2025 Nun Peak retkikunta
I just simply love this part! Planning, checking, perhaps buying, checking, trying out, checking, packing, repacking, weighing, packing - over and over again. 🤣🤣
All just to ensure everything is there, and definitely to shave off any extra grams.
Being an engineer, I naturally have a gear list in Excel, based on previous trips. The list keeps evolving, and improving, and after each trip I mark what was worked and what didn’t. Having said that – the grand total weight, including 2 duffels should be around 42-45kg. So it’s not that bad!
Overall weight is not really an issue to or at Base Camp, but the higher you go, the more important weight gets as every extra kilo carried is a lot of extra effort, and the higher you go the more effort those extra kilos require!
Thus, I have tried to ensure that the gear I carry, especially what I plan to use for my possible summit attempt(s), will be as light as possible. Granted, I am not keen on carrying any extra weight to the lower camps either!
There is so much to say about gear, so let’s start from the basics – the trek.
On my feet I will be wearing (in my opinion) the best hiking boots in the world – Haix Airpower P9 Desert. Extremely durable boots that weigh a mere 760 grams, and are used by for instance special forces all over the world. I have never had any issues with blisters or fatigue with these on my feet! They are also just about 100% waterproof.
When looking for or trying on new boots - rule number one is that they must feel comfortable immediately and not feel tight anywhere. Once you've started using them, they will of course slowly form to fit you feet even better, but if they aren't comfy from the start they probably will never be.
If I’m in shorts, I will also be using some cut-off socks that go just over the top of the boots, to prevent dust and stones from entering.
For sunny days I have a pair of Arcteryx shorts. If the weather is windy or wet, I will wear either Arcteryx Sigma AR trekking pants - they just rock, incredibly comfortable, light and durable. On my upper body – depending on the temperature and conditions - a T-shirt, a long sleeved Arcteryx Motus or a Helly Hansen Lifa Merino Lightweight Crew shirt. This HH shirt is super, with a thin layer of moisture-wicking material underneath and merino wool on top, and I will be wearing that as well for most of the days on the mountains.
Then of course a hat, buff and sunglasses 😎
The pack, my trusted old 50l Jack Wolfskin, should be pretty light at this point; water, snacks, shell jacket (Arcteryx Alpha), lightweight insulated jacket (Arcteryx Cerium LT, I love this one). Plus some technical gear such as laptop, a light tripod/selfie stick, iphone etc... The big difference this year is that I am leaving the camera at home - the iPhone 16 will be perfect!
Overall, around 10-12 kg. Just the "essentials" i.e something to wear during breaks or if the weather turns (and stuff I will not trust into the duffels, such as electronics). Perhaps as well a thin sleeping pad, to sit on during breaks.
The last item is a trekking pole. Why only one? Because my other hand will be busy shooting pictures 😜
I will carry enough SD memory cards to be able to take thousands of photos and many many hours of video. For editing (and for writing, watching movies etc) I will use my Macbook Pro, and also bring a small backup disc. You can never have enough backups on a trip like this!!
Communications is a problem - India doesn't allow any Garmin-based satellite devices. Last time I used that for sending/receiving short messages and it worked perfectly for that, and for tracking where we were. SO as soon as we are outside of wifi coverage, you won't be hearing from me, until we return down.
In a way it is also a relief as I don't need to spend time writing/sending updates each day.
So that is pretty much what I’ll be wearing and carrying during the trek into Base Camp. All the other equipment will be carried by local super porters, and we will have access to that only in the camps. My two duffels will be split so that one has the stuff I may need during the trek - sleeping bag & pad, extra clothes etc. All the climbing gear will stay in the other duffel until we reach base camp, where I will hopefully see it again!
For sleeping, I have an inflatable Exped XL mattress. It is wide, long, thick and soft, easy to inflate, very small when stowed and despite that surprisingly light. And this is the sleeping pad I will also be using in the higher camps.
A good sleeping bag is of course essential, as nighttime temperature often drops below freezing. I will probably bring two – one for BC and one for the higher camps. I ended up with a Valandre LaFayette, that is both light and relatively roomy. Lighter means it is only half the weight of the old one, plus it takes up less space when compressed. Roomy means I don’t feel like a sausage in it. The drawback is that it’s not quite as warm, but I will compensate for that by wearing my down suit inside, if necessary.
More comfort, more space, less weight – that’s the way I like it!
Then, for moving higher up the mountain, there are two phases – acclimatization and summit attempt.
Mostly during the acclimatization rounds, underneath I will wear Helly Hansen long underwear. As a mid layer, if needed, Helly Hansen Power Stretch Pro or even the thin Arcteryx Cerium LT, and on top my Arcteryx shell jacket. On the legs power stretch fleece pants and shell pants. Wearing the mid layer is dependent on how cold it is, usually one layer is enough at least a bit lower down.
For sun protection on the snow a thin long sleeved shirt is all that is needed if it is really warm. Needs to be long-sleeved unless you want to fry your arms!
The sun can really be hot up there, despite being at a high altitude, and it will sap all your energy very easily, so the layering needs to be smart and easy to change. On hot days light coloured clothing is obviously best, unfortunately those are pretty hard to find as everything seems to be available only in black!
The last phase is the summit attempt. Leaving high camp it will be crucial to try and go as light as possible. The plan is to wear the same bottom and mid layer as earlier, and on top a super warm Haglöfs down jacket and pants.
What about hands and feet?
When you leave BC, you generally use your high-altitude double-layered mountaineering boots with a removable thermal bootie. Inside will be liner socks and heavy mountaineering socks. How many layers are inside will again depend on the conditions. Mine are new Scarpa Phantom 8000, that I am walking around in at home and in the yard, just to wear them in a bit.
On hands, lower down Black Diamond work gloves. For higher up thin fleece gloves plus Outdoor Research Alti mitts. As spares for the summit attempt, down and wind stop mittens.
To finish it off, buffs and hats of various thickness, and sunglasses 😎
Looking at technical gear, the list is actually pretty short.
Ice axe, Crampons, Petzl Altitude Harness, 2 larger and 4 smaller carabiners, a couple of slings, an ascender (used for ascending the ropes), and finally a figure 8 for belays and descending.
Then small stuff like thermos, a few Platypus bottles, headlamp, leatherman, etc.
As to snacks, I'm bringing some Nosht chews, and Puhti energy packs. Will also bring some coconut oil, the stuff I use in my morning coffee every day - as it contains tons of energy, so I will always add some to every warm drink I have. Haven't decided yet how to package that, as in cooler temperatures it is solid but closer to 20 degrees it is runny. May have to put it in some sort of small tight containers so it is easily available.
For sure will need to fit some candy and other goodies in there too - this is an environment where you will need all extra energy you can swallow, as your appetite usually diminishes the higher you go, although that is where all that energy would be important
The rest is just personal stuff such as soap, toothbrush, first aid kit, something to read etc. Nothing exciting there 😴
That's just about it! Will go over everything, in use, as the expedition progresses.