Sierra High Route Gear List 2021

[David Gardner]

My gear list for the Sierra High Route 2021 and a picture of it all:

Currently at 10.40 lb of carried weight, including 33.1 oz/2.07 lb Bearikade Blazer (without it = 8.33 lb)

Skin out = 15.89 lb. Trail runners would reduce this but I’ve banged up my ankles in the Sierra a few times so I always go with lightweight boots.

[nunatak]

Nice and trim kit! Is the pack maybe too big for this, or fine?

[David Gardner]

The pack is PERFECT! I don’t put my quilt, puffy or down pants in stuff sacks, I just put them on top of everything else to fill the volume and keep everything in place, so it fills the bag nicely. If I did use the stuff sacks I’d have some extra room in there.

I love this pack :-)

[Brad Rogers]

Nice looking gear list.  I assume that Esbit is allowed in the Sierra.  I know they changed the rules to allow for Alcohol stoves during fire bans, and I used a Caldera Cone on the SoSHR last year.    Have a great trip and post some pictures when you return!

[David Gardner]

Based on what I read last year Esbits are allowed, but now I’m thinking I should check again.

What!?! They changed to rules to ALLOW alcohol stoves, previously banned due to fire risk, during the fire bans? That’s crazy.

There will definitely be a report and lots of pictures!

[obx hiker]

The items that caught my attention in order from your list but really it looks like you’ve thought it through completely:

1. Nunatak Bears Ears 50 backpack: Damn Lars looks like a great piece of gear! Especially nice point about not having the food storage in the way of everything else.

2. REI 2 gal waterbag: in addition to PlatypusTwo 1L @ 0.9 each?

3. Personal Locator BeaconACR Electronics ResQLink 400 – rented. Is there still a current sale on the Garmin inreach mini? GPS + weather reports plus 2-WAY communication. You can have someone(s) actually monitor your progress along the route and send you alerts for ex about severe weather. Lots of possibilities.

4. Aqua Mira kit: Why not just a be-free? a lot faster. Where you’re going the water is not even really likely to need filtration is it?

5. Deuce trowel: Does everyone use a trowel? Just wondering.

6. Hooded poncho: Maybe try adding some 3/32nds shock cord with a mini cord lock in the appropriate spots to keep the thing from flying/flapping around so much. Creative as you are you might even rig up/sew on some tiny”belt loops” for the shock cord once you’ve figured out where this tensioning might help. Next time you get a gusty storm put on the pack and the poncho and try it out, you’ll see what I mean.

Looks like you’ve got a well-planned kit!

[jscott]

I’m a huge fan of the steripen. I know that you’re counting grams but there’s no waiting with the steripen and certainly no carrying water in the Sierra…stop, chug, move on. Aqua mira as backup.

It would be fun to see a picture of you or someone wearing the pack with the Bearikade attached. It must be bigger than the Scout…

[Monte Masterson]

Hey David can we see pics of the 1) MYOG bivy 2) Zpacks bathtub floor w/ noseeum mods 3) Tyvek windshirt?

 

[Robert Spencer]

Maybe my eyes are deceiving me…

Are those measurement markings on your spoon handle or did you cut out a notch of unnecessary weight?

[David Gardner]

1. Yep

2. For capacity and ease of use I’ve decided to go with two 1.5L Smartwater bottles. The 2 gallon REI water bag is in addition to that since I also use it as a pillow, and gives me extra water capacity for dry hike stretches.

3. I saw that sale, but decided against the Garmin InReach Mini. I don’t want to be in touch or monitored when I’m trying to get away from it all. I use paper maps and a compass to navigate, since EMP and solar flares will wipe out all electronic devices. Also I prefer to rent the PLB since technology changes so quickly and I want the latest and greatest. And at least one of my hiking companions will have a Garmin Inreach anyway, for severe weather and wildfire alerts.

4. There’s plenty of giardia where we’re going so I’ll be treating my water. Didn’t know about the BeFree previously but the cost/benefit ratio is not great. I pre-mix Aqua Mira in the morning so the chemicals have time to interact, then just add the mixed drops to my water. Do have to let it work for 15 minutes before drinking but with planning and experience I haven’t found this to be a problem.

5. I used to use a tent stake to dig my cat holes. In 2017 I was on a trek with two others, and one of them had burned his toilet paper in the cat hole and then filled the hole. Unfortunately, the TP was not 100% out, and the hole was in 2′ deep duff, not dirt. Overnight I smelled some smoke but figured it was from some distant wildfire (not unusual in the Sierras). In the morning as I went to get some water from the lake we were camped next to I saw a wisp of smoke up slope from where we were, in an area that was not suitable for camping, so I went to check it out and discovered a 15′ diameter area of smoldering, glowing embers, with all kinds of deadfall on and near it, as a few flames started to lick up. I ran back down yelling “get up, we have a situation.” Two of us grabbed our three bear canisters and dumped the food then filled them from the lake while the third guy headed up slope with two trowels and began digging a perimeter down to dirt around the fire. An hour later, after 10 x 3 bear canisters full of water later and a lot of furious digging and mixing we managed to knock it down and turn the entire area into mud. We changed our plans and stayed there another 24 hours to make sure nothing flared up.

