Wonderland Trail Gear List

I did the Wonderland in six days last September, starting on the 11th.

Compared to my list, you look pretty solid:
* You have a lot of insulative layers (2 jackets–one down and one synthetic); you can likely pick one based upon the forecast at that time
* Are the gaiters for snow at Panhandle gap, etc.? You may be able to do without.
* You may not need rain pants. On my trip, it rained for an entire day; I was able to get by with only shorts. With a kilt, you're likely covered.
* Given the ample supply of water, especially in July, you could likely do with less carrying capacity. I carried a two liter supply (there's no need to tank).
* On my trip, a steripen was super convenient and allowed me to carry less water
* You'll need a bear hang bag of some sort. The varmints (chipmunks) were extremely agressive in Summerland and you should keep your food either within reach or on a bear pole at all times.
* Assuming that you meant to omit toiletries and such

Would also recommend caching your food along the way. I carried a maximum of three days food with me and had zero problems with pickup.

what do you mean by "caching your food along the way"

Jerry,

Here's a link: http://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/caching-food-and-fuel.htm

You can send your food ahead to ranger stations along the trail, scheduling the day when it needs to be available.

Do you have to make reservations for each night's campsite?

Patrick- Regarding the two insulating tops: The down jacket is for sleeping in with the FF Vireo bag. The MB Thermawrap is for hiking in during the chilly mornings. The thermawrap will also double as my pillow. EDIT: Come to think of it, maybe I will ditch the thermawrap. My rain shell will work fine for chilly mornings and as a pillow.
Gaiters? Just feel like I should have them. Not for snow. More for light rain and debris. But yeah, I'm sure I could do without them.
Rain pants have been deleted from the list. Gonna go with the rain kilt.
Your right about the water. I think i'll just do the camelback and one gatoraid bottle. I'd like the camelback at camp to have a good amount of water on hand. Use the bottle treaded with aquamira while on the move. I have a steripen adenturer but have been less then impressed with the reliability. Seems like I only get the green light about 50% of the time.
Bear hang bag and toiletries are a must, therefor I did not list them here.
I plan to do two caches.

Jerry- Yes. 70% of the sites go to reservations in advance. The remaining 30% are issued as first come first served.

good list :)

few things that pop out

pack liner would be lighter and more efficient than a cover (read waterproof)- check out Jay's cuben pack liners

one extra pair of socks is usually sufficient for a weeks trip (they can be easily washed/dried if need be)

do you need a liner and a sleeping shirt? not familiar w/ the shirt, but there are a lot of lighter LS options- cap 1 or 2, any of the lighter merino offerings, etc

seems like the Vireo/Helios combo might be a wee bit heavy for summer ~ 22 + 23 = 45 oz, several 20 degree bags/quilts in the 20-ish oz (some even lower) and a light down jacket (ie MB UL, Exlite, etc) in the 5-8 oz range- albeit this is a pricey endeavor :)

I have found that breathable low gaiters work well for hiking around Rainier. Particularly the Eastern and Southeastern sides. The dry trails kick up a lot of dust that can get in and bug the feet. Once I went to them, I had much happier feet – and cleaner socks ;-) It also helps on rainy days or crossing snow.

If it were me I would keep them.

7 days is a nice length! It should be interesting to see how our snow melt goes this summer. Dumping today ;-)

Also keep in mind you can mail stuff from Longmire if you ask nicely and tip well- the front desk lady. She did it for us anyway… YMMV

Maybe I should say: It may be possible- others have done it.

Agree with Sarah that 7 days is probably the perfect length if you want to stay at the best spots and take in the scenery. On our 5th night, we had a torrential downpour (probably the worst that I have ever experienced) and elected to hike out ~26 miles from Summerland to Longmire (clockwise) on day 6. We decided to forego staying at Indian Bar as the forecast was bleak . . ..

To Mike's point, I used a BPL 90 quilt plus a Montbell UL Down Inner Vest (5 oz) and PossumDown Beanie (1.5 oz) for insulation. Seems that you should be able to go lighter, if you're so inclined. I sleep a bit warm and for reference, this setup was appropriate for the lows at that time of year, as well as being versatile for nightime tempartures in camp.

"pack liner would be lighter and more efficient than a cover."
I considered a liner when I did the trail in 05. Correct me if I’m wrong but if my pack wets through, it’s going to weigh more than a wet pack cover, yes? In 05 it rained 5 of the 8 days. My pack cover never wet through. It did send a stream of water down my back at times though.

"one extra pair of socks is usually sufficient for a weeks trip."
Done.

"do you need a liner and a sleeping shirt? not familiar w/ the shirt, but there are a lot of lighter LS options- cap 1 or 2, any of the lighter merino offerings, etc."
Need? No. But I’d rather not sleep in my hiking shirt. I do have an icebreaker 150 weight long sleeve that would save 4.7ozs. But the heavier shirt is oh so comfy. Keeping my eyes open for an icebreaker 260 LS. Even with taking a “ziplock” bath each night, I’d still like to have the silk sleeping bag liner to keep the inside of my bag clean.

