Gear List

Qty.DescriptionUsersHeightNotes
Climbing
260m 8.5mm double ropesM,C,S5947 
62' T-beM,C,Sm style snow picketsM,C,S5947For our particular route in our particular year, one or two 3' would have been nice for aiding over the bergschrund.
 Smiley stoppers, sizes 2,4,6,8,10 5947not used
7BD express ice screws (1x13cm, 4x17cm, 2x22cm)M,C5947For our particular route in our particular year, 2-3 would have been sufficient
 BD Sabertooth cramponsM5947Fine. Overkill on our route, but whatever. I wish BD would make a better anti-bot plate. Actually, I thin they do for their newer models, which I'm keen to check out.
 Grivel ??? cramponsS5947 
 Fang cramponsC5947 
1 prBD Cobra technical ice toolsM5947Perfection in ice tool form.
1 prLucky toolsC5947 
1 prCHAOS toolsS5947 
1 prBD Whippet ski poles (1 w/ self arrest grip)M5947I though it worked very well. I was able to climb a number of places with these which others had to stash their poles in favor of tools. And I think in general ski poles work fine for trekking situations, unless one has elbow problems. They feel more sturdy (granted mine only telescope doubly, not triply), and give more power if you approach trekking (physically speaking) like skate skiing.
1 prTrekking polesS5947 
2BD alpine bod harnessM,S5947Worked wonderfully. Say what people will, I used the gearloops I made for this harness, though I think Scott found it no problem to do w/o, and truth be told, I probably could have gotten away w/o them, and used my pac straps, etc. (But, then, this is my only harness...) If you're buying, try to buy the newer ones w/ the easy-clip leg-loops. Also, Scott shoew me a trick - attach your daisy to the top, waist, belt only, in the pocket made for it; then you'll not have to take it off and on each time you climb.
 ??? HarnessC5947 
1 eaHelmetM,C,S5947Less falling ice than we excepted, but only because we got up at midnight to ensure being first on the route, and then, as we rapped, found that only three parties had summitted (of 15 tents at high camp the previous night!)
1 eabelay tubesM5947I'm considering seriously 2x follower, locking belay devices. In the cold and dark it was Hell pulling rope for two followers. Thinking about the Gi Gi.
1 eaCordelette 5947 
 slings, prussiks 5947about two prussiks, three slings ea.
 locking carabiners 5947~ 2/ ea., + belay biners
Sleep
 North Face Expedition-25 tentM,C,S5500Bomber big and beautiful, but very heavy. Though a pole was bent going into the trip, it got no worse. And spacious. This 2.5 person design, w/ 2 doors and vestibules, fit us all commfortably. Cooking inside the vestibules (since the Dragonfly is so preditable - see review) was quite low-risk. But it's heavy: more than ten pounds. We're looking into Stephensons or Biblers for our next trip. Another set of Biblers at col camp was said to have behaved quite well. One other minor complaint was the difficulty in setting up, due to it's very tight design (much tighter, e.g., than the NF mtn tent). Water droplets formed between tent walls, and inside tent, but nothing to such an extent that moisture grew from day to day, or that our down bags were sufficiently compromised. We left the tops of doors unzipped to promote ventilation, even at col camp, with no serious affect on temperature. Could be improved by an attic, to make use of its high ceiling, and longer/ more guy-lines for girth-hitching to rocks (which we did). Overall, we were quite pleased with everything but the weight.
 North Face 18C (0F) down sleeping bagM5500Fine. Could have used a pre-trip silicone treatment, but not horrible that I missed it. At higher camps I wore most my clothes in the bag (incl. bibs, down), and was always warm. A little tight for one body, all his clothing, water bottles, and boot liners, but I seldom had a problem with this. I'm thinking about making a small hole so as to poke my water bladder's nozzle out of the bag so I don't inadvertantly roll onto it and soak myself.
