Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board what did you buy?

I and a few others are planning on making the summit of Mtn Whitney but we need to buy everything. I’m not sure what I should buy 1st, backpack for 3 to 5 days, pots and pans, sleeping bag, shoes, and clothes? I do not want to buy it all at the same time I do not have that type of money laying around. The plan is to make it 3 to 5 day trip since we are coming from sea level. I have been shopping around and researching so I a little idea of what I need. What did you buy and how did buy those iteams? What order did you buy them?

It really depends when your trip is. Sounds like it may be next year. Is the 3 to 5 days on the Mountain or acclimating? Are you doing a day hike or overnight?

If it's a dayhike:

#1. Good boots or hiking shoes. You need to get them worn in, and that takes time, weeks and sometimes months depending on the boot. Then you need to use them....a lot.

#2. Camelback w/3 to 4 liter bag. Take it on your practice hikes.

#3. Large brim hat or other hat to protect you from the many hours of Sun you will be under during your practice hikes and the real thing. Also sunscreen.

As far as clothing, I've seen expensive clothes on people and I've seen girls in tiny shorts and tank tops on Whitney. Take your time with clothes and don't buy stupid useless clothing. I bought several things at Walmart until I could afford better. Your clothes won't stop you from reaching the summit, your conditioning and will power will get you there.

My 2 and a half pound tent cost me appx $35.00. My bag is rated 20 degrees and was inexpensive also. If you are planning on next year, then put hiking gear on your Christmas list. But make sure they know what you want and that it can be returned if they get you 5 pounds of pots and pans.

Take your time.

we are planning on going next year late june early july. (yes i know about the lottery) i think its going to a 5 days altogeather with acclimating. 3 days on the mtn and another day to relax after the hike and enjoy.

Hi Buddy,
you might find some of the information in my Whitney Diary helpful.

http://www.whitneyportalstore.com/forum/...age=2#Post79618

I talk a fair bit about the decisions before the trip and the lessons learned after the trip. I do have a section on gear.

Tom

I can tell what is last...your pack. You need to know size you need and that is dependent on the gear you own.

I have gone through the same thing a few times, when purchased all my standard sized gear in in 1997-98 and when I started to lighter and compactable stuff in 2000, I bought each pack after I had acquired my gear.

Also, if you are coming in late June you may need to acquire an ice axe, crampons and most importantly the requisite skills. I will suggest you take a peek at posts for from that period this year to get an idea what you are getting yourself into. IMO, for those coming from the east, it is safest, conditions wise, time to come is between August 1 and September 15, this way the snow and ice is gonzo and most likely not back in any meaningful amount.

Great advice from everyone. It's great you have a while to plan it. Make sure you get Doug's book: Mount Whitney: Mountain Lore from the Whitney Store. It's got great info and it's fun reading.

You've got a long time to buy what you will need. The important work is "need". Go to REI and ask questions. Then do more research on what a sales person may have advised. After your research, go back to purchase. There is tons of info on this site. Just do a search for the key word.

Then ask for more advice from the people on this site. They will give you opinions on boots, backpacks, stoves, socks, clothing....on and on. Good luck.

As others have said, boots are the first thing to look for. Spend the most money and time finding boots that really fit and are comfortable; every foot is different, and what feels great on my foot may not on yours.
Nothing else really needs to be expensive. I use stuff from garage sales, Craig's List, big box discount stores, military surplus, and I get in quite a few miles on big hills.
If you do have some extra to spend, a nice pack that fits well makes any trip more enjoyable - it's the piece of equipment I most want to upgrade in my own closet.
After Christmas, many big retailers such as REI put 'winter' gear on clearance sales - including lots of gear you might use on a June trip to Whitney.

in regards to shoes, you should go with whatever tennis shoes you have now or or get a really cheap pair from Big 5.

Ditto on what other WPS members have said. You may want to rent some of your gear. I know that REI and some other stores have rentals available. You know this, but buying stuff on line is much cheaper than the backpacking gear stores. Be careful buying at Walmart and other discount stores, as much of their clothing is mostly cotton and will take forever to dry. Good luck and take your time selecting your gear.

You are getting good advice, footwear would be one area I would not hesitate to spend the time and money in finding. I have found that second hand stores and Craigslist are a great place to find clothing and gear, sometimes you can find good quality items that someone else spend a lot of money on and now wants to get rid of. You don't want to spend a lot on clothing and gear before you find out if you want to continue backpacking.

thanks everyone!!!!! i have done a number of day hikes out of mammoth and bishop area, and i am totaly hooked. we are also planning for the future, dad want to do some trails in the the grand canyon, then half dome. i would love to do the PCT or the JMT as a personal goal. i know buying items wont go to waste. still taking it at one trip at a time.

