Pro Guiding Service - Diet for a Fat Pack

We were 10 hours into a ski-mountaineering traverse through the North Cascades. Toting 25-pound packs, we had blitzed half of our route's 38-mile distance and logged 6000 feet of vertical. As we linked tele turns down the steep slopes into White Rock Lakes, we passed the team whose tracks we had been seeing all day.

The three of them were cratering their way down the same slopes under the tyranny of expedition packs. Their faces were scraped from the hammer of heavy loads nailing their heads into granular snows. We stopped to exchange news and they looked enviously at our lean packs and clean tracks. Before leaving them, I popped the question.

"How long you been out."

"Three days and you?"

Traveling with enough gear to safely traverse the wilderness, but not so much as to be enslaved by your creature comforts, is an old concept. Nearly twenty years ago, Yvon Chouinard preached that added weight translated into slower speeds, emphasizing in his book Climbing Ice that if you carried bivouac gear, you would bivouac. A century before that, Thoreau and Muir were the messengers of minimalism, attesting to the distances the unencumbered could travel.

For skiers, unneeded weight not only slows you down, it ruins one of the sport's fundamental joys - the kinetic pleasure of turning. Double the weight of a pack, say from 25 to 50 pounds, and you'll quarter your carving pleasure.

Traveling light means many things.

It means doubling up. Carry a three-quarter-length sleeping pad and employ your empty pack as a pad for your feet, use an ice axe (if the trip demands one) as your shovel handle, sleep in your dry camp clothes and travel with a lighter bag, get all electric devices working on AA batteries so one set of spare cells services the lot, use a watch with a built-in altimeter....

It means monitoring the small details because many one-ounce savings add up to pounds. Shave the handles off toothbrushes, clip the useless borders of maps, buy sample sizes of toothpaste, roll only as much toilet paper as needed, transfer part of a bottle of sunscreen into a film canister, trash all excess food packaging... It means buying smart. Much of today's equipment is unnecessarily heavy. Many products are built to survive a fall off El Cap. Others add portly features that sound sexy in catalogs but are useless in the field.

Finally, it means compromising. Those items that enhance nighttime comfort�down booties, Therm-a-Rest chairs, candle lanterns are paid for by day with sweat, falls, and lost miles. Leave them behind. Another compromise: Some ultralight equipment�packs and raingear made from lighter fabrics�will tear when slashed by crampons or steel edges. Pamper them. The pains of compromise are more than offset by the gains: with a light pack you'll travel unbelievable distances, enjoy both downhill and uphill slopes, and reach remote locations beyond the range of the burdened.

By combining all the fat-free strategies discussed in this article, you'll carve pounds of lard from your pack. In fact, through deadweight management, you can easily whittle a 45-pound pack into a 30-pound one. Here's how.

PACKS

It's a sad truth: the gear you tote expands to fill the pack you own. So, buying small is the prime directive of pack ownership. A pack with a normal capacity of 2800 to 3000 cubic inches and with a sliding top pocket (giving the pack another 600 cubic inches of storage) is palatial for day trips, perfect for long weekends, workable (though not easily so) for five-day spring tours and a good four pounds lighter than the load monsters most people employ for anything longer than a day trip. Because you aren't hauling huge loads in such packs, you don't need a sophisticated internal frame or suspension system a padded foam back with one or two vertical aluminum stays will do the job. One pack to consider in this genre: Alpenlite's Ascent II (30oz). Ballistic cloth, padded foam back, and a sleek profile make the pack light while the 3200-cubic-inch capacity keep you honest to the goals of keeping the beast manageable.

If multi-day wilderness tours are a regular part of your diet, consider Mont-Bell's** Ultralight Alpine 65 (3lbs 14oz). Its 3400-cubic-inch body can expand upward to accommodate 4500 cubic inches of gear�a lot of capacity for a sub-four-pound carrier. The 210-denier Tensilite nylon keeps the pack light while the wishbone suspension supports any load you can stuff inside. Another lightweight and body-hugging entry in this pack size is The North Face Cirque (3lbs 14oz). It's 500-denier Cordura Plus fabric is tougher than the Alpine 65's. The Cirque gets its weight savings through a simple frame/suspension system composed of an ensolite backpad (which can be pulled out and used as a sleeping pad) supported by one aluminum stay. You'll need to try the pack on with weight to determine whether that frame sits well on you.

If, contrary to the prime directive, you need a load monster (expeditions, arctic conditions), consider Mont-bell's Expedition 90 (4lbs 1oz). Pros: big capacity (4200 to 5500 cubic inches), excellent suspension, skis well for a whale, weighs almost three pounds less than competitive ogres. Cons: the lighter fabric, while strong, is susceptible to lacerations from sharp objects.

