By no means am I an expert! But I do love alpine climbing, moving quickly, efficiently and safely over technical terrain is really cool. Here is how I pack my backpack:
Packing your back pack- I began my outdoor adventures as a backpacker, for some reason backpackers really over think how to pack their backpack.
On the other hand I have climbing partners who don't seem to put any thought into it at all, every stop they pull everything out to get whatever they need that is buried in the bottom of their pack.This can get annoying when its pouring rain and that rain jacket is stuffed super deep or its dark and you have no idea where your headlamp is.
For your first couple trips, maybe first couple years, avoid packing at the TH, ya its cool and seems like a good idea. Its also a great way to forget things with no resources to come up with a solution. When I pack my backpack the night before a big day I pack things in the order I will need them. So that means if I'm bringing a sleeping bag, tent and camping gear all that goes on the bottom because I won't need them all day. Maybe the stove stays near the top if I'm doing a long ski traverse and I think we'll need to melt snow for water along the way. If it's a day outing and my pack is big enough I put the rope on the bottom, I'll probably need everything else before getting to the base of the route. Sometimes if I choose to bring a tiny backpack the rope will go on top, but this can be annoying for long approaches where you'll be stopping multiple times or on approaches with bushwhacking, tangles and frustration is guaranteed. Next to be packed is all the stuff I'll be clipping to my harness; cordellete, belay device, lockers, autoblock chalk bag etc. Then my harness goes in, after the harness goes the rest of my stuff, usually in this order; windbreaker, lightweight down, sunglasses, electronics and small items. Food, water, light hoody, and beta go on top. On the outside of my pack I bungee my climbing shoes and helmet, these items take up a lot of volume if you put them on the backpack and have never bothered me being on the outside of the pack.
Packing like this makes life easy as I approach and climb. On the hike in, my food and water is easily accessible making fuel stops quick and my hoody is right on top if the hike gets chilly. When I arrive at the base of the climb(giant cliff) the first thing I do is put my helmet on. Safety first! If its cold I put all my layers on to keep my body warm while we transition. If its really cold I'll put my shoes in my jacket to make putting them on a little easier. Next I put my food and water on the ground, somewhere where they won't fall or roll away! I eat some snacks and I put a gu in my pocket for easy access on the route. Now I look in my pack, oh there's my harness, exactly what I need! I put that on, then my chalk bag then clip my belay biners and cordellete to the rear gear loops of my harness. Cool, now the only thing in my pack is my rope, maybe its already stacked? I tie into one side and stack it somewhere convenient for the belayer. The water, snacks and small items can go back into the pack to carry up the route, my route beta, camera or phone go into the thigh pocket on my pants.
Now you're ready to climb! Or help your climbing partner who is probably scrambling around, tied up in their harness, tripping over the gear explosion of their back pack.
Take Aways:
-Pack the night before! You won't be rushed and if you can't find your sunglasses maybe you can borrow some!
-Pack Backwards, whatever you'll need last goes in first
-Don't pack you harness with all your junk clipped to it! This is an inefficient use of space and the nut tool will definitly get caught on something, your leg loops will be tangled and you'll have a difficult time putting your harness on
-shock cord is your friend
-Bring only what you need, carrying a bunch of gear you're not going to use makes everything harder
-Bring the right backpack, not to small, not to big
-Practice! Every time and anywhere you pack your pack you are practicing for those big alpine days so make good habits
Packing your back pack- I began my outdoor adventures as a backpacker, for some reason backpackers really over think how to pack their backpack.
On the other hand I have climbing partners who don't seem to put any thought into it at all, every stop they pull everything out to get whatever they need that is buried in the bottom of their pack.This can get annoying when its pouring rain and that rain jacket is stuffed super deep or its dark and you have no idea where your headlamp is.
For your first couple trips, maybe first couple years, avoid packing at the TH, ya its cool and seems like a good idea. Its also a great way to forget things with no resources to come up with a solution. When I pack my backpack the night before a big day I pack things in the order I will need them. So that means if I'm bringing a sleeping bag, tent and camping gear all that goes on the bottom because I won't need them all day. Maybe the stove stays near the top if I'm doing a long ski traverse and I think we'll need to melt snow for water along the way. If it's a day outing and my pack is big enough I put the rope on the bottom, I'll probably need everything else before getting to the base of the route. Sometimes if I choose to bring a tiny backpack the rope will go on top, but this can be annoying for long approaches where you'll be stopping multiple times or on approaches with bushwhacking, tangles and frustration is guaranteed. Next to be packed is all the stuff I'll be clipping to my harness; cordellete, belay device, lockers, autoblock chalk bag etc. Then my harness goes in, after the harness goes the rest of my stuff, usually in this order; windbreaker, lightweight down, sunglasses, electronics and small items. Food, water, light hoody, and beta go on top. On the outside of my pack I bungee my climbing shoes and helmet, these items take up a lot of volume if you put them on the backpack and have never bothered me being on the outside of the pack.
Packing like this makes life easy as I approach and climb. On the hike in, my food and water is easily accessible making fuel stops quick and my hoody is right on top if the hike gets chilly. When I arrive at the base of the climb(giant cliff) the first thing I do is put my helmet on. Safety first! If its cold I put all my layers on to keep my body warm while we transition. If its really cold I'll put my shoes in my jacket to make putting them on a little easier. Next I put my food and water on the ground, somewhere where they won't fall or roll away! I eat some snacks and I put a gu in my pocket for easy access on the route. Now I look in my pack, oh there's my harness, exactly what I need! I put that on, then my chalk bag then clip my belay biners and cordellete to the rear gear loops of my harness. Cool, now the only thing in my pack is my rope, maybe its already stacked? I tie into one side and stack it somewhere convenient for the belayer. The water, snacks and small items can go back into the pack to carry up the route, my route beta, camera or phone go into the thigh pocket on my pants.
Now you're ready to climb! Or help your climbing partner who is probably scrambling around, tied up in their harness, tripping over the gear explosion of their back pack.
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| Our packs for a 2 day climbing of Mt Stuart Cilogear 30L work sack and a BD speed 30 |
Take Aways:
-Pack the night before! You won't be rushed and if you can't find your sunglasses maybe you can borrow some!
-Pack Backwards, whatever you'll need last goes in first
-Don't pack you harness with all your junk clipped to it! This is an inefficient use of space and the nut tool will definitly get caught on something, your leg loops will be tangled and you'll have a difficult time putting your harness on
-shock cord is your friend
-Bring only what you need, carrying a bunch of gear you're not going to use makes everything harder
-Bring the right backpack, not to small, not to big
-Practice! Every time and anywhere you pack your pack you are practicing for those big alpine days so make good habits
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