"seems like the Vireo/Helios combo might be a wee bit heavy for summer."
Very true. But 99% of my outings are at altitude and on snow. It’s the lightest sleeping set-up I own. Buying something lighter just for this trip just isn’t feasible at this time.

Thanks for all the comments/advise thus far. My last time around the mountain my total average pack weight was 26lbs+/-. Looks like i'll be around 21lbs this time.

Obviously I could get that number way down but I'm really working hard to resist the urge to spend too much money.

5 lbs is notably decrease, I hear you loud and clear on the urge to resist :)

Nice list. I am planning to hike the WT next year. This will be my first trip up there so I am definitely looking forward to it! Our gear lists have a few of the same things on them. Here is my gear list:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZWqc5zuw-NqvxhR1G_pGiyrNgquLoLl_TRHpGwuIzTE/edit?hl=en

I just got my Trail Designs CloudKilt by ZPacks in a few weeks ago. I am looking forward to using it, but I wish now that I would have asked him if he could have made it just a little longer. I got the long version (30") and it covers just below my knees. For reference, I am 5'10" and usually wear a 33" inseam pants. Don't get me wrong, it will work fine, but now that it is done, I just wish I would have had him make it about 5" longer. I don't think it would have added much at all to the total weight. Anyway, here is a link to the review I did on it:

http://stick13.wordpress.com/2011/01/08/zpacks-cloudkilt/

Also, Thom at TrailLite Designs is finishing up a CloudCape which is essentially a cuben fiber UL rain pullover top. Maybe that will be available in the near future…

I have been contemplating those gaiters as well, but first I am going to have to dump my hiking boots and try some trail runners…

Anyway, looks good and I am sure you will have a great time! Thanks for sharing.

Hey Stick
Nice review. I might take that cloudkilt off your hands if you want to order a longer one. And don't worry about bringing any guylines for your food bag. There are bear poles and everything you need to hang your food at the campsites.

I didn't know that they had set ups at each site, Ill keep that in mind. Thanks. However, I will probably keep the rope, I have seen it used in more ways than one, as I am sure you probably have too…and at only an oz I will live with it. I have gone much lighter than I initially started out, so I still like to hang on to some of my stuff… :)

Oh yeah, and I will probably hold on to the CloudKilt… :)

I would NIX the AquaMira tablets.

The North Cascades has some of the very cleanest water in the Lower 48. It is very rare to get reports of water borne illness in that area.

The tablets are simply TOO strong for the very safe water in that area.

I would advocate using AQUA MIRA drops repackaged into very small bottles. I would NOT follow the recommended instructions, instead I would use MUCH less than recommended, and I would feel perfectly safe.

I have a lot of experience in that part of the country, and feel that I could get water from safe springs and do the hole trip without treating any water.

"The tablets are simply TOO strong for the very safe water in that area."

Link to support the above statement, please?

Watch it Mike – you don't know who you are dealing with today. Pretty soon he is going to question your experience.

I would absolutely not question Mike's belief that a weakened solution of AM is good enough for him. I do, however, like to see some support that this applies to everyone else as well.

Ure — at least Mike is writing about something that he himself has experience with. Unlike you. eh?

I use Micropur tabs and have not had any issue in the Canadian Rockies. I have also used a Steripen but it died 1/2 through a trip and now I exclusively use the tabs.

Hey Ben – just did my first 3 bag nights of the year. How many did you get last year? The year before? 27000 posts probably tell the story about who has the experience.

In any event – since when do you use chems – you often push your 20 oz First Need on people.

I take Mike's experience as the link to support the statement. It syncs perfectly with my own experiences as well. A lot of water doesn't need to be treated or is fine with a much lower dose than recommended. I'm amazed at how many people fearfully view 12,000' alpine lakes and streams as poisonous.

I know this to be true NOT because I have any links, data, peer-reviewed papers, or extensive laboratory research to prove it. I know it only because I live it and I drink the water and I'm fine.

If you're the type that has to play it by the book, I realize this isn't good enough.
On the flip side, I certainly don't care for the attitude that every statement of opinion and experience must be backed up by scientific research in order to validate it.

To each their own.

Just don't respond to each other

You've made your point

What's wrong with people lately?

A death match is the only solution at this point.

One large pyramid tarp.
Two 22 gram Baladeo blades.

2 men enter. One man leaves.

"A death match is the only solution at this point.

One large pyramid tarp.
Two 22 gram Baladeo blades.

2 men enter. One man leaves."

HaHa! Do we pay at the door? All proceeds to BPL w/ Addie as Ref. My $ is on Addie if it all breaks loose.

I was asking Mike a question. I will let it rest at that.