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Gear List for Mother and Daughter Trekking/Hiking in Alps for entire month of August- any advice?


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Home Forums Gear Forums Gear Lists Gear List for Mother and Daughter Trekking/Hiking in Alps for entire month of August- any advice?

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  • #1305609
    Lynn Ellsworth
    BPL Member

    @lynnellsworth

    Last year 12 year old daughter and wallked from village to village all over France in the heat. I carried a total of 16 lounds and my daughter only carried 10 pounds, not including the clothes we wore.
    Obessively combed these boards for advice on everything from the lowest weight umbrella to finding wright socks that have a built in liner. No need to bring sleeping bag or food as we stay in villlage inns or this summer, in mountain refuges.

    Here is what we took to France last year, now we need to tweak it all for the Alps which it will be higher and chillier and more variable.

    Looking for advice here on any tweaks, notably in shells, rain wear, an insulating layer, and pants. We like items that do double duty in a tech way for the days we are going to hut-to-hut but also serve well in bigger towns/cities. We hate baggy zip off hiking pants (we are both skinny) and the REI store here has nothing in stock, and we are wondering what brands to search for in order find a slimmer fitting climbing pant.

    Ultra light weight trekking poles from ruta
    Gregory Exos 45 backpacks (served us very well!)
    Merrel gore-tex vibram soled low walking shoes/boot (these are very light but will likely take instead our heavier vasque ankle -supported boots this go around as there is a lot of scree in the dolomites)
    patagognia quick dry underwear and wright socks for 4 days
    Athleta travel dress with cap sleeves
    too heavy and ugly LL Bean fleece full zip sweater as insulating layer, needs replacement with something ligher and more versatile
    2 short sleeved t-shirts from rei
    1 long sleeved thin shirt to use as sun/bug layer (Patagonia)
    Athleta skort
    Atlhleta capris
    very light weight leather sandals that serve in town and to wear in the evenings (might be too cold for this in the Alps, might need to rethinkk)
    thin/very light shower flip flops
    skimpy travel towel
    foldable panama hat with jerryrigged stampede string
    tiny foldable umbrella
    very light but not durable and very ugly rain jacket (never rained last year in France, but used umbrella against the sun)
    cotton draw string p.j pants and a sleevless silk camisole to wear as pajamas

    We did look kind of sloppy/weird last year and my 12 year old wants to fashion up a bit compared to last year.

    Can I get away with the Merrell's in the dolomites? They do not have ankle support but they weigh nothing.
    Where can I get a nice fleece that is not so heay as the ancient LL Bean polartec and a bit more fashionable so can wear it with a dress to dinner in a town?
    I think we need a pair of pants too, we skipped those last year but we were not in the high mountains as we will be this time.
    Will have to add a sleeping sack liner for the huts in the dolomites. Alas, more weight.

    Toiletry kit is shaved down to a minimum, plus sunglasses, maps, cicerone guide, wallet.. Am considering going without any electronics at all.

    #2007982
    Roger Caffin
    BPL Member

    @rcaffin

    Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe

    Hi Lynn

    Based on our many 2-month-long trips there:

    > Ultra light weight trekking poles from ruta
    XS. Sure, many carry them – horizontal

    > Merrel gore-tex vibram soled low walking shoes/boot
    The lighter the better

    > Athleta travel dress with cap sleeves
    Um … why?
    (I am old enough and just don't care. And neither do the locals. They WANT your custom.)

    > too heavy and ugly LL Bean fleece full zip sweater
    Thinsulate or similar

    > 2 short sleeved t-shirts from rei
    Why?

    > 1 long sleeved thin shirt to use as sun/bug layer (Patagonia)
    For general wear, all the time

    > Athleta skort
    > Atlhleta capris
    Why?

    > very light weight leather sandals
    Why?

    > thin/very light shower flip flops
    Huh?????

    > skimpy travel towel
    Yes

    > foldable panama hat with jerryrigged stampede string
    Definitely

    > tiny foldable umbrella
    > very light but not durable and very ugly rain jacket
    Replace both with UL poncho

    > Can I get away with the Merrell's in the dolomites?
    We used New Balance UL joggers

    > Will have to add a sleeping sack liner for the huts in the dolomites.
    Definitely, but you can get UL ones

    > Am considering going without any electronics at all.
    Take mobile phone and book ahead. This can be crucial during the holidays!!!

    I have seen people going for several nights via huts carrying a jacket, a liner, a towel & toothbrush, lunch/water and a credit card. They bought lunch each day from the hut.

    Cheers

    #2008326
    Kate Magill
    BPL Member

    @lapedestrienne

    Seems like you're packing a lot of unnecessary clothing options. I'd trim it to one set of walking clothes and one set of town clothes that can double as sleep clothes.

    For a month-long trip in Spain in the summer a few years back, I brought one skirt and tank top for walking, plus an Icebreaker Villa dress that was great for dinner and cafes and also for sleeping (merino doesn't wrinkle and doesn't stink!).

    My only insulating layer for that trip was a white synthetic jersey hoodie (mostly for mid-day sun). For the Alps, you'll probably want something more substantial. If you're committed to upgrading your fleeces, the best warmth for weight will be a down puffy (e.g. Montbell), but a synthetic puffy (Rab Xenon or Pata Nano Puff) will hold up better to moisture. Of course, if you want to be more fashion-conscious, the way to go is wool sweater of some sort. Check out Ibex; great performance without looking too tech-y.

    I don't think low-cut shoes will give you any problems. If that's what you normally wear, your ankles should be plenty strong enough.

    For pants, I really like the fit of the Rab Helix trousers that just came out. They are not at all baggy on me, have some nice stretch for climbing, are quite light but durable, and the slate colour is much more appealing than the ubiquitous khaki.

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