Winter Backpacking on Packed-Snow Trails (Gear List)

[Ryan Jordan]

Zach, when temps are that cold, I try to mitigate this with either a moulder strip or just a disposable handwarmer tucked between my plywood base and the bottom of the canister. Both work well.

[Monty Montana]

I have the MSR Windburner, which I haven’t yet used to melt snow.  How does it compare to the Reactor in this department?

[Kevin G]

Thanks for the very informative article. Of note , here in the Whites of NH though , it is the norm to carry both spikes and snowshoes , most trails aren’t necessarily packed out and even when trail reports indicate they are, it’s always recommended to carry both..

[AK Granola]

I’m still wondering about the wisdom of not bringing snowshoes on a trip like this. Of course local conditions rule. I was out for a day hike today on trails that were reported to be hard packed, but weren’t. Walking was really trudging, like walking in deep sand. Not postholing, but also would have been way easier with snowshoes, or possibly even grippers – just something for traction. I also noticed that our snow is hip deep off trail, so going to the toilet, gathering wood, etc. would have been a pain without snowshoes. Just a day hike so didn’t matter to me.

[Ryan W]

Thanks for this great article Ryan. I’m trying to piece together the evolution of your winter gear from your original 2004 article and 2014 update Winter Backpacking Checklist to your 2019 article Lightweight Backpacking Gear for Cold Winter Temperatures  to this current article…and have a few questions.

1. You don’t mention vapor barriers (other than mitts) in this most recent article. Are vapor barrier clothing still part of your clothing system? Only in really cold temps? Part of your sleep system? Why, why not?
2. What are your current thoughts on Brynje Base Layers? You explore them in your 2012 article Just Say No to Wicking, but don’t really mention them again. Although I see you sold (some of? all?) your Brynje Base Layers in March of this year here. I’ve read Andrew Marshall’s 2019 article Brynje Thermo Mesh Review, but am interested in your current thoughts. In a normal clothing system? With a vapor barrier clothing and/or sleep system?

I’ve been researching the pro-cons of Vapor Barriers and am trying to decide whether to try them out more extensively than my current use of bread bags in my shoes. Looking forward to your response. Thanks.

[jscott]

In Karen’s picture…nordic skis would be my choice for sure!

Do people know not to walk/snowshoe on ski tracks? It ruins them for the next skier.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Hmmmm. I see your tarp Ryan and shiver – shiver because I’ve slept under tarps in winter when I was too poor to afford a backpacking tent. I’m very comfortable in my Tarptent Moment DW (“solid” inner wall). But yes, it weighs more than a tarp, unless you include that ivy sack, that is.

But I do have a Tarptent Notch Li (Dyneema) tent that, all guyed out and fly edges staked down (I added stake loops) it would likely do very well in winter since it too has a “solid” inner wall. I’ll try it this winter.

My stove is an MSR Whisperlite Universal in petrol mode with a home made light plywood base and MSR windscreen.

For melting snow I have also taken my Trail Designs Sidewinder titanium Caldera Cone stove  and burned available downed wood sticks of finger thickness. Works great with the Inferno insert for maximum heat and is far lighter than carrying extra white gas fuel.

BTW, my REI FLASH All Season air mattress (R 5.2)  is warm to about -10 F. and after that to -20 F. with a 1/8″ closed cell floor underlayment pad I cut to mummy shape. After that I’d use my ridge rest foam pad under the FLASH mattress using my-20 F. LL Bean down mummy.

 

 

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