This is the clothing and equipment I’d expect to be wearing and carrying for classic Summer Alpine mountaineering days with glacier travel. I'd use this for peaks from the valley in a day or with a stay at an Alpine hut up to about AD. I’ve listed the actual pieces I own to give an idea of weights and fabrics. If you want to travel light and fast you need to take the bare minimum without cutting your margin of safety too fine and these decisions should be made on a route by route basis. With a good forecast I’d almost always leave the waterproof trousers behind for example. Let me know if there’s anything obvious I’ve missed off!
Clothing Wearing
B2/3 boots - Scarpa Freney XT with orthotic insoles
Technical socks - X Socks Trek Exped
Gaiters (optional) – Outdoor Research Verglas
Baselayer bottoms (optional on summit day) – Trek Mates Coolmax
Lightweight softshell trousers - Montane Terra Pant
Long-sleeve baselayer – Rab Aeon
Hooded softshell jacket – Rab Vapor Rise
Lightweight gloves – Black Diamond powerstretch
Cat 3/4 sunglasses – Decathlon Cat 4 with keeper cord
Neck protection – Buff
Sun hat – Outdoor Research folding baseball cap
Altimeter watch – Suunto Ambit
Clothing In the Pack
Lightweight waterproof jacket – Rab Demand Smock
Lightweight waterproof trousers (optional) – Marmot Precip
Lightweight insulated jacket – Rab Microlight Alpine
Spare gloves
Hat – Mountain Equipment beanie
Personal Equipment
Rucksack – Alpkit Gordon 20l/25l, axe carrying straps added
Headtorch – Alpkit Gamma
Spare headtorch – Black Diamond Ion
C2 crampons – Grivel G12 with crampon bag
Walking axe – Black Diamond Raven With Grip 55cm, leash in pack
Walking poles – Black Diamond Trail Ergo with snow baskets
Harness – Arc’Teryx I340a
Belay device – Black Diamond ATC Guide on DMM Sentinel Locksafe
Abseil prussik
Crevasse rescue kit – 1 x Black Diamond 18cm Turbo Express Ice Screw, 3 x DMM Shadow screwgates, 2 x DMM Spectre 2 Wiregates, 2 x Mammut 120cm 8mm slings, Wild Country Ropeman 3, Petzl Tibloc, 60cm prussik
Camera – Canon G12, GoPro HD Hero 2
Compass
Mobile phone
Money
Asthma inhaler
Factor 50 sun tan lotion
Lip balm/Vaseline
Insurance details
Silk sleeping bag liner (if staying in a hut)
Water – 2 x 1l Platypus bladders (I’d normally hydrate before setting off and carry 1.5l for a summit day), switch one for 1l Nalgene bottle if boiling water
Energy gels - SIS
Food
Knife – Petzl Spatha
Shared Equipment
Rope – Mammut Serenity 50m
First aid kit – Finger tape, plasters, painkillers
Spare sunglasses
Guidebook (take photos as backup)
Map (take photos as backup)
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For more technical routes I’d start with the base list above and add the equipment I’d expect to need on the route. For rock routes, a half rope, light rock rack and a supply of ab tat would go in. For more ice routes I’d swap the walking axe for a pair of technical tools and add in more ice screws. I’d always be packing a helmet too if the ground is getting steeper.
I’ve not done an Alpine bivvy before but this is the kit I’ll be packing for our forthcoming trip. The rationale is if we’re planning to bivvy we might as well do so in relative comfort. If we don’t take bivvy kit we keep climbing!
Personal Equipment
Rucksack – Marmot Centaur 38, back panel removed
Sleeping bag – Alpkit Pipedream 400
Bivvy bag – Alpkit Hunka
Sleeping mat – Thermarest Z Lite, 2 x sections cut off so mat fits in back of rucksack
Spare pair of socks to sleep in
Pee bottle!
Shared Equipment
Stove – Jetboil Sol Ti
Cooling implements – Jetboil plastic cutlery
Second mug – Alpkit MyTi Mug, Tiffoon
Food
Coffee
Spare lighers, waterproof matches
