#101 Gear
Good gear is essential for traveling comfortably and safely in the mountains. Even for making the most of your full athletic potential. High-performance gear is expensive, but the final investment can be optimized if you opt for versatile, high-quality gear. This section dedicated to mountain gear is organized to inform you about these characteristics, following a scheme of progressive acquisition based on your level of experience. I will thus start by writing about the basic gear for training and day hikes, all the way up to the gear needed for alpine expeditions. The gear you acquire initially will serve you throughout your journey as an athlete.
Ecological impact
Our actions as consumers allow us to protect the environment just as much as exemplary behavior in the field (link to LNT). Limiting our ecological impact involves reducing the number of items we own. It also involves acquiring more responsible products, from both an ecological and an ethical standpoint. In what follows, I will describe my gear list made up of one hundred pieces, with a few workarounds so as not to degrade my safety. It allows me to go on expeditions, head out for day hikes, do strength training, run, go fastpacking, ski tour, climb, mountaineer and ice climb. This approach helps me in my purchasing decisions and keeps the amount of gear I own in check, and I invite you to consider it in your own approach to gear.
The layering system
Before getting into the details of the gear, I need to tell you about the layering system. When a person exerts themselves, their muscles convert chemical energy into mechanical energy. This conversion creates losses, in the form of heat. The body then starts to heat up, then cools down at the skin on contact with the air. If the ambient air is too warm, the brain activates sweating to allow cooling, through the evaporation of water. If it is too cold, however, the body loses temperature, and we have no natural defense mechanism to cope. Hence the need to dress for thermal insulation. The trouble is that this insulating layer is independent of the outside temperature. While it works well for a certain temperature range, once outside that range, the layer is no longer suitable. The risk of heavy insulation is that the air close to the skin becomes too warm, making us sweat. Clothing must therefore allow us to create an insulating layer of air, but also let through the vapor generated by sweating. In the opposite case, you simply extend the thickness of the layer by dressing more. The best current method for dealing with variable weather is the so-called layering system. This system consists of stacking layers of clothing on the skin, each with very specific functions. There are four of these functions: a base layer, an active insulation layer, a passive insulation layer and, lastly, a protection layer. This applies to both the upper and lower body.
- The base layer's role is to wick the sweat present on the skin's surface away as quickly as possible. It must be breathable, light and able to dry quickly.
- The active insulation layer's role is to create a film of still air at the base layer so that the body can retain heat. It nevertheless has the difficult mission of breathing, that is, allowing vapor to pass through as easily as possible.
- The passive insulation layer's function is to create a film of still air around the body (with or without other layers), but unlike the previous layer, it is not meant to let vapor through. This is the territory of puffy jackets.
- The protection layer (or hardshell) is one of the most complex, because it must protect the body from wind, from rain, or worse, from both at the same time, while still letting the vapor generated by the body pass through.
Each of these layers is detailed via the links below. For these layers to work optimally, an air layer must be maintained. So take care that stacking clothes does not end up crushing it.
#101 Base layers (coming soon)
#101 Fleeces / Active insulation layers (coming soon)
Puffy jackets / Passive insulation layers (v1.1) (coming soon)
#101 Hardshells / Protection layers (coming soon)
Some garments combine functions. This is notably the case with softshells, which fill the role of both active insulation layer and protection layer. Their designers conceived them as a way to lighten your pack, combining fleece and jacket in a single item. Obviously, a softshell degrades the versatility of a fleece + jacket combination. They are too heavy as a protection layer and not protective enough against precipitation, and they are not breathable enough compared with an active insulation layer. On the other hand, they are very pleasant to use when precipitation is light or absent, and for protection from the wind.