 MarmotC5500 
 Aussie brandS5500 
 MEC sleeping bag linerS5500 
 silk sleeping bag linersS,C5500 
2Ridge RestM,S5500For the past four years I've used ridge rests almost exclusively, and for the first time I started to question them. First, the ridges trap water that drips down tent walls, or gets in the tent in the form of snow or spilled water, and ushers it directly under one's bag. Also, it just wasn't that warm (not unbearable, just colder than ever before). Lastly, when I would lie on Chris' thermarest, teh rocks posed less problem. Granted, these are all known problems with the ridge rest, and I've in the past always been willing to accept them in exchange for the security of knowing I'll not find myself w/o insulation. But between leak fixing kits, and the fact that a large portion of thermarest leaks are slow, I'm begining to reconsider.
 ThermarestC5500 
Mess
2MSR Dragonfly stovesM,C,S5500Beautiful. 20 days plus of high altitude cooking w/ less than Coleman quality white gas, and it never needed maintenance beyond a simple turning upside down. The simmer isn't of course very necessary when all you eat is no-cook meals, but why not? It still light, folds small, runs easily. We're not quite sure what people who say it doesn't work at altitude mean, for we had no problems up to 5500m. We did notice that in the cold, once we'd put out the flame, if we wished to start it again before the stove had cooled, we'd get a flame for between 1 and 15 seconds, at which point it would go out. We got around that problem by keeping the choke on simmer while starting. Lastly, we'd read about fuel burning rich in the Dragonfly at altitude; we kept pump pressure low and didn't notice any problems with this. (Though how does one notice such things?)
 Dragonfly maintenance kit 5500 
 spare pumpM,C,S5500Used when melting snow with two pots concurrently.
~3lighters 5500No problem at altitude; just a problem when wet, or when wearing heavy gloves.
 Sigg Tourister 2L, 1L aluminum pots, 1 pan/ lid. 5500Very efficient, flexible, light setup, although dented heavily on airplane or collectivo. I wish I could find another such set. Note: when melting snow (only time we ran two stoves concurrently), no lid is necessary.
 2 spoons, 2 Splife, 1 insulated 10 fl. oz. mug. 5500I thought this was a fine amount of utensils, except when the others insisted on eating spaghetti, but the answer is not to bring more shit, but to not eat spaghetti, which tates horrible at altitude anyway.
 Food 5947See page.
 MSR titanium spondonikleM5500Kicks ass! Totally worth the cost for the Titanium (esp. since I got them for free by accident)
 scouring pads 5500Worth the zero grams they cost.
 waterproof matches 5500unused, as always, thank goodness.
 MSR stove stand 5500We probably could have gotten away w/o the stove stand, but hadn't thought about that. It certanly was nice. Scouring pads are worth the 0 ounces they weigh.
 MSR Fuel bottlesM,C,S5500We were all worried about getting them through baggage check and customs. Having said that, laziness and procrastination kept me from doing anything beyond just rinsing mine well immediately previous to the trip. No problems encountered, though of course every situation is different, and the larger body of evidence on this topics seems to suggest it's worth washing your bottles adn letting them air dry for a few days at least, and the conservatives just buy fuel bottles in Huaraz.
 Fuel (benzina blanca: crappy white gas) 5500Purchased easily late Sunday night in Huaraz; presumably this is representative. Had to pay S/2.00 ($0.55) for canisters, so bring your fuel bottles to the white gas place and spend your soles on meat-on-a-stick.
4???Nalgenes w/ duct tapeS,C5500Mark forgot his, to no deliterious effect, save that more tape (esp. gaffer) could have proved useful.
 Camelback 3L unbottleM5940Beautiful - no leaks, kept water unfrozen except when I was stupid and left water in the hose. I wish there were a cap strong enough to keep me from worriying about leaks while I sleep with my water bottle at my side.