WINDGEAR

Recently I've de-evolved to outerwear strategies I abandoned 18 years ago when waterproof/breathable fabrics hit the market. My most valuable garments now are the uncoated nylon anorak (5.5oz) and uncoated nylon pants (5.5oz) purchased from the Goodwill for a whopping $3 each. They are amazingly warm, shame waterproof/breathables in their ability to ventilate, and shed snow (whether you fall on it or it falls on you). For windgear that's functional, fashionable, and affordable, look at the unlined shells sold at traditional sporting-goods stores.

OUTERWEAR

In the Cascades where I often ski, swampy snows falling from 34-degree skies are a fact of life. Such conditions are incredibly hypothermic and the waterproof/breathables I've used have leaked after a season or two of use. I've reverted to carrying uncoated windgear (described above) and nonbreathable (but more reliable) polyurethane-coated outerwear. I know this inexpensive outerwear will shed those drenching, body-chilling snows without bogging down the pack. My Eastport supercoated, full-zip rainpants from Helly Hansen weigh in at 8.5 ounces and my polyurethane-coated Cascade Jacket from REI tip the scales at 13 ounces.

In colder continental climates, supersaturated snows are rare and the waterproof/breathables really come into their element. Mont-bell's** Versalite Jacket (10oz) and Pants (7oz) are unlined, no-nonsense, well-designed shells whose DryTec coating shed water deftly while breathing adequately. On the heavy-duty side of lightweight outerwear is Marmot's Stormlight Jacket (17oz) and Cloudlight Pants (10oz). Both these low-frill, 3-ply Gore-Tex garments are up to the challenge of shedding the fiercest wintertime weather and surviving the abuses of sharp tools (crampons, axes, metal edges).

HEADS and NECKS

About 90% of a clothed body's heat escapes from the noggin. Another chink in your insulative armor is the conduit of the neck which allows warm air to flow up and out of clothing. So how do you get a sweater's worth of warmth (a sweater you will leave at home) from items with a quarter of the poundage? Carry an extra hat (preferably a balaclava) and a neck warmer. Hats with Windstopper Fleece (like those made by Outdoor Research) give you big gains in warmth with negligible gains in weight. Neck warmers, meanwhile, should be wide enough to bridge between the bottom of your balaclava and the top of your coat.

INSULATING LAYERS

Following is the complete list of insulating layers I carry on most multi-day tours: lightweight synthetic long underwear (tops and bottoms), synthetic expedition-weight long underwear top, pile or down jacket, synthetic sweat pants, two hats, neck warmer, two pair liner socks and two pair insulating socks, synthetic glove liners, gloves or mittens (depending on temperatures expected).

That's not much clothing, but I know I don't require many layers when moving and that I've got the tent and sleeping bag for warmth after I stop. I know that breathing through a mask, neck warmer, or balaclava (around camp) has a huge impact on keeping me warm. And I know that in an emergency a Nalgene bottle full of boiling water and laid next to my belly will bail me out.

The light arsenal I've recommended is much warmer if a down sweater rather than a pile jacket is your big gun for core insulation. Coats like Feather Friends' Helio or Volant, weighing in at 15 and 19 ounces respectively, or Marmot's Down Sweater (20oz), are lighter than pile coats and considerably warmer. Meanwhile, Patagonia's Puffball Pullover (15oz) is lighter and as warm as a pile coat, and its Microloft synthetic insulation is more dependable than down in wet environs.

If my guidelines are too frigid for your taste, the next garment to stuff in the pack is not an additional coat but a vest (pile or down) to keep your core warm without the weight and bulk of sleeves. Next, insulate your legs with down pants like Feather Friends' Volant Pants (14oz).

SLEEPING

It's been years since I've bothered with the weight of a true winter bag. My 3 1/4-pound, 700-fill down bag from Feather Friends has seen me through ski traverses in the Yukon Territories and Canadian Rockies, while a 2-pound Swallow (also from Feather Friends) has sustained me on long ski tours in the Cascades, Sierras, and Rockies. When it's really cold, I wear dry clothes to bed as these layers are along for the ride so I put them to use eliminating a few pounds of bag weight.

Down bags can't be beat for their weight-warmth ratio. Superb, lightweight bags are made by both Feather Friends and Marmot Mountain. Fine 2 1/2-pound bags, using 550-fill down, are also made by The North Face and REI. The Blue Kazoo (2lbs 5oz) from The North Face is rated to 20 degrees while REI's Down Time ( 2lbs 10oz) is rated to 15 degrees.

