parka for Rainier

so im trying to go very light. climbing in early July, wanted to see what others thought. my system is r1 fleece, patagonia nano air jacket and a rab alpine generator jacket.

fleece
shell
nano air 60grams per meter
rab, 100grams per meter in body and 60 in arms and hood

was thinking nano air and rab jacket together equals 160 body and 120 arms

thoughts?

or just get a dam DAS parka and be done

prefer synthetic due to other activities yes i understand down is light and all the benefits so not worried about hearing why down is so much lighter and better for light setups. never been to rainer so wanted some input

For me my system was a merino base layer, BD stance belay parka and an EVent shell. Worked well although there wasn't a ton of wind when I went.

Hey Mike - I am a huge fan of light is right, and shaving ounces (I cut the handle off of my mug for hot drinks). I would caution against going too light on Rainier. It can get really nasty up high, whiteout conditions, where moving isn't necessarily a good idea. My preference would be a warm and a hooded jacket that if the sht hit the fan, and I had to hunker down for the night, I could survive the night in reasonably good shape.

Rainier is not that hard of a mountain where extreme measures are needed to summit. Packing warm clothes and reasonable gear - and having good weather, the typical climber in good shape summits and returns to camp with plenty of remaining daylight.

I am 3 for 3 on Rainier, having climbed the Emmons, Disappointment Cleaver, and Liberty Ridge.

More important I would think than trying to shave a few ounces is training. If you are stuck in Ohio, maybe you can find stairs or a hill to train on - carry a pack heavier than what you would carry on Rainier as training. Go there fit and strong - and you won't notice an extra pound or two of safety warmth on your back.

If you stay with the "very light" approach, odds are you might be fine. In July, maybe 8 ??? times out of 10 you might be fine with this approach. The other 2 ??? times out of 10 you might really regret it.

Rainier is an awesome mountain - have a great time!

Post up a trip report.

Wally

mike canter wrote: or just get a dam DAS parka and be done

this. Your system would be fine if you get a really nice day and are constantly moving, however this is usually not the case. any breaks and the summit celebration is made LOTS more comfortable with another beefy layer. I visited the summit in late June and was very happy I had my puffy. The extra pounds are totally worth it and will make you more comfortable and add a bit of security if things go wrong. Chances are you will not turn around because of an extra jacket in your pack, but you might if you're shivering.

Have a great time and don't forget to look up and admire the view.

I had the previous generation (few years old) of the generator Alpine. When that thing was new, it roasted me out. Pertex for the wind/agua. We did several trips in the Sierra in temps down to near zero. Worked great for me in that range, with a mid-weight longsleeve wool shirt, non-membrane thin softshell with a hood, and the alpine generator. PNW gets a little wetter than down here, I know - if you've got a superlight shell to toss on top in case, perhaps that would help.

Did summer Rainier/Hood in the same setup, but temps were a little milder. Was more than fine.