 Platypus 2.5L bladderS5940 
 Camelback 2L bladderC5940 
Misc camp
 Gregory Robson pack 5500Still going strong, after ~12 years of service. Recently had waist strap on lumbar pack restiched (by Gregory for free, expedient service, high quality work), and some of the straps have been riped by crampons or collectivos over the years nad been replaced by stop-gap solutions (one of the things I like about the bag is the amount of flexibility built into it, so that one can make repairs and extensions easily); otherwise, it's in fine shape. I keep it well silicone treated, and I think that helps, at least with snow if not with pummeling rain. Some day I shoud cut out the silly sleeping bag/ tent pole compartment dividors, and sew shut the sleeping bag and side opening zippers. Better to not have them at all, esp. since there's no webbing which goes around them (but not worth buying a new pack for), and the zippers, though beefy, could of course blow under the loads it sees. But at least I would be nice to not have them start to become unzipped, as was the case. It'd also be nice to have the axe loops slightly higher than their location next to where I stow my ridge rest. But all in all, it's a wonderful bag.
 Go-Lite day pack 5940Beautiful pack. Would it were slightly smaller, or had a very small waist belt (don't kill me for saying that). Wish the bottom two inches of each mesh pocket were nylon, to keep snow out. And the back mesh needn't go all the way to the top. All this is minor. It's the best pack of this sort I've come across.
1 eaAvalanche beacon 5500No avalanche danger on climb (except for the sort where beacons, or rescue in general, is of no use, such as when giant seracs or sides of mtns come down), so they didn't go past col camp. We weren't well enough practiced to make it worthwhile, anyway. (Not to suggest that the moral is to not use them, rather, to understand them better.)
 BD shovelM,C,S5500Glad we only used it for shoveling cow dung, not digging out dead friends' bodies. Also glad it had metal handle; can't imagine moving snow any other way.
 life link shovel 4300I hate plastic shovels, such that if I was worried about avalanches, I'd have made someone else carry my metatl on, and I'd carry the plastic. Then again, I'd try to make the other two carry the two shovels, since I (not knowing how low the av. danger would be when making plans in Berkeley) thought we should bring one per person.
1 eacompass 5940Hardly used. And then only usually as an inclinometer. Never needed, but glad to have had them. Scott and I kept them close to our person. Apparently some compasses don't work in the southern hemisphere; for what it's worth, ours all did. So interesting tidbit: magnetic declination is practically 0 deg. Less than the UTM declination, I believe!
 GPSM5500Used to mark food caches, but never needed, for that or more dire purposes. But then again, we were lucky, and may not have been. Having said that, the route finding was sufficiently trivial that I would trust myself to just a compass, or a compass and a map if trekking.
 Suunto altimeter watchS5940This rocked. Except for Scott, who owned and wore it, and had to tell me our elevation every three minutes. It's my next purchase. Beware, though, they're said to be fairly less accurate than a decent stand-alone analogue barameter. (Does anyone know anything about the algorythms these use to compute elevation independent of pressure?)
 Spare garbage bags 5940Not needed, though we coud have used more/ better bags for food.
 Petzl ZoomM,C5940Great, wonderful. Unnecessary (except for when I misplaced my Tikka), though I'd bring it again. As with all our other epic/ random bad thing gear, we didn't epic or have any random bad things happen, so we didn’t need them, but we'll bring them again.
 Petzl TikkaM,C5940The most beautiful item I own.
 Petzl DuoS5940Scott talked about this being a backup for itself, which is true, but Chris mentioned that for the weight increase of a Tikka plus a Zoom (if it even is a weight increase), you have a complete backup, for in case of burro trample, or loss, etc. I'm with Chris, though the Duo did perform wonderfully and easily. It's locking mechanism (which the Tikka and Zoom dont' have) are much anticipated and appreciated.
2Motorola T6200 family band radiosM,C,S5947These suck. Reception is poor, there's no mechanism forattaching, I don't trust the batter compartment lid, the settings changing is non-intuitive, they're big and heavy, and most importantly and horribly of all, they power button is configured so that they can, and do all the time, turn themselves on. It's unbelievable. Someone please recommend something better; I hate them hate them hate them.
