Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Do I need all this polyester.

I went to an outfitter store for equipment and clothing for my first ascent up Mt Whitney on July 14. Do a really need polyester undershorts,t-shirt, overshirt, long underwear (capilene base), pants with removable legs, and OTG sunglasses. Each of these items costs $30-$60. And of course the water additive to improve electrolite loss, and water filter???

As noted in Clothing, I would go with at least a long sleeve polypropylene top. Undershorts are a great way to minimize the risk of chafing from sweat buildup. Otherwise, you probably can get by carrying extra layers of regular clothes, if you do not mind the extra weight.

If you avoid cotton clothing you'll be comfortable and dry. Synthetic fibers like polypropelene and polyester can be foud cheap at places like wal-mart, target and mervyns look in the athletic clothes sections, and check the tags - they're requried to list the materials.

You will want layers, including long underwear and wind/rain proof jacket and pants. again, wal-mart has stuff like that on the cheap, it's not Columbia or North Face, but it's better than not getting anything at all.

TAKE SHADES! I can't desribe how much snow blindness sucks. Trust me! The best glasses are very dark and have lots of coverage on the sides. I've used my day to day (skater style) shades on Shasta and been fine.

No.

However, many of those things *may* improve your comfort, to some degree, and almost certainly will reduce your weight, to some degree.

I'm always astonished by some of the folks I see who wear plain stuff, and do just fine.

My current sunglasses came from the 99Cent store.

Often overlooked are some natural fibers that in some cases still perform better than poly. I prefer wool socks (Smartwool) and much prefer silk long underwear to smelly polypro.

Ken says it well. You really don't "need" anything special. It is about personal comfort and what you are willing to pay for it. Doug at the WPS says he sees out of shape people in Levis and tennies make it to the summit all the time.
On the other hand I am all about any lastest technology that can give me an edge in comfort or performance whether it is in golf,trainning or climbing/backpacking.

I do think UV protection with Glacier sunglasses is a MUST.The rest is personal preference and choice.

I must admit, that I do carry three wedges.

It is virtually impossible to buy sunglasses in the US, for any price, that does not provide UV protection. But one does want to get glasses that provide adequate side protection, as Glacier Glasses do.

K

Agreed Ken. It is especially important to have side protection.I also carry 3 wedges and occasionlly add a fourth hosseless wedge for play on courses with long greenside rough.It is a strange looking club with no hossel called a Lovett.
That's what I'm talkin about!!!

“Do a really need polyester undershorts” Not really, I’ve taken to wearing the Poly boxer/brief long/brief and I won’t go adventuring without them any more, but I do have a chaffing history.

“t-shirt” You’ll be much happier if you do. I‘ve gone exclusively long sleve too, to avoid sunburn and suntan lotion.

“overshirt” I prefer two shirts, usually a short sleeve over my long. They’ll usually keep me warm enough to avoid a jacket down into the 40’ies (while I'm moving).

“long underwear” I rarely wear them before dark, their just too warm for me. I love them for comfy/warm pj’s and evenings in camp.

“pants with removable legs” Well.. you’re gunna want nylon pants, might as well have the option to turn them into shorts.

“OTG sunglasses” Not sure what “OTG” means?? But you want quality dependable sunglasses. If your sunglasses fail/break It’ll make you life suck at altitude.

I also favor a fleece vest. Very light weight, compact, (extra pockets too) and provides a great deal of warmth without the bulk of a jacket.

That said.. my first time up Whitney in 91, I wore cotton head to toe (and I lived to tell you).

I suspect "OTG" was really meant to say OTC as in "Over the Counter" sunglasses.

My first trip I wore a pair of Levi's, a cotton shirt, 99 cent store sunglasses and a jacket. Although I remember feeling a little wet and cold, I still treasure the picture of that first time, still hanging in my office. Since then I have learned the benefit of layering with proper materials.

