Winter walking gear

by Steven Horner

I'm sorting gear out for a trip to the Cairngorms. The intention is to base myself in Rothiemurchus camp site and do day walks. I will be meeting up with Phil Turner for 1 night, he will be running around in his new snow shoes.

I'm taking the gear for a multiday trip, plans are vague so unsure what I'm doing yet. I packed everything into a 50l Osprey Atmos which suddenly seamed very empty, wondered if it would fit into the 25l I'm also taking for day walks. To my amazement everything fitted in, its a bit of a squeeze but its all in. This is when I started to wonder what I've forgotten and thought I better unpack it and write a list. Here goes...

Pack

Osprey Atmos 50l or 25l pack

Black Diamond Rave Ice Axe

Kahtoola Steel Crampons

Red Snapper Ezee Toilet Trowel

Toilet Paper

Sigg 500ml water bottle

First Aid Kit

Lifeventure Wallet

Petzl Tikka Plus Headtorch

Silva Compass

Small Maxim Knife

Cheap Sumvision MP3 player

Spare batteries

Montane Quickfire jacket

Mountain Equipment Drilite Plus Waterproof trousers

Titanium Folding Spork

Matches

Fire Steel

Vargo Stove

MSR Titan Titanium Pot

Gas canister 250

Exped drybag with small amount of food

1litre platypus

Spare Smartwool socks

Spare Icebreaker 200 baselayer

Lifeventure Trek Towel

Mountain Suds Soap

Folding Toothbrush

Rightguard Deodrant

Avid Folding Razor

Neo Air & repair kit

Thermarest sitter

Hilleberg Akto tent

Alpkit Pipedream 600 (in Exped Drybag)

Garmin Etrex GPS

iPhone

a few spare freezer bags

Wearing/using

Pacer poles

Montane Litespeed

North Face Beenie

Snow & Rock Long John things

Buff

Montane Terra pants

Icebreaker Hiker Socks

Icebreaker 260 Base layer

Trek mates Gore-Tex gators

Berghaus Infinity Light Jacket

Sealskinz Gloves

Columbia Titanium Gloves

Keen Targhee II Boots

Inov8 345GTX Trail Shoes

I will probably carry both sets of gloves, preferring to wear the sealskinz as they are lighter. The Columbia things are what I use for snowboarding but are needed when the Sealskinz get too wet and cold. I may buy some more gloves in Aviemore to replace them for walking, have used Icebreaker liner gloves before which I really like in conjunction with something else. Boots or shoes would be chosen depending on walk. I have also got some Inov8 310s but currently covered in mud from a run and wouldn't dry in time if I cleaned them tonight.