fine tuning gear selection

[ricko]

as a newbie to the forum i figured i'd post this here. i' was on rainier last year in mid-may and we did not summit because of the weather. i anticipate a return trip the week of june 20th. in an attempt to fine tune and lighten my gear i've for the most part stopped carrying a hard-shell and rely on a hooded windshirt made of nextec epic, with a synthetic base layer or a powerstretch hoody underneath in the spirit of the British pile and pertex philosophy. while epic is windproof it's only highly water resistant, but if i'm moving and putting off heat i've never had a penetration issue in moderate rain. there's enough room to layer a micropuff pullover and the hood fits over my climbing helmet. The windshirt weighs around 10 oz. anybody else go this route?

 

ps - i will also have a synthetic belay jacket should sh!t ht the fan ;-)

 

thanks for your thoughts

[Bronco]

I don't know if Rainier is a good place to skimp on your shell. I did it once and wouldn't do it again. You might consider leaving your windshirt and micro puff out and put your hardshell in. The extra insulation may not be that useful if you are carying a belay jacket anyway. Save your windshirt for lower, less stormy mountains.

[NoahT]

You might look for an ultralight waterproof shell, expensive ones made of eVent or cheaper ones made of proprietary stuff. Some weigh in around 10 oz. Windshirts are awesome for active layers (what you wear while moving) but no good for hunkering down.

 

 

[cbcbd]

I don't go that route. I run semi warm so my layers have been for Summer Rainier:

 

While climbing:

-Long sleeve synthetic base layer

-gore-tex hardshell

 

Stopped:

-Throw my puffy belay jacket on top of it all.

 

 

 

 

[Jarek]

I use similar setup for summer, thin long sleeve white synthetic undershirt, long sleeve polartec jacket, pack-lite gore-tex shell and down jacket for rests or if it really gets cold...

[zeroforhire]

bring a waterproof shell... just get a cheap marmot precip or something. You most likely won't NEED it, but if it gets really nasty, it is a good thing to have.

 

Other than that, that looks like a nice setup.