1Motorola T5420 family band radiosM,C,S5947This model is slightly older, smaller, and doesn't turn on as easily. That is, it sucks slightly less.
9Li AA batteries (for radios, Zoom, Duo)M5940No battery changes needed, even though no attempt was made to make sure we had fresh batteries. The goal was to have one extra battery for every battery in use. I'd be keen to hear what others think abut this approach.
9Alk. AAA batteries (for av. beacon, Tikka)M5940When will they start making Li AAA batteries?!?
 Victorinox Swiss Champ pocket knifeM5940Arguably too big and heavy, but I used many portions of it (like tweezers, file, saw, pen, magnifying glass, pin, etc.). Not perfect, but until I find something better than everythign I've seen so far, I'll stick with it.
 Small pocketknifeS3555Lost first night.
 LeathermanC5940 
Toiletries
1toothbrushM550020 days? I guess we can swing a toothbrush. With full handle, no less!
1toothpasteM5500 
 Toilet paperS,C I say rocks and leaves and snow is fine (and inder to the environment), but I must admit I loved it when the ohters let me borrow theirs. Also, some will be necessary while in civilization.
 Insect repellentS I didn't find this necessary, even in lower, wetter climes. But then, I wore pants and long sleeves all the time.
 sun cream 5500Now none of this got into any of our packs on summit day, I'll never know. And more wretchedly, why I didn't remember that I have a small emergency tube in my first aid kit (which was packed), and therefore, after two weeks of constant vigilance two hours of bright/ high altitude, magnified-snow-reflected sun had me peeling for days... On the other had, sun problems are wonderful summit-day problems to have if one must have something.
 lip-balmS,C I wish I'd had some, and so, I'm sure, did my compatriots. Having said that, I deliberately went without, since using the stuff just breeds delicate lips, and except for summit day, and I think my sunburn, I was just fine.
Spares, repairs
1BD tool wrench 5940I wonder if this works for their crampons? Or if I'd bring it again (since I didn't bring a spare pick).
 Nuts and bolts for crampons, tools to adjust.  I don't think we actually brought any of this, thinking we could use packing tape (not that we remembered to bring that, either) and some wire I brought.
~1m16 gauge wire   
~7mSpare 3mm cordM5500Used to make tent guy-lines. Always useful. I'll bring it again.
 Spare shoelaces   
 Spare sunglasses  Scott brought these. Good plan. Why we didn't bring them on sumit day when we couldn't find Chris', I don't know.
1Spare O-ring for water bladderM5940Had a problem once, and it was a big one, so I take the o-ring everywhere I take my bladder (and it could conceivably be used for other rubberband-type things). No bladder problems on this trip, though. ;-)
Clothing
 Patagonia underwearM5947Beautiful stuff
 REI underwearM5500Only used in civilization, though carried everywhere (stupid). Not so nice as the Patagonia (what ever is?), but the details I'll eave as an exercise for the reader.
2liner socksM5947Fine. Didn't rorate or anything. Just wore one pair all the time, and didn't let them get too wet or stay wet too long. Didn't use a vaor barrier, which, though it wasn't that cold, I think I might try next trip.
 Smartwool blue insulating socksM5947Fine.
 Patagonia light long johnsM5947Great. After muchabuse, I finally retired my first pair and got another just like it for this trip. They're magnificent: warm, cool, dry, comfortable.
 Patagonia midweight fleece long johnsM5947Over the light weight long johns, and under bibs, I had a decently warm yet flexible system for climbing and sleeping. I've never found myself packing them or finding them useful until this trip, and ended up glad to have them. Probably won't use them again for a good long while, though.
 N. Face Coolmax long sleeve white TM5947Just a cheap warranty sale shirt, but I'm devoted to it, and it's always served me well, though sticking is coming out in numerous places.
