Gear Guru

 Today was the first day that I took a very thorough inventory of all the equipment I was bringing to South America. I am a stranger to traveling this heavy. Most trips of mine are lightweight and everything I carry is on my back for multiple days and many miles at a time. This trip is different in that we are bringing a large amount of gear for a wide array of activities. Some of the heaviest things are the technical gear. Heavy metal alloy carabiners that need to be bomb-proof on falls and large ropes that weigh 10lbs or more. On top of this I have an extra harness and a tent for the group, so my pack is even heavier.


Today I packed it all up in my 80 liter Karrimor backpack. That pack is a beast. It fit all my gear, including my smaller day/summit pack. It came at a price, however. When I was finished the pack weighed in at 49lbs. My normal pack weight is somewhere between 15 and 20 lbs so this is quite an increase. Luckily, I don't plan to carry this far. Once we have a vehicle most of this gear will be rotated out on a need by need basis. We wont need tents for technical day summits and we wont need crampons and ice axes for multi-day treks.

This is about 95% of all the gear I will be taking. Below is a list of each item, in case you are curious enough to read it.




Storage/Transpo:
1 Karrimor 60/80 liter pack
1 Deuter 30 liter day/overnight pack
1 Waterproof pack cover
1 pair, trekking poles

Clothes, General:
2 pair, lightweight pants
3 merino wool t-shirts
1 lightweight, long-sleeve, button-up shirt
4 pair, wool/synthetic socks
2 pair, liner socks
5 pair, underwear

Clothes, Cold weather/Inclimate weather:
1 lightweight rain jacket
1 pair, lightweight rain pants
1 down vest
1 fleece pullover
1 pair, underarmor tops and bottoms
1 pair, glove liners
1 pair, Gortex gloves
1 winter hat
1 leather hat
1 fleece balaclava
1 pair, gaiters
1 pair, snow goggles
1 pair, sunglasses
1 pair, Vibram shoes
1 pair, Gortex winter boots

Sleeping/Shelter
1 two person, three season tent
1 closed cell, full length sleeping pag
1 inflatable, foam core sleeping bad
1 sleeping bag, 20F down
1 sleeping bag liner
1 hammock, lightweight
1 bivy sack

Gear/Tools
1 pocket knife
1 multi-tool
2 headlamps
4 extra AAA batteries
1 solid fuel stove
8 solid fuel tablets
1 BIC lighter
1 compass, orienteering
1 bottle, iodine tablets
1 first aid kit, personal
1 first aid kit, group
1 spool, 300’ paracord
1 cookset, kettle, cups and foon
2 water bottles, 1 liter, widemouth
1 emergency blanket
1 firestarter, magnesium

Technical Gear
1 rope, 60m dynamic
2 harnesses
Assorted webbing
4 carabiners, locking
1 pair, climbing shoes
1 pair, crampons
1 ice axe

Personal Gear:
1 oz tube, toothpaste
1 toothbrush
1 stick, deodorant
1 razor and replacement blades
2 rolls, toilet paper
1 stick, lip balm
1 oz tube, sunscreen
½ oz tube, bugspray
1 lightweight towel

Miscellaneous
1 bible, New Testament
1 notebook, small
1 pen
1 passport
1 wallet
1 phone, wifi enabled
1 micro USB cable
1 car charger, 12v micro USB and USB

The next day or two will consist of some final errands and a final packing. I am looking forward to seeing a bunch of friends before I leave.