Advice sought for Denali

[agill47]

Any feedback on the best Tent combination for a 3 person team on Denali?

Also, any thoughts on how often people use igloos and caves for shelter instead of a tent? Is that a way to save some weight?

Thank you,

Andy

[kurthicks]

There are many, many options for tents on Denali. A few thoughts:

 

1. Do NOT take just one three-person tent for three people. Taking a three-person (for use at 17k by itself) along with a two-person tent down low gives you way more space and makes it less likely to get on your friends' nerves. Plus, two smaller tents make it easier to move into pre-built walled campsites compared to one larger tent (and if one person bails, they can take the small tent).

1(a). Use solid and tested four season mountaineering tents. This is not a place to save weight.

2. Take a megamid as a cook tent. Worth every ounce.

3. No one snow caves unless they're stuck at a camp for an exceedingly long time and are bored. Take tents.

 

Save weight by getting in shape, not doubling up on much gear, and by going mid-to-late season when you can get leftovers from descending teams at 14k camp.

[CaleHoopes]

Kurt speaks volumes. On denali I wouldn't build a snow cave to sleep in unless I absolutely needed to or was Lonnie Dupre. That being said, feel free to build a snow igloo for a latrine - we saw a bunch of these and indeed wished we'd taken the time - would have been nice and warm place out of the wind to do the business.

 

I'd say the MEGAMID is a REQUIREMENT. I think I would have psychologically failed if we hadn't been able to be out of the sun.

 

Four season - hell yes. However, there are some good lightweight options out there for this. It doesn't need to be super heavy.

 

When he says "down low" he's talking about 14 camp. The most serious climbing starts above - and having a 2 person down low lets you KEEP your camp at 14k while you're away and gives you a good place to put your gear where you don't have to dig a cache. He's totally right about this.

 

Lightweight options?

Mountain Hardwear DIREKT 2 (Rei)

 

Spend the $500 and bring this along. It REALLY IS 2lb 8oz. It's BOMBER and it's so light that you won't regret it. Then one of you can sleep in this and it will be the perfect gear stash at 14k. To be honest, $500 for anything regarding denali is actually pretty cheap. You won't regret it.

 

Edited March 13, 2013 by CaleHoopes

[ScaredSilly]

I will agree with the two tent option. But will add in another reason. In case one gets trashed for some reason you can cram all three into the other tent.

 

When we acclimated at 14k we had three tents for four people. The third tent did not get used except at 14k and it was nice to spread out while we hung out. After that one person dropped out while we went over to the Cassin and took the two Biblers (and Eldo and I) up the ridge. Worked great as the single person in the I tent did the cooking and stored gear for the night.

 

While many take a megamid for cooking I would say skip it with three. Most people take too much crap up the hill. And with a second tent you can cook in it when the weather is inclement. That said I would take a vestibule.

[montypiton]

I'll admit that virtually no one digs snow caves on Denali, but in the two seasons I spent there (admittedly a LONG time ago) most of the old hands, and all of the climbing rangers, were building igloos. They are easy to build, and far warmer and more stormproof than any tent. My second season, we didn't even take a "basecamp" tent - just a bivvy tent for use in places where tents shouldn't be. For all our glacier time, we built igloos -- it's nice to be able to sit around inside in you underwear when it's thirty below outside... if I were to go back to Denali (and now that I'm an empty-nester, I'm considering it) I would not take a

tent for glacier camping - I'd build igloos,