Winter Backpacking on Packed-Snow Trails (Gear List)

[Ryan Jordan]

Companion forum thread to: Winter Backpacking on Packed-Snow Trails (Gear List)

A winter backpacking gear list for hiking on packed-snow trails in dry (low-humidity) climates.

[dirtbag]

Love the MSR hammer! I used it on my last trip to get stakes into snow/ice solid frozen ground. Saved me so much time.

Last winter i got caught out in Catskills and trying to pitch my tarp was agonizing! Ground was frozen solid..covered in thick solid ice and frozen snow.  No rocks available to use as a hammer since they were all burried in frozen ice too!!

That little hammer is a pleasure to bring along.. to get stakes in.. and also pull them out in morning.

[H W]

What a fabulous resource. Thanks Ryan.

[Timothy D B]

Some very helpful info here. Thank you!

[Ryan Jordan]

That hammer. I honestly can’t believe how much I’ve fallen in love with that little tool. I’m more than happy to carry the extra weight. It changes the game for pitching tarps and tents here in the Rockies at least. I haven’t been able to push a tent stake into the ground near home for 3 months, and the snow has been too shallow for deadmen.

[dirtbag]

Quick question for you.

Sleeping? Do you keep everything on ( baselayers + ) to sleep or do you bring a seperate set of base layers to change into for sleeping?

[Ryan Jordan]

I never bring extra base layers. They are always dry, during the winter. I try to be cognizant of my exertion level so as not to accumulate a bunch of sweat in my clothing. I may arrive into camp with a damp torso base layer, but after wearing the parka for the half hour it may take to cook dinner and set up my bed, my base layers are usually dry.

It’s much easier to keep base layers dry in sub freezing temps than in, say, the WA Olympics in June :)

I don’t sleep in any hardshell garments, unless it’s really cold (rare). My favorite is to sleep in my baselayers and puffy layers, but in stormy weather I will sleep in my trekking clothes as well so I don’t have to mess around trying to dress and undress in the bivy sack.

[dirtbag]

Gotcha.  I usually pack set of extra (dry) base layer to sleep in, but I never actually end up changing into them! I guess that falls into category of packing my fears!!! After all these years, and I still continue to bring them… SMH..

 

 

[Josh B]

Thanks Ryan, this is extremely helpful and informative. Working on dialing my own kit for the east coast’s wet snow.

[Luke Schmidt]

Very practical article.  The reality is most of the people who try winter camping can probably hike on a packed trail just fine without snowshoes.

[Chad S]

It seems that you like the reactor stove. Do you have any issues with it when the temperature is below 0F?

[Ryan Jordan]

No issues with the Reactor at temps below zero, but at those temps, you really need to put the canister in a bowl of warm water if you’re going to run the stove for more than 5 minutes. I use the Snowpeak titanium bowl. So the routine is – heat up a cup of water in the stove, pour it in the bowl, place the stove in the bowl, and then do your big snowmelt batch as needed for cooking, filling water bottles, etc.

[dirtbag]

great idea for a nice easy lightweight base for both the Reactor and Windburner stove in the snow Ryan!! Small piece of lightweight hobby wood with shock cord. I painted it safety yellow and clear coated it so it can get wet and wont matter.  Thanks for that idea!!

[Dave @ Oware]

Good list.

For the same weight as the hammer, one could carry a little hatchet that would work to drive stakes, cut new stakes, get to frozen over water and be a firewood tool. The sheath may add a bit depending on what kind you bring. Binder plastic and some Cuben fiber would weigh little.

Here is spendy and stylish one.

[Russ Bogardus]

Thanks Ryan,

Thank you for the great article. Your articles are always so insightful, well written and filled with thought provoking ideas. My only question, and suggestion, is why the Reactor stove?

I have winter camped for many years starting in the NY Adirondacks and now in the Rockies west of Colorado Springs. I have used many stoves including the MSR Whisperlite and XGK, Jetboil, Bushbuddy, and the Trail Designs Caldera  Cone with the 12-10 alchol stove and a 1 liter pot.