Do you need polyester undies, t-shirt, overshirt, long undies, convertible pants and OTG sunglasses? No. Will you be better prepared with them if the fit hits the shan? Yes.

You have 6 weeks to figure it out on your own.

I'm thinking I'll find out how effective my side protection is tomorrow, when I play in the Charity Tournament at Robinson Ranch. Hate those side-incoming sunburns.......

Man, I'm workin' to make this climbing related......

I always start off my talks to Scouts about proper clothing with the (exaggerated) saying, "cotton kills." I then go on to explain that you can get by with very little high-tech gear most of the time.

If I think of priorities in where I want quality clothing and gear, I come up with something like this:

1. Footwear. Good boots that fit well both uphill and down. The main trail is, after all, a trail, so you don't need anything extreme (mountaineering boots) but you want something that will protect your feet from the rocky terrain, provide some ankle support and not give you heel blisters on the way up and crushed toes on the way down. Do not scrimp on socks. My normal recommendation are polypro liners and wool or wool blend (Wigwam, SmartWool, etc.) heavy socks. I have a particular problem with a repaired Achilles tendon on one foot and actually wear three pairs of socks, polypro, thin wool, thick wool to give more interfaces and avoid rubbing that repaired heel/ankle area.

2. Rain/wind gear. Don't go buy a $200 Gore-Tex parka. Do shop the discount places like Burlington Coat Factory and look for lightweight but waterproof shell pieces. I used a BCF faux-Gore-Tex jacket last year at Philmont in an unusually rainy week and it was fine. Cost? About $40. Rain pants are a mixed blessing. I find I sweat so much in them that unless it's cold enough to want the wind shell along with rain protection, I'm better off with fast-drying nylon pants.

3. Pants. Zip-offs are a great invention. Buy nylon, not cotton, like the REI "Sahara" pants or similar ones. Shop around, find a sale, check the discounters. I got lucky this spring when the Scout supply changed vendors and sold off their remaining stock of "Switchback" zip-offs at half-price. $45 pants for $22.50. Be sure to buy ones with cuff zippers so you can remove or add the legs without removing your boots.

4. Hat/gloves. A good sun hat is worth it. If it gets cold (and it will, on top), whatever stocking cap you have in your winter clothes pile will be just fine. I have a pair of fleece mittens that I got on sale years ago that are finger-savers when it gets cold. The fleece still keeps my hands warm even when wet, which is a real plus.

5. Top layers. Yes, I have poly t-shirts, both long and short sleeved. I can get by most days with a cotton t-shirt but if it gets wet and the weather is cold, I'm in trouble. A fleece pullover is a necessity. A t-shirt, the fleece and my wind/rain shell will keep me tolerably warm under 99% of Sierra summer circumstances, especially if I have my stocking cap under the hood of the rain shell. I also found a lightweight nylon long-sleeved shirt (North Face brand) at Sierra Trading Post on closeout. Love it...white, so it's cool in the sun and provides good sun protection, plus it's quick to dry if it does get wet.

6. Underwear. Wicking underpants (boxers, briefs, whatever your preference is) are a good idea on long hikes. Not a necessity but if you have problems with chafing, cotton will get wet, stay wet and be uncomfortable.

7. Extra warmth. For a day hike, probably not needed. Overnight, I'll have my lightweight long johns along to sleep in and put on if I get chilly otherwise. I've had both cotton/wool blend and polypro. Whatever works. I also have a pair of fleece socks ("Wild Thangs" from Early Winters). They look weird (bright colors) but I love them for sleeping...keep my toes warm! One thing about sleeping warm...make sure you have dry clothes to put on at bedtime. Going to sleep in wet clothes is a perfect prescription for waking up freezing in the middle of the night.

8. Sunglasses. I've had everything from $10 Wal-Mart specials to $100 Serengetis. UV protection and side protection, especially on snow. Don't go buy something for a one-time trip.