If you ski in wet country, synthetic bags have their place. One of the lightest entries (3lbs 1oz) is Sierra Design's Lite'N Up using Thinsulate Lite Loft insulation (rated to20 degrees).

If you don't like sleeping in clothes, a 7-ounce trick for boosting the comfort range of your bag ten degrees is to sleep in a vapor barrier liner. Both Marmot and Feather Friends sell such liners for about $35. For day trips, the same liner can double as a 7-ounce shelter should storms or injury trap you in the backcountry. Seal the seams at home first.

Couples who ski together should consider doubling up. A Feather Friends down sleeping bag like the Penguin (3lbs) zipped onto a 13-ounce ground sheet containing sleeves to anchor ensolite or Therm-a-Rest pads, creates a lightweight bed that will keep a couple warm even when the mercury dips into the low teens.

Regarding sleeping pads, a three-quarter length UltraLite Therm-a-Rest from Cascade Designs (17oz) is about the best bang for the burden. Lay your feet across your emptied pack.

TENTS

Bibler makes some of the lightest tents available. The I-Tent (3lbs 10oz) and GLT (3lbs 6oz) are two-person single-wall tents (waterproof/breathable fabric) made to withstand the rigors of storms on the world's highest peaks. They are dry, blizzard tough, and, importantly for wintertime use, easy to pitch. They're also cramped. But since you are traveling light and wearing most of what you packed, why waste weight on extra space to shelter the gear you didn't bring?

For three-person groups, Black Diamond's Megamid (3lbs 7oz) offers another shoulder-friendly possibility. This floorless tent is tedious to pitch and is not suited to high winds. But near or below timberline where stands of trees provide windbreaks, the room-to-weight ratio of its 9' X 9' footprint makes it an extremely attractive alternative. The absence of a floor has some drawbacks: you need a waterproof sheet to sleep on. The same feature has notable benefits: no snow to track in, wear your boots inside the tent, cook without fear of spills.

COOKING

For two- to three-day tours with access to running water, leave behind the cooking paraphernalia. Cold pizza makes a caloric lightweight meal and, of course, there are all the common energy foods: gorp, PowerBars, sugared drinks, granola, breakfast drinks, salami, jerky, dried fruit, bagels, cream cheese... Bring a one-quart metal pot as your bowl in the event of an emergency, you can use it to melt snow over a fire.

When a stove is necessary (longer trips or to melt snow), consider the MSR Whisperlite International (14oz). With no heavy case housing the stove and by employing the fuel bottle as the fuel tank, these cookers are a half-pound lighter than most of the field. They burn hot, pack away small, support loads stably, and deflect wind well. And unlike the original Whisperlite, whose jet requires frequent cleaning, the International has a built-in cleaning needle that lets you shake the jet clean before you fire it up.

To keep your cook kit light, use aluminum pots (even Ronald Reagan will testify that the link between Alzheimer's and aluminum cookware is lame). Also, a 16- to 20-ounce cup with half-cup measuring marks scratched in the sides lets you leave behind all other cups, bowls, and plates. Finally MSR's heat exchanger (6oz) wraps around cooking pots and reduces fuel consumption by 25% it pays for its weight on trips longer than four days.

SHOVEL

A light weight product is pointless if it doesn't hold up to the job, and for safety gear (like avalanche shovels) poor gear is downright dangerous. Voile's aluminum avalanche shovel (1lb 10oz) is the lightest shovel I would feel good about (yes, this is an oxymoron) should I find myself on the suffocating end of a snow slide. But I would feel good only if I knew my partner knew how to use it. Light shovels like this cannot be used to pry away hunks of avalanche debris--snow blocks must be chopped free with the shovel, then scooped out.

If your tour dictates having an ice axe along, check whether the axe shaft will double as the shovel handle.

FIRST AID

Several medical doctors I ski with have confessed that there isn't a lot you can do about major injuries in the field, so why tote huge first-aid kits pretending otherwise? Here's the minimum kit they recommend: moleskin, assorted sizes of bandaids and bandages, several non-stick gauze pads, butterfly closures, adhesive tape, iodine swabs or a small bottle of betadine, ibuprofen or naproxen, small bar of soap, oral pain killers like hydrocodone or codeine, broad spectrum antibiotics like Augmentin and Biaxin.

A more complete kit for those with the knowledge to use these supplies might include any of the following: 3-0 and 4-0 nylon sutures on curved needles, chromic suture for deep wounds, needle driver for suturing, morphine, Valium, 3cc syringe, 25-gauge needles for injections, Lomotil (control diarrhea), ciprofloxacin (another broad spectrum antibiotic), antihistamine like Benadryl, Compazine (suppository), Lasix (for altitude sicknesses), fine scissors, scalpel blade, tape thermometer.