Don't do it as a backpack, dayhike it. It's all trail and with the right training, it's a piece of cake.

Like Kevin says, get a pair of New Balance or other trail running shoe on sale. Boots aren't needed, and why have the extra weight on your feet.

You can acclimate in any number of spots, the best probably is Horseshoe Meadows. You can drive up there and spend a couple of days hiking at 10,000' or more. Sleep in Lone Pine or some random spot down in the desert. Climb high, sleep low, that's your ticket for acclimation.

Don't do it in June or early July. This is a high mountain, it gets lots of snow, that snow might not be gone until mid-July or sometimes even later. I'm assuming that if you don't have any backpacking gear you've never done a snow climb in a major mountain range. June is spring by the calendar, and spring in the Sierra means snow.

September after Labor Day would be a really good time, the weather is superb in September, and the crowds lessen.

Start hiking now. The best training for hiking mountains is hiking mountains and hills. Carry water in a pack for a little weight. When you head back downhill, dump the water and save your knees for later. You're gonna need them later.

Good luck and have fun, it's a beautiful mountain.

I've done it as both a dayhike and an overnighter - both have their ups and downs (pun intended). Personally, I prefer a backpack and the opportunity to sleep on the mountain (not at Trail Camp). A dayhike is intense and focused on getting up and down the mountain - that was my first experience. I enjoyed the more relaxed pace of a 2-day trip (minus hauling the extra weight up six miles) - it gave me an opportunity to stop and smell the sky pilot, so to speak.

There is no better advice than hiking uphill to train for hiking uphill. It's 11 miles of constant uphill, with very few level areas. And 11 miles of constant downhill can be under-appreciated too often.

Regarding acclimation, I followed the US Olympic Policy of "train high, sleep low" before my first Whitney attempt. Slept in Lone Pine for 4 nights prior and hiked to 11,500 feet or so each day. The result on Whitney was my first-ever case of AMS at about 13,000 feet. After thinking about it, I realized the US Olympic headquarters is in Colorado Springs at 7500 feet, and that the whole "train high, sleep low" thing was relative to the definition of "low".

The next Whitney trip I slept at 8000 feet for a few nights prior, doing the same basic 11,500' dayhikes. The summit was easy and problem-free - not a tinge of AMS. I would revise that advice to "train high, sleep less high but not low". I did a little more research after that failed first trip and found that the majority of high-elevation experts strongly suggest that acclimation is best achieved for the body while at rest and sleeping. Everyone's different, but I'd bet most AMS cases on Whitney could have been avoided with higher or longer sleeping periods during acclimation. It made a true believer out of me, anyway.

Grays
The title of the post is, what did you buy! Not about, what not to do!! Isn’t hiking about the adventure and being with friends and having the best time you can. What is the point of running to the top and running back down? I want to see it and enjoy it. Getting up at 2am to back at my truck at 6 pm does not sound fun. I have and I am doing my research, I like snow, we are not afraid. It snows every month up in that area. I have done a number of day hikes out of Bishop, and Mammoth (duck lake my favorite). Duck Lake happens to be above 10,000 feet. Thanks for the major turn off!!! It was just a simple question!! All I need was a simple Answer!!

If you guys are in shape, a day hike is best. An over night trip requires a lot of extra equipment.
I used my running shoes because my boots were giving me problems. There was zero problems with them. I noticed many females wearing their running shoes.

The extra items I bought were:
Icebreaker T-Shirt - Merino wool regulates temp and wicks away sweat. A dripping wet cotton t-shirt on top of a cold and windy summit, you can freeze to death. My buddy was chilled to the bone at the summit, temp was 40ish and very windy.

Camelbak Hydration Pack- Best investment for successful summit. Filled with electrolytes, a game changer.

Gator Aid-Electrolytes. I literally could not summit without this stuff.

Steripen- Water treatment. In my opinion, treatment was not needed but if you can make it to the 27th switchback of the infamous 97 switchback, there is a free flowing spring. Maybe frozen in the morning. Around 6 miles in, you can safely fill up at Bighorn Park.

Other Important Items. Hat, Sunglasses, Sun Screen, M&Ms peanut covered and of course a camera.

By this time of year, the spring has dried up on the 97 Switchbacks. I would not go above Trail Camp without the amount of water you deem necessary.

Dayhike? Well, I could if I wanted to. I'm in that kind of shape but I have no desire to do it. I find I get bored to tears at this distance.

If you do an overnight or 2 night trip. You have the ability to stand on the summit at dawn...very few day hikers and make it to the summit to watch the sun creep over the eastern horizon. All my backpacking trips have put on the summit or beyond Lower Trail Crest when the sun came up. I would not do this trip any other way.

It all comes down to...hiking your own hike. There is no right or wrong way to reach this summit.