Your other questions:

Water filter: There is a whole set of dissertations on the need (or not) for filtering water. My opinion is that lightly-traveled areas probably have safe water but as many <expletive deleted> careless bozos as there are on the Main Trail, I don't trust them not to contaminate the streams/lakes, so I carry and use a filter in high-use areas. You can also carry and use "Polar Pure" or other chemical disinfectants but remember that these take time to work and you have to "bleed the threads" when you fill a bottle out of a stream. That is, fill the bottle, add the purifier. When it is dissolved and mixed, open the bottle lid a half turn and invert it. Allow a little of the treated water to leak out between the bottle and lid, then put it back upright and tighten the lid. Then let it sit the recommended time (depends on which purifier chemical and the water temperature) before drinking. (I'll have filtered enough water for 10 people in the time you're waiting for your first liter to have reacted long enough with the purifier tabs, but the tabs weigh maybe an ounce and my First Need weighs a pound. Worth the tradeoff? I think so...)

Electrolytes: Don't overdo it. Don't skip them, either. If you take Gatorade/Powerade/whatever powder with you, figure on drinking about one liter of the mix for every 2 to 3 liters of plain water. Much more and you're likely to upset your stomach, plus you don't need all that much anyway, especially if you eat some salty snacks. Any of the sport drink mixes from you local grocery store will be just fine.

Whew! Long-winded, but hope it helps...

Hey, thanks for the long winded response. I appreciate it. From my Boys Scout days, the moto BE PREPARED is ingrained into my blood, but with all this high-tech outfitter stores selling everything on the planet, it can make a guy like me go a little heywire.

Don't limit yourself to water filters and chemicals (yuck), today you can get water purifiers that do the job almost instantly with no effort. On a trip like this (short, clear water)a UV purifier like the steripen is perfect and weighs next to nothing. Technology rocks! It took me years of pumping before I switched over, I'm glad I did!

"climbers" and hikers today seem to have a fixation on the latest gear and spending lots of money on it. i see this in so many other sectors of sports and I find it sad and hilarious at the same time.
I cant keep track of how many times I have been at J-Tree or somewhere else rock climbing and I hear someone say "dude, if i had those other climbing shoes i could climb that 12c". I cant help but remember the early days of rock climbing when guys would routinely put up 10a - 11c climbs in literally tennis shoes.
To answer your question...do you NEED all of that polyester ? No, you dont. What you need to climb is passion, guts and stamina. You cant buy any of those at REI and they have always been the same price since the beggining of time.

What is truly sad, fujiguy, is that you don't realize that climbers and hikers, since the begining, have been at the forefront of developing and using modern technology and materials. For some reason, there are people who believe that "the good old days" were mystically more pure or better in some way. The fact of the matter is that technological advances have allowed more people to enjoy the beauty of the mountains more comfortably and safely than at any other time in the past, no matter how wonderful the "olden days" were. I'll put my hiking boots, gore-tex,and steri-pen against your tennis shoes, cotton, and water boiling any day.

Steripen is the maximum of what you need on the MMWT. The water is crystal here in most of the usual suspects. I do run the water through a bandanna sometimes to take care of the solids.

Ken Robinsons Ranch is where I play all the time. In fact I travelled to Ojai to play cuz both courses at RR were full with Tournaments. Hope you played well.

FujiGuy nothing wrong with using new technology. Why would you care if someone wants to be more comfortable. I love the wicking undergarments. I love being dry after vigorous physical activity. Hate wet undies.

5 under (scramble). I'd not played here before. Fabulous course (Valley). I thought that wicking underwear and a two-layer sock system helped me significantly.

On another Bizarre Whitney note: This was a charity event for one of the hospitals where I've worked. I was getting some coffee, and I thought that one of the other players looked astonishingly like Paul G, an occasional climbing partner of Moosetracks, who I've climbed with also. I looked at his name badge, and it said: "Paul G"
When I called to him, he didn't recognize me with my shorter hair! Small world!