Ultimate SUL gear list in NH White Mountains? 6.8lbs

I did Carrigain this winter.. nice hike with good views. I'm surprised you didn't do Whiteface with Passaconway.

looks like I AM going to be camping at Unknown pond sat. night. figured that if i do Waumbek first then Cabot I won't have to deal with finding somewhere to sleep near Appalachia. Walk out the last 3mi in the morning and then head to Kings Ravine :)

Hey so while I love your devotion to SUL, I can't help but to suggest you use an actual tent in the whites. Lots of the sites, especially those up high, use wooden platforms. Pitching a tarp, especially when you need to cram 2 tents into one of those sites, is not going to be easy or ideal. Furthermore, you will hate life because of the bugs. This isn't the west, the northwest, southwest, etc. You can't really camp up here with a tarp except during shoulder season. (Well maybe can't is a strong word, but trust me you DON'T WANT TO DO IT.) So I suggest a six moon designs tent with bug protection, easton mountain products kilo, or a Big Agnes Fly Creek UL series tent. Trust me, the extra rain protection and the bug protection make it worth the weight. Its really not that much more weight in your pack. You could make up the difference by dropping to a 7 ounce rain jacket from your current one, and dropping your stuff sacks and bringing less stakes. You should only need 2-4 stakes for those tents because they are MOSTLY freestanding. I've hiked the whites a lot and I would NEVER bring a tarp up there for high peaks hiking. Its another thing if you're staying down low and have a bug net, then do what you want with a tarp…

Plus one on the fly creek. That's the perfect tent for the whites and tons of protection. Plus it will make life much easier on the tent platforms.

I'd agree with that for the most part. I think tarp tents are ideal. smaller footprint but still a decent amount of room. i can fit all of my stuff in my Lightheart Solo, have bug/ rain protection

i used my (former) Contrail on a platform last year with no problems. I have no doubt the Lightheart will work also. most have hooks on the edge to tie off on. Hell we set up my GF's Bilgy tent in a shelter last month. helps to be creative.

this is what will be with me this weekend i think

http://www.geargrams.com/list?id=14195

Re: "I can't help but to suggest you use an actual tent in the whites."

Was anyone suggesting otherwise?
I only mentioned a bivy as a reference and stated that it wasn't what I would use.

If you are refereing to tarps, a tarp becomes a tent when you pitch it and bug protection is an option, which I do recomend.

I don't recomend a dome tent. A dome that can handle strong winds is too heavy.
The Trailstar, Patrol and others handle winds better than three season dome shelters, or at least any that I've tried.

I spend a lot of time in windy cool mountain weather, above treeline. Here's what I'd do to that list if it were me.

Sleeping socks – nix for spare hiking socks
Baselayer bottoms – nix
Rain pants – nix for rain skirt
Westcomb Hoody – there's lighter jackets
MHW Sleeping Bag – won't be warm enough, nix for Zpacks 20 degree w/Down Balaclava
MLD Trailstar – nix for Hexamid Solo Tarp w/Beak (much smaller footprint)
Liner socks – nix
Goretex socks – nix
Peak Elite AC – you might need something warmer
Gloves – nix for marmot lightweight .8oz
Hat – nix for Zpacks fleece 1oz

Wear softshell pants – way more comfortable than shorts or rain pants in cold windy weather. I'd add also a windshirt for greater comfort.

The reasons why I prefer a rain skirt:
1) if your above treeline in stormy weather, you prioritize getting the hell out of there – you don't mess with putting on rain pants
2) below treeline, skirts work just fine in storms
3) skirts are super easy to put on and take off in rapidly changing mountain weather without even breaking your stride
4) much more comfortable than rain pants

I dont want to hijak the thread, but I have a question along the same lines as the topics raised already here. I am headed out with one other person to the white mountains this weekend and we have a tarp with 2 bivies, with bug spray. Where would you recommend for the least amount of bugs in the whites this time of year? Should we go high or low to camp? Thank you!

Evan

is it a bug bivy? or at least mesh over your face? then you will be fine once you're in there.

where are you heading? where to camp depends on where you are.

We have 2 bivys, 1 with mesh and the other is just pertex quantum, but both zip up completely. We are starting out in Lincoln, NH and can drive basically anywhere, but closer is preferable. Also, who knew that it was so hard to find denatured alcohol or HEET in Lincoln NH! Could only find the Isopropyl stuff at 4 gas stations…will have to wait until the Summit Shop opens at 9am to buy it by the ounce….

Thanks!
Evan

you're waiting until the night before to decide where you're hiking? it's kind of a big area. goals… mileage.. days.. peaks?

hardware store should have denatured alcohol too. might need to get a whole quart but then you'll be set for a while.

see if they have this map at the store too.

Thank you for all the info!

Yes we like to choose the evening before where we want to hike, if we dont have to apply for a site-specific permit. Keeps things interesting for us :)

For those of you who might be interested, we hiked the loop up Falling Waters trail, over Little Haystack, Lincoln, and Lafayette, and back down. There were a few mosquitos, no black flies that we could find, and we never needed to use our bug spray. Great trip overall! So I think in the spirit of the OP here, I would definitely cut back on the shelter in late summer, at least in the area we were in, since bugs did not seem to be an issue. Although perhaps we were lucky?

We did find some denatured alcohol (quart size) at the hardware store, but the summit shop next door in Lincoln sold it by the ounce. Did the math, to buy the quart was $0.29/ounce, the Summit Shop sold it for $0.30/ounce.

Thank you for the map recommendation, we did use that map that you suggested, it was great except that the fairly large river with water falls along the Falling Waters trail was no where to be seen on our 2006 edition, although it was on other hikers' maps. Weird!

You did that loop as an overnight? or day hike? where did you camp.

Later in the summer you might be able to cut back but we were definitely in the bugs up at Unknown Pond north of Rt 2/Jefferson. I was glad i didn't have to cook because I ate my dinner in my tent. mosquitoes mostly were out in force. I didn't use bugspray because i usually just keep moving and that is usually enough. Not many bugs on sunday once i got out of the woods and the wind picked up.

i have the 4th edition map and there is no blue line on the falling waters trail.. but you'd have to assume with a name like that there is going to be something haha.