 Marmot Fleece pulloverM5947Sucky, but I don't like fleece, so I'm reluctant to buy a new one. At least it needs pit-zips, and at least I should have not bought it way too small. I should have brought my Hind
 N. Face down jacketM5947Wonderful. Down hood was very nice. Would that it were removable. Also nice woud be a lower zipper, so I could unzip around my harness (since I was climbing in the down.) Much preferable to TNF's ??? Down.
 N. Face shellM5947Great. Lightweight yet realtively durable. Gore's repellancy treatment made it look good as new.
 Mtn Equip. Co-op bib overallsM5947These are beautiful. Wish they had Arc Teryx style zippers (flapless). And maybe yet another zipper on the fly area for mazimum ventilation flexibility.
 lightweight running glovesM5940Used all the time - on approach, while cooking in the cold, while sleeping. Indispensible
 garage sale glove linersM5940Also great. If I had to do wo one of my glove pairs, though, I guess this would be it.
 OR gripper glovesM5947Not often used except as insulation for udner over-mitts
 OR over mittsM5947I've never liked them. I don’t' like the way the velcro, constantly abraded, wears off and threads off, I don't like the velcro over the wrist at all. If they were slightly larger in the finger box one could use them a bit more like gloves. As it was, they weren't quite there. Yossi likes the OR Mutants, and thinking of getting them. Otherwise, maybe the BD ice climbing gloves? No good ideas.
 Columbia sun hatM5940I seem always to lose my OR Sonora hat, so had to buy this one in a pinch. It's goofy, but I suppose servicable.
 OR Gator GaitersM5947I can't wait for someone to develop a new gaitor technology. The ringlets never stay attached to the laces, and the velcro doesn't lend itself to tight closure. Not that I can' think of a better way. But hopefully soon someone else can.
 Lowa Civetta Extreme plastic bootsM5947I bought these boots and quickly had two eyelets break on me. I stayed wth them because I liked their flexiblity, light weight, and narrow last. But since saberteeth crampon toe bails are slightly large for the front welt (though not too bad), as well as the fact that the narrow last seems to hurt my feet, and the fact that though they're plenty warm they're not _that_ warm, I'm thining about getting the Kolflache degrees like everyone else, and then something else for Denali. Interstingly, I didn't seem to have much problem with the insulation expanding at altitude. One day i noticed it, but but afterward, even when higher up. Anyone have any ideas about this?
 Julbo Atlas glacier goggles M5947W/ Opticus Mickinley #3 presc. lenses. These are gorgeous creations. Non-polarized, block 93% of visible light (and everything else which they're of course supposed to), amber tinted for maximum definition in snow, real glass so they don't expand at altitude. Also since they're real glass they'e starting to develop some small scratches, and since they're super expensinve, I'm reluctant to clean them except in controlled conditions (my bedroom w/ glass cleaner). Also I took the nose piece out to promot ventilation at the expense of protection. With it out, fog is nil, even on warm, wet approaches, and given their shape and that of my head, my eyes don't get much sun even with it gone. I also have a nose piece, which many speak well of, but I forgot to bring it on the trip.
 EMS lightweight balaclavaM5940Beautiful, though I never put it on.
 OR Peruvian TukM5947Great. Shaped so that a helmet can fit over.
Photography
 Ricoh GR-1M5947I love this camera, though at altitude it started making some strange noises. The advance was louder than it seemed, though I've not tested since, and seem to remember the noise level going down afterward, so maybe it was an affect of the film, or of a low battery. (Oh, unless you want to live in regret for the rest of your life, bring your spare camera battery!) When bracketting, I found the camera consistently made the best decisions, even in our cool-light conditions. Do wish it could take filters, and had a bulb setting or the ability to set slow shutter speeds.
 Zing neoprene camera bagM5500Just barely fits a GR-1 and spare roll of film. Nicely done, though I worry about velcro providing the only closure.
 mini-tripodM5500Had I not been w/o a battery I would have used this more, and for taking more group shots. As it was it was only useful for attaching to a ski pole as a monopod. Worth the weight, I think.
