Back country gear

[Thundercat 60]

Howdy!

 

I'm looking for suggestions on buying full bc gear. What do you use? Want to use? Dream of using?

[mitchpee 10]

Originally Posted By: Black Mountain

Howdy!

I'm looking for suggestions on buying full bc gear. What do you use? Want to use? Dream of using?

Tracker 2 beacon, BCA probe, bd deploy shovel. All in all only had to do 1 rescue and it went well. Awesome gear so far, light and works well.

Anything you are looking at in particular? I have used a LOT of avy stuff. Still have an ortovox f1 that I will prob bring to Japan and a Mammut m2 pulse that I sold not long ago.

[Thundercat 60]

Thanks Mitch! I knew I could count on you! I'm also looking for snowshoes. Retiring my old pair.

[mitchpee 10]

Originally Posted By: Black Mountain

Thanks Mitch! I knew I could count on you! I'm also looking for snowshoes. Retiring my old pair.

Atlas series 11 is what my non-splitboarder friends use

[Jynxx 4]

Pieps DSP

cos I live in Germany. My in-laws use Mammut

 

The snowshoes are expensive here.

[yamabushi 3]

Black Mountain, are you a snowboarder? Atlas series 12 are made for snowboard boots. Atlas are a tad heavier than other snowshoes, but that extra weight is used to build a strong snowshoe.

 

Before I would worry about beacon/shovel/probe, take a good look at what you wear under your jacket. The best beacon in the world will not keep you warm if you get stuck out there in the mountain. If it happens, it will happen at the end of the day when you are wet, tired, and cold. Your clothing ought to be your #1 concern for the BC.

 

Me, I swear by Patagonia Micro Puff. The performance of this stuff is unreal, wet or dry. Thermal undies and another layer of wool and I'm good for -10F

 

I also carry a down sleeping bag rated to only 45 degrees F. It is tinny, it disappears on my bag, but in conjunction with good undergarment choices and a sleeping bag cover, it should keep my dumb ass alive overnight.

 

Emergency rations; never leave home without them. This is simple enough; as long as you can shiver, your body will keep you warm. If you can't, either because your muscles got too tired or because they ran out of fuel, hypothermia sets in and you pretty much punch your ticket out. In addition to the usual candy bar crap and half-eaten niku man,I carry half a cup of flax seed oil (about 1k cals) plus another thousand calories in the form of simple sugars and protein powders. Won't stop me from being hungry but will certainly help fuel the body.

 

Add heavy duty pain killers to your emergency kit and use with care. They tend to compromise your common sense. Also add a bunch of caffeine pills to your kit. If you get exhausted and stopping is not an option, they will help.

 

I also carry one of them stoves with the compressed fuel canister and titanium cup. And some dry Japanese soup. If you get cold drinking something hot is nice.

 

A tool kit with zip ties, duct tape, 550 cord, nylon cord, lightweight multitool, lightweight flash light, etc.

 

The most crucial and personal piece of gear is the backpack that carries everything. The way I like them is on the small side, with good straps to make loading/unloading the board or snowshoes a snap.

[Jynxx 4]

Hey, great lifesaving tips here.

 

I wear melino wool long underwear but never thought about layering that.

Also the small sleeping bag carry. I have just the one for it!

Expect the worst and prepare for an overnight. Roger that.

 

Come to think of it, Hakkoda is the scene of the worst Imperial Japanese training disaster...

 

Where I am, I think more Avi and back protector

[mitchpee 10]

Definitely some awesome tips. I use an avalung pack too, haven't had to USE it yet, but ready to just in case.

 

Definitely good to be prepared but if you are only going to do slackcountry/day trips the excess weight of a lot of stuff can definitely pose a problem too. Guess you just have to judge it on a case by case basis. Food is something I always bring and a light insulating layer. THe micro puff you mentioned is perfect, another good one is the montbell ultralight.

[yamabushi 3]

The funny thing is that, 'need' priority and 'buy' priority are not the same.

 

The first thing I would buy is the backpack. This is such a personal item that I would not buy one sight-unseen unless I had no choice. That doesn't mean that I would buy it at the particular store I would see it; if you have access to the U.S. market your best bet would be to check it locally and then order it online.

 

When you test the backpack, plan on spending a lot of time at the store. Empty the thing, load the thing, bring your snowboard and snowshoes, or grab one from the shelf and strap it to the backpack. If they have a shovel put one inside and a set of poles on the outside. Jump around, squat with it, sit on the floor and get up. Basically you want to make sure that the load can be secured to the backpack, and that the backpack can be adjusted to your back so, no matter what, you and the pack moves as a unit. Don't worry about the Japanese; regardless of what you do they will stare so you might as well give them a show. Just to make sure do the above with gloves on to see how easy it is, keeping in mind that once your hands are cold it will be harder.

 

Just about every backpack I have owned needed some modifications. Some as little as trimming straps that were too long (keeping in mind that is easier to trim than to add), others adding straps for equipment, adjustment points, or mount points. The thread you want to sow with is called upholstery thread.

 

I like to keep my backpacks on the small side. If you pack smart, a small pack will be fine. I also like to carry a waist pack for the things I want readily available (camera, candy bars, map, etc). The reality is that most external pockets on a BC backpack go unused because taking it off, fiddling with a strapped board/snowshoes, and re strapping everything is such a pain in the ass that I don’t count on those.

 

My early season backpack is a modified Camelbak Ambush AB 500, with an additional snap-on strap (it already had one) plus a waist strap. The thing was meant just to carry the water bladder, which I removed for cargo space. This is enough for a 45degree down sleeping bag, bag cover, stove & fuel, McGuiver kit, and other goodies if I pack them well. It is small and well suited to carry snowshoes, and even the snowboard albeit ineficiently (I don't do a lot of hiking on the early season). My other backpack is a North Face off chute 22. Bigger than the Camelbak but small by most standards. I don't think that it is made anymore but an outstanding pack if you can find it.