Winter Mountaineering and Hiking Equipment

It is important to dress properly when venturing far from the creature comforts of home, especially during the winter months. One can invest a great deal of money in technical outerwear but it is far more valuable to learn how to stay warm, dry, and safe in any situation.

By traveling with care and keeping your body fit, well-fed, and hydrated, you can nearly eliminate your chances of falling and hurting yourself while hiking or scrambling. The greater danger is hypothermia, a cooling of the body's core temperature that is fatal if not reversed. Read more about hypothermia and general safety precautions here. Most hikers will have brought enough clothing to stay warm as they hike but not all are prepared to stay warm if their clothing becomes wet or if they are forced to stop hiking. The articles of clothing described below are the minimum you should have if you plan to hike with the ROC or on similar trips.

Minimum clothing required for most ROC hiking trips:

Footwear: 2pr heavy wool socks, 2 pr polypro liner socks, suitable boots. Min. cost: $80-100
In wet or snowy conditions, boots are necessary. At any time of the year footwear should be appropriate for the terrain, providing sufficient support and water resistance. Even the best shoes and boots do get wet and so it is also important to wear suitable socks. A heavy wool or polypropylene sock with a polypropylene liner sock is the recommended combination, of which you should always bring one or two extra pairs.

Bottoms and Tops:
1 polypro long underwear top and bottom, 1pr non-cotton pants, 1pr waterproof pants, 2 polypro/fleece tops, 1 waterproof top. Min cost: $50-100.
Shell outerwear may not be necessary for short trips in favorable weather year-round, and in summer it is sometimes acceptable to hike in light cotton pants or shorts and shirts. However, if there is any chance of wet weather it is advisable to wear or carry non-cotton layers such as nylon warm-up pants and fleece jackets. In colder weather long underwear should be packed for every trip. In dry weather it is often not necessary to have waterproof shell layers, but for wet weather and extended trips a waterproof shell layer is absolutely necessary. Plastic rain ponchos, jackets, and pants are excellent for low-cost emergency protective clothing but are not suited to extended trips in severe conditions because they trap perspiration inside clothing, where it condenses. A variety of inexpensive waterproof/breathable shell layers are available in addition to technical outerwear costing hundreds of dollars.

Accessories: 2 hats, 2 pr gloves or mitts, sunglasses. Min cost: $30-40.
Hats, mittens, and wind/sun protection are also necessary. For more severe conditions a balaclava may be desirable, and waterproof shell mitts or gloves are highly recommended. Sun protection is important at any time of year but is particularly important when traveling on snow.

Caring for your gear
Waterproof, breathable outerwear must be cleaned following the manufacturer's instructions, which typically do not permit standard detergents and machine wash cycles. Polypropylene and fleece can usually be machine-washed but must not be placed in the dryer. Try to avoid getting excessive amounts of mud and dirt on your clothing and take care to clean layers after use. The same applies to other equipment. Remember that with the proper equipment you can go to and return from anywhere on earth, but that your survival is often entirely dependent on it.

All of the clothing listed above as the minimum required can be found at department stores such as Wal-Mart or at sporting goods stores and outfitters.

Winter Mountaineering and Hiking. Mountaineering Safety.

Webmaster:

Michael Chu