Backcountry Skiing Overnight Packing List
October 17, 2013
The always up to date guide to what’s in my pack! Geared for a multi day trip into the backcountry.
Last Updated: 9/09/2015
This is a full gear list including both packed and worn items.
- Skis – Line Sir Francis Bacon with Marker Barron bindings
- Boots – Scarpa Mobe
- Ski Poles – K2 Carbon/Carbon Lockjaw Probe
- Climbing Skins – Black Diamond Ascension Nylon STS
- Backpack – Bergans of Norway Helium 55L
- Water Bladder – 70 oz. Insulated Camelbak
- Avalanche Probe – BCA Profile 240
- Avalanche Shovel – G3 SpadeTECH
- Tent – Mountain Hardware Direk 2 with REI Snow and Sand Anchors
- Sleeping Bag – Sea-to-Summit Spark SPIII
- An awesome sleeping bag that will lighten your load for sure. Keep in mind its only a 25 degree bag so you might need to wear your down to bed. By bringing a full set of down, including gloves and socks, you can get away with a lighter weight sleeping bag.
- Sleeping Pad – Big Agnes Q-Core SL Mummy with Big Agnes Pumphouse Pad Pump Dry Sack
- Stove – Primus Express Lander with fuel, fuel bottle and wind screen
- When using this stove I portion out roughly 25g of fuel per meal and an additional 30g per day for melting drinking water
- Cook Pot – Evernew TI Ultralight Pot 3 (1300 ml)
- During the winter months when melting snow is my primary source of water I like to bring a larger pot. Filling your water bladder can take a while when you are melting snow. A larger pot expedites this process.
- Utensils – MSR Folding Utensils
- Fork and spoon.
- Salt/Pepper Shaker – MSR Alpine Salt & Pepper Shaker
- 1/2 with salt and 1/2 with cinnamon. I don’t normally use pepper and cinnamon makes coffee and oatmeal taste better.
- Spice Container – MSR Alpine Spice Shaker
- Filled with sugar – I don’t like black coffee
- Mug – GSI Outdoors Blue Mountain Infinity Mug
- While I really prefer to use a titanium mug over plastic this mug has a lid that easily seals. This allows me to drink hot coffee in my sleeping bag and set the mug down in the tent while I shuffle around and not stress out about it spilling.
- Water Purification – SteriPEN Adventurer Opti
- See my article on winter water purification options. You can use the Mug to sterilize in and then pour it into your hydration bladder.
- Bic Lighter
- Headlamp – Black Diamond Icon
- In the winter I use a bit beefier headlamp. Due to the decreased amount of daylight the odds of me hiking in the dark pretty significant so I like a brighter light with a longer battery life.
- Lantern – Mont-Bell Crushable Lantern Shade
- This thing is brilliant.
- Sit Pad – 1′ by 2′ piece of foam I cut from a sleeping pad
- One of my favorite items to take with me. Great for sitting on at lunch, around the fire, using as a small table to keep from losing small items, placed under a pack in your vestibule to keep the bottom of your pack dry, and many more uses.
- Emergency Beacon – Delorme InReach
- GPS – Garmon 62s
- Avalanche Beacon – BCA Tracker2
- 2 Way Radio – Motorola Talkabout MS350R
- Ice Axe – CAMP Corsa Nanotech ice axe
- Watch – Suunto Core
- Helmet – Giro Nine.10
- Goggles – Smith I/O with Blue Sensor Mirror lens
- Regardless of lighting conditions I always use a lens geared toward flat light. Rarely am I skiing down an open field in bright sunshine. If that is the case I’ll wear my sun glasses.
- Sun Glasses – Julbo Tensing
- Puffy Jacket – The North Face Supernatural
- Puffy Pants – Arc’teryx Atom LT
- Storm Shell Jacket – Outdoor Research Mentor jacket
- Soft Shell Jacket – Outdoor Research Salvo Jacket
- This is what I hike in.
- Storm Shell Pants – Outdoor Research Axcess pants
- Camp Shoes – Feathered Friends Down Booties
- Camp shoes are a must when you are on a ski trip. Walking around in the evening wearing your ski boots or just the liners is a pain.
- Light Gloves – Outdoor Research StormTracker
- Medium Gloves – Marmot Spring Glove
- Boxers – ExOfficio Give-N-Go Sport Boxer Brief
- Socks – Two pairs of Darn Tough Ultralight Ski socks
- One pair to ski in and another to wear around camp.
- Shirt – Outdoor Research Echo 1/4 zip
- Baseball Cap – Any cheap trucker hat.
- Food – Breakfast, lunch, dinner (I pack one extra serving of dinner just in case), trail snacks, night time snacks, coffee, tea & sports drink powder.
- Food Bag – Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil dry sack with 50′ of cord
- A durable dry bag with a length of cord attached holds food and can be hung to act as a bear bag.
- Nighttime Pee Bottle – Nalgene Wide-Mouth Canteen (96 oz)
- I hate going outside in the middle of a blizzard.
- Carabineers – Two of them. Camp Nano 23’s are my favorite.
- Great for all kinds of random things.
- Emergency Survival Gear – Emergency + medical gear packing list
Alternate Items – These are items I swap in or out when the weather changes.
- Storm Weight Gloves – Black Diamond Guide glove
- Remove the Outdoor Research StormTracker glove when conditions are really nasty. Use this as your mid weight glove and the Marmot Spring Glove as your lightweight glove.
- Soft Shell Pants & Rain Pants – Outdoor Research Valhalla and CAMP B-Dry Evo
- I always prepare for the worst but sometimes the weather abides and you can swap these for the storm shell pants.
- Crevasse Rescue Kit – Crevasse rescue packing list
- Added into my pack whenever I’m venturing into glacier covered terrain.
- Hammock – Hummingbird Single Person Hammock
- Nothing makes people jealous like busing out a 5.3oz. hammock at the edge of a lake and kicking up your feet. If there is terrain that supports a hammock I throw this in.