Summer Alpine Kit List

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)

***

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