I keep going back to the Caldera Cone. Why? First it’s 100% reliable with no moving parts. Second, one of the pleasure of winter camping is solitude and quietness.  Snow is a great sound absorber and I simply like laying in my sleeping bag and slowly boiling water for a meal in the silent forest. The finally, for short trips, the combined weight difference between stoves systems utilizing either gas or alcohol is simply not that great.

[dirtbag]

@bogardus.. I will say this.  I Love Love Love LOVE my 600ml Ti-Tri from Trail Designs. It is by far my favorite stove ever and I will always continue to use it. However.. I feel, personally that when the temperature hits single digits, for me.. even sliding that cone together and using esbit or pouring alcohol into the Kojin.. its way too cold and those few meek seconds make me hesitant to want to eat.. ie.. boil water or melt snow. Add in heavy winds and single digit temps.. forget it for me. I feel its much easier and faster to use my Windburner or Reactor. I can also easily light it with a spark so no need to use a lighter.  AND.. I want that hot water quickly as possible!!! No joke.. I want it fast!!

 

[Chad S]

@Ryan – Can I ask for a little more information on your backpack that you have here? It appears a bit wider and thinner than many packs. Do you know if it can fit a TarpTent Notch horizontally? The struts are about 18” packed up. Also, do you have any custom work done to the pack or extras? Finding clear info on his website is like a time warp back to the ‘80’s.

Thanks for your time.

[Hanz B]

Twas skiing at 32F in my proton FL jacket yesterday and read your post today. Underneath I wore a Patagonia capilene air and a Montbell UL thermawrap vest. I complete agree that the  proton FL for active pursuit winter sports is just the bees knees. It continue to perform across multiple conditions very well.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Thanks for a very thorough article on winter backpacking Ryan. You have some items that are alternatives to my own winter gear. Nice to know these alternatives actually work well.

[AK Granola]

Great article! Very thorough run down on your gear and why each piece is selected; super helpful. I get why you don’t bring the snowshoes, but I always bring mine. They are just so practical for wood gathering, bathroom trips, getting water, tramping down snow for a sitting/sleeping place. Plus I hate, hate post holing; it’s so exhausting. Our trails are also not always well packed in a timely manner after a snowfall. Local conditions are so important. I have not seen a trail where I am with the ice you describe in the Rockies, except for stream/pond overflow. I use trail crampons only for spring hiking. I usually bring mukluks for camp wear, but those booties look pretty nice!

[john hansford]

I am curious to know which is more breathable, the MSR bivy or your Soul event bivy? Would the latter not be better suited for the snow, with it’s waterproof zipper and maybe the hoop?

[Ryan Jordan]

3L eVENT is a better bivy fabric, definitely more breathable.

I don’t take my MLD Bivy in the winter much anymore because the zipper freezes up and noseeum mesh is a nightmare to deal with in cold temps with frost and spindrift.

If I had an eVENT bivy with the dimensions and layout of the MSR Pro I’d use that.

[Richard Sullivan]

Hi Ryan, I’m just shopping for winter pads and curious about your choice of the Nemo Tensor Alpine + GG ThinLight. Wouldn’t an XTherm be lighter and warmer, and perhaps even more robust given the 30/70d construction versus the 20d of the Tensor?

[Ryan Jordan]

Richard, on the warmth side, possibly. I’ve slept fine on both pads in the winter, and haven’t notice any deficiencies in either. For subzero F nights, I’ll upgrade the 1/8″ thinlight to a real foam pad that’s 3/8″+.

As for durability, same – I’ve noticed no meaningful differences. I’ve never punctured either one.

For me, it comes down to comfort. I find the Tensor to be quite a lot more comfortable for my achy back than the XTherm.

[Zack L]

With the Reactor, in those temps, do you get full use of the the fuel cannister or does it just burn the propane off and then struggle?

[Author]

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