Equipment
Collecting glacial runoff for water at High Camp #1
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Equipment
Collecting glacial runoff for water at High Camp #1
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Mountain Services and Logistics
Below is a table of my equipment and its weight from my 2005 trip. If you are having mules bring your supplies to the lower camps, as most hikers do, you can afford to have some heavy "luxury" items. Just be sure you can get along without them at the higher camps. I tend to suffer from the cold more than others, so I bring a lot of good cold weather gear, especially for sleeping. I was warm every night. I bought a huge down parka that kept me warm during a summit day blizzard. Others who brought less warm sleeping bags and just a closed cell foam pad were often cold. A good night's sleep is very important. On the other hand, so is carrying a light load. You can get both by hiring a high altitude porter. Otherwise, it's a hard tradeoff.
In the debate on long vs short ice axes, I would recommend the traditional longer axe. On the Normal Route you will not encounter any steep ice that requires swinging the axe. I think it's better to have a long shaft that enables use as a walking pole while standing upright. One very cool axe I saw in 2006 was one with a telescoping pole.
To store and transport your crampons a simple and cheap solution is to get a block of foam. Packing foam that you might find around some newly purchased electronics seems to work best. I wrapped mine in masking tape to ensure that little bits of foam wouldn't flake off. You just stick your crampon points into the foam.
I carried a fairly large and heavy pack in 2005. It made it easy when transporting gear to the higher camps. In 2006 I hired a porter. I also used a much smaller pack, saving 3-4 pounds just on the pack itself.
One person on our 2005 trip managed to rent everything he took on the trip. He did extremely well, but I don't recommend that approach. If you are familiar with your equipment, and your boots (including your plastic boots) are well broken in you're likely to have a more enjoyable time and a better chance at the summit.
| Item | qnt | unit weight (decimal lbs) | total weight (decimal lbs) | |
| outerwear | ||||
| plastic boots w/liners | 2 | 3.31 | 6.63 | |
| river shoes (pair) | 1 | 0.81 | 0.81 | |
| fingerless glove | 2 | 0.06 | 0.13 | |
| sneakers | 2 | 0.88 | 1.75 | |
| facemask | 1 | 0.16 | 0.16 | |
| balaclava | 1 | 0.19 | 0.19 | |
| GoreTex jacket | 1 | 2.50 | 2.50 | |
| GoreTex pants | 1 | 1.88 | 1.88 | |
| down jacket | 1 | 1.88 | 1.88 | |
| gaiters | 1 | 0.63 | 0.63 | |
| mittens | 1 | 0.63 | 0.63 | |
| wool hat | 1 | 0.19 | 0.19 | |
| baseball cap w/neck shield | 1 | 0.19 | 0.19 | |
| subtotal | 17.53 | lbs | ||
| clothing | ||||
| briefs | 3 | 0.16 | 0.47 | |
| polyester t-shirt | 3 | 0.44 | 1.31 | |
| cotton boxers | 1 | 0.25 | 0.25 | |
| cotton tshirt | 1 | 0.50 | 0.50 | |
| wool socks | 3 | 0.19 | 0.56 | |
| polartec jacket | 1 | 1.63 | 1.63 | |
| polartec pants | 1 | 0.88 | 0.88 | |
| long john bottoms | 1 | 0.50 | 0.50 | |
| long john tops | 1 | 0.50 | 0.50 | |
| convertible pants | 1 | 0.81 | 0.81 | |
| subtotal | 7.41 | lbs | ||
| technical equipment | ||||
| crampons + box | 1 | 2.50 | 2.50 | |
| ice axe | 1 | 1.44 | 1.44 | |
| ThermaRest inflatable pad | 1 | 1.19 | 1.19 | |
| ThermaRest egg crate pad | 1 | 0.94 | 0.94 | |
| backpack | 1 | 7.50 | 7.50 | |
| water filter | 1 | 1.50 | 1.50 | |
| basic hiking pole | 1 | 0.69 | 0.69 | |
| hiking pole w/compass | 1 | 0.88 | 0.88 | |
| sleeping bag w/stuff sack | 1 | 4.00 | 4.00 | |
| polartec blanket (est weight) | 1 | 1.44 | 1.44 | |
| hydration pouch w/tube | 1 | 0.22 | 0.22 | |
| pack cover | 1 | 0.56 | 0.56 | |
| extra strap | 1 | 0.06 | 0.06 | |
| stuff sack | 3 | 0.19 | 0.56 | |
| nalgene bottle (2 water, 1 pee) | 3 | 0.31 | 0.94 | |
| ½ of a tent (est weight) | 1 | 4.00 | 4.00 | |
| subtotal | 28.41 | lbs | ||
| electronics/light | ||||
| GPS | 1 | 0.31 | 0.31 | |
| AA battery | 6 | 0.06 | 0.38 | |
| camera w/film loaded | 1 | 0.88 | 0.88 | |
| roll of film | 3 | 0.06 | 0.19 | |
| headlamp w/batts & extra lamp | 1 | 0.18 | 0.18 | |
| watch | 1 | 0.06 | 0.06 | |
| subtotal | 1.99 | lbs | ||
| medical/hygene | ||||
| lip balm w/sunscreen | 1 | 0.03 | 0.03 | |
| toothpaste | 1 | 0.06 | 0.06 | |
| toothbrush | 1 | 0.06 | 0.06 | |
| sunscreen | 1 | 0.06 | 0.06 | |
| dental floss | 1 | 0.03 | 0.03 | |
| alcohol wipes (package) | 1 | 0.03 | 0.03 | |
| soap (est) | 1 | 0.25 | 0.25 | |
| spyroflex bandage | 1 | 0.06 | 0.06 | |
| sanitary wipes (package in ziploc) | 1 | 0.25 | 0.25 | |
| towel | 1 | 0.19 | 0.19 | |
| toilet paper | 1 | 0.38 | 0.38 | |
| antibiotics in film canister | 1 | 0.06 | 0.06 | |
| immodium in film canister | 1 | 0.06 | 0.06 | |
| aspirin in film canister | 1 | 0.06 | 0.06 | |
| earplugs in film canister | 1 | 0.06 | 0.06 | |
| subtotal | 1.66 | lbs | ||
| misc | ||||
| book | 1 | 1.00 | 1.00 | |
| sunglasses (est weight) | 1 | 0.13 | 0.13 | |
| scissors | 1 | 0.06 | 0.06 | |
| water | 1 | 8.00 | 8.00 | |
| food | 1 | 15.00 | 15.00 | |
| subtotal | 24.19 | lbs | ||
| Total | 81.18 | lbs | ||
| city stuff | supplied by Guide | |||
| shorts | tent | |||
| tshirts | food | |||
| pants | stove, cookware, utensils | |||
| toiletries | ||||
| briefs/boxers | ||||
| socks | ||||
Choosing and using crampons and ice axes