 Yashica T5C5947 
 Olympus ???S5947 
 Extra filmM5940I brought about 10 rolls of Velvia, Provia, and Astia, not really caring what went in the camera, just curious. Ende dup shooting about 3.5 rolls. Would have shot far more if 1) better weather, 2) more batteries
 No extra battery!M Stupid.
First aid
1 roll2 gauzeM5940 
1 pad4x4 gauze padM5940 
2 pads3x5 gauze padM5940 
1cravatM5940 
1 oztinctue of iodineM5940 
3antiseptic towelettesM5940 
1blister raiser dealieM5940 
1 roll2 athletic tapeM5940 
1 roll3 roller bandageM5940 
1 pcktGUM5940 
1irrigating syringeM5940 
12VicodinM5940Pain
12DiamoxM5940Altitude
4Dexamethazone (Decadron)M5940Altitude
30BextraM5940Antiinflammatory (for my toe)
8Cipro (generic equiv.)M5940Tourist diarhea
1razor bladeM5940 
4safety pinsM5940 
1garbage bagM5940 
1accident sheetM5940 
1little penM5500Just like the one in my knife (as a back-up).
1small em. SunscreenM5940in addition to each having our own big tub of it.
1wire splintM5940I was skeptical, but not wanting to carry a heavy, pooly working Sam Splint with me, I tested out a wire splint ($1.995 from REI, or something); it works not spectacularly, but very well for it's weight and size.
1 sheetsecond skinM5940 
2 sheet3x5 moleskinM5940 
1 pcktsteri-stripsM5940 
3band-aidsM5940 
1space blanket/ bivy bagM5940Non needed, but when I've needed such items I the past, I was glad to have had it. Worth the weight…
1plastic ziplocM5940Holding other items, or of course useful in its own right, such as for sucking chest wounds.
Cognitive Engagement
 David Sharman, Cordillera Blanca Climbers' Guide 3070The bible. Too bad we left both our copies in Huaraz. Good thing some Brits. Loaned us theirs to take notes from.
 Photocopies of relevant sections of above 3070unused (by design, as opposed to by accident, as with book itself)
2Swiss Alpine Club topos, N. Cordillera Blanca 5940A work of art. I wish only that the paper were more tear-proof, though it's relaly not that bad. These can be gotten all over Huaraz.
 Peru Lonely PlanetC3070Necessary, I suppose, though I left Chris and Scott to most of the logistics.
 Spanish phrasebooksM,S3070Oh so dear, my favorite entertainment. My poor friends to put up with me. If I could do it over again I would try harder to learn more Spanish before arriving, though in truth, we got by fine with our very, very little.
 deck of cards, prepared for Scrabble playingS5500Didn't use, but I understand this to be a beautiful idea.
 Personal notebooksM,S5500 
 Jane Austen, EmmaM5500good light civilized reading
 Franz Kafka, MetamorphosisC4000 
 Miguel Cervantes, Don QuixoteS3070 
Travel
 Accordian luggageM3070Something free we could leave behind if we coulnd't find a place to stow gear while on the mtn, at Pastoruri
Administravia
 Passports, driver's licensesM,C,S5940 
 Med sheets for partnersM,C,S5940Incl. special med. conditions, immunizations, blood types, allergies, prescription meds., etc. This and the following information on one sheet, in each of our possession, and with our emergency contacts.
 Flight, emergency contact, med. insurance detailsM,C,S5940 
 Air ticketsM,C,S3070 
 CashM,C,S5940Because I'm stupid, I took no US currency with me this was only OK because the others were loaded. In the future I'd do it differently.
 Credit cards, (phone numbers to cancel lost cards)M,C,S5940Chris and Mark told their credit card companies of their plans to travel to Peru. Scott's and Chris' cards worked fine for retriving Soles; Mark's had very limited success.
 National embassy cont. info, other em. Nums.M,C,S5940Full text