Moderately Adventurous

California – Mt. Whitney Gear List

Hanna Ashcraft

Looking at Sequoia National Park while on the Mt. Whitney Day Hike, Mt. Whitney Gear List, Moderately Adventurous Travel

(Updated June 4, 2022)

What gear should you bring on a 22-mile day hike? Well, you’re going to be out on the mountain for 12 – 20 hours, so bring things to keep you comfortably chugging along. As I mentioned in my training for Mt. Whitney article, your increasingly long hikes will be a key indicator of what you are missing. But if you are preparing for your first hike or maybe want to double check what I brought, below is my Mt. Whitney gear list.

Other Mt. Whitney Blog Posts:

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Mt. Whitney Gear List –  7 things you must have

 

1. Comfortable Hiking Boots

Being able to walk 22-miles starts with your feet. Make sure you have hiking boots/shoes that you know will serve you well. They could be with ankle support or perhaps you like the flexibility of a trail running shoe. Either way, start breaking in your hiking boots as soon as you can! Ideally they are already broken in, but if not try to take them for all your training hikes. For the Mt. Whitney Hike, I had Keen shoes, which I liked for the large toe box and ankle support. Since then, I’ve experimented with trail runners and really like the flexibility. Check out the following options:

 

2. Quality Socks

Again, comfort is key here. I opted for thick socks with a bit of cushion with a thin sock liner to protect from blisters. The thinking with two socks is that your socks will then rub together instead of you foot rubbing against your shoe. It might sound crazy to wear a wool sock, but they actually pull moisture away from your feet, dry quickly, and are antimicrobial. I’ve had the same REI Co-op socks for years and they have totally stood the test of time, so here are some options:

Which-ever brands you decide to get, be sure to test your socks on your training hikes.

 

3. Headlamp

For your 3:00 am start time. As I mentioned in the breakdown of the hike, it was surreal to see little lines of headlamps during the first section of switchbacks. I think it’s ALWAY good to pop a headlamp in my backpack, even when I’m just doing a casual day – JUST in case.  And while you’re at it, bring extra batteries.  

  • Black Diamond is the classic brand that I’m familiar with and the Spot 400 is a solid choice. Make sure you choose one that had the red light!
  • The Petzl Actik Core has a rechargeable battery – very cool! It also gets very good reviews.
 

4. Day-Pack

For your day pack, you’ll want something that’s big enough to all of your snacks, water, and layers for the day. But I wouldn’t suggest going too big because it’s so easy to overpack and also don’t want to be going over-board with gear. I also highly recommend something with a hip-belt, so it’s not all on your shoulders. I used a hand-me-down and very old 22-liter Patagonia model with chest and hip straps. For a day-hike, I think 22 – 35 L is a good range to aim for. Here are a few newer models:

  • Patagonia’s Altiva Pack has various sizes (22L, 28L, 38L) with a hip belt. The 28L has a soft top, which is great option to expand. 
  • Osprey is a reputable brand with an overwhelming selection. Again, aim for something with a hip belt, like the Sirrus 24, Mira 22, or Tempest 20.
  • For 2022, I’m trying out the Gregory Maya 10, which I would say is too small for Mt. Whitney. But I’m really liking the features and brand. Check out the Maya 22 or Juno H2O 24. 

 

5. Hydration Bladder

Some people prefer carrying water bottles while others use a hydration bladder. Either way, you need to be drinking a ton of water to combat the effects of altitude. For me, the ease of accessing the tube meant that I would drink water more often. 

 

6. Water-Filter

A water filter is another thing you should always have around, so you can top up on water whenever you find a good water source. Now that I’ve been backpacking, I’m way more familiar with water filtering, but we needed it on Mt. Whitney. I know it sounds crazy, by I had 5 liters of liquid and still ran out. It was critical that we filtered water on the way down. Don’t put yourself in a bad position. 

  • The classic water filter that I’ve had for years is the Sawyer system. I will make a note to TEST it out before you hit the trails — if I didn’t clean it properly the year before, I’ve had it backed up.
  • I’m interested in trying out this Katdyn BeFree because it seems to operate the same, but the dirty water bag seems to be easier to fill and squeeze.

