Basic Gear Wanted

I'm stoked to be starting the Mazama's spring mountaineering course, but a little out of my depth with all the gear I'll need. I'm in Portland, OR and willing to meet or pay shipping.

I'm looking for:

NON-GENDER SPECIFIC
1. climbing helmet (new, size M/L)
2. belay device
3. compass
4. camelbak/bladder
5. carabiners (large, small locking, medium locking pear-shaped, non-locking climb-rated)

WOMEN'S
1. mid-size pack (women's, ~30L)
2. gloves (women's small; liners and waterproof)
3. pants (women's size 4-6)

Hey Tarun, are you looking to buy new or looking for used/cheap/free stuff?

Both! Thanks for asking. Do you have anything?

Tarun,

Try posting up on cascadeclimbers.com

You might find something you could use on backpackinglight.com

Jim

sierratradingpost.com/deute…

Good deal on a nice pack

If you are planning to get into mountaineering (which it sounds like), skip the bladder and get a couple Nalgenes. There more durable, harder to freeze, cheaper, and easier to clean.

Plus you'll save yourself from looking like a noob in the mountains!

Thanks for the additional resources- and especially for saving me from looking like a noob!

Hey Tarun, I do. I'm about to make a post with some stuff I've been sitting on so if you're interested let me know.

Tarun Gudz wrote:Thanks for the additional resources- and especially for saving me from looking like a noob!

Not to derail the thread into hydration, but I figured if I recommend ditiching the bladder I should follow up with some advice on hydration management. A lot of people coming from hiking/backpacking who are going into mountaineering worry about hydration because they are used to bladders. With a bit of foresight though, it's really easy to stay hydrated without the tube.

1) Come hydrated. I usually have a Gateraid for the ride in (and another for the ride out!).

2) Sweat management is super critical. It's easy to overheat in the alpine while working hard while wearing a bunch of layers. There are tons of reasons why you don't want to be sweating while climbing, and a big one is hydration. As a rule of thumb, if you begin your day feeling warm and cozy, you are wearing too much. be bold start cold!

3) You are going to expend your electrolytes if you are working hard, so buy a tube of Nuun tablets (my fav) for your water. I also like to make sure that my foods have a good balance between sweet and salty items as salt is necessary for hydration. (One could discuss food forever, so we'll keep it to that.)

4) Drink a bit during each of your rest breaks. If you are carrying a big pack that you have to fumble through while you are exhausted, you'll be tempted to skip a drink. Don't do that.

5) Regarding #4, to make your life easier, figure out how you are going to store your water in your pack for best access. I personally also like to keep a 0.5L Nalgene in the lid of my pack.

6) Last but not least, cut down on substances that dehydrate you. For example, if you don't absolutely need coffee to keep awake for what otherwise could be a sketchy day, don't drink it. You'll probably feel pretty damn awake after an hour or two of hard work anyways, regardless of caffeine intake. I personally will not have any caffeine when I begin the day, but will pop a GU gel if I am feeling like crap 2-3 hours into the climb. Alcohol isn't your friend either.

I have a used but in good condition osprey atmos 35 small in red.

rei.com/product/780200/ospr…

Would sell for 30 plus shipping.

I could throw in an atc belay device too.

Chris C. wrote:If you are planning to get into mountaineering (which it sounds like), skip the bladder and get a couple Nalgenes. There more durable, harder to freeze, cheaper, and easier to clean. Plus you'll save yourself from looking like a noob in the mountains!

I use a bladder pack when I'm wanting to use a smaller pack because it's easier to streamline than a couple of bulky bottles. Just a little more thought on care and management is all it takes.
Worrying about how you look in the mountains makes you look more like a noob than a bladder pack.

mediocre wrote: I use a bladder pack when I'm wanting to use a smaller pack because it's easier to streamline than a couple of bulky bottles. Just a little more thought on care and management is all it takes. Worrying about how you look in the mountains makes you look more like a noob than a bladder pack.

-Bladder packs are more prone to freezing in the high alpine. The wide mouth of a Nalgene is much harder to freeze over.

-Having a tube floating around on your shoulder can get very annoying and tangled when doing any technical climbing.

-Bladders are more prone to failure. If your hydration system leaks out and you have 10 hours to camp, you are going to be screwed. Plus your backup layers will be wet so you will be uber screwed.

-If your body is fit and you know how to keep it in good condition, drinking water only once an hour or at belays is no big deal.

These are only some of the good reasons why people don't use bladders in high alpine settings. If you are using a hydration bladder for anything more than the hike in, you are doing it wrong. I have a tube that I connect to a platapus soft bottle for climbs with multiday hike ins. If it's a multiday climb, the bottle gets converted into a pee bottle (and then thrown out). As I said in my post, I don't want to derail this thread into hydration.

More directly important to the OP, guide services in the PNW won't let you climb with a tube. If she is climbing with Mazama, they probably will make her ditch the tube as soon as they get off the trail.

Chris C. wrote: -Bladder packs are more prone to freezing in the high alpine. The wide mouth of a Nalgene is much harder to freeze over. -Having a tube floating around on your shoulder can get very annoying and tangled when doing any technical climbing. -Bladders are more prone to failure. If your hydration system leaks out and you have 10 hours to camp, you are going to be screwed. Plus your backup layers will be wet so you will be uber screwed. -If your body is fit and you know how to keep it in good condition, drinking water only once an hour or at belays is no big deal. These are only some of the good reasons why people don't use bladders in high alpine settings. If you are using a hydration bladder for anything more than the hike in, you are doing it wrong. I have a tube that I connect to a platapus soft bottle for climbs with multiday hike ins. If it's a multiday climb, the bottle gets converted into a pee bottle (and then thrown out). As I said in my post, I don't want to derail this thread into hydration. More directly important to the OP, guide services in the PNW won't let you climb with a tube. If she is climbing with Mazama, they probably will make her ditch the tube as soon as they get off the trail.

Just a little more thought on care and management is all it takes.
But yes Tarun, they are more fragile and they're awkward to fill up sometimes, but mine allows me to use a bag that is borderline too small for a 2-3 night trip with gear.
I can't speak to the rules of the Mazamas.

Hi I have some go lite hard shells that were worn once and ended up being to short. Let me know if you are interested!