First Winter Backpacking Trip - Layering Advice (Mount Rogers VA)

[Dean757]

Ran my rambling draft post through ChatGPT and it distilled my novel into a digestible post:

Planning my first winter backpacking trip: 3 nights in Mount Rogers National Recreation Area (SW VA), late Nov/early Dec.

I’ve done plenty of car camping and day hiking in the area, but never this late in the season.

Conditions:

• Forecasts show –5 °F windchill at night, ~30 °F days.
• I’ll cherry-pick a window with low precip.

Thermal Profile:

• Run hot when moving (jog in 45 °F in a T-shirt).
• Get cold fast when stopped (chilly at 65 °F).
• Low 40s resting heart rate.

Sleep: Marmot CWM −40 °F bag, Nemo Tensor Extreme Conditions Sleeping Pad, Nemo Dagger 2P. Rather have and not need...

New Kuiu gear just ordered: StrongFleece 290 jacket, Peloton 240 hoody/beanie, Axis Vest + Axis gloves. From what I’ve read, StrongFleece fits snug, Peloton more relaxed. Thinking: Peloton over 290, Axis Vest under.

Gear I’ve Got to Work With

Tops – Outer Layer
Arc'teryx Beta AR • Marmot Precip Eco • OR Helium II • Kuiu Axis Vest • Peloton 240 Hoodie • StrongFleece 290 • Sitka Kelvin AeroLite Jacket & Vest • Sitka Kelvin Lite Down • Icebreaker Hyperia Zoned • Icebreaker Descender • Patagonia Better Sweater Down Jacket

Mid Layer
Black Diamond Alpine Start • Kuiu Base Camp Snap Shirt • Helly Hansen Lifa Merino Crew • OR Alpine Onset Ubertube Top • Smartwool 250 Crew • Columbia Terminal Tackle LS (I’ve got a stack of these — slick and great for layering)

Base Layer
Icebreaker 200 Oasis LS • Smartwool 150 T-shirt • Icebreaker Sphere SS

Bottoms
Kuiu Axis / Attack / Guide Pants (all sized up) • Smartwool 250 Bottom • Icebreaker 260 Bottom • Ghost Whisperer Pants • Kuhl Rain Pants • Tungsten GTX Pants • Furio GTX Pants

First Pass Plan

Active (moving):

• Base: Merino + Terminal Tackle LS + Alpine Start
• Mid: Axis Vest or AeroLite Vest
• Outer: Peloton 240 or Sitka AeroLite (StrongFleece if nasty)
• Bottoms: Attack or Axis pants
• Accessories: Beanie + gloves

Camp (static):

• Base: Merino + Terminal Tackle LS
• Mid: Heavier merino + Axis Vest + Kuiu Snap shirt + AeroLite Vest
• Outer: Patagonia Down + Beta AR shell (Helium backup)
• Bottoms: Merino base + Guide or Axis Pants + Ghost Whisperer Pants + light shell
• Sleep: Marmot CWM bag can be run as a quilt if needed.

What I’m Asking:

• What’s the leanest, most efficient layering system for these conditions?
• Which pieces should I actually bring vs. leave at home?

Appreciate the experienced input!

-Dean

 

[112Savage]

Dean, I don’t have any info for you. However I will be following this closely. I live less than 20 miles as the crow flies from Mt. Rogers and have wanted to do this hunt.

For those that don’t know, Mt. Rogers is the highest point in VA, and sees very extreme weather and wind. It has a lot of forest, but there is also a lot of treeless open shrubby areas.