REPAIR KIT

For a lightweight kit capable of repairing most any equipment failure carry: a wad of duct tape rolled over on itself, partial tubes of quick set epoxy glue, partial tube of Aquaseal (patches holes and tears in almost all materials), an expedition awl and thread (pulled out of REI's Expedition Sewing Kit), 30 feet of 1/8" nylon cord, two sturdy sewing needles, several lengths of nylon thread, two four-inch squares of rip-stop nylon and another of packcloth nylon, several nylon hose clamps, a 16-penny nail (hammered with a rock it can "drill" holes for binding repair), stick of glide wax, extra AA batteries, spare flashlight bulb, miscellaneous binding and crampon screws, and a spare ski-pole basket. Add to this a Leatherman Tool, the lightest (and perhaps the strongest) multi-tool containing pliers. Also, add a pole repair kit fashioned from a seven-inch section of an old aluminum ski pole (saw this section, lengthwise, into two halves and tape the two halves like a splint or cast�around a broken pole).

Carry only one kit per party but make sure everyone brings repair items peculiar to their bindings, crampons, and flashlight.

CLIMBING TOOLS

Ski mountaineers generally follow nontechnical routes up the peaks they ski. Such routes often have steep or icy pitches meriting the use of crampons and/or ice axes, yet skiers often leave these tools behind. Why? Unless skiers are positive the ice tools are necessary, they don't want to shoulder an extra four to five pounds.

The Nepal Light ice axe made by Grivel (9.3 ounces) and the Stubai Trekking Crampon (21 oz), however, are not only high-quality tools, they�re light enough to pack even if the odds of using the tools is slight. That's good news when you consider that long slides on snow are the Number One cause of backcountry accidents.

MISCELLANY

Compasses. The Silva Guide (1.2oz) is less than half the weight of the top-of-the-line Silva Ranger (3oz), yet is remarkably accurate and completely capable of leading you through complex terrain.

Firestarter. Along with a lighter, carry several one-inch squares of rubber (cut from an old inner tube) in case emergencies demand a fast fire. Light and waterproof, each rubber square burns for several minutes.

Maps. Trim excess borders. If a portion of your route only nicks the corner of a map, photocopy that section.

Cameras. Compact point-and-shoot cameras are not much to tote but multiple single-lens-reflex (SLR) cameras in your party create unnecessary tonnage. Consider taking just one SLR camera and having the best photographer take multiple shots of each image. Extra film is shoulder friendly compared to extra glass.

Watches. A wrist watch with a built-in altimeter, alarm, and thermometer saves you several ounces of weight, several pieces of gear, and much fussing over finding that gear. The Casio Twin Sensor Alti Thermo (2oz) houses a remarkably accurate altimeter, five alarm settings (helpful if you tend to sleep through the first few), and a very accurate thermometer (if you distance the watch from the warmth of your body). It is also waterproof and sports a light for nighttime viewing.

Lights. Unless you're planning to navigate at night, a Mini-MagLite turned into a headlamp with a Night Ize strap (total weight: 5.25oz) is suitable for all your camping needs and is half the weight of most headlamps. Another superb option: the Petzl Micro headlight (5.25oz). The Micro has an adjustable beam, and if you require greater candle power for navigating after dark, pack along a halogen bulb (bring extra batteries to feed that bulb).

Candles. Leave the lantern behind and hot wax your candles to a pot lid or to the bottom of a plastic eating cup (clear Rubbermaid cups are best for letting the light escape).

Books. My wife and I often read the same paperback book. Since one of us is often a few chapters behind the other, we simply tear the book apart as needed. Does this enter the realm of the ridiculous? Is it too extreme? Perhaps. On the other hand, it's the sum of extremes that defines the difference between a Winnebago and a Geo Metro.

SIDEBAR
Alpenlite: 505-751-7389
Black Diamond: 801-278-5552
Bibler Tents: 303-449-7351
Cascade Designs: 800-531-9531
Casio: 201-361-5400
Feathered Friends: 206-443-9549
Grivel: 800-451-5127
Helly Hansen: 800-555-8441
Leatherman Tool: 800-847-8665
Marmot Mountain:707-544-4590
MSR: 206-624-8573
Outdoor Research: 206-467-8197
Petzl: 800-282-7673
REI: 800-426-4840
Sierra Design: 800-736-8551
Silva Compasses: 800-847-1460
Stubai: 800-366-2666
The North Face 800-384-3223
Voile: 801-973-8622