EQUIPMENT

The mountain has its own quirks and everyone has their own ..

so I will tell you about mine and how I plan to face the mountain:

 

Clothes follow the order I will wear them (from inside to outside) and if you read them backwards it is the order I will take them off if I get hot:

1. short-sleeved (synthetic to dry)

2. Isothermal long-sleeved T-shirt

3. Tight synthetic jersey (it tightens the isothermal on me and keeps me warm)

4. Fleece

5. Jacket or Softshell

6. In my bag I will have a membrane for the possibility of rain if the jacket is not waterproof.

7. Insulated pants

8. Pants

9. Membrane if the pants are not waterproof

10. Socks x 2 (one in the bag).

11. A change of underwear

11. Gloves (you don't go to the mountain without gloves, even in summer!!!!! )

 

The above, along with the overnight equipment, flashlights and everything else, adds up to about 12 kilos, which is how much I want to carry on my back.

Equipment... a constant and merciless battle of volume and weight, on the contrary proportional to the cost.

In the summer things are better but I don't dare, as we said the mountain has its own peculiarities and the weather can change suddenly.

 

Sleeping in the tent

1. Over the years I have learned that no middle ground will keep me warm like a good sleeping bag and no middle ground weighs less than a good sleeping bag. If there is anything worth investing in, it is sleep and then the quality of the backpack.. and I will find both in front of me.

2. If I get cold, I will start wearing whatever I have, in the usual order

3. I do not write about the underlayment, as important as it is. This absorbs the irregularities of the ground, this insulates me from the humidity and cold of the earth. I do not write because the old-fashioned roll with a thickness of two points will also do its job, it is light and economical but it is also bulky. Self-inflating rolls are the solution today, but light and small in volume cost quite a lot. In the end, I wrote a lot.

 

Food

Breakfast and snacks:

The mountain needs its fat .. to keep me warm and give me energy.

So we forget about sandwiches with boiled turkey and enjoy plenty of mortadella without remorse.

Cheese and even mayonnaise.

 

Nuts (a mix of dried banana, raisins and almonds is the best combination)

Chocolate is a myth .. sugar will give you a quick energy, you will peak and suddenly you will fall and that is where you will feel that something is abandoning you ... if you still insist and cannot overcome the myth about chocolate, I would suggest you take the well-known almond. There at least when the energy of the chocolate fades, the nut will start to work and thus gain in energy duration.

 

For main food I will have with me juicy burgers from my mom. They are easy to eat cold with some tomato and bread.

 

Backpack

We put the main weight in the middle of the backpack, that is, closer to the trunk of our back so that we can lift it.

At the bottom we put the lightest and least useful things (e.g. sleeping bag). High up, we put what we will need along the way.

We do not hang everything outside the backpack.. no matter how much we want the lantern backpack will not play music!!!! The most likely thing is that something will get caught on a rock - tree.

In an easily accessible place I always have a flashlight - batteries - a pocket knife and regardless of whether I have a guide I always have a map of the area with me.

In addition, I choose the food and supplements (e.g. nuts) to be within a quick radius of my hands. The contents should be easily accessible and not tightly tied in a bag. Cold fingers will have a hard time untying it.

I make sure the backpack is about 12 kilos and I never - never - never stuff something in it at the last minute. It will never find its place and will always weigh me down …

I usually fit the above in a 45-liter backpack, but if I also do winter mountaineering, for its extra equipment, I will need 10 liters more. So I choose a backpack with a capacity of about 55 liters. I don't forget that weight is directly proportional to volume, and also as a human being, the more space I have, the more I want to have (= carry).

Tent

Small to be light, I don't need to explain this.

Small so I can say no to the unwanted

Small so I can be close to the one I don't want to be far away

A waterproof tent with an even more waterproof floor.

The tent won't keep me warm, my body will keep it warm, but it will protect me from the wind, the cold, the rain and... the fox that will steal my shoes if I leave them outside.

If the tent is big (mine isn't) I'll have to invest in companions who will share the burden