Ever since then I have always carried a trowel, and the Deuce is the lightest. My fire permit says I should have water and a shovel when I cook too, so I figure the trowel fills the bill.

6. Great idea. I’ll play around with my poncho and figure out where to put loops.

[David Gardner]

@jscott: I really like the SteriPen too. Sooooo fast! But too dang heavy for 200 miles in 200 days at elevation. As soon as the Bearicade arrives (that’s a BV500 in the picture) I’ll strap it on and take some pictures to share.

@Monte Masterson: You got it. Here is a picture of me wearing the Tyvek windsuit (really just coveralls I got at a hardware store) in the Sierras last year. I had a previous one that I used acrylic ink to make black for almost 7 years, but it took over 2 hours just to make it black so I didn’t bother with that this time. The suit kind of makes me look like a fat Michelin Man or Pillsbury Dough Boy but I only care about how it functions. Best $12 I ever spent.

Still working on the bivy, will post pictures when it’s done.

Someone very, very generous is sending me a Zpacks 1.5 bathtub floor they don’t need and I’ll be looking at some mods to add some bug netting and make a hybrid tent/tarp. Will post pictures of that too.

@Robert Spencer: It’s not exactly a high quality photo, so it’s not your eyesight. There are no markings on that spoon. What you see is a slot in the handle the way it was made. And I didn’t trim it down either. I compared the biodegradable spoon that I got as a freebie at some restaurant to my shortened Lexan spoon, and the bio spoon was lighter without mods (and nice to have the extra handle length).

[Alex Wallace]

Looks good to me. A few thoughts:

1. I’m jealous.
2. The pic of you in the Tyvek suit reminds me of Walter White in Breaking Bad.
3. Renting a PLB is a great idea. I’ve thought about purchasing one, but wouldn’t carry it on most trips, so this makes a lot of sense. Where are you renting it from?
4. “Hardhat w/ solar powered fan 4000 mAH bat. headlamp MYOG wide brim & cape 22.” I can’t tell if this is real or you’re just trolling.

Have fun, be safe, and please do post a report w/ pictures. Thanks.

[David Gardner]

If you like that picture, you’ll love this one. All geared up to go grocery shopping in March 2020:

I’m renting the PLB from Outdoor Equipment Rentals http://www.oerentals.com

I never troll. That hardhat is for real and I’ve been testing it. Won’t take it along on this trip because the 22 ounce weight is too much. Thinking of ways to make a lighter and less creepy one though, like a carbon fiber shell and relocating the fan to the rear so that when first meet people they don’t freak out.

[jscott]

“…so that when first meet people they don’t freak out.”

I thought I heard “alien in aisle 6” coming from my local Safeway intercom some months ago. that must have been you!

[David Gardner]

Doh! Busted!

Here’s the latest on that hat:

[jscott]

David, I just discovered that you can simply flip up the brim of a Sunday Afternoons sun hat and the issue with it blocking site lines goes away. then flip it down when facing the sun. It’s light and airy and the perfect hat, or as good as it gets anyway.

[David Gardner]

Interesting. Which of their hats? I’m looking at the Adventure Stow Hat and a couple others.

[Paul S]

It looks like your gear list is well thought out. Regarding the sun: I really love my echo hoody.

ps: I’ll be on the High Route about that time as well.  Will say hello if I see you…

[jscott]

It’s the Adventure hat.

[David Gardner]

@jscott: Thanks

@Paul Sumner: Cool! It would be great to meet up. I guess you’ll recognize me from my hat or some other crazy thing I’m wearing :-)

@Brad Rodgers: This today from the Sequioa-Kings Canyon National Park website:

Wood and charcoal (including wood-burning stoves) are prohibited below 6,000 feet. Year-round elevation/site-specific restrictions also apply. Refer to the Minimum Impact Restrictions.

Gas, propane, alcohol (with and without a shutoff valve) and tablet/cube stoves are permitted.

[Christopher R]

Is the Bearikade Blazer approved anywhere in the Sierra?  I have not seen it on an approved list.

[David Gardner]

I believe the Bearikades are all certified to the most demanding standards out there. Surprised they’re not on any of the “approved” lists under Wild Things or Bearikade. Can you post links?

That being said, none of the rangers I encountered on the SHR last month said it wasn’t approved or even asked what brand it was. And it was nice not having to dig into my pack to show them my bear canister, since it packs outside the pack bag.

[obx hiker]

From Yosemite which is more stringent than Seki?

Approved Bear Cans

And a thread here on BPL  from last year

I think the question or issue is that theoretically it is possible for a very large grizzly with a lot of time (like in captivity. Try it. You won’t believe the length of a day)   Anyway some really large grizzly managed to get its jaw around a Bearikade so the IGBC won’t approve it.

My impression is that this is selectively ignored. Does anyone have specific example otherwise? Any anecdotes about bearikade failure?

[jscott]

David, how was your hike?

[David Gardner]

jscott: Finally sorta caught up on everything after getting back. Here is a link to the trip report I just posted. In short, it was great but very challenging.

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