First Winter Two-Nighter, 0-30 degrees F, Southern Oregon

[Bri W]

Thanks to the suggestions from the good folks of BPL, I’ve reduced my winter pack weight by nearly 5 lbs! Plus, my Nunatak Raku arrived in the mail yesterday and was 10 oz. lighter than I had expected! Woo hoo!

So here is my gear list. I will further lighten this load with carbon tent poles and by hopefully finding my cuben dry bags somewhere in my storage. I’m going to bring a notepad and pen on each of my winter trips so that I can do a more thorough review of the Raku and RBH Designs VBL clothes at the end of the winter season (though, I run cold, so the Raku will be my Winter/Spring/Fall bag, as well).

We will be doing a two-nighter either at Crater Lake or between Lake of the Woods and Fish Lake. We will be avoiding avalanche zones and winter storms at all costs. Our last Crater Lake trip got down to -10(o), so there’s always the possibility it will be colder, but for now I predict our next trip will be between 0 and 30F with good weather. I will be using my snowshoes, poles, and twigs for deadman anchors.

Let me know what you think! And if anyone is interested in joining, PM me! I’ve got lots of extra gear in storage! :)

 

[Roger Caffin]

Well, it could be cold, but that’s a humungeous amount of clothing. And TWO canisters of fuel for two nights?

One of BPL’s dominant themes is about not ‘packing your fears’. Perhaps you could take another look at what gear you really need AND use?

Cheers

[Bri W]

Hi, Roger!

The large amount of clothing is what I’ve worn on my last two trips. The only extra clothes are the VBL pants for sleeping and extra sleep socks and extra waterproof mitts (which I’ve used extensively on the last trips and do not want to eliminate). I’ll remove the Cuben rain jacket bc I forgot that my Lightning Bug jacket is mainly waterproof. Depending on the hiking temps, I may leave bending the Mammut jacket and just wear the Lightning Bug jacket, and the facemask if it’s not expected to be windy. I also found the Smartwool Hunt socks were almost too much for hiking temps above 10°F, so I may just bring one pair for sleeping.

Regarding fuel, my understanding was in winter backpacking you should always bring extra fuel and one day of extra food. Since the cannisters are the second to largest ones, maybe one cannister IS considered extra fuel! :) I’ll reconsider two cannisters, especially since I only heat up water at bedtime for dinner and a warm water bottle, and rarely in the morning for tea/coffee. The bulk of my calories comes from bars, anyway. Thanks for the suggestions! I’ll modify the list when I get home.

I also just realized my Raku doesn’t fit in my largest dry bag (10L), so I’ll be purchasing a XL one from HMG soon.

[Roger Caffin]

Hi Bri

Well, I’d boil in that lot! Different metabolism maybe. A good wind layer is always needed though.

Now, fuel. I cook for Sue and me, and in summer I allow 30 g/day for the two of us. I have got that down to almost 20 g by practicing severe economies – running all at low power, but that can be tricky. For winter my rule of thumb is to go up to double the amount just in case. If we can find water instead of having to melt snow all the time, then 45 g/day is usually enough – for TWO people. Bottom line (imho): one 110 g canister should be enough for you (single person) for two nights. One 220 g canister would be a significant overkill.

However, how well the Minimo stove will run at the extreme lows is another matter. I would not be game to try that myself. I would, without any hesitation, use a remote inverted canister stove. The claims that the regulator will let the stove work down to 20 F are mainly marketing spin. You might get it working at 20 F by starting with a brand new 220 g canister with the highest possible propane content, but that propane will disappear very fast. Breakfast on the last morning might be a bit cold. Ah well – store the canister overnight inside your sleeping bag and sit it in a bowl of warm water while running.

Cheers

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