7000m Gear List
We should be able to get substantial gear discounts so after you have been accepted to the expedition please consult with us regarding gear purchases from our great sponsors.
Outfitters in country will have very limited selection of western brands and quality of local brands is generally not up to western standards. It is recommended you create a written packing checklist and check it multiple times while packing!
Personal Clothing
General Notes
All of your gear except for axes/ice tools should fit inside your pack.
Wind is the main enemy and so everything exposed should be wind resistant.
People differ in their cold tolerance, both mentally and physically. Learn what you need to be comfortable in extreme wind and cold before you arrive on the mountain.
Climbing too warm leads to sweating, loss of electrolytes, and over a series of days can exacerbate the negative effects of altitude and lead to exhaustion. The human body recovers very slowly or not at all from such stress above 5500m.
Footwear
Approach shoes or boots for comfort and support up to earlier camps.
Double mountaineering boots - plastic or integrated gaiter style double climbing boots, for their warmth and ability to dry liner quickly. You will wear the liner without the outerboot around high camps, and sleep with them in your bag to dry them and prevent them from freezing. If your feet run cold, 8000m boots such as the Millet Everest may be appropriate. Otherwise 7000m boots such as the Sportiva G2 are considered by our team as the gold standard. You are looking for a boot that fits your unique foot shape well and will stand up to the rigors of high altitude travel. Ensure that you size your boots to fit the socks you will wear on summit day of your climb, which are likely thicker than your street socks.
If you have not purchased boots yet, please contact us for advice as we have experience both good and bad with durability and can help guide you.
Socks- wool or synthetic (no cotton!), liner socks, hiking socks, and expedition weight socks. Make sure you have a layering system that works well with your boot fit. Try your boots and socks on together and remember that your feet may swell a half size or so above 6000m.
Main layers
Base layer- thin long underwear top and bottom, lightweight synthetic or polypropylene, hooded to protect neck and face from sun damage at higher elevations
2nd layer- – expedition weight top and bottom, synthetic or wool, fits over your thin base layer
3rd layer- light softshell top, windproof fleece or light puffy jacket. Softshell pants.
Hardshell - protection from wind and rain. Waterproof, breathable, durable and VERY lightweight. Top must have hood, pants must have full side zips for easy on and off while wearing crampons. Do not use half zip pants.
Puffy layer
Large down parka with hood, insulated pants or bibs/salopettes ideally with full side zips for the ability to put them on while wearing crampons. For 7000m climbs you are looking for an “expedition” puffer. You will want this to be able to fit over all of your other layers.
Some participants may choose to instead wear a full down suit (sometimes referred to as an 8000m suit) if they tend to run cold, but these will be difficult to wear comfortably without dehydrating the climber except at high camp and on summit day.
Handwear
Liner gloves- synthetic, windproof, dexterous enough that you will not take them off for any reason at higher elevations (you can tie all knots, manipulate carabiners and ascenders, and take photos with your phone). Bring two pairs so that you can dry one while you wear the other.
Mountaineering gloves — insulated and waterproof, you will want these to fit over a thin liner if they don’t have integral removal liners. You will want to be able to perform basic ropework while wearing these.
Expedition mitts - insulated and durable, super warm expedition type, sized to fit over your liner gloves. Leashes if you prefer them. Better versions have a removable inner mitt that can dried with your body heat in your bag overnight.
T-shirts- synthetic, or cotton for the hike in. It’s generally very hot at lower elevations on expedition climbs! Many of us wear sun shirts but some who run very hot find them too warm at lower elevations.
Shorts or lightweight hiking pants - zip off pants work as well
Underwear- synthetic
Headwear
Warm hat- windproof is nice, something you can sleep in.
Balaclava/bandana- for sun protection, Buffs work well
Sun hat- baseball cap, legionnaire style can help with sun protection
Travel and town clothes- nice clothes for going out to eat and exploring town. It will be warm in town!
General Gear (Everyone)
Sleeping bag- -20F degree, down. If you plan on wearing your heavier layers inside your bag ensure it has the girth to acommodate this without compressing the down. Longer bags allow you to stash your boot liners and other layers inside your bag to dry and keep warm at night.
Sleeping pads- two pads, one thermarest style inflatable AND one closed cell foam (roll or Z-rest style). Repair kit for the inflatable pad must be carried.