#101 Softshells (coming soon)
Basic gear, for training and day hiking
This is about the minimal gear for training year-round and going hiking, or even trekking with nights spent under a roof. This gear must allow you to walk and run, whatever the weather conditions. Since we are talking about minimal gear, it must be built with longevity in mind and be possible to supplement once you want to shift into a higher gear. Below you will find a list of equipment that is part of this minimal gear. By clicking on the item in question, you will get a description of that item's characteristics. This information will thus allow you to buy with full knowledge of the facts. The best advice we can give is not to walk into a shop without a vision of what you want to acquire. You should assume that sales staff don't know much about it and that their priority is above all to clear the shop's stock. Some salespeople are also practitioners themselves, but they are far from the majority. #001: Cap #002: Beanie #003: Neck gaiter
Head insulation (v1.0) (coming soon)
#004: Light hardshell #005: Midweight softshell #006: Trail softshell #007: Thin fleece #008: Merino LS T-Shirt, with hood #009: Synthetic LS T-Shirt, with hood #010-11: SS T-Shirt (x2) #012-13: Trail shorts (x2) #014: Hiking shorts #015: Trail tights #016: Pants #017: PowerStrech gloves #018: Midweight gloves
Gloves (v1.0) (coming soon)
#019: Approach & hiking shoes #020: Trekking shoes #021: Summer trail shoes #022: Winter trail shoes
#101 Shoes (coming soon)
#023: Trail socks #024: Trekking socks
Socks (coming soon)
#025: Sunglasses
Sunglasses and goggles: the key points (coming soon)
#026: Watch and heart rate monitor
#101 Watches and heart rate straps (coming soon)
#027: Poles
Poles (coming soon)
#028: 25L backpack for multi-day running #029: Trail backpack
#101 Backpacks (coming soon)
#030: 1L bottle (x2) #031: Soft flask (x2) #032: Hydration bladder
Hydration systems (coming soon)
This list is only an illustration for discussing the various equipment points in more detail. It nevertheless illustrates the gear to consider if you want to commit fully to mountain sports, starting with trail running and day hiking. Combined with Montagneur's other lists, it allows you, in our view, to minimize the final investment in gear. It is also possible to consider multi-day treks with this list if you are on half board. Or if you don't sleep at night. And eat cold. Winter trail shoes are not essential if you don't live in a cold region or in the mountains. They are nevertheless useful for fast & light missions at altitude. Finally, the big absentees from this list: we will not cover underwear (for now?). Which does not mean you shouldn't pay attention to it. Seam placement can be incompatible with wearing a backpack over long periods (chafing). Breathable materials here too offer a very welcome gain in comfort.
Sports bras (coming soon)
Additional gear for trekking
To the basic gear intended for day outings, it is time to add the gear for long-haul, year-round touring. This requires gear for bivouacking, staying warm at rest, eating and drinking, etc. The following list once again serves as a basis for describing the various components. It is designed for trekking year-round, in all conditions, and with an eye to the gear required for hairier expeditions.
#033: Heavy puffy jacket (IC \> 230) #034: Medium puffy jacket (IC \> 100) #035: Synthetic puffy jacket (350g) #036: Heavy hardshell (RipStop 60D) #037: PowerStrech LS T-Shirt #038: Tights #039: Light overpants #040: Heavy overpants (bibs) #041: Light gloves #042: Heavy gloves #043: Super-heavy gloves #044: Headlamp (\> 350 lumens) #045: 85-100L backpack #046: 45-55L backpack #047: 120L duffle #048: Compression sacks #049: 4-season 2-person tent #050: Ultralight 3-season tent #051: Bivy
Shelter / Tent (coming soon)
#052: Sleeping pad (R \> 5) #053: Light sleeping pad (R \> 3) #054: Foam pad
Sleeping pads (coming soon)
#055: Pillow #056: Sleeping bag -20°C #057: Sleeping bag -5°C #058: Sleeping bag 5°C
Sleeping bag (coming soon)
#059: Multi-fuel stove #060: Light gas stove #061: Light cook pot / cup #062: Cook pot #063: Cutlery
Cooking (coming soon)
#064: Fire starter #065: Knife #066: Water filter #067: Beacon #068: Snowshoes
Other gear
The other components found on the market but not necessarily essential: Compression: Compression is very present in the mountain-running world, with claims of improved venous return, muscular efficiency and recovery. Science has so far proven none of these arguments. Only improved recovery during weightlifting sessions has been demonstrated. On the other hand, the psychosomatic share of these products is significant: they help us feel more capable. Arm and calf sleeves also provide protection from vegetation without hindering mobility. Gaiters: To protect against sand or snow that might get in over the top of the shoe/sock, you can use protective gaiters. The advantage of these gaiters is that they make the shoe more versatile by increasing its level of waterproofing and thermal insulation, on top of course of protecting from the elements. The big drawback is that the gaiter degrades the shoe's breathability. Not to mention that it is one more piece of equipment, and therefore more weight. Overpants have built-in gaiters, making this item superfluous.
Online shops
Below is a non-exhaustive list of online shops offering quality gear: