And always GTX knee high gaiters. My hometown Spring Mountains just outside 'Vegas (Baby) usually have 4 to 6 ft. of snow in winter.

Edited by Danepacker on 12/12/2011 20:18:27 MST.

not overly surprising :)- my bag weighs close to double of my summer bag, I have to bring an additional pad, I need heavier/longer stakes for my shelter and more guys, my insulating jacket is over twice as heavy, my pot is larger and heavier, my stove is heavier and I need more fuel, lots of extra clothing not carried in the summer- mid layer, down pants, down booties, mittens, over mitts; shovel, goggles, heavier repair kit (including a small multi-tool), Nalgene bottles are heavier (and I've added sleeves!), larger and heavier pack, more fire starting bits, heavier headlamp and spare batteries

I haven't gotten an accurate weight, but I know it's at least double of summer base weight (6-7 #'s)

With two people, about 30 lbs each.

Compared to most UL 3-season lists, this pack weight is largely due to:
-White gas stove
-Shovel
-0 degree sleeping bags
-The packs themselves (our packs are not particularly UL)
-Bear canister
-Heavier clothes
-Fresh food and other luxuries

(I didn't list shelter because with two people it's easier to stretch the weight.)

About 7kgs - or 15lbs in 'old money' - that's for single overnight's in the UK. Add some more food weight for longer - not that I often do longer....the 14 hours of darkness are a little taxing on mental reserves...

My winter base weight (not counting food, water, fuel) for temps down to 0F at night is just under 20 lbs. (In summer: 8-11 lbs) That doesn't include 3-4 lbs of photography gear I carry sometimes. It does include some comfort items I could get by fine without, such as a Scarp 2 fly-only shelter (2.75 lbs) and an Exped Downmat 7 (2 lbs).

I know how to get that down to 16 lbs easily, but it involves spending money which would best be used for other purposes or other gear. I'm also going to be experimenting more with using a sled, making that extra 4 lbs much less relevant.

My winter base weight:

Early winter without pulk sled: 18 pounds with temps down to 0 F

Normal winter with pulk sled: 23 pounds with temps down to -40 F

Edited by chadnsc on 12/14/2011 08:57:59 MST.

My first response is that my winter/holiday weight is about ten lbs more than in the summer. After reading the post I see you are asking about my pack weight. Base weight for the other three seasons is 8 - 10 lbs and in the winter it is 15 - 18lbs. If I take my pulk it can go up 10lbs for the pulk and another 5 - 8lbs in luxuries since it pulls so easily.

I have come to the conclusion that I can skimp on warm weather trips and live but don't care how much I have to carry in winter to stay alive and have fun. With the way things are going, my base winter weight is probably around 20lbs mostly because I cannot justify spending tons of cash on uberlight winter gear that will not be used as much as my 3 season kit.

I weighed everything up, base weight is 17.8 #, more than double my "summer" base weight- with fuel/water/food for a three day trip I'll be in the upper 20's/low 30's

this would be w/ temps 0-20, I try to avoid camping in below 0 weather :)

Edited by mtwarden on 12/14/2011 07:50:40 MST.

I think it migt be good to list weights and typical temps. My non winter temps sound like winter temps for some.

For non winter I prepare for lows in the 20's with my 8-10lb base and winter temps to 0 f or slightly below in the tent. Winter base adds another 5-7lbs but skin out goes up another 6-7lbs with snowshoes and much more for skis. Throw in another 10lbs for my pulk and I could be 25-30lbs more all in, nearly triple for a summer walk with lows to a bit below freezing.

I'm so glad I found this thread.I was thinking my winter base weight was too high, but after reading these posts, I realize that I'm in the same ballpark as the rest of you guys, about double my 3 season base weight or 20lbs, (maybe a little more.) I feel better now. thanks John