Backpack- at least 75L to be able to carry climbing gear, scientific equipment, and cold weather gear.
Small summit pack- 25-40L or so for summit days and around town, large enough for your personal gear and sampling equipment (some people just use their expedition pack for summit days)
Duffle bag- large (100-150L) and sturdy, webbing on exterior as it will be strapped to mules for travel. This bag will tossed around by porters, over-cinched, abused. Bring a second, smaller duffel to leave gear in town when on the mountain.
Water bottles- three liters in total capacity, no metal water bottles, Nalgenes are best, camelback hydration system is nice for approach along with Nalgenes (but tubes will freeze higher up and so don’t plan on climbing with them). Bottle “parkas” or insulators are nice.
Headlamps- bring all the batteries you will need. Bring two lamps – a lightweight lamp for camp, a high power lamp for climbing. Remember that summit day climbs start very early (10-11pm!) so you will need many hours of output.
Glacier glasses- with side shields, category 4, make sure they are 100% UVA/UVB. TWO PAIRS at least, every year at least one climber loses or breaks a pair of glasses, snowblindness is no joke.
Pocket knife- small and light
Lighter and matches- lighters work up to 4000 meters, bring matches for higher camps
Medical Supplies
(Note: Sun is the main enemy here both low and high on the mountain)
Diamox (Rx)
Cipro (Ciprofloxacin) (Rx) (or Flagyl or other antibiotic)
Tylenol
Ibuprofen
Imodium
Benadryl
General first aid kit
Bandaids
Neosporin
Athletic Tape
Moleskin
Ace Bandage
Antacid (Tums, Maalox)
Ibuprofen/Advil
A few safety pins
Hand sanitizer
Personal medications- prescriptions, multi-vitamins, nutritional supplements, etc.
Toilet paper- small emergency supply for town and the mountain (Always carry some while in Kyrgyzstan – you will be surprised how often there is none in the toilet!)
Alcohol wipes- not baby wipes, as they will freeze
Water purification- we boil most of our water, but bring a back-up if you feel inclined
Sunscreen- minimum 50 SPF
Lip balm- minimum 30 SPF
Gatorade/Electrolytes- we drink tons of water, flavoring is great to help stay hydrated
Feminine Products
Supplies for contacts or prescription lens. Note that contacts may freeze in your eyes and fall out in extreme cold and windy environments!
Toothbrush, toothpaste- travel sized to reduce weight
Climbing Gear (for participants who plan to climb)
Ice axe- standard mountaineering ice axe (below 6000)
Technical ice tools- above 6000 meters in addition to the ice axe, two tools are necessary
Crampons- must have anti-balling plates, which is critical in wet snow. FIT AND CLIMB TEST YOUR CRAMPONS WITH YOUR BOOTS BEFORE YOU ARRIVE ON THE MOUNTAIN.
Harness- lighter weight alpine harness with adjustable/removable leg loops
Helmet- make sure your warm hat fits under and your hoods fit over your helmet
Belay/rappel device- with locking carabiner
Carabiners- at least 2 regular, at least 2 locking
Cordage- 2- 24” slings, 1- 48” slings, prussics
Ascender- Jumar or Petzl tribloc
Trekking poles- one or two, great place to store duct tape
Rock climbing shoes- optional for bouldering on days off
Miscellaneous
Heavy duty trashbags – 2 or so to line your backpack and sleeping bag
Small padlock- Locks for your duffel bags to secure your belongings
Pee bottle- 1.5-2 Liter capacity, make sure it doesn’t look or feel like your water bottles! We like the Nalgene wide mouth canteen.
Ladies, a pee funnel is nice
Favorite snack foods and teas- bars, gels, blocks, chocolate; bring plenty, as they are not available in country
Stuff sacks- for organizing your gear
Entertainment- iPad, books, kindle/nook, cards, etc
Camera- if you’re so inclined, but consider how high you’ll want to carry it
Foam ear plugs- sleeping will frequently be dorm style
Thermos – can be used instead of one of the Nalgenes
Hand warmers – rarely work at higher elevations as they’re oxygen activated.
Tent- bring one for base camp if you have one, we have tents for high camps
Tent repair kit- bring one if you have one, especially a pole splint as winds can be very strong.
Swim Suit- for shower facilities if less private…