Gear List for 6 day Sierras Trip

[Graeme Finley]

Planned gear list for a 6 day loop in Sierra National Forest at the end of September (possible alternate date of late October but I’m a little concerned about possible night time temperatures at altitude and the possibility of snow at that time):

Shelter:

BMW Spinponcho Lite: 4.4oz
Guy lines: 0.4oz
Stakes: 1.6oz
Montbell UL GoreTex bivy sack: 7oz

Sleeping:

Marmot Atom 40degree bag: 17.4oz
BMW Torsolite pad: 10oz
GG Thinlight pad: 2oz
Inflatable pillow: 1oz
Mosquito head net: 0.3z

Cooking:

Titanium pot, including mesh bag: 2.9oz
Spork: 0.6oz
Alcohol stove: 2.3oz
Food stuff sack: 1oz
Bear bag line/carabiner: 1.1oz

Hygene:

Toilet paper: 1.2oz
Floss: 0.5oz
Toothbrush: 0.5oz
Toothpast: 0.7oz
Small bottle for Dr Bronners: 0.2oz
First Aid Kit: 1.6oz

Miscellaneous:

Zilock: 0.2oz
Suncreen: 0.9oz
Lip balm: 0.2oz
Matches: 0.3oz
Hand sanitizer: 0.8oz
Knife: 0.7oz
Bug Repellant: 1oz
Light(Black Diamond Ion): 1.1oz
Wax paper (for use as fire starter): 0.5oz
Keys and cash: 2oz
1 2L Platypus: 1.3oz
Acqua mira droplet bottle: 0.4oz
Camera: 6oz
Trash bag: 1oz

Clothes carried:

Spare socks: 2oz
Wool dress socks for sleeping: 1.6oz
Sahalie sleep tights: 1.5oz
Montbell Wind Shirt: 2.8oz
Western Mountaineering Flight Jacket: 12.2oz
Possum Down Gloves: 1.8oz
Insulated hat: 1oz

Pack:

ML Designs Prophet: 5oz

Total base weight: 6lb 5oz(approx)

9lbs food carried
1L water carried at start
Fluids weight: 2oz
Alcohol weight: 5oz

Total starting weight: 17lb 12oz

Clothing worn and items carried:

Tilley airflow hat: 3oz
Smartwool lightweight zip crew: 7.5oz
Smartwool underwear: 3oz
REI Convertable Softsheel pants: ?oz
Wrightsocks: 2oz
Montrail Hardrock trail runners: 26oz
Highgear altitech watch/thermometer/compass: 2oz
Map: 2.3oz
Whistle: 0.5oz
Leki Trekking poles: ?oz

Any suggestions given the likely weather and terrain I’ll encounter?

[Jim Colten]

9 lbs food for 6 days may or may not be cutting it close? what’s your calorie budget, distance traveled and total ft of uphill?

[Graeme Finley]

It’s 6 days 5 nights (starting at lunch first day and finishing mid-afternoon on the 6th), and I end up with almost exactly 3500 calories per day with the food mix I’m planning. I’m hoping that will be sufficient.

[Thomas R. Conroy]

Graeme,

I don’t have the elevation of the SNF at my fingertips, however for your proposed time frame it might be a good idea to consider a warmer bag [that is, unless you’re a hotter-than-hell “warm” sleeper]. Sub-freezing temperatures can easily hit the Sierra beginning mid-September.
Have a great trip. You’ve picked IMHO the absolute best time to be in the Sierra: aspen gold and not a skeeter in sight!

[Graeme Finley]

I used basically this same set up for a trip in Virginia in March when night time temperatures got down to the high 20s and I was reasonably comfortable. The real reason the Flight Jacket is in the list is as a “torso quilt” that I drape over myself inside the sleeping bag. I find this gives me a good 10 degrees extra (it’s my torso that generally gets cold).

[Ken Helwig]

Great list and I too was concerned until I figured out that your jacket does double duty. Sept. Is the best time in the Sierra’s.

[Aaron Sorensen]

Hey Graemey,
Can you give us a post trip report?
I am really interested on what the temps were.
Al Shaver is trying to do the JMT right now and there were 100mph winds on top of Whitney the other day.
Hope you got the better end of that front. That type of wind chill in a poncho-tarp would not be a fun night.

[Graeme Finley]

Just got back on Saturday. Trip ended up being 7 days/6 nights due to a lost map on day 2 (very stupid thing to do, but there were mitigating circumstances) which caused me to spend a full day bushwacking around Tehipite Valley until I found the way out.

My route was:

Wishon Reservoir – Crown Valley (in SNF) – Tehipite Valley (in Kings Canyon NP) – Le Comte Valley – Muir Pass – Evolution Valley – Goddard Valley – Hell For Sure Pass (back into SNF) – Wishon Reservoir.

About 100 miles in total I think. Weather was pretty much perfect, with day time temperatures in to 60s-80s with zero cloud cover. Night time was uniformly clear and calm, although temperatures varied dramatically from the mid-40s (at 5000ft in Tehipite Valley) to low 20s (in Evolution Meadow). Rivers were all really low. I had to get my feet wet several times, but even crossing the middle fork of the Kings River in Tehipite Valley the water never got to my knees.

Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to know.

[Robin McKay]

Hi Graeme – I live in NZ – I don’t see any wet weather gear – expecting no rain???
Cheers Rob

[JW]

Rob,

I think he uses the spinn poncho as raingear when not used as the shelter. Those come with a hood and cover most of the upper body and down to the knees.

[Graeme Finley]

That’s right. Patagonia hooded wind shirt for light precipitation, then I’d add the poncho if the weather got worse. Of course at it turned out I barely saw a cloud the entire time.

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