Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Weather and Tents

Since I have never been back there before, I was wondering what the normal weather is hiking from Horseshoe Meadow up over the back of Whitney. My concerns involve my tent. I own a Sierra Designs Meteor Light, which is way too bulky and heavy for just myself. I was thinking of using the Fastpack option (which turns the rainfly into a glorified tarp), but wasn't sure about what would happen if I got caught in a deluge. Was then thinking about renting a smaller tent. If you have any advice, please let me know. Also, if you have experience with the Fastpack option, I'd be interested in how it worked out.

It's hard to say. I've spend 11 nights in two trips doing same trip you are planning. I had a total of :30 of rain. However, I have been rained 3 out of 6 days in the Sierra this summer.

It all depends on the weather systems during your trip. I'd rent a small tent but that's me.

Bill

I would just take a bivvy sack - it only weighs 1.5 pounds and keeps me completely dry (and warm) in bad weather. While you may not see any rain, you could also be caught in a big storm - you never know up there until it's too late to go back and get the right gear.

Just came back from two days at trail camp (Aug 15 & 16). Both days big rain, lightning, and hail storms pounded us. The storms lasted 2 to 3 hours. I was glad to have a dry tent.

A friend and I did the Muir Trail from July 23 thru Aug 7. We were using a GoLite tarp for our shelter, and it worked amazingly well. We had rain/hail nine out the first eleven days. (Two hail storms at the Crabtree Ranger station area, both of them about 1.5 hours long). So, I would say the Fastpack option is certainly feasable.

I think that many options would work. The fastpack option seems simple, and would provide adequate protection. A bivy would work if you know how to do that, can stand the confinement, have tried it, and want to spend the $80 min to buy one.

I climbed it twice from the west using a Wetzel tent
http://www.kmart.com/product/index.jsp?p...entPage=family.

That worked fine in rain and wind at Guitar Lake. Cheap at $27, available at any K-Mart, need to seal the seams (spray with Scotchguard worked for me), basically a disposible tent.
A bit weightier than I would use now at 4,8....but it gets the job done. Roomy, single wall.