 

7. Toilet Paper and extra baggie

They will give you a pack for solids, but it’s always good to have extra toilet paper for your nature pees. Just be sure to PACK IT OUT!!! I will personally come hunt you down if I hear that you left “biodegradable” toilet a paper out in nature.

  • Toilet Paper at REI
  • Toilet Paper on Amazon
  • For a eco-friendly alternative, consider the Kula Cloth. It’s an antimicrobial cloth that you can re-use. This might sound crazy to day-hikers, but as I’ve gotten more into backpacking, I realized the waste of toilet paper. Keep an open mind, even if you’re not ready for this step yet.

6 More Things that Came in Extremely Handy

1. Hiking Poles

I did not use hiking poles for the Mt. Whitney Day hike, but am a big fan of them! My hiking partner used hiking poles (as you can see in the pics) and If I were to go back and do it again, I likely would use poles. The downhill on the granite sections was brutal on my knees and hiking poles could have helped distribute the weight. I now use hiking poles every time I go backpacking. Practice using your poles on your training hikes, because if you typically don’t hike with poles, they can take a little while to get used to.

 

2. Sunscreen

Protect your skin! Again, you’re going to be out in the sun for many hours. Bring a travel size sunscreen to re-apply as needed. Here’s a few options:

 

3. Hat

Protect your face! Even just a regular baseball cap is great to keep the sun off your face. 

 

4. Exchangeable Layers

It was chilly in the morning and at the top. Have layers based on the weather predictions. Here was my exact layers, with similar or better products.

5. Blister Care

Because our training schedule was shoved into a short period of time and we had to push ourselves every weekend, I had some gnarly blisters by the end of everything. Find out what blister routine works best for you during your training hikes, then have a few on the trail. 

  • My friend tapes all of her known hot-spots with medical-grade Leukotape before hiking. I’ve since barrowed some tape and it is gnarly strong, which can be great, depending on the use.
  • Alternatively, here are some good shaped band-aid’s
  • Or try adding some HikeGoo before hitting the trails.

6. SPF Chapstick

All that heavy breathing, altitude and sunshine will dry you out before you know it. I am notoriously picky about which SPF Chapstick I use, because I don’t want to keep tasting it! I have not tried the following, so if you do, please let me know how they are:

Water and Liquids

Even though this is a Mt. Whitney gear list, I think it’s important to briefly discuss food and water for you 13+ hour day. For liquids, I had:

It was a ton of liquid (far more than is recommended) and I drank through all of it before hitting the 99 switchbacks on the way back down! The Acli-Mate powder definitely made me pee more often and I don’t know if it worked, but perhaps the placebo was worth it. I didn’t touch the peach juice until Trail Crest and it was an amazing treat. We had a water filter with us, which saved our booties to make it back down.

Snacks, Snacks, and more Snacks!

For food, it felt like I was constantly eating. Partially this was taking my mind off the hike, but I also read that it is important to keep eating when dealing with elevation changes. I don’t know what the best amount of food to eat on the trail is or best type, but here is what I remember eating:

I probably ate too much endurance jells and chews, because they made me more thirsty, but maybe that is the point. I had brought even more food that I didn’t eat, but I knew that variety was going to be key. Foods are not too heavy, so I am glad I over-packed.

During the training hikes, I was craving savory food instead of sweets. In this way, I tried to pack accordingly. After our hike to Lone Pine Lake, we stopped by the local athletic store for the Acli-Mate. This is where the store attendant told us to pack a snack reward and a beverage that has a little pulp or weight to it. This was amazing advice that we followed by stopping by the local grocery store.

Overall Thoughts – Mt. Whitney Gear List

I am a broken record at this point, but our training hikes really helped figure out how often we were hungry and how much we drank. Each hike we also realized that we needed another item – better sunscreen for our face, hiking shirts with sleeves, better socks, hiking poles, etc. By the time we did Whitney, we were more or less prepared with our Mt. Whitney gear list.

What are some items you cannot live without on extra long day-hike? Maybe someone else can benefit from your wisdom!

Happy Travels,

Hanna


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